List of longest-running British television programmes

This is a list of the longest-running television programmes in the United Kingdom.

Running

No. of broadcast years (after year of first broadcast)[a]	Title	Network	Genre	Airing between
79–80	Lord Mayor's Show	BBC One (BBC)	Outside broadcast	1937–1938, 1946–present[1]
71–72	National Eisteddfod of Wales[2]	BBC One Wales (1953–1982) and S4C (1982–present)	Outside broadcast	1953–present
71–72	Panorama[3]	BBC One (BBC) and BBC World News (BBC)	Current affairs	1953–present
70–71	Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod[4]	BBC One Wales (1954–1982) and S4C (1982–present)	Outside broadcast	1954–present
68–69	Eurovision Song Contest	Eurovision and Euroradio networks/BBC TV 1956–1964, BBC One (BBC) 1964–present	Song contest	1956–present
67–68	The Sky at Night	BBC One (1957–2013) and BBC Four (2014–present)	Science programme	1957–present
67–68	Royal Christmas Message	BBC TV 1957–1964, BBC One (BBC) 1964–1968, 1970–present	Speech
66–67	Blue Peter	BBC Television Service (1958–1960), BBC TV (1960–1964), BBC1 (1964–2012), CBBC (1985–present), and CBBC HD (2013–present)	Children's television series	1958–present
64–65	Coronation Street[5]	ITV	Soap opera	1960–present
63–64	Dechrau Canu, Dechrau Canmol (Welsh)[6]	BBC One Wales (1961–1982) and S4C (1982–present)	Religious series	1961–present
63–64	Songs of Praise	BBC One (BBC)
60–61	Horizon	BBC Two (BBC)	Science programme	1964–present
60–61	Match of the Day	BBC Two (1964–1966) and BBC One (1966–present)	Sport
56–57	Gardeners' World	BBC Two (BBC)	Gardening programme	1968–present
55–56	Points of View	Factual	1961–1971, 1979–present
55–56	University Challenge	ITV (1962–87) and BBC Two (1994–present)	Quiz show	1962–1987, 1994–present
53	Cân i Gymru (Welsh)	BBC One (1969), BBC One Wales (1970–1978, 1982), HTV (1979, 1981), BBC Radio Cymru (1980), S4C (1983–present)	Song contest	1969–1972, 1974–1979, 1981–present
52–53	Newsround	BBC One (1972–2012), CBBC (2002–present), BBC Two (2022–present)	Children's news	1972–present
52–53	Mastermind	BBC One (1972–1997), BBC Radio 4 (1998–2000), Discovery Channel (2001–2002), and BBC Two (2003–)	Game show
52–53	Emmerdale	ITV	Soap opera
51–52	ITV News at Ten		News	1967–1999, 2001–2004, 2008–present
50–51	Pobol y Cwm (Welsh)[7]	BBC One Wales (1974–1982) and S4C (1982–present)	Soap opera	1974–present
49–50	Sportscene	BBC One Scotland (BBC), BBC Two Scotland (BBC), and BBC Scotland (BBC)	Sport	1975–present
49–50	Arena	BBC Two (1975–2011) and BBC Four (2003–present)	Documentary	1975–present
47–48	It'll Be Alright on the Night	ITV	Bloopers programme	1977–present
46–47	The South Bank Show	ITV (1978–2010) and Sky Arts (2012–present)	Art programme	1978–2010, 2012–2023
45–46	Antiques Roadshow	BBC One (BBC)	Factual	1979–present
45–46	Doctor Who		Science fiction series	1963–1989, 1996, 2005–present
45–46	Question Time		Political panel programme	1979–present
44–45	Newsnight	BBC Two	News programme	1980–present
44–45	Children in Need	BBC One (BBC) and BBC Two (BBC)	Charity programme
43–44	See Hear		Deaf magazine programme	1981–present
42–43	Countdown	Channel 4	Game show	1982–present
42–43	Cefn Gwlad (Welsh)	S4C	Rural magazine programme	1982–present
42–43	Noson Lawen (Welsh)	S4C	Variety Entertainment show	1982–present
40–41	BBC News at Six	BBC One (BBC) and BBC News Channel (BBC)	News programme	1984–present
39–40	EastEnders	BBC One	Soap opera	1985–present
38–39	Casualty[8]	BBC One	Medical drama	1986–present
38–39	BBC News at One	BBC One (BBC) and BBC News Channel (BBC)	News programme
