The BFI TV 100 (2000)
The BFI TV 100 is a list compiled in 2000 by the British Film Institute (BFI), chosen by a poll of industry professionals, to determine what were the greatest British television programmes of any genre ever to have been screened. Initially, a 'big list' of 650 programmes was drawn up by BFI personnel, and this provisional list was then distributed to a range of television industry professionals in the UK, who were each given 30 votes. The listing was split into six categories: Single Dramas, Drama Series and Serials, Comedy and Variety, Factual, Children's / Youth, and Lifestyle & Light Entertainment. Each voter was required to cast a minimum of three votes in every category. News stories were mostly excluded—with exceptions such as the coverage of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales—on the basis that it would be impossible to determine whether it was the coverage or the news itself that made them important. Sport was excluded for similar reasons, and also because many events such as the 1966 World Cup, while important to those in England, would not matter to those in other areas of the United Kingdom. Some programmes are represented on the list by an entire series. For some series, such as the anthology The Wednesday Play and current affairs show This Week, individual episodes are listed. Television programmes no longer existing in the archives were excluded from consideration.
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- StarsJohn CleesePrunella ScalesAndrew SachsHotel owner Basil Fawlty's incompetence, short fuse, and arrogance form a combination that ensures accidents and trouble are never far away.
- DirectorKen LoachStarsCarol WhiteRay BrooksWinifred DennisA wedding. Happy and promising. A young couple, new to the ways of life. The joys of parenthood: A dream comes true. Then the first incident in a long, spiraling chain of events, and down they go. No job, no money. Moving from house to house, each smaller than the last. Hope is briefly found, But fate strikes again under a cruel word: Eviction. The family flees. A caravan is their shelter. But little did they know what was to come. Fire, destruction. Rage. Discrimination towards the poor. Hope is lost. The last straw is pulled. Distress. Separation. The family torn apart. Mother and children, father all alone. The ship can sink no lower. Or so they thought. Broke. Crushed. Chased from their last shelter. A mother clings to her children. And the final blow: children ripped from her loving arms.
- CreatorDonald WilsonSydney NewmanStarsWilliam HartnellPatrick TroughtonJon PertweeThe adventures in time and space of the Doctor, a Time Lord who changes appearance and personality by regenerating when near death, and is joined by companions in battles against aliens and other megalomaniacs.This entry includes the 2005 series and the 1996 TV movie with Paul McGann
- DirectorJack GoldStarsJohn HurtLiz GebhardtPatricia HodgeThe life and times of Quentin Crisp, an outrageous and flamboyant homosexual, coming of age and growing into old age in conservative England.
- CreatorGraham ChapmanEric IdleTerry JonesStarsGraham ChapmanJohn CleeseTerry GilliamThe original surreal sketch comedy showcase for the Monty Python troupe.
- CreatorJohn Hunter BlairStarsJohn NoakesPeter PurvesValerie SingletonThe British children's magazine program, which has been running since the late 1950s, targets children between the ages of 6 and 14.
- StarsMichael AngelisBernard HillAlan IgbonFive unemployed men would do anything just to have a job in Thatcher's Britain.
- StarsMichael ParkinsonMarian MontgomeryBilly ConnollyJournalist Michael Parkinson interviews a broad range of the most famous people in the world.
- StarsPaul EddingtonNigel HawthorneDerek FowldsThe Right Honorable James Hacker has landed the plum job of Cabinet Minister to the Department of Administration. At last he is in a position of power and can carry out some long-needed reforms, or so he thinks.This also includes Yes Prime Minister from 1986
- StarsJeremy IronsDiana QuickRoger MilnerThe life, friendships and romances of the protagonist Charles Ryder-including his friendship with the Flytes, a family of wealthy English Catholics who live in a palatial mansion called Brideshead Castle.
