The Most-Broadcast BBC Programmes of All-Time: Post-Match Statstravaganza

Okay, now the Big Final Reveal is out of the way, and we’ve identified the two programmes broadcast more than any other on the main BBC channels, let’s get granular. After all, with so much lovely data to build statistical sandcastles with, we can pull that programme information into some other shapes too.

For example, it’s one thing giving all that weight to programmes broadcast as daytime filler, but what about restricting the list to broadcasts going out to audiences sitting down for a proper evening’s televiewing? Or lists of most-shown shows from each decade, helping identify the changing face of BBC Television since 1936? Or just stuff shown on Sundays? And other things, too.

Well, strap in, because here come some ordered lists, without any of that fusty old detail getting in the way. Starting off with a list of:

PRIMETIME BROADCASTS ONLY

Now, it’s arguable what constitutes ‘primetime’, but the most common categorisation I’ve seen suggests 7pm to 11pm. So, that’s what I’ve calculated and come up with the following list. And, despite being shorn of those Sunday omnibuses, the regulars at the Queen Vic still have enough in the tank to roar past all the other contenders.

  1. EastEnders
    Broadcast 6116 times
    BBC1 1985-2021, BBC2 2011-2021
  2. The One Show
    3333 times
    BBC1 2007-2021, BBC2 2011-2021
  3. Match of the Day
    2563 times
    BBC1 1966-2021, BBC2 1964-2020
  4. Panorama
    2124 times
    BBC-tv 1953-1964, BBC1 1964-2021, BBC2 2012
  5. Top of the Pops
    2097 times
    BBC1 1964-2012, BBC2 1996-2021
  6. Gardeners’ World
    1521 times
    BBC2 1968-2021
  7. Question Time
    1383 times
    BBC1 1979-2021
  8. A Question of Sport
    1380 times
    BBC1 1975-2021, BBC2 2011-2013
  9. Twenty-Four Hours / 24 Hours
    1360 times
    BBC1 1965-1972
  10. Wogan
    1107 times
    BBC1 1982-1993
  11. University Challenge
    1096 times
    BBC2 1994-2021
  12. Holby City
    1075 times
    BBC1 1999-2021, BBC2 2012-2021
  13. Top Gear
    1074 times
    BBC1 2020-2021, BBC2 1978-2020
  14. Points of View
    1035 times
    BBC-tv 1962-1964, BBC1 1964-1999
  15. Tomorrow’s World
    975 times
    BBC1 1965-2003
  16. Casualty
    935 times
    BBC1 1986-2021
  17. Watchdog
    881 times
    BBC1 1988-2019
  18. Mastermind
    881 times
    BBC1 1972-1997, BBC2 2003-2021
  19. The Money Programme
    833 times
    BBC1 1974-1974, BBC2 1966-2009
  20. Party Political Broadcast (etc)
    832 times
    BBC-tv 1950-1963, BBC1 1969-2021, BBC2 1969-2009
  21. QI
    755 times
    BBC1 2009-2011, BBC2 2003-2021
  22. Snooker
    728 times
    BBC-tv 1950-1955, BBC1 1978-1997, BBC2 1978-2020
  23. Omnibus
    720 times
    BBC1 1967-2001, BBC2 1967-2006
  24. Have I Got News for You
    700 times
    BBC1 2007-2021, BBC2 1990-2021
  25. Late Night Line-Up
    694 times
    BBC2 1964-1972
  26. The World About Us
    677 times
    BBC2 1967-1986
  27. Z Cars
    674 times
    BBC-tv 1962-1964, BBC1 1964-1978, BBC2 1993-1993
  28. Dad’s Army
    670 times
    BBC1 1968-2020, BBC2 1983-2021
  29. Tonight
    653 times
    BBC-tv 1957-1964, BBC1 1964-1979
  30. Sportsnight
    533 times
    BBC1 1968-1997, BBC2 1995-1995

Onto lists of most broadcast things by decade…

1930s/40s

Starting off with a pseudo-decade collected together due to There Being No Telly Before 1936 and That Bloody War Ruining Things For Everybody. Which, as you’ll see, doesn’t make an especially illuminating list, due to most programme titles at the time being descriptive rather than snappy (“First Aid in the Home” or “In Your Garden: The Construction of a Small Lily Pond“), meaning there are some very low episode counts (often operating under vague titles like ‘Variety‘) making the cut here.

