1971 in British television

July

• No events.

August

• 2 August – The Pendle Forest transmitter begins transmissions and becomes the first UHF relay service to be operated by the Independent Television Authority.
• 7 August - ITV cameras cover the Football Association Charity Shield for the first time, with highlights shown the following day. Second Division champions Leicester City, standing in for Double winners Arsenal, beat Liverpool 1-0.^[6][7]

September

• 1 September – Border Television marks its tenth anniversary and begins broadcasting in colour, but initially only from the Caldbeck transmitting station, while viewers served by the Selkirk transmitter have to wait until the following year for colour television broadcasts to begin.
• 4 September – BBC1 debuts The Wonderful World of Disney. Initially broadcast as 'Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color', the anthology series features original Disney short films as well as appearances from numerous Disney characters.
• 13 September – Westward begins broadcasting in colour from the Stockland Hill and Caradon Hill transmitters and to mark the change, Westward's Golden Hind ship ident is reshot in colour.^[8]
• 17 September – ITV debuts the action-comedy series The Persuaders! starring Roger Moore and Tony Curtis.
• 21 September – Album music show The Old Grey Whistle Test premieres on BBC2.
• 25 September – Sesame Street starts airing on LWT and Grampian Television.
• 30 September – Grampian Television marks its tenth anniversary and begins broadcasting in colour from the Durris transmitter.

October

• 2 October – Debut of The Generation Game on BBC1, presented by Bruce Forsyth.^[9]
• 9 October – ITV airs the UK version of the popular American game show Sale of the Century.
• 10 October – Upstairs, Downstairs debuts on ITV.

November

• 10 November –
  Pebble Mill studios in Birmingham
  .
• 20 November – The children's programme Play Away debuts on BBC2 and is hosted by Brian Cant.
• 27 November – BBC2 screen the network premiere of the 1960 Roger Corman horror film Fall of The House of Usher, starring Vincent Price and based on the story by Edgar Allan Poe.

December

• 24 December – BBC1 airs M. R. James' The Stalls of Barchester, the first of several made-for-television short films, shown annually until 1978, known collectively as A Ghost Story for Christmas.
• 26 December – BBC2 airs its first terrestrial television showing of
  John Ireland and Ward Bond
  .

• 17 January – The Last of the Mohicans (1971)
• 21 January –
  Dave Allen at Large
  (1971–1979)
• 22 January – That's Your Funeral (1971)
• 13 February – The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977)
• 22 February – Joe and the Gladiator (1971)
• 25 February – Mr Benn (1971, 2005)
• 26 February –
  Sykes and a Big Big Show
  (1971)
• 15 March – Island of the Great Yellow Ox (1971)
• 1 April – Now, Take My Wife (1971)
• 10 April – The Two Ronnies (1971–1987, 1991, 1996, 2005)
• 15 April – It's Awfully Bad for Your Eyes, Darling (1971)
• 19 April –
  • Alias Smith and Jones (1971–1973)
  • Brett (1971)
• 14 May – Look, Mike Yarwood! (1971–1976)
• 18 June – Ryan and Ronnie (1971–1973)
• 19 June – Parkinson (1971–1982, 1998–2007)
• 22 August – The Silver Sword (1971)
• 4 September – The Wonderful World of Disney (1969-1979)
• 15 September
  • Barlow at Large (1971–1975)
  • Owen, M.D. (1971–1973)
• 20 September – A Taste of Honey (1971)
• 21 September – The Partridge Family (1970–1974)
• 2 October – The Generation Game (1971–1982, 1990–2002)
• 4 October – The Witch's Daughter (1971)
• 15 October – The Onedin Line (1971–1980)
• 21 October – Edna, the Inebriate Woman (1971)
• 23 October – Francis Durbridge Presents: The Passenger (1971)
• 5 November – Now Look Here (1971–1973)
• 8 November – The Runaway Summer (1971)
• 14 November – Tom Brown's Schooldays (1971)
• 24 December – A Ghost Story for Christmas (1971–1978)
• 28 December – The Snow Goose (1971)

BBC2

• 2 January – Some Matters of Little Consequence (1971)
• 9 January – Sense and Sensibility (1971)
• 27 January – Long Voyage Out of War (1971)
• 6 February – Jude the Obscure (1971)
• 17 February – Elizabeth R (1971)
• 19 February – Where Do I Sit? (1971)
• 26 March – Sunset Song (1971)
• 8 May – Bel Ami (1971)
• 11 June – Birds on the Wing (1971)
• 7 July – Stage 2 (1971–1972)
• 7 August – Cousin Bette (1971)
• 26 August –
  Trial
  (1971)
• 12 September – Eyeless in Gaza (1971)
• 21 September
  • The Old Grey Whistle Test (1971–1987)
  • Look and Read: The Boy from Space (1971)
• 22 September – The Search for the Nile (1971)
• 14 November – Wives and Daughters (1971)
• 16 November – Casanova (1971)
• 20 November – Play Away (1971–1984)
• 25 November – The View from Daniel Pike (1971–1973)
• 25 December – Cider with Rosie (1971)

