The ratings

The BBC didn't compile audience figures until 29 June 1952, although an early experiment occurred in the days of the 30-line broadcasts, when viewers were urged to send a postcard bearing the letter `Z' to Broadcasting House, presumably to see if there were any! The ratings were of much greater interest to independent television, where they could be used to support advertising rates, and provide information on what kind of programmes were attracting the best audiences.

The methods changed through the years, as did the companies collecting them. In the early days the individual companies employed their own agencies, primarily Total Audience Measurement (TAM) and AC Neilson. In 1968 they operated a united scheme, JICTAR (Joint Industry Committee for Television Advertising Research) and from 1981 the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) was formed with the BBC, to end the squabbling over the different figures presented by ITV and BBC.

Below are the yearly top ten rated programmes for ITV. Note that the figures relate to `ITV Homes', ie those equipped to receive ITV. The overall viewing figures may have been very different until ITV was established. These are therefore similar to the figures produced today for `cable and satellite homes'.

1955

Collector: TAM
Basis: Share in London
  1. Sunday Night at the London Palladium
  2. Theatre Royal
  3. I Love Lucy
  4. Dragnet
  5. Take Your Pick
  6. Adventures of Robin Hood
  7. Figure Skating
  8. People are Funny
  9. Saturday Showtime
  10. Stage One

1956

Collector: TAM
Basis: Share in London
  1. The Gang Show
  2. Armchair Theatre
  3. Take Your Pick
  4. Sunday Night at the London Palladium
  5. Dragnet
  6. Val Parnell's Startime
  7. Secret Mission
  8. TV Playhouse
  9. Fireside Theatre
  10. Assignment Foreign Legion

1957

Collector: TAM
Basis: Millions of Homes
  1. Take Your Pick
  2. Sunday Night at the London Palladium
  3. Criss Cross Quiz
  4. The Army Game
  5. TV Playhouse
  6. Prince of Wales Show
  7. O.S.S
  8. Double Your Money
  9. Salute to Showbusiness
  10. Armchair Theatre

1958

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: TAM
  1. Dotto
  2. Wagon Train
  3. Sunday Night at the London Palladium
  4. The Army Game
  5. TV Playhouse
  6. Twenty One
  7. Spot The Tune
  8. Take Your Pick
  9. Double Your Money
  10. Murder Bag

1959

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: TAM
  1. Wagon Train
  2. Take Your Pick
  3. Sunday Night at the London Palladium
  4. The Army Game
  5. Double Your Money
  6. Concentration
  7. Emergency Ward Ten
  8. Dotto
  9. Arthur Haynes Show
  10. Armchair Theatre

1960

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: TAM
  1. Royal Variety Show
  2. Armchair Theatre
  3. Take Your Pick
  4. No Hiding Place
  5. Wagon Train
  6. The Army Game
  7. Bootsie and Snudge
  8. Sunday Night at the London Palladium
  9. The Larkins
  10. Arthur Haynes Show

1961

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: TAM
  1. Royal Variety Show
  2. No Hiding Place
  3. Sunday Night at the London Palladium
  4. Coronation Street
  5. The Army Game
  6. Probation Officer
  7. Russ Conway Show
  8. The Dickie Henderson Show
  9. Take Your Pick
  10. Double Your Money

1962

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: TAM
  1. Coronation Street
  2. Sunday Night at the London Palladium
  3. European Cup Football
  4. Armchair Theatre
  5. Val Parnell
  6. Crazy Gang Late Night
  7. No Hiding Place
  8. Bernard Delfont Show
  9. Drama '62
  10. Take Your Pick
For the first time in 2 channel homes the top programme was from the BBC - but it was the Royal Variety Show!

1963

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: TAM
  1. Royal Variety Show
  2. Coronation Street
  3. Drama '63
  4. They've Sold a million
  5. Max Bygraves show
  6. Take Your Pick
  7. Val Parnell's Sunday Show
  8. This Week
  9. No Hiding Place
  10. Armchair Theatre

1964

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: TAM
  1. Sunday Night at the London Palladium
  2. Coronation Street
  3. Take Your Pick
  4. No Hiding Place
  5. Armchair Theatre
  6. It's Tarbuck
  7. Crane
  8. Stars and Garters
  9. Double Your Money
  10. Emergency Ward Ten
(Top-rated show was Steptoe and Son)

1965

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: TAM
  1. Royal Variety Show
  2. Coronation Street
  3. Take Your Pick
  4. Riviera Police
  5. No Hiding Place
  6. Double Your Money
  7. This Week
  8. Love Story
  9. Crane
  10. Emergency Ward Ten