[EDIT: Figures for Picture Page corrected, with thanks to Daniel James Webb for pointing out the lower-than-expected total there. And then corrected some of the other numbers, too.]

  1. Picture Page | 421 times, 1936-1949
  2. For the Children | 174 times, 1937-1949
  3. Starlight | 166 times, 1936-1949
  4. Cricket | 151 times, 1938-1949
  5. Music Makers | 144 times, 1936-1949
  6. Variety | 137 times, 1936-1949
  7. Cabaret | 123 times, 1936-1946
  8. Boxing | 92 times, 1936-1949
  9. In Our Garden | 71 times, 1937-1949
  10. Friends from the Zoo | 56 times, 1936-1947
  11. Wimbledon | 52 times, 1937-1949
  12. Stars in Your Eyes | 49 times, 1946-1949
  13. Racing | 49 times, 1946-1949
  14. Forecast of Fashion | 46 times, 1938-1947
  15. Kaleidoscope | 45 times, 1946-1949
  16. For the Housewife | 44 times, 1948-1949
  17. Interval, Time, Weather | 44 times, 1936-1936
  18. Designed for Women | 42 times, 1947-1949
  19. Cookery | 42 times, 1946-1948
  20. Pre-View | 33 times, 1937-1938
  21. Cartoonists’ Corner | 32 times, 1946-1948
  22. Gardening | 31 times, 1937-1948
  23. Theatre Parade | 30 times, 1937-1938
  24. The Zoo | 29 times, 1938-1949
  25. Fashion Forecast | 27 times, 1937-1946
  26. Vanity Fair | 27 times, 1939-1939
  27. Interval | 27 times, 1937-1939
  28. Composer at the Piano | 26 times, 1946-1947
  29. Speaking Personally | 25 times, 1937-1947
  30. Wrestling | 24 times, 1946-1947

1950s

Onto BBC Television’s first full decade, and things are starting to take shape. with some programmes that would go on to become very familiar to viewers for years to come. Also: “Schools Tuning Signal“.

1. Cricket | 859 times, 1950-1959

2. For the Children | 808 times, 1950-1952

3. Mainly for Women | 765 times, 1955-1959

4. Tonight | 624 times, 1957-1959

5. For the Schools | 442 times, 1957-1959

6. Racing | 371 times, 1950-1959

7. Wimbledon | 313 times, 1950-1959

8. For Women | 241 times, 1951-1955

9. What’s My Line? | 227 times, 1951-1959

10. Today’s Sport | 213 times, 1955-1959

11. The Brains Trust | 199 times, 1956-1959

12. Schools Tuning Signal | 193 times, 1957-1959

13. Lunchtime Cricket Scores | 188 times, 1958-1959

14. Gardening Club | 187 times, 1955-1959

15. The Phil Silvers Show | 177 times, 1957-1959

16. The Burns and Allen Show | 175 times, 1955-1959

16. The Epilogue | 175 times, 1952-1959

18. Sportsview | 174 times, 1954-1959

19. Party Political Broadcast (etc) | 173 times, 1950-1959

20. Andy Pandy | 170 times, 1950-1957

21. In Town Tonight | 165 times, 1954-1956

22. Meeting Point | 154 times, 1956-1959

23. Sports Special | 149 times, 1955-1959

24. About the Home | 144 times, 1952-1955

25. Panorama | 142 times, 1953-1959

26. The Grove Family | 141 times, 1954-1957

27. Wells Fargo | 137 times, 1957-1959

28. I Married Joan | 135 times, 1955-1959

29. For the Very Young | 119 times, 1951-1953

30. This Is Your Life | 116 times, 1955-1959

1960s

Onto the decade when London swang like a pendulum, and it’s nice to consider that lots of cool young things were finishing their tea watching Zena Skinner perfecting a bacon, onion and apple roll in that night’s Town and Around before swanning off down the Kings Road.

