1968

1968

MCMLXVIII


 * Leap Year, begins Monday ends Tuesday (same calendar 1996, 2024)
 * Easter: 14 April
 * Bank Holidays: 01 Jan, 15 Apr, 27 May, 02 Sep, 26 Dec


 * UK Prime Minister: Harold Wilson
 * FA Cup Winners: West Bromwich Albion (beat Everton 1-0)
 * Christmas Number One: The Scaffold - Lilly the Pink
 * Eurovision Song Contest: London, 06 April
 * Contest Winner: Massiel - La, la, la (Spain)
 * UK Eurovision Entry: Cliff Richard - Congratulations (2nd place)


 * Blue Peter Team: Noakes / Purves / Singleton
 * Doctor Who: Patrick Troughton (Seasons 5&6)
 * Radio 1 Breakfast Show DJ: Tony Blackburn
 * Big Christmas Day Film On BBC1: Some Like It Hot (late evening)

Main events

 * Feb: Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France; The Beatles travel to India
 * March: anti-Vietnam War protests in London; Con. gain seats in by-elections
 * April: Enoch Powell makes 'rivers of blood' speech, dismissed form Shadow cabinet; 5p & 10p coins introduced
 * May: Manchester City win Football League, Manchester Utd. win European Cup (29 May)
 * July: Yellow Submarine movie premiere
 * August: first Isle of Wight Festival; Warsaw Pact invades Czechoslovakia
 * October: M1 motorway completed; Olympic Games in Mexico City
 * November: the Beatles release the "White Album"; Trade Descriptions Act comes into force



New shows
(first broadcast date in brackets)
 * BBC 1: Gardners' World (05 January), The Herbs (12 Feb.) Dad's Army (31 July), The Basil Brush Show, The Time Tunnel (UK debut), hectorìs House (UK debut) 09 Sep.
 * BBC 2: Colour Me Pop (14 June), The Morecambe & Wise Show (02 Sept.)
 * ITV: Magpie (30 July), Joe 90 (Sept.), Land of the Giants (Dec.)

Shows ending



 * Double Your Money, Danger Man, Man in a Suitcase, The Prisoner, Pinky and Perky

Other TV events

 * Sooty moves to ITV
 * 1960 horror movie Psycho UK TV premiere on BBC1
 * Mary Hopkin performs on Opportunity Knocks
 * Thames Television goes on air in July (fusion of ABC and Rediffusion), has first black TV presenter; ITV technicians' strike in August; TV Times goes national in September
 * 1968 Olympic Games - first Games shown in colour (BBC2) and on ITV.

Radio

 * BBC Radio Nottingham / BBC Radio Stoke / BBC Radio Leeds all debut
 * Round the Horne ends



Music
UK Top 40 debuts:
 * Biggest selling single: The Beatles - Hey Jude
 * Biggest selling albums: The Beatles - The Beatles
 * Compilation albums: The Best of the Beach Boys Vol. 3
 * Debut albums: Status Quo- Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo, Deep Purple - Shades of Deep Purple, Wendy Carlos - Switched On Bach, Lennon/Ono - Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins, George Harrison - Wonderwall Music
 * Eponymous debuts - Fleetwood Mac, The Archies, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Fairport Convention, James Taylor, the Move, Steppenwolf, Creedence Clearwater Revival

Films
UK release

Births

 * Daniel Craig (02 March), Damon Albarn (23 March), Catherine Tate (12 May, Luke and Matt Goss (29 September), Thom Yorke (07 October

Birthdays

 * 20:
 * 30:
 * 40:
 * 50:
 * 60:
 * 70:

Deaths

 * Tony Hancock, Enid Blyton