- DirectorMike LeighStarsAlison SteadmanTim SternJanine DuvitskiArguably the most famous edition of Play For Today, and one of the most beloved, as Mike Leigh directs a comedy of manners. Middle-class suburbia gets to reveal its darker side over the course of an increasingly uncomfortable drinks party.
- StarsDerek JacobiJohn HurtSiân PhillipsThe personal and governmental affairs of the Julio-Claudian dynasty at the beginning of the Roman Empire, as recalled by one of its rulers.
- CreatorJimmy PerryStarsArthur LoweJohn Le MesurierClive DunnA ragtag group of Home Guard volunteers prepare for an imminent German invasion during World War II.
- StarsEric MorecambeErnie WiseAnn HamiltonThe Morecambe & Wise Show was a long running and massively popular sketch series starring British comedy duo Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, plus a string of top-name international celebrity guests (of a bygone age), like André Prévin.There are also IMDb entries for a 1962 series and a 1978 series which all appear to be included by BFI in this position
- StarsBob PeckJoe Don BakerCharles KayWhen his daughter Emma is murdered, cop Craven discovers that she was in a GAIA group of activists occupied with exposing Northmoor nuclear waste storage facility for illegal activities.
- StarsRowan AtkinsonTony RobinsonStephen FryStuck in the middle of World War I, Captain Edmund Blackadder does his best to escape the banality of the war.
- StarsJennifer SaundersJoanna LumleyJulia SawalhaThe wild misadventures of Edina "Eddy" Monsoon and her best friend Patsy Stone, who live in a nearly constant haze of drugged, drunken selfishness.This also includes the 2001 IMDb entry.
- DirectorNick ParkStarsPeter SallisPeter HawkinsGromit butts heads with a mysterious penguin lodger, who hatches a sinister scheme involving the ex-NASA Techno Trousers that have been modified by Wallace for walkies.
- StarsLaurence OlivierAverell HarrimanAnthony EdenA groundbreaking 26-part documentary series narrated by the actor Laurence Olivier about the deadliest conflict in history, World War II.
- StarsMichael GambonPatrick MalahideJoanne WhalleyTormented and bedridden by a debilitating disease, a mystery writer relives his detective stories through his imagination and hallucinations.
- StarsCheryl CampbellBob HoskinsGemma CravenA travelling sheet music salesman with an uptight wife throws everything away for the love of an innocent school teacher in the romantic spirit of the music he loves, that bursts into his life in full song-and-dance numbers.
- StarsTim Pigott-SmithGeraldine JamesWendy MorganThe sweeping drama about the ruling and ruled classes of WWII India, trying amidst the turmoil to come to terms with the drastic changes taking place around them, knowing that their lives will never be the same again.
- CreatorSteven KnightStarsChris TarrantJeremy ClarksonJudith KeppelThe original British version of the popular quiz show, that became a worldwide phenomenon.
- StarsTony HancockSidney JamesJohnny VyvyanTV version of the popular BBC radio show of the same name, with Tony Hancock as the modern man of the world (in his own eyes). Sid James is there to bring him back to earth.
- StarsChristopher EcclestonMark StrongGina McKeeDrama examining the politics and change across Britain from the Sixties to the Nineties seen through the varying fortunes of four friends.
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsBruce BaldenJacqueline BassettSymon BasterfieldThis eye-opening episode uncovers human nature and the desire to survive and succeed in all its heart-breaking glory.
- DirectorPeter WatkinsStarsMichael AspelPeter GrahamDave BaldwinA docudrama depicting a hypothetical nuclear attack on Britain.
- CreatorSerge DanotStarsEric ThompsonPatricia DanotMicheline DaxCult classic children's animated series about a group of human and animal characters that gather at the roundabout / carousel in the park. Although the original series is French there are multiple dubbed versions from other countries.
- StarsDavid FrostMillicent MartinWilliam RushtonSatirical sketch show. The first such show in the UK. It ran for two seasons before being pulled just before the 1964 general election.
- DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsAlan BatesCoral BrowneCharles GrayThe actress Coral Browne travels to Moscow and meets a mysterious Englishman. It turns out that he's the notorious spy Guy Burgess.
- StarsCaroline AherneCraig CashSue JohnstonA British sitcom about the everyday life of a working-class family in Northwest England: watching telly, smoking, drinking, and bickering.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughDavid Attenborough's groundbreaking study of the evolution of life on our planet.
- StarsBob HarrisAnne NightingaleDavid HepworthContemporary music show featuring live performances and interviews with an emphasis on album acts.
- StarsJeremy PaxmanRoger TillingBamber GascoigneAmol Rajan hosts this trivia quiz show where colleges from around the UK compete against each other. Originally presented by Bamber Gascoigne from 1962 to 1987, and Jeremy Paxman from 1994 to 2023.
- StarsRonnie BarkerBrian WildeFulton MackayThe prison life of Fletcher, a criminal serving a five-year sentence, as he strives to bide his time, keep his record clean, and refuses to be ground down by the prison system.
- DirectorBrian GibsonStarsColin WellandMichael ElphickRobin Ellis"When we dream of childhood," said Dennis Potter, "we take our present selves with us. It is not the adult world writ small; childhood is the adult world writ large." Since Potter viewed childhood as "adult society without all the conventions and the polite forms which overlay it," he repeated the device he had introduced 14 years earlier (in "Stand Up, Nigel Barton"); children's roles were cast with adult actors in this naturalistic memory drama of a "golden day" that turns to tragedy. On a sunny, summer afternoon in bucolic England of 1943, seven West Country children (two girls, five boys) play in the Forest of Dean. Their games and spontaneous actions (continuous and in real time) reflect their awareness of WWII, but no adults are present to intrude. As the group moves through the woods and back to the grassy hills, their words and actions illustrate how "childhood is not transparent with innocence." When the two girls push a pram into a barn to play house, the casting concept is heightened, doubling back on itself in a remarkable moment: adults are suddenly seen to be acting as children who are pretending to be adults, and lines from Housman echo across the years: "That is the land of lost content/I see it shining plain/The happy highways where I went/And cannot come again."
- CreatorBill WrightStarsMagnus MagnussonCharles KeyPaul PonderA long-running series in which members of the public sit in a black chair to answer questions on a specialist subject and general knowledge.
- StarsSteve CooganSimon GreenallFelicity MontaguA failed television presenter, now presenting a programme on local desperately tries to revive his broadcasting career.
- CreatorJimmy McGovernStarsRobbie ColtraneGeraldine SomervilleKieran O'BrienDr Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald is a criminal psychologist. He is rather anti-social and obnoxious but he has a gift for solving crimes. Thus he is employed as a consultant by the Manchester Police.Also including a 2006 TV movie of Cracker
- CreatorTony WarrenStarsWilliam RoacheHelen WorthBarbara KnoxThe world's longest-running television soap, Coronation Street focuses on the everyday lives of working-class people in Manchester, England.
- StarsThe LadybirdsPan's PeopleJimmy SavileA rundown of the latest chart hits, featuring in-studio performances from popular music artists.
- StarsJohn ThawKevin WhatelyJames GroutChief Inspector Morse has an ear for Western classical music, a taste for beer, and a nose for crime. He and Detective Sergeant Robert Lewis solve intriguing cases in and around the Oxford area.
- StarsStuart OrganGwyneth PowellLee CornesThe long running television series of the Grange Hill Comprehensive School, and the children's everyday lives.
- StarsWilfrid BrambellHarry H. CorbettFrank ThorntonBritish sitcom about a father-and-son rag-and-bone business in London. The intergenerational divide between the miserly Steptoe and his ambitious son results in comedy, drama, and tragedy.
