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Celebrating the BBC centenary with the top programmes of the last 100 years, from Call the Midwife to Only Fools and Horses
As the BBC marks 100 years, this is the perfect time to binge some of its boxsets...
BBC
- James Hibbs
Published: Tuesday, 1 November 2022 at 11:49 am
21 items
As the BBC celebrates its centenary with special editions of shows such as Doctor Who, The Repair Shop and Antiques Roadshow, now is the perfect time to rewatch some old favourites and modern classics from throughout the broadcaster's esteemed history.
If you're a comedy fan, the Beeb has been providing laughs aplenty for years, with shows such as Only Fools and Horses, Blackadder and Fleabag tickling funny bones across the generations.
Meanwhile, entertainment fans need look no further than long-running Saturday night hit Strictly Come Dancing, and those looking for something more dramatic can plunge into all variety of programming.
There's recent thrillers like Line of Duty, period classics like Pride and Prejudice and acute social commentaries like I May Destroy You.
No matter your taste in TV viewing, the BBC has provided audiences with plenty to digest, discuss and obsess over across the years.
Here's a list of some of Radio Times's favourites from across the years...
This list was originally published in Radio Times magazine.
Showing 1 to 21 of 21 results
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2009
Lifestyle
Travel
PG
Michael Palin emulates the circumnavigational journey made by Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's classic novel Around the World in 80 Days. His adventure includes stops in Saudi Arabia and Japan.
-
2020
Drama
18
Drama exploring the question of sexual consent in contemporary life, written by and starring Michaela Coel.
-
1979
Education
Documentary
Naturalist David Attenborough travels around the world to tell the story of the evolution of life on the planet, beginning in the South American rainforest.
-
2004
Game show
Music
U
Celebrities paired with professional dancers perform ballroom and Latin routines, hoping to impress a panel of judges and the viewers at home, and vie to win the coveted glitterball trophy.
-
1981
Sitcom
Comedy
12
British sitcom following the misadventures of Peckham market trader Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter, played by David Jason, and his younger brother and apprentice Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst).
-
2012
Drama
History
15
Drama series based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, offering an insight into the world of midwifery and family life in 1950s east London. Jenny Agutter is among the regular cast members.
-
1989
Comedy
War
15
Stuck in the middle of World War I, Captain Edmund Blackadder does his best to escape the banality of the war.
-
1998
Comedy
Sitcom
12
British sitcom set in the canteen of a fictional factory in Manchester following the interactions of the staff as they go about their daily business.
-
2016
Comedy
Romance
15
Comedy with Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Olivia Colman. A woman named Fleabag wrestles with the demands of modern living in contemporary London through a mixture of bravado and casual sex.
-
2014
Crime/detective
Drama
15
Crime drama by Sally Wainwright, with Sarah Lancashire as a police sergeant in the Yorkshire valleys battling her own demons when she becomes involved in the hunt for a kidnapped girl.
-
2012
Crime/detective
Drama
15
Crime thriller with Adrian Dunbar, Martin Compston and Vicky McClure about a police anti-corruption unit led by Superintendent Ted Hastings. Each series follows one multi-stranded inquiry.
-
2010
Crime/detective
Drama
12
Drama bringing iconic detective Sherlock Holmes firmly into the 21st century. Benedict Cumberbatch plays the astute detective, with Martin Freeman as his companion Dr Watson.
-
2007
Romance
Sitcom
15
Sitcom about an Essex boy, Gavin Shipman (Mathew Horne), who falls in love with a Welsh girl, Stacey West (Joanna Page), and follows the key milestones in their lives.
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1985
Soap
Crime/detective
15
EastEnders was the brainchild of Julia Smith and Tony Holland, and premiered on BBC One in 1985. Storylines centre on people living and working in the fictional London borough of Walford. The series was originally screened as two half-hour episodes per week. Four episodes have been broadcast each week since August 2001. Within eight months of its launch, it reached number one in the ratings and has remained one of the top-rated programmes on British TV ever since. At the height of its popularity, more than 30 million viewers tuned in on Christmas Day 1986 to see Den Watts hand divorce papers to wife Angie. Large families have always been a strong feature of the long-running soap. The first central family was the Beale and Fowler clan consisting of Pauline Fowler, her husband Arthur, and teenage children Mark and Michelle. Pauline's twin brother Pete Beale, his wife Kathy and their son Ian lived nearby. Lou, Pauline and Pete's domineering mother, resided with Pauline. Strong female characters are central to the programme. Such characters have included Angie Watts, Kathy Mitchell, Sharon Rickman, Pat Evans and Peggy Mitchell. Macho male personalities such as Phil and Grant Mitchell have rubbed shoulders with bad boys including Den Watts and Dennis Rickman and handsome figures such as Simon Wicks and Jamie Mitchell. EastEnders has always featured a culturally diverse cast and never shied away from gritty storylines. For its 25th anniversary in February 2010, a live episode was broadcast where Archie Mitchell's killer was revealed. Ian Beale, played by Adam Woodyatt, is currently the only character to have been in the show from the first episode.
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1963
Sci-fi
Adventure
PG
Sci-fi drama about the adventures of an eccentric extraterrestrial Time Lord and his time-travelling companions as they battle injustice across the universe, travelling via his Tardis.
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1995
Drama
Romance
PG
This British drama, adapted from Jane Austen's novel, sees a flurry of anticipation among local unmarried ladies when a wealthy bachelor comes to stay nearby, bringing the aloof Mr Darcy.
See more BBC centenary news and recommendations
Authors
James HibbsDrama Writer
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
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