From the earliest days, a mobile broadcast unit was used. The coronation of King George VI was covered in 1937, with a viewing audience of more than 10,000 people. The unit also covered other public occasions such as the Lord Mayor’s Show, the Armistice Day Service, and a range of sporting events such as Wimbledon (tennis) and the FA Cup Final (association football). Undoubtedly the most popular offering was the twice-weekly one-hour magazine program of topical and general interest, Picture Page, which ran from 1936 to 1939 and then returned in 1946 for a further 300 editions until 1954.

The high cost of television reception equipment, and the fact that the service could only be received in the London area, meant that the programming was aimed at the well-to-do elements of society. Apart from a couple of documentary films about the service, no moving-image record of the programs from the prewar service exists.

The immediate postwar years saw the continuation of Picture Page and the broadcast of events such as the Victory Parade (June 8, 1946), and royal and sporting events such as tennis and test cricket. The largest such coverage of the 1940s was the televising of the XIVth Olympiad held in London in 1948.

Many plays were transmitted (including some written especially for television) although very few films and filmed newsreels were broadcast, due to industry fears of supporting the competition. The few films that were shown were recognized classics such as D.W. Griffiths’ The Birth of a Nation (1915), Josef von Sternberg’s Der Blaue Engel (The Blue Angel, 1930), Sergei Eisenstein’s Alexander Nevsky (1938), and Marcel Carne’s Les enfants du paradis (1945).

The early 1950s saw a rapid expansion of TV-set ownership, with the broadcast of the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II often cited as one of the driving causes. More than 2 million licenses were registered in 1953 (approximately 20 percent of all households). Licenses rose to over 10 million by the end of the decade. The coronation was broadcast for seven hours; it is estimated that 20 million people in the United Kingdom saw it before it was shipped for screenings in Europe, North America, and across the Commonwealth.

In the 1950s, the BBC’s monopoly of television broadcasting ended. The government ushered in television funding through the sale of advertising revenue at the end of July 1954, with transmissions starting on September 22, 1955. Commercial television transformed the safe, traditional, and cozy world depicted in many programs produced by the BBC. The commercial news service, ITN, also challenged the BBC’s establishment-oriented approach, and the Suez Crisis of 1956 saw an end to the deferential attitude of television toward government and politicians.

The early 1950s saw the production of the United Kingdom’s longest running police series, Dixon of Dock Green (BBC, 1955–76), created by Ted Willis, one of the world’s most prolific creators of television series. The Good Old Days (BBC), an Edwardian-style variety show, ran from 1953 to 1983. What’s My Line? (BBC, 1951–62, 1973–74; Thames, 1984–90) could be characterized as a quiz show but belongs to a typically British radio and TV genre that continues to this day. This genre is best described as a parlor game show played by guest celebrities. Other examples include Face the Music (BBC 1967–84), A Question of Sport (BBC, 1970– ), Celebrity Squares (ATV/Central, 1975–79; 1993–97), Call My Bluff (BBC 1965–88), and Give Us a Clue (Thames 1979–91).

Commercial television introduced new ideas and many new areas of programming. British television drama, for instance, was transformed by Armchair Theatre (ABC, 1956–69, Thames, 1970–74), which served as an umbrella program for different productions by new writing talent (particularly under Canadian producer Sidney Newman) and introduced more working-class characters to the screen.. A more North American-style of entertainment was also produced, such as the variety show Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV, 1955–67, 1973–74), and game shows such as Double Your Money (A-R, 1955–68) and Take Your Pick (A-R 1955–68). One example of the BBC buying an American format was This Is Your Life (BBC, 1955–64), although Thames took it over from 1969, though it returned to the BBC in 1995.

A very popular production was the science fiction/horror serial The Quatermass Experiment (BBC, 1953) from which there have been a number of spin-offs. It was the half-hour filmed period action series that became the most popular drama. These included The Adventures of Robin Hood (ABC/ Sapphire/ITP, 1955–59), The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (Sapphire, 1956–57), The Adventures of William Tell (ITC-NTA, 1958–59), The Count of Monte Cristo (Vision Productions, 1958), Ivanhoe (Sydney Box Prods.-Screen Gems/ITC, 1958).