- CreatorJohn SullivanStarsDavid JasonNicholas LyndhurstRoger Lloyd PackComedy that follows two brothers from London's rough Peckham estate as they wheel and deal through a number of dodgy deals and search for the big score that'll make them millionaires.
- CreatorFranc RoddamStarsTimothy SpallJimmy NailTim HealySeven British construction workers escape Britain's ever-growing dole queues and travel to Germany to work on a site in Düsseldorf. Follow their trials and tribulations of working away from home and away from the women they left behind.This entry does not include the second incarnation of the show from 2002-2004.
- StarsChris TarrantSally JamesJohn AsherOriginally a Midlands-only "links" programme presented by Chris Tarrant and John Asher, Tiswas is chiefly remembered for evolving into a nationally broadcast comedy show with Chris joined by Sally James, Bob Carolgees and Lenny Henry.
- DirectorKen RussellStarsHuw WheldonPeter BrettRowena GregoryA partly dramatised account of the life of Sir Edward Elgar classical composer. Huw Wheldon narrates the life story over backdrops of beautiful mountain scenery, especially memorable is the image of young Elgar riding his horse around Malvern Hills.
- DirectorMike LeighStarsRoger SlomanAlison SteadmanAnthony O'DonnellA middle-class couple go camping in Dorset, but peace and quiet elude them.
- StarsDermot MorganArdal O'HanlonFrank KellyThree misfit priests and their housekeeper live on Craggy Island, not the peaceful and quiet part of Ireland that it seems to be.
- CreatorSydney NewmanStarsPatrick MacneeDiana RiggHonor BlackmanA quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominantly female partners.
- StarsAlec GuinnessMichael JaystonAnthony BateIn the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced out of semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6's echelons.
- StarsEric PorterMargaret TyzackNyree Dawn PorterThe extended Forsyte family lives a more-than-pleasant upper-middle-class life in Victorian and later Edwardian England. The two central characters are Soames Forsyte and his cousin Jolyon Forsyte. Soames is a solicitor, all proper and straight-laced. His love for beautiful Irene is his only weakness, as is his beautiful daughter Fleur. Young Jolyon is the opposite, a free-thinking artist who abandons his wife to live with his children's nanny. Their lives and their children's lives will intersect over 30 years, bringing happiness to some and tragedy to others.
- DirectorCharles McDougallStarsTracey WilkinsonKevin KnapmanMark WomackA number of grieving families in the UK struggle to come to terms with the unexpected and tragic 1989 Hillsborough Disaster, in which 95 football fans were crushed to death.
- DirectorTom PooleStarsDennis PotterMelvyn BraggJudy Daish
- DirectorMichael TuchnerStarsJeremy SteynMaria CharlesBernard SpearOn the eve of his Bar Mitzvah, young Elliot finds that all the grown men in his life are somewhat wanting.
- DirectorTed KotcheffStarsPatricia HayesBarbara JeffordGeraldine ShermanEdna is a drunk, and a homeless one. The play follows her through the streets, the police station, the psychiatric ward and a hostel, which for a while looks like it may become somewhere she can stay.
- DirectorVincent ScarzaKenneth ShapiroStarsBob GeldofBryan AdamsStuart AdamsonThe broadcast of the biggest benefit concert in history, organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief.
- StarsBrian ArmstrongChris KellyDerek CooperA documentary series focusing on current affairs.
- CreatorGerry AndersonSylvia AndersonStarsSylvia AndersonPeter DyneleyDavid GrahamIn the year 2065, the Tracy family run International Rescue - a top-secret organization whose ongoing mission is to rescue people trapped in extraordinarily dangerous situations using their advanced Thunderbirds machines.
- StarsMaggie SmithJulie WaltersPatricia RoutledgeSix monologues tell the stories of six different repressed souls: a man dominated by his mother, a vicar's wife, an inveterate letter writer, a hopeful actress, a recently widowed woman, and an elderly shut-in.This also includes Talking Heads 2 from 1998.
