# List of television programmes broadcast by the BBC
The BBC broadcasts television programs across five commissioning genres: Fiction (Drama and Comedy), Entertainment, Knowledge (including Learning), Daytime, and Children's.[1](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/site/code_of_practice.pdf) Programmes in these areas, whether produced in-house or by external suppliers, are commissioned by the Genre Controllers or Commissioning Editors together with the Controllers of the relevant channels.[1](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/site/code_of_practice.pdf) This article describes how the BBC's television output is organized and recorded, and gives notable examples of its programs by genre.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Commissioning genres | Fiction (Drama, Comedy), Entertainment, Knowledge (including Learning), Daytime, and Children's[1](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/site/code_of_practice.pdf) |
| Programme record | Since October 2007 the BBC Programmes site has maintained a permanent web presence for every program broadcast, with some entries populated back to 1942[2](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/programmes/) |
| Centenary list | In April 2022 the BFI published "100 BBC TV gamechangers" to mark the BBC's first hundred years[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/100-bbc-tv-gamechangers) |
| Longest-running current affairs | Panorama (1953-) is British television's longest-running current affairs program[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/100-bbc-tv-gamechangers) |
| Longest-running children's program | Blue Peter (1958-) is the world's longest running children's TV program[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/100-bbc-tv-gamechangers) |
| Proposal route | Programme ideas for BBC television are submitted via the online proposal system PiCoS[4](https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/commissioning/how-we-commission/) |
## How programs are commissioned and recorded
**Commissioning.** The BBC runs an annual planning process that takes the channel portfolio and genre strategies as its starting point; genres and channels agree which series they plan to bring back and what new programming to commission.[5](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/site/bbc-commissioning-process-framework.pdf) Final decisions on what gets commissioned are made collaboratively between the genre teams, the channels, and iPlayer.[4](https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/commissioning/how-we-commission/) Each genre has named commissioning executives working to the genre Controllers, who have special responsibility for working with external suppliers.[1](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/site/code_of_practice.pdf) Daytime programs, whether made in-house or externally, are commissioned by the genre Controllers together with the Controller of Daytime.[1](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/site/code_of_practice.pdf)
**Records of broadcast.** The key record for tracking down details of a BBC program is the Programme-as-Broadcast document (PasB), an accurate daily log of every broadcast on every BBC service, radio and television, domestic and overseas; these logs are still the basis on which payments are made.[6](https://teach.files.bbci.co.uk/archive/BBC_Written_Archives_Centre_Research_Guide_2019.pdf) The BBC's television cataloguing department, part of [Information](https://www.edgepedia.org/information) & Archives, catalogs output in an online system called INFAX so researchers can find programs by name, reporter, genre, and subject; the collection is described as one of the largest belonging to a working broadcaster.[7](https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/handbook-for-media-librarians/cataloguing-television-programmes/888438D11CBE8129F5B83D011A33A28B) The BBC Programmes website, running since October 2007, offers a permanent, findable web page for every program broadcast, with clips, episode guides, and character profiles.[2](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/programmes/)
## Notable programs by genre
**Current affairs and documentary.** Panorama began in 1953 as a magazine-style program and developed over its first decade into a home for harder-edged investigative journalism; under [Richard Dimbleby](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-dimbleby) between 1955 and 1965 it became a trusted source for in-depth reporting, and it has delivered long-form documentary programs weekly for nearly 70 years.[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/100-bbc-tv-gamechangers) Zoo Quest (1954 to 1963), which sent a BBC team with [London Zoo](https://www.edgepedia.org/london-zoo) experts in search of live specimens, started a new genre of location wildlife filming and introduced [David Attenborough](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-attenborough) as a wildlife reporter.[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/100-bbc-tv-gamechangers) The Sky at Night (1957-) gave viewers a monthly glimpse into space for 65 years, first under Patrick Moore and later a team of astrophysicists.[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/100-bbc-tv-gamechangers)
**Drama and comedy.** Hancock's Half Hour (1956 to 1960) moved from BBC radio to television and defined the British sitcom, distinguishing British scripted comedy from both music hall variety and American-style sitcoms.