1. Town and Around | 2044 times, 1960-1969

2. Play School | 1772 times, 1964-1969

3. Late Night Line-Up | 1530 times, 1964-1969

4. Tonight | 1184 times, 1960-1965

5. Cricket | 981 times, 1960-1969

6. Jackanory | 934 times, 1965-1969

7. Twenty-Four Hours / 24 Hours | 786 times, 1965-1969

8. Blue Peter | 696 times, 1960-1969

9. Grandstand | 664 times, 1960-1969

10. Z Cars | 563 times, 1962-1969

11. Meeting Point | 562 times, 1960-1968

12. Farming | 486 times, 1960-1969

13. The Newcomers | 430 times, 1964-1969

14. Panorama | 398 times, 1960-1969

14. Juke Box Jury | 398 times, 1960-1967

16. Compact | 392 times, 1962-1965

17. Songs of Praise | 384 times, 1961-1969

18. The Magic Roundabout | 370 times, 1965-1969

19. Points of View | 358 times, 1961-1969

20. Gardening Club | 338 times, 1960-1967

21. Top of the Pops | 312 times, 1964-1969

22. Spotlight | 307 times, 1960-1965

23. Apna Hi Ghar Samajhiye | 303 times, 1966-1969

24. Seeing and Believing | 297 times, 1960-1969

25. Signpost | 295 times, 1961-1965

26. Junior Points of View | 290 times, 1963-1969

27. Sunday Story | 271 times, 1961-1968

28. Wimbledon | 270 times, 1960-1969

29. Pure Mathematics | 261 times, 1962-1964

30. Doctor Who | 259 times, 1963-1969

1970s

Into the decade where colour TV became a fixture in the brown and beige living rooms of the UK, and it’s good old Humpty & Co that are making the cathode ray tubes their own.

1. Play School | 4998 times, 1970-1979

2. Jackanory | 2140 times, 1970-1979

3. Nationwide | 2037 times, 1970-1979

4. Pebble Mill | 1305 times, 1972-1979

5. Cricket | 1289 times, 1970-1979

6. Nai Zindagi – Naya Jeevan | 857 times, 1970-1979

7. Blue Peter | 843 times, 1970-1979

8. Grandstand | 782 times, 1970-1979

9. Tonight | 771 times, 1975-1979

10. You and Me | 703 times, 1974-1979

11. The Magic Roundabout | 632 times, 1970-1979

12. Twenty-Four Hours / 24 Hours | 605 times, 1970-1972

13. Tom and Jerry | 572 times, 1970-1979

14. Top of the Pops | 524 times, 1970-1979

15. Songs of Praise | 520 times, 1970-1979

16. Farming | 474 times, 1970-1979

17. The Money Programme | 461 times, 1970-1979

18. Late Night Line-Up | 453 times, 1970-1977

19. The World About Us | 452 times, 1970-1979

20. Panorama | 434 times, 1970-1979

21. Tomorrow’s World | 421 times, 1970-1979

22. Match of the Day | 402 times, 1970-1979

23. Golf | 379 times, 1970-1979

24. Open Door | 373 times, 1973-1979

25. The Old Grey Whistle Test | 370 times, 1971-1979

26. On the Move | 355 times, 1975-1978

27. Midweek | 354 times, 1972-1975

28. Wimbledon | 353 times, 1970-1979

29. Z Cars | 343 times, 1970-1978

30. The Wombles | 338 times, 1973-1979

1980s

The 1980s saw the home computer revolution fronted by the homegrown likes of Acorn, Amstrad and Sinclair, making it quite fitting that much of the decade saw BBC Micro Mode 7 beamed into the homes of daytime Britain.