In comedy, the first edition of The Benny Hill Show was produced by the BBC in 1955. The BBC continued to produce it, with a one-year gap in 1967, until 1968. Thames (ITV) took it over in 1969 and ran it for the next 20 years. Hancock’s Half Hour (1956–60) showcased the talents of Britain’s best-loved radio comic, Tony Hancock, and Alfie Bass and Bill Fraser, the two main characters of the situation comedy The Army Game (Granada, 1957–61), featured in the spin-off Bootsie and Snudge (Granada, 1960–63). The American shows The Phil Silvers Show and I Love Lucy were very popular.

In the 1950s, ITV established the practice of buying American shows to supplement its own production. The most popular purchases were traditionally American genres: westerns such as Gunsmoke/Gun Law, Wagon Train, Cheyenne, The Lone Ranger, Rawhide, or fast-moving police series such as Highway Patrol and Dragnet. Gradually British TV began to imitate such police series and the first of these was No Hiding Place (A-R, 1959–67). The Alfred Hitchcock shows were also popular (Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour). In light entertainment, The Black and White Minstrel Show (BBC 1958–78) ran for 20 years until eventually the offensiveness of white performers “blacking up” was finally acknowledged. Opportunity Knocks! (A-R, 1956; ABC, 1964–67; Thames, 1968–78) was a talent show—a genre that has continued in many guises since.

Popular music shows began with Six-Five Special (BBC, 1957–58) and was followed by Oh Boy! (ABC, 1958–59), Juke Box Jury (BBC, 1959–67; 1979; 1989–90), Thank Your Lucky Stars (ABC, 1958–59). The notorious Eurovision Song Contest began in 1956, and the United Kingdom has broadcast it from 1957 to the present day.

The first twice-weekly soap opera was set in a hospital (Emergency Ward 10, ATV, 1957–65) and was soon followed by the popular American import Dr. Kildare.

Current affairs began to develop as a key area of television broadcasting in the 1950s with the introduction of an early evening five-nights-a-week program Tonight (BBC, 1957–65). General arts programs were launched with Monitor (BBC, 1958–65). The 1950s also saw the introduction of a number of programs that still ran 40 years later. These include Grandstand (BBC, 1958– ), the longest running live sports series on TV; The Sky at Night (BBC, 1957– ), which is an astronomy program presented by Patrick Moore; and the range of programs with many titles fronted by Alan Whicker offering his idiosyncratic travelogues of the world. The children’s program Blue Peter (BBC) also enjoyed surprising longevity, running from 1958 until the present day.

On April 21, 1964, the BBC launched its second channel, BBC 2. To the annoyance of the commercial TV companies (who were not allocated their second channel, Channel 4, for nearly two decades), the BBC could schedule some of its more specialist programming to this “minority” channel and therefore compete more directly with ITV by running the most popular programming on BBC 1.

To further restrict the commercial companies, in August 1965 the ITA instructed that from 8:00 to 8:55 P.M. Monday through Friday no more than two of five programs could be from the United States, and no more than three could be crime or western series. This was followed by the rule whereby only 14 percent of output could be originated in the United States with a further 2 percent allowed from the Commonwealth and 1.5 percent from Europe. These proportions were not changed until the development of cable and satellite in the 1980s, and still pertain to broadcast television.

On December 2, 1967, color TV was officially introduced on BBC 2. The 1960s saw some of the most innovative and imaginative programming in the history of broadcasting in Britain, reflecting the turbulent nature of that particular decade and causing a backlash in Mary Whitehouses’s “clean up television” campaign. In the field of drama, the BBC introduced The Wednesday Play (BBC, 1964–70), which, like Armchair Theatre, was innovative and commissioned a number of controversial and subsequently famous plays. These included Jeremy Sandford’s Cathy Come Home (1966), Nell Dunn’s Up the Junction (1965), and Dennis Potter’s Vote, Vote, Vote for Nigel Barton (1965). Peter Watkins’ Culloden (1964) covered an important battle in Scottish history, and The War Game (1966) dealt with the devastating results of nuclear war. The War Game was not transmitted for 25 years because it was considered too distressing. On the popular drama front, one of the most enduring shows was the espionage series The Avengers (ABC, 1961–69). Popular too was the BBC’s production of the French novelist George Simenon’s Maigret (BBC, 1960–63) and the medical series set in rural Scotland Dr. Finlay’s Casebook (BBC, 1962–71), which STV revived as a new series in 1993.