1966

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: TAM
  1. Mrs Thursday
  2. A Royal Gala
  3. Secombe and Friends
  4. The London Palladium Show
  5. Coronation Street
  6. Double Your Money
  7. Take Your Pick
  8. The Rat Catchers
  9. No Hiding Place
  10. The Avengers
Miss World topped the ratings for the BBC

1967

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: TAM
  1. Royal Variety Performance
  2. The London Palladium Show
  3. Coronation Street
  4. Market in Honey Lane
  5. Take Your Pick
  6. Morecambe and Wise
  7. Mrs Thursday
  8. Secombe and Friends
  9. World In Action
  10. Double Your Money

1968

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: TAM / JICTAR
  1. A Special Royal Performance
  2. Howerd's Hour
  3. Life With Cooper
  4. Coronation Street
  5. Frost on Sunday
  6. World in Action
  7. Harlech Opening Night
  8. Des O'Connor
  9. European Cup Final
  10. Piccadilly Palace

ITV had a depressed year in 1968, caused mainly by the franchise upheavals. `A Special Royal Performance' gives me the mental picture of The Queen playing the spoons, but was in fact a fund-raising event for atheletes at the Mexico Olympic Games. `Piccadilly Palace' was another variety series, this time with Bruce Forsyth and Millicent Martin. As for Harlech / HTV, they never have beaten the ratings gained by their opening night show, which as it happens also had Bruce Forsyth on it.

1969

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: JICTAR
  1. Royal Variety Performance
  2. In Loving Memory
  3. Coronation Street
  4. Benny Hill Show
  5. Max
  6. The Dustbinmen
  7. Mr Digby Darling
  8. The Power Game
  9. Please Sir
  10. This is Your Life
The one-off `In Loving Memory' was so good it took ten years to make a series of it. The BBC took top honours with `Miss World 1969'.

1970

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: JICTAR
  1. Benny Hill Show
  2. This is Your Life
  3. Coronation Street
  4. News at Ten
  5. Apollo 13 Splashdown
  6. Kate
  7. On the Buses
  8. Max
  9. Please Sir
  10. The Dustbinmen
`Miss World' (this time `1970') was top once more.

1971

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: JICTAR
  1. Benny Hill Show
  2. Royal Variety Performance
  3. Bless This House
  4. This is Your Life
  5. Speaking of Murder
  6. A Family at War
  7. Frankie Howerd
  8. Coronation Street
  9. On the Buses
  10. The Persuaders

1972

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: JICTAR
  1. This is Your Life
  2. Love Thy Neighbour
  3. Coronation Street
  4. A Family at War
  5. Public Eye
  6. Opportunity Knocks
  7. Benny Hill Show
  8. On the Buses
  9. The Straus Family
  10. Suspicion
All these topped by The Eurovision Song Contest

1973

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: JICTAR
  1. Benny Hill Show
  2. This is Your Life
  3. World Cup Qualifying Football
  4. Love Thy Neighbour
  5. Coronation Street
  6. Bless This House
  7. My Good Woman
  8. And Mother Makes Three
  9. Public Eye
  10. International Boxing
The Eurovision Song Contest was again top overall.

1974

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: JICTAR
  1. This is Your Life
  2. Love Thy Neighbour
  3. Bless This House
  4. Des O'Connor Show
  5. Benny Hill Show
  6. British Screen Awards
  7. Tommy Cooper Hour
  8. And Mother Makes Five
  9. News at Ten
  10. Opportunity Knocks

1975

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: JICTAR
  1. Royal Variety Performance
  2. Benny Hill Show
  3. Love Thy Neighbour
  4. This is Your Life
  5. Doctor No
  6. The Sweeney
  7. Cilla's Comedy Six
  8. Coronation Street
  9. Edward The Seventh
  10. Man About the House

1976

Basis: Millions of Homes
Collector: JICTAR
  1. Goldfinger
  2. The Sweeney
  3. George and Mildred
  4. Man About the House
  5. From Russia with Love
  6. Benny Hill Show
  7. This is Your Life
  8. Coronation Street
  9. The Italian Job
  10. Sale of the Century

1977

Basis: Millions of viewers
Collector: JICTAR
  1. Jubilee Royal Variety
  2. You Only Live Twice
  3. Sale of the Century
  4. George and Mildred
  5. This is your Life
  6. Benny Hill Show
  7. Coronation Street
  8. Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt
  9. Doctor on the Go
  10. The Cuckoo Waltz

1978

Basis: Millions of viewers
Collector: JICTAR
  1. Sale of the Century
  2. Survival Special
  3. George and Mildred
  4. This is Your Life
  5. The Muppet Show
  6. Coronation Street
  7. Sharp Intake of Breath
  8. The Eric Sykes Show
  9. European Championship Final
  10. The Sweeney

The figures for 1978 were distorted by a BBC strike.