1. Pages from Ceefax | 5634 times, 1983-1989

2. Play School | 3805 times, 1980-1988

3. Breakfast Time | 1727 times, 1983-1989

4. Neighbours | 1633 times, 1986-1989

5. Cricket | 1422 times, 1980-1989

6. You and Me | 1181 times, 1980-1989

7. Snooker | 1176 times, 1980-1989

8. Jackanory | 1123 times, 1980-1989

9. Pebble Mill | 1097 times, 1980-1986

10. Grandstand | 957 times, 1980-1989

11. Blue Peter | 865 times, 1980-1989

12. Nationwide | 845 times, 1980-1983

13. Songs of Praise | 793 times, 1980-1989

14. Wogan | 768 times, 1982-1989

15. EastEnders | 764 times, 1985-1989

16. Five to Eleven | 745 times, 1986-1989

17. Laurel and Hardy | 530 times, 1980-1989

18. Top of the Pops | 526 times, 1980-1989

18. Gardeners’ World | 526 times, 1980-1989

20. Golf | 510 times, 1980-1989

21. Film [xx] (The Film Programme) | 443 times, 1980-1989

22. Farming | 436 times, 1980-1988

23. The Flintstones | 430 times, 1985-1989

24. Points of View | 424 times, 1980-1989

25. Tomorrow’s World | 423 times, 1980-1989

25. Kilroy | 423 times, 1986-1989

27. Playdays | 394 times, 1988-1989

28. See Hear! | 389 times, 1981-1989

28. Grange Hill | 389 times, 1980-1989

30. Dallas | 378 times, 1980-1989

1990s

Here come the nineties, decade of Britpop, Alcopop and antipodean domination of the TV listings, between Home & Away, Prisoner Cell Block H and the show at the top of the pile on BBC1.

1. Neighbours | 5183 times, 1990-1999

2. Playdays | 2989 times, 1990-1999

3. EastEnders | 1981 times, 1990-1999

4. Blue Peter | 1609 times, 1990-1999

5. Kilroy | 1606 times, 1990-1999

6. Westminster | 1236 times, 1990-1999

7. Cricket | 1206 times, 1990-1999

8. Teletubbies | 1180 times, 1997-1999

9. Working Lunch | 1104 times, 1994-1999

10. Grandstand | 1099 times, 1990-1999

11. Snooker | 1048 times, 1990-1999

12. Pages from Ceefax | 859 times, 1990-1996

13. Ready Steady Cook | 774 times, 1994-1999

14. See Hear! | 761 times, 1990-1999

15. Today’s the Day | 741 times, 1993-1999

16. Pebble Mill | 728 times, 1991-1996

17. Can’t Cook Won’t Cook | 689 times, 1995-1999

18. Top of the Pops | 688 times, 1990-1999

19. CountryFile | 681 times, 1990-1999

20. You and Me | 671 times, 1990-1995

21. The Late Show | 643 times, 1990-1995

22. Grange Hill | 638 times, 1990-1999

23. Songs of Praise | 584 times, 1990-1999

23. Good Morning … with Anne and Nick | 584 times, 1992-1996

25. The O Zone | 581 times, 1990-1999

26. BBC Select | 567 times, 1992-1995

27. Match of the Day | 563 times, 1990-1999

28. Film [xx] (The Film Programme) | 560 times, 1990-1999

29. The Weather Show | 550 times, 1996-1999

30. The Learning Zone | 549 times, 1995-1998

2000s

It’s the post-millennial cyberfuture! And the start of Anne Robinson’s rise to global domination.

This is, of course, from Tomorrow’s World reporting on the worldwide web in 1994. But still.

