4 January – The world record-breaking long-running
comedy seriesLast of the Summer Wine starts as a 30-minute
pilot on
BBC1's Comedy Playhouse show. The first series run starts on 12 November and the programme runs for 37 years until August 2010.
6 January – Sesame Street, goes to air on
UTV, the first time the series is transmitted on television in Northern Ireland.
14 March – Are You Being Served? begins its first regular series, six months after the pilot episode had been broadcast as part of the Comedy Playhouse series.
5 May–28 July –
BBC2 begins screening The Ascent of Man. It is written and presented by
Jacob Bronowski and is accompanied by a bestselling book.
May – Sesame Street airs on
Westward Television for the first time, originally on Sundays until next Summer when it will be shown on Saturdays.
18 May – ITV London show the network premiere of the cult British horror film Witchfinder General, starring
Vincent Price and
Ian Ogilvy. The film is later shown on ITV Midlands and ITV Anglia on 23 November and 10 December.
6 August –
James Beck, who stars as
Private Walker in the BBC sitcom Dad's Army, dies of a burst
pancreas at the age of 44. Although the series continues until 1977, the part of Walker is not recast and the show carries on without him.
10 September – The Goodies makes its debut in Zambia on
ZBS.
26 September – Scottish and Grampian show live coverage of a Scotland home football international for the first time when they broadcast the World Cup qualifier between Scotland and Czechoslovakia.[4]
17 October – ITV shows a home England football international live from Wembley for the first time when it broadcasts the World Cup qualifier between England v Poland.[5]
The sixth series of the BBC sitcom Dad's Army opens with the episode "
The Deadly Attachment" containing the "Don't tell him,
Pike!" exchange which becomes rated as one of the top three greatest comedy moments of British television.[6]
28 November – The Dad's Army episode "
The Honourable Man" shown tonight is the last full one featuring actor
James Beck due to his death during the series recording (he features in prerecorded portions of the last series episode, "
Things That Go Bump in the Night", shown on 5 December). His character,
Private Walker, is subsequently written out of the series.
23 November – 10th anniversary of the first episode of Doctor Who.
17 December – The government announces severe measures to reduce electricity consumption due to the ongoing
overtime ban by the
National Union of Mineworkers, strike action in the electricity supply industry and effects of the
1973 oil crisis. Part of these measures are that both BBC and ITV television are ordered to end their broadcasting day earlier than usual, at around 10:30pm in order to save energy. The early closedowns commence that day and continue until Sunday 23 December. They are then lifted so that Christmas and New Year programming can air as normal and provide some light relief to the public. The restrictions will be reimposed from Monday 7 January 1974 and remain for a further month.[7]
4 January – The world record-breaking long-running
comedy seriesLast of the Summer Wine starts as a 30-minute
pilot on
BBC1's Comedy Playhouse show. The first series run starts on 12 November and the programme runs for 37 years until August 2010.
6 January – Sesame Street, goes to air on
UTV, the first time the series is transmitted on television in Northern Ireland.
14 March – Are You Being Served? begins its first regular series, six months after the pilot episode had been broadcast as part of the Comedy Playhouse series.
5 May–28 July –
BBC2 begins screening The Ascent of Man. It is written and presented by
Jacob Bronowski and is accompanied by a bestselling book.
May – Sesame Street airs on
Westward Television for the first time, originally on Sundays until next Summer when it will be shown on Saturdays.
18 May – ITV London show the network premiere of the cult British horror film Witchfinder General, starring
Vincent Price and
Ian Ogilvy. The film is later shown on ITV Midlands and ITV Anglia on 23 November and 10 December.
6 August –
James Beck, who stars as
Private Walker in the BBC sitcom Dad's Army, dies of a burst
pancreas at the age of 44. Although the series continues until 1977, the part of Walker is not recast and the show carries on without him.
10 September – The Goodies makes its debut in Zambia on
ZBS.
26 September – Scottish and Grampian show live coverage of a Scotland home football international for the first time when they broadcast the World Cup qualifier between Scotland and Czechoslovakia.[4]
17 October – ITV shows a home England football international live from Wembley for the first time when it broadcasts the World Cup qualifier between England v Poland.[5]
The sixth series of the BBC sitcom Dad's Army opens with the episode "
The Deadly Attachment" containing the "Don't tell him,
Pike!" exchange which becomes rated as one of the top three greatest comedy moments of British television.[6]
28 November – The Dad's Army episode "
The Honourable Man" shown tonight is the last full one featuring actor
James Beck due to his death during the series recording (he features in prerecorded portions of the last series episode, "
Things That Go Bump in the Night", shown on 5 December). His character,
Private Walker, is subsequently written out of the series.
23 November – 10th anniversary of the first episode of Doctor Who.
17 December – The government announces severe measures to reduce electricity consumption due to the ongoing
overtime ban by the
National Union of Mineworkers, strike action in the electricity supply industry and effects of the
1973 oil crisis. Part of these measures are that both BBC and ITV television are ordered to end their broadcasting day earlier than usual, at around 10:30pm in order to save energy. The early closedowns commence that day and continue until Sunday 23 December. They are then lifted so that Christmas and New Year programming can air as normal and provide some light relief to the public. The restrictions will be reimposed from Monday 7 January 1974 and remain for a further month.[7]