1979

Basis: Millions of viewers
Collector: JICTAR
  1. Benny Hill Show
  2. This is Your Life
  3. Coronation Street
  4. Mid Week Sports Special
  5. Only When I Laugh
  6. Chalk and Cheese
  7. It'll be Alright on the Night
  8. The Muppet Show
  9. Carry on Henry
  10. Sale of the Century

The figures for 1979 were even more distorted than 1978 due to the long ITV strike. Top for the year was To the Manor Born, and 12 other BBC shows got a higher audience than the top ITV show of the year.

1980

Basis: Millions of viewers
Collector: JICTAR
  1. Live and Let Die
  2. This is Your Life
  3. Coronation Street
  4. Morecambe and Wise
  5. Paint Your Wagon
  6. Robin's Nest
  7. Benny Hill Show
  8. Dick Emery Show
  9. Keep it in the Family
  10. Little and Large

1981

Basis: Millions of viewers
Collector: JICTAR/BARB
  1. Jaws
  2. Diamonds are forever
  3. Benny Hill Show
  4. This is Your Life
  5. Coronation Street
  6. Shelley
  7. Magnum
  8. Seven Dials of Mystery
  9. Hart to Hart
  10. ITN News

1982

Basis: Millions of viewers
Collector: BARB
  1. Coronation Street
  2. This is Your Life
  3. Hart to Hart
  4. Benny Hill Show
  5. ITN News
  6. Star Wars
  7. Moonraker
  8. The Gaffer
  9. Family Fortunes
  10. Wish You Were Here

1983

Basis: Millions of viewers
Collector: BARB
  1. Coronation Street
  2. Superman
  3. This is Your Life
  4. It'll be Alright on the Night
  5. Jaws II
  6. The Man With the Golden Gun
  7. Family Fortunes
  8. Miss World
  9. Wish You Were Here
  10. Name That Tune

1984

Basis: Millions of viewers
Collector: JICTAR
  1. Coronation Street
  2. Raider of the Lost Ark
  3. Miss World
  4. Airplane
  5. Bullseye
  6. Minder
  7. It'll be Alright on the Night
  8. Duty Free
  9. Thunderball
  10. The A-Team

1985

Basis: Millions of viewers
Collector: BARB
  1. Coronation Street
  2. Wish You Were Here
  3. Prince and Princess of Wales (interview with Alistair Burnett)
  4. It'll be Alright on the Night
  5. Crossroads
  6. Hollywood Wives
  7. Boxing
  8. Night of 100 Stars
  9. Game For a Laugh
  10. Superman 2
EastEnders was above Coronation Street on weekly figures

1986

Basis: Millions of viewers
Collector: BARB
  1. Coronation Street
  2. Blind Date
  3. People do the Funniest Things
  4. Duty Free
  5. You only Live Twice
  6. Royal Variety
  7. Officer and a Gentleman
  8. Surprise, Surprise
  9. Yanks
  10. When Time Ran Out
EastEnders was still leading Coronation Street

1987

Basis: Millions of viewers
Collector: BARB
  1. Coronation Street
  2. Love Bug
  3. Boxing: Bruno v Bugner
  4. Blind Date
  5. Murder in Three Acts
  6. The Palladium
  7. Clive James on TV
  8. Never Say Never Again
  9. Aspel and Company
  10. Wish You Were Here

EastEnders led

1988

Basis: Millions of viewers
Collector: BARB
  1. Coronation Street
  2. For Your Eyes Only
  3. Octopussy
  4. The Man With the Golden Gun
  5. This is Your Life
  6. Blind Date
  7. Surprise Surprise
  8. After Henry
  9. Wish You Were Here
  10. The Bill

Eastenders remained on top.

1989

Basis: Millions of viewers
Collector: BARB
  1. Coronation Street
  2. Blind Date
  3. Forever Green
  4. Royal Variety Performance
  5. The Man With the Golden Gun
  6. Inspector Morse
  7. Beadle's About
  8. The Heros
  9. This is Your Life
  10. A Bit of a Do

Disclaimer

These figures have been assembled from a number of published sources. These are sometimes clearly wrong (eg attributing programmes to an incorrect channel), and do not always give the same rating figure for the same programme. The lists above form a best attempt to be reliable, but the possibilty of error remains.

Features ITW