38–39	HOW[9][10]	ITV/CITV	Children's programme	1966–1981, 1990–2006, 2020–present
37–38	Dispatches	Channel 4	Current affairs	1987–present
37–38	Fireman Sam	English: BBC One (Series 1–4), CBeebies (Series 5), Cartoonito (Series 6–present), Channel 5 (Series 8–present) Welsh: S4C	Children's television series
36–37	Comic Relief	BBC One, BBC Two	Charity programme	1988–present
36–37	Countryfile	BBC One	News magazine
36–37	This Morning	ITV	Daytime magazine programme
36–37	Sgorio (Welsh)	S4C	Sport
34–35	Have I Got News for You	BBC Two 1990-2000, BBC One 2000-present	Satire	1990–present
33–34	Crackerjack	BBC TV 1955-1964/ BBC One 1964-1984/ CBBC 2020–present	Children's television	1955–1984, 2020–present
32–33	Later... with Jools Holland	BBC Two	Music	1992–present
30–31	The National Lottery Draws	BBC One 1994–2016, BBC iplayer 2017–2018, ITV 2018–present (during advert breaks)	Game show	1994–present
29–30	Catchphrase	ITV 1986-2002 & 2013–present	Game show	1986–2002, 2013–present
29–30	Rownd a Rownd (Welsh)	S4C	Soap opera	1995–present
29–30	Hollyoaks	Channel 4 (1995–present), E4 (2001–present), and All 4 (2022–present)		1995–present
28–29	Silent Witness	BBC One	Drama	1996–present
27–28	Midsomer Murders	ITV	Detective series	1997–present
7	Jonathan Creek	BBC One	Crime drama	1997–2000, 2003, 2010, 2014, 2016
26–27	Family Fortunes	ITV	Game show	1980–2002, 2020–present
11-12	Red Dwarf	BBC Two 1988-1999, Dave 2009-2020	Sitcom	1988–1989, 1991–1993, 1997, 1999, 2009, 2012, 2016–2017, 2020 [11]
25–26	Grand Designs	Channel 4	DIY	1999–present
25–26	Loose Women	ITV	Talk show	1999–present
25–26	Sky News at 10	Sky News	News	1999–present
24–25	Bargain Hunt	BBC One	Antiques programme	2000–present
24–25	BBC Breakfast	BBC One (BBC) and BBC News Channel (BBC)	News programme	2000–present
24–25	BBC News at Ten			2000–present
24–25	Unreported World	Channel 4	Current affairs programme	2000–present
22–23	Escape to the Country	BBC One (BBC)	Daytime Factual	2002–present
22–23	Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway	ITV	Variety	2002–present
22–23	I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out Out of Here!		Reality competition series	2002–present
22–23	Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?		Quiz	1998–2014, 2018–present
21–22	Eggheads	BBC One (2003–2004), BBC Two (2005–2020), and Channel 5 (2021–present)	Quiz	2003–present
21–22	Homes Under the Hammer	BBC One	Factual	2003–present
21–22	QI	BBC One BBC Two BBC Four	Panel show	2003–present
21–22	Something Special	CBeebies	Preschool series	2003–present
20–21	Strictly Come Dancing	BBC One	Talent show	2004–present
20–21	Live at the Apollo	BBC One BBC Two	Stand-up comedy	2004–present
20–21	The Gadget Show	Channel 5	Consumer technology review	2004–present
20–21	Peppa Pig	Channel 5 and Nick Jr.	Preschool series	2004–2012, 2016–present
19–20	Come Dine with Me	Channel 4	Reality	2005–present
19–20	Pocoyo	CITV (series 1–2), Nick Jr. (series 3), and ITVX (series 4–present)	Preschool series	2005–2010, 2016–present
19–20	8 Out of 10 Cats	Channel 4 More 4 E4	Panel show	2005–present
19–20	The Apprentice	BBC Two (2005–2006), and BBC One (2007-present)	Reality competition	2005–present
19–20	Dragons Den	BBC Two (2005–2020), and BBC One (2021–present)	Reality competition	2005–present
18–19	The One Show	BBC One (BBC)	Magazine and chat show	2006–present
18–19	Not Going Out	BBC One	Sitcom	2006–present
18–19	Dickinson's Real Deal	ITV	Antiques programme	2006–present
18–19	The Weakest Link	BBC One (BBC) BBC Two	Quiz	2000–2012, 2017, 2021–present
17–18	Animal Park	BBC One	Documentary	2000–2009, 2016–present