The BBC also introduced a new form of gritty realism with the creation of Z Cars (BBC, 1962–78), a police show, which was supported with the spin-off Softly, Softly (BBC, 1966–70). Another highly successful espionage series was Danger Man (ATV/ITC, 1960–61; 1964–67), starring Patrick McGoohan. As a result of this success, McGoohan was allowed to produce the enigmatic The Prisoner (Everyman/ATV, 1967–68), which, although only 17 episodes long, became one of the great cult series. Roger Moore starred in two “mid-Atlantic” thrillers, The Saint (ATV, 1962–69), which was followed in the 1970s by the unsuccessful series, The Persuaders! (Tribune/ITC, 1971–72), co-starring Tony Curtis.

BBC’s most successful series, Doctor Who (1963–89), a science fiction program about a time lord who travels through time, was designed for children but developed a cult status enjoyed by a huge and faithful adult audience. This was also the decade in which some major soap operas were created. In 1960 Granada TV launched Coronation Street, a representation of daily life in a northern working-class community, in the northwest but it was soon networked across the country. It still remains at the top of the audience ratings after over 35 years, and transmissions have been increased from twice to four times a week.

In 1964 ATV introduced the highly popular Crossroads, a soap set in a Midlands motel, which ran for 24 years and was revived in 2001. Until 1985, when the BBC introduced the highly successful EastEnders, the BBC did not fare well with its soaps. Two were experimented with: Compact (1962–65) was set in the offices of a magazine, and The Newcomers (1965–69) presented the story of a London family that moved to a country town.

In the 1960s Comedy Playhouse (BBC, 1961–74) was created. This was a premiere comedy showcase in which pilots written by writers such as Alan Simpson and Ray Galton were televised. A number of the pilots went on to become some of the best loved comedy series on British TV. They included Steptoe and Son (BBC, 1962–65; 1970; 1972, 1974), and Till Death Us Do Part (BBC, 1966–68; 1972; 1974–75, which later became In Sickness and in Health, BBC 1985–1990). In the 1960s, there was a rise of satirical comedy shows such as That Was the Week That Was (BBC, 1962–63) and Not Only––But Also . . . (BBC, 1965–66; 1970), innovative shows such as Monty Python’s Flying Circus (BBC, 1969–70; 1972–73), and the enduring favorite Dad’s Army (BBC, 1968–77), a sitcom about a partially geriatric Home Guard in the early days of World War II. A number of Gerry Anderson’s puppet productions were also produced: Supercar (ATV/AP/ITC, 1961–62), Fireball XL5 (AP/ATV/ITC, 1962–63), Stingray (AP/ATV/ITC, 1964–65), Thunderbirds (ATV/AP/ITC, 1965–66), and Captain Scarlett and The Mysterons (ITC/Century 21 TV Prod, 1967–68).

Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise grew in popularity until they were a national institution. Their show, under different titles, ran from 1961 to 1983, regularly changing channels. In the pop music field, Thank Your Lucky Stars (ABC, 1961–66), Ready, Steady Go! (A-R, 1963–66) and the BBC’s Top of the Pops was launched in 1964 and continues to the present day.

In the nonfiction field, a number of notable series were broadcast. In 1967 the BBC initiated David Attenborough’s long-running The World About Us (BBC, 1967–86), a natural history series that resulted in the creation of the BBC’s natural history unit at its Bristol studios. Sir Kenneth Clark’s renowned Civilization (BBC, 1969) charted the history of western culture from the collapse of Greece and Rome to the 20th century.

In the area of news and topical journalism, ITN created the first half-hour evening news bulletin, News at Ten, in 1967. Granada TV’s groundbreaking current affairs series World in Action (Granada, 1963–98) brought a fresh and campaigning approach to the coverage of domestic politics and overseas issues like Vietnam, while the BBC’s contemporary documentary series Man Alive (BBC, 1965–82) tackled pressing issues of social concern.

Television in the 1970s moved away from the experiments of the 1960s into safer territory. For example, apart from Play for Today (BBC, 1970–84), original TV drama was replaced with period- and novel-based serials. These included such series as The Six Wives of Henry VIII (BBC, 1970) and Upstairs Downstairs (LWT, 1971–75). It was also the decade of the major, solemn documentary series such as The World at War (Thames, 1973–74), The Ascent of Man (BBC, 1973), and Life on Earth (BBC, 1979).