- StarsSandy SarjeantCathy McGowanMick JaggerLondon based British Rock/Pop tv show broadcast every Friday night during its run until 23/12/1966. Presented by Keith Fordyce & Cathy McGowan. Featuring many performances by The Beatles,Rolling Stones & The Who amongst other 60's greats.
- StarsRay McAnallyMarjorie YatesGeoffrey BeeversDisaster befalls the UK under a seemingly corrupt Conservative government. The Labour Party is elected - but committed to radical change, under a firmly left-wing leader. That's not supposed to happen. Who will save the traditional rulers?
- StarsJames EllisJohn SlaterDouglas FieldingA gritty drama which follows the work of the police force in the fictional town of Newtown in the North of England.
- DirectorPeter WatkinsStarsTony CosgroveOlivier Espitalier-NoelDon FairserviceThe 1746 Battle of Culloden, the last land battle fought in the British Isles and the battle that ensured that Scotland was controlled by England.
- StarsJacob BronowskiJoss AcklandRoy DotriceAn account of man's development through his scientific and technological achievements.
- StarsKenneth ClarkIan RichardsonRonald LaceySir Kenneth Clarke walks through the ages exploring the glorious rise of civilization in Western man.
- StarsHelen MirrenJohn BenfieldTom BellA female police detective investigates a series of serial murders while dealing with sexist hostility from her male comrades.This entry is to include all the Prime Suspect TV movies which spanned from this one in 1991 to the final one in 2006.
- StarsJames BolamRodney BewesDon McKillopTerry and Bob have been friends since childhood. Bob is the sensible one, trying hard to get on with his job and life. Terry is the wild one, always ready to lead Bob astray.This entry includes the sequel show Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads from 1973.
- StarsIan HislopPaul MertonAngus DeaytonLong-running satirical news quiz featuring regular team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton. Originally chaired by Angus Deayton, the series has adopted "guest hosts" since 2002.
- DirectorJimmy T. MurakamiDianne JacksonStarsDavid BowieRaymond BriggsMel SmithOn Christmas Eve, a young boy builds a snowman that comes to life and takes him to the North Pole to meet Father Christmas.
- StarsNikolay DrozdovKenneth BranaghAvery BrooksDocumentary-style series about the era of the dinosaurs, mixing real locations and CGI.
- DirectorRudolph CartierStarsPeter CushingAndré MorellYvonne MitchellIn a totalitarian future society, Winston Smith, whose daily work is re-writing history, tries to rebel by falling in love.
- StarsLeonard RossiterPauline YatesJohn BarronHe story concerns a middle-aged middle manager, Reginald "Reggie" Perrin, and is driven to bizarre behaviour by the pointlessness of his job at Sunshine Desserts.
- StarsAndré MorellCec LinderAnthony BushellA team of scientists search for the origin and purpose of a mysterious capsule found on a building site.
- CreatorJ.C. WilsherStarsNeil PearsonTom GeorgesonSiobhan RedmondBritish police drama following the team at the Complaints Investigation Bureau - the unit that polices the police.
- StarsCilla BlackGraham SkidmorePaul O'GradyBritish dating show in which a member of the public chooses who to date from a selection of three suitors, based solely on their answers to questions.
- DirectorChristopher MorahanStarsWindsor DaviesGaynor JonesKeith KentA grown-up brother and sister's visit to their parents home culminates in a shocking tragedy. The events of the weekend are told over four episodes, each focusing on the point of view of one family member: the daughter Terry; the father, Ted; the son, Alan and finally the mother, Sarah. The full story of the dysfunctional family plays out through the use of repeating scenes, flashback, and monologue.
- StarsIan HolmPenelope WiltonRebecca CallardThe Borrowers, a family of tiny people, are forced to find a new home after being displaced. They get help from a human boy as they try to survive by borrowing what they need.