17–18	Britain's Got Talent	ITV	Variety talent show	2007-2020, 2022–present
17–18	The Graham Norton Show	BBC Two (2007–09) and BBC One (2009–present)	Talk show	2007–present
17–18	Shaun the Sheep	CBBC (2007–present), BBC One (2015–present), and BBC Two (2022–present)	Animation	2007–present
17–18	Would I Lie to You?	BBC One	Panel show	2007–present
16–17	Only Connect	BBC Four (2008–2014), and BBC (2014–present)	Quiz	2008–present
16–17	Coach Trip	Channel 4 (2005–2015), and E4 (2016–present)	Reality	2005–2006, 2009–present
15–16	The Chase	ITV	Quiz	2009–present
15–16	Pointless	BBC Two (2009–2011), and BBC One (2011–present)	Quiz	2009–present
14–15	Dancing on Ice	ITV	Talent show	2006–2014, 2018–present
14–15	The Great British Bake Off	BBC Two (2010–2013), BBC One (2014–2016), and Channel 4 (2017–present)	Baking competition	2010–present
14–15	A League of Their Own	Sky One (2010–2021), and Sky Max (2021–present)	Sports Quiz	2010–present
14–15	Lorraine	ITV	Morning magazine show	2010–present
14–15	The Only Way Is Essex	ITV2 (2010–2014), and ITVBe (2014–present)	Reality	2010–present
13–14	Black Mirror	Channel 4 (2011–2014), and Netflix (2016-present)	Science Fiction Anthology	2011–present
13–14	Death in Paradise	BBC One (BBC)	Mystery	2011, 2013–present
13–14	The Jonathan Ross Show	ITV	Talk show	2011–present
13–14	Made In Chelsea	E4	Reality	2011–present
13–14	Mrs. Brown's Boys[b]	BBC Scotland	Sitcom	2011–present
13–14	Geordie Shore	MTV	Reality	2011–present
12–13	8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown	Channel 4	Comedy quiz show	2012–present
12–13	Call the Midwife	BBC One	Drama	2012–present
12–13	The Voice	BBC One (2012–2016) and ITV (2017-present)	Comedy quiz show	2012–present
12–13	The Last Leg	Channel 4	Topical panel	2012–present
12–13	The Martin Lewis Money Show	ITV	Financial current affair	2012–present
12–13	Stand Up to Cancer	Channel 4	Charity telethon	2012–present
11–12	Father Brown	BBC One (BBC)	Mystery	2013–present
11–12	Gogglebox	Channel 4	Reality	2015–present
13–14	First Dates	Channel 4	Reality dating	2015–present
12–13	Love Island	ITV2	Reality dating	2015–present
9–10	Married at First Sight	Channel 4 (2015–2020), and E4 (2016-present)	Reality dating	2015–present
9–10	The Real Housewives of Cheshire	ITVBe	Reality	2015–present
9–10	Michael McIntyre's Big Show	BBC One	Variety	2015–present
9–10	The Yorkshire Vet	Channel 5	Reality	2015–present
8–9	Cunk On…	BBC Two	Mockumentary	2016–present

Ended

No. of broadcast years after year of first broadcast	Title	Network	Genre	Airing between	Notes
55	Up (ITV series)		Documentary	1964–2019	The BBC version (also made by a unit of ITV Studios) started in April 2000 with two episodes of 28 Up: Millennial Generation broadcast on 29 September 2021 and 6 October 2021, giving a timeframe of 21 years for the BBC programme and 57 years for the overall Up format.[12][13][14]
53	Question of Sport		Quiz show	1970–2023
52	What the Papers Say		News programme	1956–2008
49	Come Dancing		Talent show	1949–1998[c]	The celebrity show Strictly Come Dancing[15] has been broadcast on the BBC since 2004 with series 19 being launched on BBC One on 18 September 2021.[16]
49	Grandstand		Sport	1958–2007
46	The Generation Game		Game show	1971–2018	The series ended in 2002, with two specials hosted by Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins being shown on BBC One in April 2018.[17][18] Even though these episodes are listed as series 1[19] on the BBC programme guide, no regular series have been made since Jim Davidson left the series in the early 2000s.