ITV

• 8 January – Six Dates with Barker (1971)
• 14 January – A Class by Himself (1971–1972)
• 30 January – The More We Are Together (1971)
• 2 February – Bless This House (1971–1976)
• 19 February – Coppers End (1971)
• 20 February – The Leslie Crowther Show (1971)
• 28 February – Doctor at Large (1971)
• 4 March – Slapstick and Old Lace (1971)
• 29 March – Sesame Street (1969–present)
• 30 March – The Ten Commandments (1971)
• 7 April – Hine (1971)
• 9 April – Budgie (1971–1972)
• 18 April – Persuasion (1971)
• 27 April – ...And Mother Makes Three (1971–1973)
• 10 May – The Last of the Baskets (1971–1972)
• 21 May – Kindly Leave the Kerb (1971)
• 6 June – Jamie (1971)
• 12 June – The Comedians (1971–1985)
• 14 June – Seasons of the Year (1971)
• 28 June – Follyfoot (1971–1973)
• 2 July – The Trouble with Lilian (1971)
• 5 July – You're Only Young Twice (1971)
• 10 July – The Guardians (1971)
• 11 July – The Odd Couple (1970–1975)
• 15 July – Alexander the Greatest (1971–1972)
• 4 August – The Edward Woodward Hour (1971–1972)
• 8 August – Justice (1971–1974)
• 1 September – Frankie Howerd's Hour (1971)
• 15 September – Jason King (1971–1972)
• 17 September – The Persuaders! (1971–1972)
• 20 September – The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1971–1973)
• 21 September – Keep It in the Family (1971)
• 24 September – The Fenn Street Gang (1971–1973)
• 1 October – The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine (1971)
• 9 October – Sale of the Century (1971–1983)
• 10 October – Upstairs, Downstairs (1971–1975, 2010–2012)
• 20 October – Tottering Towers (1971–1972)
• 25 October – Lollipop Loves Mr Mole (1971–1972)
• 23 November – Suspicion (1971–1972)
• 14 December –
  Mike and Bernie
  (1971–1972)
• Unknown – Grasshopper Island (1971)

Television shows

Returning this year after a break of one year or longer

• Whack-O! (1956–1960; 1971–1972)

Continuing television shows

1920s

• BBC Wimbledon (1927–1939, 1946–2019, 2021–2024)

1930s

• The Boat Race (1938–1939, 1946–2019)
• BBC Cricket (1939, 1946–1999, 2020–2024)

1940s

• Come Dancing (1949–1998)

1950s

• Watch with Mother (1952–1975)
• The Good Old Days (1953–1983)
• Panorama (1953–present)
• Dixon of Dock Green (1955–1976)
• Crackerjack (1955–1984, 2020–present)
• Opportunity Knocks (1956–1978, 1987–1990)
• This Week (1956–1978, 1986–1992)
• Armchair Theatre (1956–1974)^[10]
• What the Papers Say (1956–2008)^[11]
• The Sky at Night (1957–present)
• Blue Peter (1958–present)
• Grandstand (1958–2007)
• The Black and White Minstrel Show (1958–1978)

1960s

• Coronation Street (1960–present)
• Songs of Praise (1961–present)
• Steptoe and Son (1962–1965, 1970–1974)
• Z-Cars (1962–1978)
• Animal Magic (1962–1983)
• Doctor Who (1963–1989, 1996, 2005–present)
• World in Action (1963–1998)
• Top of the Pops (1964–2006)
• Match of the Day (1964–present)
• Crossroads (1964–1988, 2001–2003)
• Play School (1964–1988)
• Mr. and Mrs. (1965–1999)
• Call My Bluff (1965–2005)
• World of Sport (1965–1985)
• Jackanory (1965–1996, 2006)
• Sportsnight (1965–1997)
• It's a Knockout (1966–1982, 1999–2001)
• The Money Programme (1966–2010)
• Callan (1967–1972)
• The Golden Shot (1967–1975)
• ITV Playhouse
  (1967–1982)
• Reksio (1967–1990)
• Please Sir! (1968–1972)
• Father, Dear Father (1968–1973)
• Dad's Army (1968–1977)^[12]
• Magpie (1968–1980)
• The Big Match (1968–2002)
• On the Buses (1969–1973)
• Clangers (1969–1974, 2015–present)
• Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974)
• Nationwide (1969–1983)
• Screen Test (1969–1984)

1970s

• A Family at War (1970–1972)
• Queenie's Castle (1970–1972)
• The Goodies (1970–1982)

Ending this year

• The Ed Sullivan Show (1948–1971)
• All Gas and Gaiters (1966–1971)
• Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width (1967–1971)
• Me Mammy (1968–1971)
• The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder (1969–1971)
• Albert and Victoria (1970–1971)
• Bachelor Father (1970–1971)
• The Lovers (1970–1971)
• Timeslip (1970–1971)
• UFO (1970–1971)

Births