Comedy moved more into the fairly bland with Are You Being Served? (BBC, 1973–83). There were, however, some notable exceptions such as Fawlty Towers (BBC, 1975; 1979), Porridge (BBC, 1974–77), Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em (BBC, 1973–75; 1978), Rising Damp (YTV, 1974–78), The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (BBC, 1976–79), The Liver Birds (BBC 1969– 79), and The Last of the Summer Wine (BBC, 1973– ). There was also the zany The Goodies (BBC, 1970–77; 1980) and the perennially popular The Two Ronnies (BBC, 1971–86).

American westerns virtually disappeared in the 1980s, and American crime series were in ascendance. However, programs such as Kojak were influential, and indirectly encouraged the development of more action-oriented British crime series. One company in particular, Euston Films Limited (a subsidiary of Thames TV), developed a portfolio of such programs for the ITV network. These included Van der Valk (Thames, 1972–73; Euston, 1977; Thames, 1991–92), The Sweeney (Euston, 1975–78), Minder (Euston, 1979–85; 1988–94), Widows (Euston, 1983; Widows II, 1985), Reilly—Ace of Spies (Euston, 1983). Series from other commercial companies included The Professionals (LWT, 1977–83) and two grittily realistic and much applauded serials made by the BBC, Gangsters (1976; 1978) and G.F. Newman’s four-part Law and Order (1978).

There were also a number of highly successful drama series, two of which focused on courtroom situations—the daytime (three days a week) Crown Court (Granada, 1972–84), and the immensely popular Rumpole of the Bailey (Thames, 1978–79; 1983; 1987–88; 1991). There was also a highly successful serial set in a secondary school, Grange Hill (BBC, 1978– ), devised by the ex-teacher Phil Redmond (who went on to found Mersey Productions and to produce Channel 4’s equally successful soap Brookside).

On the soap front, Yorkshire TV produced a rural daytime serial, Emmerdale Farm, which began in 1972 and became increasingly popular as Emmerdale. The BBC also experimented with an all-black soap (written by a black author), Empire Road (1978–79).

In light entertainment, there was Bruce Forsyth’s Generation Game (BBC, 1971–77), a very popular format that has continued on and off (with Larry Grayson taking over his role); the chat show Parkinson (BBC, 1971–82; 1996– ) featuring Michael Parkinson; the long-running That’s Life (BBC, 1973–94); The Muppet Show (ATV/Central, 1976–81); Blankety Blank (BBC, 1979–89). There were quiz shows ranging from Mastermind (BBC, 1972– ), where contestants compete for a title by answering complex general-knowledge questions and obscure questions about specialist areas of knowledge they possess, through Sale of the Century (Anglia, 1972–83), to the banal Mr. and Mrs. (ATV/Border, 1972–88).

There was a great deal of television activity in the 1980s. The commercial second channel, Channel 4, was launched on November 2, 1982, with a funding formula that freed it from commercial concern and gave it a remit to innovate. Breakfast television was introduced on three of the four channels. There was a massive growth in video recorder ownership. Cable and satellite networks were established. American soaps such as Dallas and Dynasty dominated the ratings, media coverage, and popular debate. Possibly the most disastrous attempt to compete with the United States head on was the production of Chateauvallon (1985), where five European networks attempted to produce a competitive equivalent to Dallas.

In programming terms, the 1980s represented a period when some very expensive classic drama was produced. This included Death of a Princess (ATV, 1980), which gained notoriety because it was about the public beheading of a Saudi princess and her lover. The Saudi government tried to stop its transmission and banned its importation to Saudi Arabia. Because of video technology, it was being clandestinely viewed in Saudi Arabia within 24 hours of first transmission in the United Kingdom. Almost as controversial was the BBC’s Boys from the Blackstuff (BBC, 1982) about unemployment in Liverpool. Granada TV produced two hugely expensive, highly successful 13-part series: Brideshead Revisited (1981), from the Evelyn Waugh novel, and The Jewel in the Crown (1984), which was shot almost entirely in India. The BBC also produced the film-noir-style six-part drama, Edge of Darkness (1985), about the attempt to sabotage a nuclear power station, and Dennis Potter’s complex masterpiece The Singing Detective (1986). The most significant development in television drama, however, was the decision by Channel 4 to make feature films, many of which played theatrically before being seen on television, rather than single plays. The success of this venture and the decision of other broadcasters to follow suit signaled the death of the single play, shot on video in the studio, on British television.