1. Neighbours | 3810 times, 2000-2008

2. EastEnders | 2580 times, 2000-2009

3. Tweenies | 2266 times, 2000-2009

4. The Weakest Link | 2205 times, 2000-2009

5. Working Lunch | 2064 times, 2000-2009

6. Teletubbies | 1797 times, 2000-2009

7. Bargain Hunt | 1761 times, 2000-2009

8. Doctors | 1734 times, 2000-2009

9. Ready Steady Cook | 1631 times, 2000-2009

10. Blue Peter | 1561 times, 2000-2009

11. Arthur | 1453 times, 2000-2009

12. Cash in the Attic | 1375 times, 2002-2009

13. Match of the Day | 1363 times, 2000-2009

14. Flog It! | 1307 times, 2002-2009

15. Snooker | 1305 times, 2000-2009

16. Diagnosis Murder | 1141 times, 2000-2009

17. The Daily Politics | 1134 times, 2003-2009

18. Homes under the Hammer | 1070 times, 2003-2009

19. Kilroy | 977 times, 2000-2004

20. Animal Park | 965 times, 2000-2009

21. To Buy or Not to Buy | 934 times, 2003-2009

22. Murder, She Wrote | 917 times, 2002-2009

23. Scooby-Doo | 908 times, 2002-2009

24. Escape to the Country | 886 times, 2002-2009

25. Grandstand | 879 times, 2000-2007

26. Balamory | 858 times, 2003-2009

27. Fimbles | 839 times, 2002-2009

28. Eggheads | 828 times, 2003-2009

29. Tikkabilla | 765 times, 2003-2009

30. ChuckleVision | 699 times, 2000-2009

2010s

And so, onto the last full decade on the list, and television is drowning in daytime nan-fodder.

1. Homes under the Hammer | 3513 times, 2010-2019

2. Bargain Hunt | 3293 times, 2010-2019

3. Escape to the Country | 2898 times, 2010-2019

4. Flog It! | 2686 times, 2010-2019

5. The ONE Show | 2324 times, 2010-2019

6. EastEnders | 2222 times, 2010-2019

7. Pointless | 2130 times, 2010-2019

8. Doctors | 2078 times, 2010-2019

9. Eggheads | 2022 times, 2010-2019

10. The Daily Politics | 1650 times, 2010-2018

11. Antiques Road Trip | 1229 times, 2010-2019

12. CountryFile | 1195 times, 2010-2019

13. Match of the Day | 1053 times, 2010-2019

14. Holby City | 1043 times, 2010-2019

15. Coast | 1042 times, 2010-2019

16. Cash in the Attic | 856 times, 2010-2017

17. Antiques Roadshow | 847 times, 2010-2019

18. Great British Menu | 832 times, 2010-2019

19. Panorama | 825 times, 2010-2019

20. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is | 804 times, 2010-2019

21. Rip Off Britain | 738 times, 2010-2019

22. Heir Hunters | 719 times, 2010-2019

23. Question Time | 710 times, 2010-2019

24. The Weakest Link | 706 times, 2010-2013

25. Gardeners’ World | 693 times, 2010-2019

26. Wanted Down Under | 678 times, 2010-2019

27. Great British Railway Journeys | 675 times, 2010-2019

28. The Graham Norton Show | 658 times, 2010-2019

28. A Question of Sport | 658 times, 2010-2019

30. Waybuloo | 641 times, 2010-2012


What about those weekend days, when telly is a very different beast. The full list was, predictably, dominated by weekday programming. So what went out most frequently at the weekend? And, as Saturday Telly is a distinctly different beast to Sunday Telly, here are lists for each:

SATURDAYS

1. Grandstand | 2627 times, 1958-2007

2. Match of the Day | 1847 times, 1964-2021

3. Cricket | 945 times, 1938-2021

4. Saturday Kitchen | 886 times, 2001-2021

5. Casualty | 869 times, 1986-2021

6. Football Focus | 831 times, 1977-2021

7. Final Score | 755 times, 1971-2021

8. Snooker | 734 times, 1952-2021

9. Doctor Who | 728 times, 1963-2017

10. Dad’s Army | 701 times, 1969-2021

11. Flog It! | 534 times, 2002-2021

12. Top of the Pops | 469 times, 1965-2021

13. Golf | 444 times, 1946-2021

14. Weekend 24 | 414 times, 1998-2006

15. Juke Box Jury | 408 times, 1959-1979

16. Dixon of Dock Green | 395 times, 1955-1976

17. Today’s Sport | 388 times, 1956-1980

18. See Hear! | 387 times, 1998-2014

19. The Sky at Night | 386 times, 1957-2013

19. Rugby Special | 386 times, 1966-2005

21. Pointless Celebrities | 375 times, 2012-2021

22. Tennis | 302 times, 1939-2021

23. Scooby-Doo | 301 times, 1976-2012

24. Parkinson | 300 times, 1971-2021

25. Athletics | 296 times, 1947-2021

26. Escape to the Country | 287 times, 2005-2021

27. Bargain Hunt | 279 times, 2008-2021

28. What the Papers Say | 278 times, 1990-2008

29. Arthur | 274 times, 2000-2011

30. TOTP2 | 270 times, 1994-2021

SUNDAYS

Unsurprisingly, Songs of Praise tops the list. But surprisingly, no place in the thirty for That’s Life – while it aired 442 times, 140 of those broadcasts were on other days of the week (mainly Saturdays). That just doesn’t seem right, does it?

1. Songs of Praise | 2790 times, 1961-2021

2. CountryFile | 2083 times, 1988-2021

3. EastEnders | 1538 times, 1985-2017

4. Farming | 1438 times, 1958-1988

5. Match of the Day | 1385 times, 1980-2021

6. Antiques Roadshow | 1059 times, 1979-2021

7. Grandstand | 1011 times, 1966-2007

8. Meeting Point | 716 times, 1956-1968

8. The Money Programme | 716 times, 1973-2007

10. Nai Zindagi – Naya Jeevan | 659 times, 1968-1982

11. The Andrew Marr Show | 644 times, 2007-2021

12. The World About Us | 640 times, 1967-1986

13. Snooker | 607 times, 1957-2021

14. Holby City | 591 times, 2006-2021

15. See Hear! | 576 times, 1981-2000

16. Breakfast with Frost | 575 times, 1993-2005

17. Rugby Special | 549 times, 1975-2005

18. Natural World | 529 times, 1983-2021

19. Cricket | 485 times, 1953-2021

20. Saturday Kitchen Best Bites | 482 times, 2012-2021

21. Escape to the Country | 479 times, 2005-2021

22. Seeing and Believing | 470 times, 1960-1976

23. Bargain Hunt | 459 times, 2005-2021

24. Points of View | 454 times, 1999-2021

25. Everyman | 450 times, 1977-2000

26. Playdays | 449 times, 1988-1997

27. The Sky at Night | 434 times, 1969-2013

28. Lifeline | 416 times, 1986-2021

29. Top Gear | 415 times, 1981-2021

30. This is the Day | 402 times, 1980-1994


POST-WATERSHED BROADCASTS

Next up, how about a list of hot and steamy late-night programming definitely deemed unsuitable for children. Picking out broadcasts purely between 9pm and 5am, here’s a list of most-seen X-rated telly ethemera. Phwoar!

This image might seem to disprove what I’d just said, but don’t forget the time Jimmy Hill accidentally advised viewers to “put their cocks back”

1. Match of the Day | 2713 times, 1965-2021

2. Late Night Line-Up | 1989 times, 1964-1989

3. Question Time | 1834 times, 1979-2021

4. Snooker | 1539 times, 1977-2021

5. Twenty-Four Hours / 24 Hours | 1390 times, 1965-1972

6. Film [xx] (The Film Programme) | 1335 times, 1971-2018

7. Cricket | 1216 times, 1952-2021

8. Party Political Broadcast (etc) | 891 times, 1950-2021

9. Panorama | 869 times, 1954-2021

10. Have I Got News for You | 856 times, 1990-2021

11. The Graham Norton Show | 837 times, 2001-2021

12. The Late Show | 802 times, 1966-1995

13. Later… with Jools Holland | 794 times, 1992-2021

14. Tonight | 772 times, 1975-1992

15. QI | 734 times, 2003-2021

16. Omnibus | 721 times, 1967-2021

17. The Sky at Night | 717 times, 1957-2013

18. Golf | 613 times, 1953-2021

19. This Week | 610 times, 2003-2019

19. Holby City | 610 times, 2006-2021

21. A Question of Sport | 559 times, 1999-2021

22. Despatch Box | 554 times, 1998-2002

23. The Learning Zone | 547 times, 1995-1998

24. Friday Night with Jonathan Ross | 522 times, 2001-2010

25. Sportsnight | 517 times, 1968-1997

26. BBC Select | 511 times, 1992-1995

27. Mock the Week | 501 times, 2005-2021

28. Top of the Pops | 467 times, 1965-2021

29. Everyman | 466 times, 1977-2001

30. Parkinson | 459 times, 1971-2021


Finally, how about a list of:

Children’s BBC Programmes

Specifically programmes meeting the criteria “weekday BBC1, start time 3:50-5:55, programmes for grown-ups not counted”. Yes, I could have spent ages picking out summer holiday morning CBBC strands and the like, but even I’m not that bloody minded.

1. Blue Peter | 4303 times, 1964-2012

2. Jackanory | 4104 times, 1965-2006

3. Play School | 3831 times, 1968-1985

4. The Magic Roundabout | 904 times, 1965-1984

5. Grange Hill | 830 times, 1978-2008

6. Byker Grove | 502 times, 1989-2005

7. Scooby-Doo | 480 times, 1970-2012

8. ChuckleVision | 385 times, 1988-2009

9. Yogi Bear | 374 times, 1971-1997

10. Popeye | 369 times, 1979-1999

11. Animal Magic | 358 times, 1964-2000

12. The Wombles | 323 times, 1973-1985

13. Laurel and Hardy | 321 times, 1966-1990

14. Rugrats | 315 times, 1994-2004

15. Junior Points of View | 287 times, 1964-1970

16. SuperTed | 259 times, 1983-1995

17. Record Breakers | 257 times, 1983-2001

18. Shaun the Sheep | 251 times, 2007-2012

18. Hector’s House | 251 times, 1968-1975

20. SMart | 250 times, 1994-2010

21. Mona the Vampire | 247 times, 2000-2006

22. Screen Test | 230 times, 1970-1984

23. The Story of Tracy Beaker | 224 times, 2002-2010

23. Crackerjack | 224 times, 1964-1984

25. The Really Wild Show | 217 times, 1986-2004

26. Paddington | 214 times, 1976-1991

26. Deputy Dawg | 214 times, 1964-1980

28. The Cramp Twins | 213 times, 2001-2008

29. The Wild Thornberrys | 204 times, 1999-2004

30. Bananaman | 203 times, 1983-1999


There we go! That probably counts as a fitting epilogue to a very long-winded project. Onto the blog’s next ill-considered escapade – coming soon. Well, soon-ish. It’s going to involve getting a lot more data in place first. But, given the above, you could probably have guessed that.

6 responses to “The Most-Broadcast BBC Programmes of All-Time: Post-Match Statstravaganza”

  1. What fascinating lists, which give more of an overview of how the BBC’s television service developed over time (and arguably stagnated in the last decade or two).

    In the 30/40s list should Picture Page be on 494 editions rather than 194? By my reckoning (using tvrdb.com) it aired around 530 times before the end of the 40s, and had celebrated its 200th edition as early as 1938, but allowing for the April-August 1939 gap in the genome data I think about 494 would probably be in the right ballpark here, and certainly 194 is very much an undercount.

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    • Yes, you’re almost certainly right there. The numbers are probably skewed by Genome frequently listing the programme as “Picture Page (XXth Edition). I may well recalculate those and fix the list, now I know that.

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      • Going by my Genome extract, I’ve revised the figure accordingly (there were indeed a lot of “(nth edition)” in there). I make it 492 broadcasts between 1936 and 1952, though there were also some editions of Picture Parade wrongly tagged as Picture Page in Genome (edits now submitted to correct those). I make it 421 episodes of PP broadcast between 1936 and 1949, which very likely still isn’t correct, but at least is less wrong than before. The situation is possibly muddied by some editions of ‘For The Children’ having a segment billed as “Picture Page (Junior Edition)”.

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