[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/100-bbc-tv-gamechangers) Z Cars helped establish the gritty TV police genre, and its writer [Troy Kennedy Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/troy-kennedy-martin) later did the same for the big-budget conspiracy thriller serial with [Edge of Darkness](https://www.edgepedia.org/edge-of-darkness).[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/100-bbc-tv-gamechangers) The Quatermass Experiment (1953) was the first British television science fiction serial to really hit the mark with viewers and started a strain of British television drama felt in later shows such as [Doctor Who](https://www.edgepedia.org/doctor-who).[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/100-bbc-tv-gamechangers) More recently, I May Destroy You (2020), Michaela Coel's 12-episode series, explored London millennial life, race, sex, and consent.[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/100-bbc-tv-gamechangers)
**Entertainment and music.** [Top of the Pops](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-of-the-pops) and [Strictly Come Dancing](https://www.edgepedia.org/strictly-come-dancing) are among the entertainment and music programs the BFI listed as gamechangers.[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/100-bbc-tv-gamechangers) The Generation Game (1971), hosted by [Bruce Forsyth](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruce-forsyth) and later Larry Grayson, pitted family against family across the generations in comedic tasks and became a Saturday-night fixture.[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/100-bbc-tv-gamechangers) Grandstand (1958 to 2007) packaged the BBC's sports coverage into a weekly live marathon for nearly half a century, leaving behind the segments Football Focus and Final Score, which continue today.[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/100-bbc-tv-gamechangers)
**Children's and learning.** [Blue Peter](https://www.edgepedia.org/blue-peter) (1958-) changed the relationship between television and its audiences through innovations such as the [Blue Peter badge](https://www.edgepedia.org/blue-peter-badge), introduced in 1963, and annual charity appeals that let children contribute to causes at home and abroad.[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/100-bbc-tv-gamechangers) The CBBC series Horrible Histories, running since 2009, uses sketch-based comedy to introduce children to historical eras.[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/100-bbc-tv-gamechangers) During the [COVID-19 lockdowns](https://www.edgepedia.org/covid-19-lockdowns), Bitesize Daily lessons were made available on BBC iPlayer, on TV via the Red Button, and online.[3](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/100-bbc-tv-gamechangers)
## What has changed in recent years
Distribution has widened beyond the traditional channels: 54 matches from World Cup 2026 were carried on the BBC's terrestrial channels alongside iPlayer, 5 Live, BBC Sounds, the [BBC Sport](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-sport) website and app, and social channels.[8](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/world-cup-2026-the-bbcs-presenters-pundits-commentators-and-reporters-in-full) Of the 100 programs on the BFI centenary list, 88% are produced or distributed by [BBC Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-studios).[9](https://www.filmink.com.au/public-notice/bbc-studios-leads-the-industry-in-bringing-gamechanging-content-around-the-world/)
## References
1. [BBC Code of Practice for Television Commissioning](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/site/code_of_practice.pdf)
2. [BBC Programmes](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/programmes/)
3. [100 BBC TV gamechangers, BFI (28 April 2022)](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/100-bbc-tv-gamechangers)
4. [How we commission, BBC Commissioning](https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/commissioning/how-we-commission/)
5. [BBC Commissioning Process Framework](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/site/bbc-commissioning-process-framework.pdf)
6. [BBC Written Archives Centre Research Guide (2019)](https://teach.files.bbci.co.uk/archive/BBC_Written_Archives_Centre_Research_Guide_2019.pdf)
7. [Cataloguing television programmes, A Handbook for Media Librarians (Facet, 2008)](https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/handbook-for-media-librarians/cataloguing-television-programmes/888438D11CBE8129F5B83D011A33A28B)
8. [World Cup 2026: The BBC's presenters, pundits, commentators and reporters in full, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/world-cup-2026-the-bbcs-presenters-pundits-commentators-and-reporters-in-full)
9. [BBC Studios leads the industry in bringing 'gamechanging' content around the world, FilmInk](https://www.filmink.com.au/public-notice/bbc-studios-leads-the-industry-in-bringing-gamechanging-content-around-the-world/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Broadcasting and journalism › Broadcast organizations and stations › Broadcast networks and channel brands › Programs broadcast by network (lists) › British, Irish, Canadian, and Australasian network program lists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license