46	The Film Show[20]		Entertainment review	1971–2018
44	The Money Programme		Finance programme	1966–2010
44	Top Gear	Original: BBC One Midlands (1977–1978), BBC Two (1978–2001) Revival: BBC Two (2002–2020), BBC One (2020–2022)	Automotive series	1977–2022
43	This Is Your Life		Documentary	1955–1964, 1969–2003, 2007
42	Top of the Pops		Chart programme	1964–2006	Two special best of the year editions (with one billed as the Christmas show[21] and the other as the New Year show)[22] have been usually scheduled each year since 2006, with the last new episode going out on BBC One on 31 December 2021, giving a total of 57 years. In addition to these shows BBC Four have been broadcasting new Big Hits compilation shows and Story of... documentaries since 2006.[23][24]
38	Holiday		Travel documentary	1969–2007	The travelogue series ended in 2007 8 years after the murder of Jill Dando.
38	Tomorrow's World		Science and technology	1965–2003
37	Last of the Summer Wine		Sitcom	1973–2010
37	The Sooty Show		Children's programme	1955–1992
36	Thomas & Friends[25]	ITV (Series 1–3 and 7) Direct-to-video (Series 4–5) Nick Jr. (Series 6 and 8–11) Channel 5 (Series 12–24)	Children's programme	1984–2021	Rebooted into Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go! by Mattel Television & Nelvana, which premiered in autumn 2021 after cancellation on 20 January 2021.
35	World in Action		Current affairs	1963–1998
35	Postman Pat		Children's programme	1981–2017
34	Mr and Mrs		Game show	1965–1999	Phillip Schofield started to host a celebrity revival called All Star Mr & Mrs in 2008, with this new version lasting until 2016.
34	Watchdog		Consumer advice programme	1985–2019[26][27]	After the regular series was cancelled, Watchdog became a feature segment on Wednesday night episodes of The One Show,[28][29] with Matt Allwright[30] and Nikki Fox continuing from the old programme to present the reports.[31]
34–35	You've Been Framed!		Comedy	1990-2023
33	Crimewatch		Crime programme	1984–2017	A spin-off programme, Crimewatch Live, continues to air on an ad-hoc basis as part of BBC One's daytime schedule.
32	Channel 4 Racing		Horse racing programme	1984–2016
31	Call My Bluff		Game show	1965–1988, 1994, 1996–2004
31	Jackanory		Children's programme	1965–1996
30	BBC Nine O'Clock News	BBC One (BBC)	News programme	1970–2000
30	Grange Hill		Children's drama series	1978–2008
30	Sunrise		News	1989–2019
28	It's a Knockout		Game show	1966–1988, 1990–1994, 1999–2001
28	Timewatch		History series	1981–2009
17	GMTV	ITV and ITV2 (GMTV2)	Breakfast Show	1993–2010	ITV's current breakfast show Good Morning Britain uses the name of GMTV's predecessor, broadcast by ITV company TV-am between 1983 and 1992. This gives the Good Morning Britain breakfast programme brand a span of 38 years as of 2021.[32]
27	Taggart		Detective series	1983–2010
27	The Bill		Police drama	1983–2010	Also includes the spin-off Murder Investigation Team (2003–2005). On 26 March 2010, ITV had announced that The Bill would be axed due to a dramatic drop in ratings and on 31 August 2010, The Bill aired its final-ever episode at the end of the 26th series.