Police dramas proliferated in the 1980s. Both the BBC and ITV had female detectives, Juliet Bravo (BBC, 1980–85) and The Gentle Touch (LWT, 1980–84), respectively; there was a black detective, Wolcott (ATV 1981); a local radio detective, Shoestring (BBC, 1979–80); a Chinese detective, The Chinese Detective (BBC, 1981–82); a Scottish detective, Taggart (STV, 1983– ); the long-running series set on the island of Jersey, Bergerac (BBC, 1981–91); the highly acclaimed series set in Oxford starring John Thaw, Inspector Morse (Central, 1987–92); and literary private detectives: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Granada, 1984–85; The Return of Sherlock Holmes, 1986–88; The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, 1991; Sherlock Holmes, 1993) with Jeremy Brett offering what is currently considered to be the definitive performance of the great detective; and two famous Agatha Christie detectives, the BBC-produced Miss Marple (1984–92) and ITV’s Poirot (LWT/Carnival 1989– ).

Popular noncrime series included the BBC’s A Very Peculiar Practice (1986 and 1988), set in a university health center; and two highly realistic long-running series, one based in a fire station, London’s Burning (LWT, 1988– ), and the other an equally long-running hospital series, Casualty (BBC, 1986– ).

A number of new soap operas started in the 1980s. First there was Scottish TV’s daytime soap Take the High Road (1980– ); Channel 4’s Brookside (Mersey, 1982–2003); the BBC’s first successful soap that rivaled Coronation Street in the audience ratings EastEnders (1985– ); and a police soap, The Bill (Thames, 1984– ).

In the 1980s a range of highly successful and, in some cases long-running, sitcoms developed. There was Carla Lane’s long-running Bread (BBC, 1986–91) and Yes, Minister (BBC, 1980, 1982) was successful enough for Paul Eddington (the minister) to return as the prime minister in Yes, Prime Minister in 1986 and 1988. Hi-De-Hi! (BBC, 1981–88), ’Allo, ’Allo (BBC, 1984–92, and Only Fools and Horses (BBC, 1981– ) are long-running series that, like Dad’s Army and Fawlty Towers, continue to be regularly repeated. Over the decades the BBC has always been more successful with sitcoms than the ITV companies, but in the 1980s ITV enjoyed significant success in this field with Rik Mayall’s The New Statesman (Yorkshire, 1987–92).

In the 1980s U.K. television produced its first all-Black sitcom, No Problem! (C4, 1983–85), Rowan Atkinson in Blackadder (BBC, 1983–89), and Peter Fluck and Roger Law’s award-winning satirical puppet show Spitting Image (Central, 1984–96). This last show has enjoyed significant international format sales.

In the area of light entertainment, the BBC’s The Lenny Henry Show (BBC, 1984–85; 1987–88) and French and Saunders (BBC, 1987–88) were very successful, and Channel 4 enjoyed success with the innovative pop music show The Tube (Tyne, Tees 1982–87) and the even more original Max Headroom (Chrysalis, 1985).

A number of new game shows were introduced in the 1980s. Bulleseye (ATV, 1981–94), a show based on the game of darts, and Channel 4’s Countdown (Yorkshire, 1982– ), a word game with which C4 opened transmissions. Two American formats were hugely successful: The Price Is Right (Central, 1984–88) and Blind Date (LWT, 1985– ). In current affairs, the BBC introduced Newsnight (1980– ), and LWT made the first ethnic minority current affairs programs for Channel 4, Black on Black (1982–85) and Eastern Eye (1982–85).

In the 1980s programs about cooking—for example, Food and Drink (BBC/Bazal, 1982– )—and holidays—for example, Holiday (BBC, 1969– ), which has a number of rivals including ITV’s Wish You Were Here . . . ? (Thames, 1976– )—proliferated and became hugely popular.