- StarsRichard WilsonAnnette CrosbieDoreen MantleVictor Meldrew is a retiree who attracts bad luck. If he's not driving his long suffering wife Margaret crazy with his constant moaning, he's fighting with neighbours.
- StarsJools HollandPaul WellerPJ HarveyLate-night music and chat show with celebrity guests.
- StarsRobbie ColtraneMaurice RoëvesEmma ThompsonTrouble ensues for the Majestics, Scotland's "Kings of Rock", when a good-looking redhead joins the band on tour.
- DirectorBob BrooksStarsNigel HawthorneMick FordKim TaylforthFour men attempt "The Knowledge" examination to qualify as London taxi drivers.
- StarsIan RichardsonSusannah HarkerMiles AndersonThe schemes of a ruthlessly ambitious British politician who will stop at nothing to get to the top.This also includes the follow-up shows To Play the King from 1993 and The Final Cut from 1995.
- CreatorRalph EdwardsStarsEamonn AndrewsMichael AspelElizabeth DawnThe UK version of the popular US show. Eamonn Andrews (later Michael Aspel) surprises celebrities by presenting them with the Big Red Book before taking them into the studio to tell viewers the story of their life, featuring guest appearances by members of their family, friends and colleagues.
- StarsJools HollandPaula YatesLeslie AshSeminal Channel 4 live music series, famed for having the biggest music acts of the day performing live.
- StarsRobin EllisSlobodan MilosevicFranjo TudjmanThis captivate documentary covers the struggles of the Yugoslavian people during the collapse of their country, and the subsequent wars to finally find hope with the signing of the Final Peace Accords.
- CreatorJohnny SpeightStarsWarren MitchellAnthony BoothUna StubbsA working-class Cockney bigot with a biased and experienced opinion of everything shares them bluntly and carelessly.
- StarsPeter DavisonGraham CrowdenBarbara FlynnThe various misadventures of Stephen Daker, a young doctor who works for the health centre of a modern British university.
- StarsMichael MooreBruce BrownLouis TherouxMichael Moore presents a humorous news-magazine that focuses primarily on wrongdoing by big business, privileged society and right-wing politicians.
- CreatorAmy JenkinsStarsJack DavenportAmita DhiriAndrew LincolnA series following the lives of Miles, Milly, Warren, Egg and Anna, five young legal professionals.
- StarsGeorge CarmanJulian ManyonSAS execute 3 unarmed IRA Volunteers in Gibraltar. Witnesses discuss the British Military cover up.
- StarsSamuel WestAdolf BuchnerJutta RüdigerAn examination of how a cultured people could have allowed Adolf Hitler's rise to power.
- CreatorAndy HamiltonGuy JenkinStarsNeil PearsonJeff RawleDavid SwiftPolitical satire about television news company Globe Link and its team of workers such as anchors Henry and Sally, reporter Damien, editor Dave, execs George and Helen, assistant Joy and manager Gus Hedges.
- CreatorAnthony HaasDuke EriksonBernard MacMahonStarsGavin MillarKenneth TynanJohn WaltersWide-ranging arts program.
- StarsAnn CastleJenny AgutterNeil McDermott1968 BBC adaptation of the evergreen E. Nesbit story.
- CreatorAndrew DavenportStarsRolf SaxonJessica SmithJohn SimmitFour creatures with televisions in their stomachs have fun in their magical world.
- CreatorPeter FluckRoger LawStarsSteve NallonKate RobbinsChris BarrieA satire show using puppets that are caricatures of major public figures.
- StarsColin FirthJennifer EhleSusannah HarkerWhile the arrival of wealthy gentlemen sends her marriage-minded mother into a frenzy, willful and opinionated Elizabeth Bennet matches wits with haughty Mr. Darcy.
- DirectorAlan ClarkeStarsTim RothTerry RichardsBill StewartAfter being sent to a detention center, a teenage skinhead clashes with the social workers, who want to conform him to the status quo.