26	Crossroads		Soap opera	1964–1988, 2001–2003
25	Bullseye		Sport game show	1981–2006	Bullseye is one of the formats used for Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow with episodes of the game appearing on ITV as part of series 1 (4 July 2020) and series 2 (10 April 2021 and the celebrity version on 8 May 2021). The game will be used again for the third series, alongside episodes including other formats from the 1980s like Child's Play and Strike It Lucky.[33]
24	The Big Match		Sport	1968–1992	Between 1997 and 2001, ITV had the rights to show the FA Cup, both as highlights and live, and ITV revived the name The Big Match. However, when these rights reverted to the BBC, with ITV replacing the BBC as holder of the rights to English top-flight football highlights in 2001, the new programme was simply called The Premiership.
24	Doctors	BBC One (BBC)	Soap Opera/ Medical Drama (Day Time)	2000–2024
24	Poirot	ITV	Detective drama	1989–2013
24	Play School		Children's programme	1964–1988
23	Holby City	BBC One (BBC)	Medical drama	1999–2022
23	Play Your Cards Right		Game show	1980–2003	Play Your Cards Right is one of the formats used for Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow with episodes of the game appearing on ITV as part of series 1 (27 June 2020 and a celebrity version from 30 May 2020) and series 2 (a celebrity special on 3 April 2021).
23	Take the High Road		Soap opera	1980–2003
23	Top of the Pops 2		Archive music programme	1994–2017
22	Only Fools and Horses		Sitcom	1981–2003	Also includes the spin-offs The Green Green Grass (2005–2009) and Rock and Chips (2010–2011)
22	ChuckleVision		Children's programme	1987–2009
21	Art Attack		Children's programme	1990–2007, 2011–2015
21	Brookside		Soap opera	1982–2003
21	Dixon of Dock Green		Police drama	1955–1976
21	Parkinson		Chat show	1971–1982, 1987–1988, 1998–2007	A retrospective show Parkinson at 50 was broadcast by BBC One on 28 August 2021.[34]
20	Pingu	CBeebies	Children's programme	1986–2006
20	Rainbow		Children's education	1972–1992
20	The Really Wild Show		Children's programme	1986–2006
20	Surprise Surprise		Game show	1984–2001, 2012–2015
20	Time Team		Archaeology	1994–2014	In May 2021, Time Team's producer, Tim Taylor announced the return of the series, with free episodes to be shown on YouTube.[citation needed] The first episodes of the revival began appearing on YouTube in 2022.
19	Jim'll Fix It		Children's programme	1975–1994, 2007
19	The Krypton Factor		Game show	1977–1995, 2009–2010
19	Never Mind the Buzzcocks		Panel show	1996–2015	Sky put into production a new version of Never Mind the Buzzcocks in 2021 with Greg Davies as host and Noel Fielding continuing in his role as team captain alongside Daisy May Cooper, giving the show a total of 25 years.[35][36][37]
18	Blind Date		Dating game show	1985–2003	Channel 5 broadcast a version of this format with Paul O'Grady between 2017 and 2019, giving Blind Date a span of 34 years.[38]
18	Heartbeat		Drama	1992–2010	Also includes the spin-off The Royal (2003–2011)
18	A Touch of Frost		Detective drama	1992–2010
17	Big Brother		Reality television	2000–2010; 2011–2018	The reality show was relaunched on ITV2 since October 2023 and is currently presented by AJ Odudu and Will Best. Also includes the spin-off Celebrity Big Brother since 2001.
17	Byker Grove		Teen drama	1989–2006
17	Mock the Week		Panel show	2005–2022
17	Opportunity Knocks		Talent show	1956, 1964–1978, 1987–1990
16	After Dark		Discussion series	1987–1997, 2003
15	Z-Cars		Police procedural	1962–1965, 1967–1978
15	SMart		Children's programme	1994–2009
15	Fifteen To One		Quiz Show	1988-2003	William G. Stewart hosted the original series every weekday afternoons before ending in 2003. From 2014 to 2019, Sandi Toksvig took over as host.