The 1980s saw a large increase in channel output hours, and Channel 4’s approach, combined with the introduction of cheaper, lightweight video equipment, gave a much rougher edge to the look of programs. At first this was regarded as unprofessional but later became the standard. The growth of the independent production sector during the years of the Thatcher government also allowed many more people, with a more businesslike approach, to enter the previously closed world of television production, as did the breaking down of old union restrictions.

The 1990s saw the increasing commercialization of British television after the 1990 Broadcasting Act, plus the development of satellite companies and the financial battle over the rights to major world sporting events, with Rupert Murdoch’s BSkyB seeming to win most of the battles. It was also the decade that the Australian soaps such as Neighbours and Home and Away dominated the U.K. daytime schedules and the fifth terrestrial channel, Channel 5, began.

Although satellite and cable channels were a well- established part of the British television landscape by the early years of the 21st century, their impact on original programming is difficult to assess. The most successful channels were the ones that carried first-run movies or sports, and the latter, especially Sky Sports, with its exclusive live coverage of Premier League soccer and events like the Ryder Cup golf, certainly revolutionized sports coverage. Sky News also had a big impact, inspiring the creation of 24-hour news channels by the BBC and ITN. The BBC’s channel was in place for the biggest domestic news story of all: the death and funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, which replaced the published schedules on all channels for over a week in 1997. However, the satellite entertainment channels contained mostly imported or repeat material, and few original programs made an impact, with the exception of Sky One’s Ibiza Uncovered (LWT for BSkyB, 1997), which led to a rash of programs exploring the racy behavior of young vacationers.

Back on the established channels, the major drama successes were Prime Suspect (Granada, 1991–2003), The Darling Buds of May (Yorkshire, 1991), Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (BBC, 1990), Between the Lines (BBC, 1992–94), Cracker (Granada, 1993–95), Our Friends in the North (BBC, 1996) and Holding On (BBC, 1997). Although many of these were critical and/or ratings successes, it was not a time amenable to original writing for television, and most channels concentrated their resources on expensive classic period dramas, such as the BBC’s highly successful Pride and Prejudice (1995). However, the end of the decade saw a spate of contemporary comedy-dramas, inspired by the enormous success of Granada’s Cold Feet (1997–2002).

Successful sitcoms included One Foot in the Grave (BBC, 1990–2000), Channel 4’s set in a TV newsroom Drop the Dead Donkey (Hat Trick, 1990–98), Absolutely Fabulous (BBC, 1992– ), and The Royle Family (BBC, 1998–2000). However, probably the most acclaimed comedy show of the decade was the wickedly funny Have I Got News For You (Hat Trick, 1990– ), which is a panel game recorded the day before transmission to ensure its biting satire is completely topical. Experimental comedy also thrived, with a number of forays into the world of the surreal such as Vic Reeves’ Big Night Out (Channel 4, 1990–91) (followed by the BBC’s The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, 1993–95), Father Ted (Channel 4, 1995–98), The League of Gentlemen (BBC, 1999– ), and Chris Morris’s Jam (Channel 4, 2000). The Fast Show (BBC, 1994–2000) took the sketch show in a new direction, while The Office (BBC, 2001–03) provided a sitcom in the style of a documentary.

The two most significant programming developments of this period, however, were the docusoap, such as the BBC’s Driving School (1997), and the worldwide phenomenon of reality television, which dominated schedules in the early years of the 21st century. Possibly the biggest success, and the first in the field, was a format that came from Holland, Big Brother (Channel 4, 2000– ), but British TV soon gave its own formats to the world, including I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here (2002– ), which was a major success for ITV. Probably the biggest format exported from Britain, though, was the ITV prize quiz Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? (1998– ), which in Britain transformed ITV’s fortunes through strip scheduling and was the most significant new game show in over a decade. It went on to worldwide success with exactly the same set, style, and music as used in Britain, thus providing the template for success in program format export for the subsequent years.

The beginning of the 21st century also saw the spread of widescreen digital terrestrial television in Britain, and with it an expansion of the BBC’s service to seven channels, including two for children. BBC 3 provided youth entertainment programming from 2003, while BBC 4 was on air a year earlier with an outstanding mix of serious arts, documentary, and discussion programs. Many saw this as confirmation of the decline of BBC 2 and Channel 4, both of which had formerly provided such programming, but had moved away from it in the search for ratings.