1969

1969 MCMLXIX


 * UK Prime Minister: Harold Wilson
 * FA Cup Winners: Manchester City (beat Leicester City 1-0)
 * Christmas Number One: Rolf Harris - Two Little Boys
 * Eurovision Song Contest: Madrid, Spain; 29 March
 * Contest Winners (four joint): Boom Bang-a-Bang - Lulu (UK), Vivo cantando - Salomé (Spain), De troubadour - Lenny Kuhr (NL), Un jour, un enfant - Frida Boccara (France).


 * Blue Peter Team: John Noakes, Peter Purves, Valerie Singleton.
 * Doctor Who: Patrick Troughton (S6 cont. - final ep. for Troughton 21 June)
 * Radio 1 Breakfast Show DJ: Tony Blackburn
 * Big Christmas Day Film On BBC1: McLintock (Western with John Wayne)

Main events

 * The Beatles play rooftop concert in Savile Row
 * First B&Q DIY superstore, Victoria Line opened, McCartney and Lennon both get married
 * Raleigh Chopper bike launched, first Concorde flight from UK, Leeds Utd. win Football League,
 * Ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 maiden voyage, Charles investiture as Prince of Wales
 * The Stones in the Park concert in Hyde Park (05 July), Apollo XI moon landing with Neil Armstrong making first steps.
 * The Beatles are photographed on the zebra crossing in Abbey Road; rioting in N. Ireland - British troops intervene; second isle of Wight festival.
 * Seven-sided 50p coin introduced, John Lennon returns his MBE, The Sun newspaper launched,
 * abolition of the death penalty for murder



New shows
(first broadcast date in brackets) full list
 * BBC 1: Clangers, Holiday, The Liver Birds (pilot, 14 July), Star Trek (UK debut), Nationwide, Up Pompeii!, Mary, Mungo and Midge, Chigley (completing the Trumptonshire Trilogy)
 * BBC 2: Pot Black (23 July), Monty Python's Flying Circus (05 October)
 * ITV: Junior Showtime, Jokers Wild, Doctor in the House, Hadleigh, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), Lift Off with Ayshea, The Benny Hill Show

Shows ending

 * BBC1: Softly, Softly
 * ITV; The Saint, The Avengers,

full list

Other TV events

 * The Royal Family documentary first shown (21 June) attracting more than 30,600,000 viewers, over half of the entire UK population (rpt. Christmas Day)
 * Full coverage of Apollo 11 moon landing via satellite (20-21 July)
 * Regular colour television broadcasts begin on BBC One and ITV (November)



Radio

 * Mrs Dale's Diary series ends (25 April), Waggoners' Walk begins (28 April)



Music
UK Top 40 debuts: David Bowie, Plastic Ono Band, Clodagh Rogers,
 * Biggest selling singles: The Archies - Sugar, Sugar, Rolf Harris - Two Little Boys, Frank Sinatra - My Way, The Beatles & Billy Preston - Get Back, The Rolling Stones - Honky Tonk Women
 * Biggest selling albums: Artist - Title  (full list)
 * Compilation albums: Title
 * Debut albums: Artist - Title (full list)
 * Eponymous debuts - Artist, Artist,
 * Other albums: The Who - Tommy, Led Zeppelin II, The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed

Films
UK release


 * Carry On Camping, Kes, On Her Majesty's Secret Service,



Births
Births
 * Graham Coxon (12 March), Cerys Matthews (11 April), Catherine Zeta-Jones (25 September), PJ Harvey (09 October)

Birthdays

 * 20:
 * 30:
 * 40: Gerald Harper,
 * 50:
 * 60:
 * 70:

Deaths

 * Kenneth Horne (14 February), Brian Jones (03 July, aged 27)