15	Minder		Comedy drama	1979–1994
14	Blankety Blank		Game show	1979–1990, 1997–1999, 2001–2002	BBC One started broadcasting a new series of Blankety Blank on 2 October 2021 with Bradley Walsh as host, with the new episodes airing on the channel more than 41 years after the BBC broadcast the first episode with Terry Wogan on 18 January 1979.[39][40][41][42]
14	London's Burning		Drama	1988–2002
14	Rumpole of the Bailey		Legal drama	1978–1992
14	The Jeremy Kyle Show		Tabloid talk show	2005–2019	The show ended on 10 May 2019 following the death of a guest named Steve Dymond after failing a lie detector test.
14	The X Factor		Talent show	2004–2018	This total does not include the 2019 spin-offs The X Factor: Celebrity or The X Factor: The Band.
13	Get Your Own Back		Children's game show	1991–2004
13	The Vicar of Dibley		Sitcom	1994–2007, 2020
13	Crosswits		Quiz Show	1985-1998
13	Strike It Lucky		Quiz Show	1986-1999	Rebranded as Strike It Rich from 1996 to 1999.
13	Inspector Morse	ITV	Detective drama	1987–2000	Also includes the spin-offs Lewis (2006–2015) and Endeavour (2012–2023)
13	Foyle's War	ITV, STV, and UTV	Detective drama	2002–2015
13	Telly Addicts		Quiz Show	1985-1998
12	All Creatures Great and Small		Comedy drama	1978–1990	In 2020, Channel 5 started to broadcast a new version of the show with Nicholas Ralph as James Herriot and Samuel West as Siegfried Farnon.[43]
12	The Basil Brush Show		Children's programme	1968–1980	A show with the same name ran from 2002 to 2007 but was a sitcom whereas the original show was a variety show.
12	Blockbusters		Quiz	1983–1993, 1994–1995, 1997, 2000–2001, 2012, 2019
12	Britain's Got More Talent		Variety talent companion show	2007–2019	This title was replaced by a new companion show, Britain's Got Talent: Unseen, on the ITV Hub from 2020.[44][45]
12	New Tricks	BBC One (BBC)	Comedy drama	2003–2015
12	The Goodies	BBC (Series 1-8) and ITV (Series 9) only	Comedy	1970-1982	The trio consisted of Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
12	Peep Show		Sitcom	2003–2015
12	The Price is Right		Game show	1984–1988, 1989–1990, 1995–2001, 2006–2007	The Price is Right is one of the formats used for Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow with episodes of the game appearing on ITV as part of series 1 (6 June 2020) and series 2 (17 April 2021).
12	Spitting Image		Satire	1984–1996	In 2020, a new version of the show was made for international streamer BritBox with input from American and British writers. A couple of the episodes from the revived series, such as the Halloween Special (30 October 2021), have been also shown on ITV, the original broadcast channel of Spitting Image when it debuted 37 years earlier.[46]
12	The Xtra Factor		Talent companion show	2004–2016
11	Benidorm		Sitcom	2007–2018
11	Brum		Children's programme	1991–2002
11	Children's Ward		Children's drama series	1989–2000
11	Deal or No Deal		Game show	2005–2016	ITV has revived the show since November 2023 currently hosted by Stephen Mulhern
11	Harry Hill's TV Burp		Comedy	2001–2012
11	Mike and Angelo		Children's programme	1989–2000
11	My Family		Sitcom	2000–2011
11	Till Death Us Do Part		Comedy	1965–1975
10	The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes		Detective drama	1984–1994
10	One Foot in the Grave		Sitcom	1990–2000
10	Rosie and Jim	CITV (ITV)	Children's programme	1990–2000
10	Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps		Sitcom	2001–2011

See also

• List of longest-running American television series
• List of longest-running American cable television series
• List of longest-running American primetime television series
• List of longest-running American first-run syndicated television series
• List of longest-running American broadcast network television series
• List of longest-running Australian television series
• List of longest-running Indian television series
• List of longest-running Philippine television series
• List of longest-running Spanish television series
• List of television series canceled after one episode

Notes

1. Discounting first years of further runs if broadcast non-continuously
2. Made in partnership with Irish broadcaster RTÉ
3. Not a competition until 1953