Date in year · 1936 · The 1930s

November 2, 1936

On November 2, 1936, the BBC Television Service, the world's first regular, "high-definition" (then defined as at least 200 lines) service begins. Renamed BBC1 in 1964, the channel still runs to this day. Wilfried Martens, Robert F. Overmyer, Bert Sugar would arrive in the same year.

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1936

1930s

Featured · November 2, 1936

The BBC Television Service, the world's first regular, "high-definition" (then defined as at least 200 lines) service begins. Renamed BBC1 in 1964, the channel still runs to this day.

BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 1932, although the start of its regular service of television broadcasts is dated to 2 November 1936.

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Around 1936

The year in brief

1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1936th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 936th year of the 2nd millennium, the 36th year of the 20th century, and the 7th year of the 1930s decade.

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What happened

On November 2, 1936

1936 The BBC Television Service, the world's first regular, "high-definition" (then defined as at least 200 lines) service begins. Renamed BBC1 in 1964, the channel still runs to this day.

British television service

BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 1932, although the start of its regular service of television broadcasts is dated to 2 November 1936.

Elsewhere that year

Other moments from 1936

The class of 1936

Others born in 1936

Wilfried Martens 1936– Belgian politician, 60th Prime Minister of Belgium (died 2013)

Robert F. Overmyer 1936– American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (died 1996)

Bert Sugar 1936– American author and boxing historian (died 2012)

Pippo Baudo 1936– Italian television presenter (died 2025)

Albert Finney 1936– English actor (died 2019)

Glenda Jackson 1936– English actress and politician (died 2023)

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