BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and documentaries. BBC Two has a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream and popular BBC One.
Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio channels, it is funded by the television licence, and is therefore free of commercial advertising. It is a comparatively well-funded public-service channel, regularly attaining a much higher audience share than most public-service channels worldwide.
Originally styled BBC2, it was the third British television station to be launched (starting on 21 April 1964), and from 1 July 1967, Europe's first television channel to broadcast regularly in colour. It was envisaged as a home for less mainstream and more ambitious programming, and while this tendency has continued to date, most special-interest programmes of a kind previously broadcast on BBC Two, for example the BBC Proms, now tend to appear on BBC Four instead.
History
Launch British television at the time of BBC2's launch consisted of two channels: the BBC Television Service and the ITV network made up of smaller regional companies. Both channels had existed in a state of competition since ITV's launch in 1955, and both had aimed for a populist approach in response. The 1962 Pilkington Report on the future of broadcasting noticed this, and that ITV lacked any culturally relevant programming. It therefore decided that Britain's third television station should be awarded to the BBC.
Prior to its launch, the new BBC2 was promoted on the BBC Television Service: the soon-to-be-renamed BBC1. The animated adverts featured the campaign mascots "Hullabaloo", a mother kangaroo, and "Custard", her joey. Prior to, and several years after, the channel's formal launch, the channel broadcast "Trade Test Transmissions", short films made externally by companies such as Shell and BP, which served to enable engineers to test reception, but became cult viewing.
The channel was scheduled to begin at 19:20 on 20 April 1964, showing an evening of light entertainment, starting with the comedy show The Alberts, a performance from Soviet comedian Arkady Raikin, and a production of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate, culminating with a fireworks display. However, at around 18:45 a huge power failure, originating from a fire at Battersea Power Station, caused Television Centre, and indeed much of west London, to lose all power. BBC1 was able to continue broadcasting via its facilities at Alexandra Palace, but all attempts to show the scheduled programmes on the new channel failed. Associated-Rediffusion, the London weekday ITV franchise-holder, offered to transmit on the BBC's behalf, but their gesture was rejected. At 22:00 programming was officially postponed until the following morning. As the BBC's news centre at Alexandra Palace was unaffected, they did in fact broadcast brief bulletins on BBC2 that evening, beginning with an announcement by the newsreader Gerald Priestland at around 19:25. There was believed to be no recording made of this bulletin, but a videotape was discovered in early 2003.
By 11:00 on 21 April 1964, power had been restored to the studios and programming began, thus making Play School the first programme to be shown officially on the channel. The launch schedule, postponed from the night before, was then shown that evening, albeit with minor changes. In reference to the power cut, the transmission opened with a shot of a lit candle which was then sarcastically blown out by presenter Denis Tuohy. Initially, the channel was only available in London; when Match of the Day first aired on this channel, several clubs opted to negotiate its move to BBC1 where it had broader coverage. The core transmitter network began to grow in December 1964; by 1965, it launched in Wales, and in 1966, in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
To establish the new channel's identity and draw viewers to it, the BBC decided that a widely promoted, lavish series would be essential in its earliest days. The production chosen was The Forsyte Saga (1967), a no-expense-spared adaptation of the novels by John Galsworthy, featuring well-established actors Kenneth More and Eric Porter. Critically for the future of the fledgling channel, the BBC's gamble was hugely successful, with an average of six million viewers per episode: a feat made more prominent by the fact that only 9 million were able to receive the channel at the time. By 1972, 90% of the UK now received the channel. In 1974, BBC2's widely acclaimed singer-songwriter series, In Concert, was lauded by The Guardian as the only British music television programme that "produced television ideas".
David Attenborough On 4 March 1965, David Attenborough became the channel's second director of programming; Michael Peacock moved over to BBC1. Innovations included additional sports programmes such as Sunday Cricket and Rugby Special, and, most importantly, increased documentary programming, as he had a clause to air some programmes that he produced, such as his wildlife documentaries. He also set his eyes on the forthcoming implementation of colour television in the UK, which BBC2 adopted in 1967, first by introducing the concept of the yellow tennis ball, and later he envisioned the addition of snooker broadcasts, as the sport used coloured balls. Programmes commissioned during this period included Man Alive, Call My Bluff, Chronicle, The Old Grey Whistle Test, Monty Python's Flying Circus and The Money Programme.
The 1970s In 1969, Robin Scott took over Attenborough and initiated a new policy for the channel in order to target 15% of the television viewing audience: highbrow programmes would be seen by fewer viewers, while more popular programmes would be seen as "just as much a failure". This period was marked largely by successful miniseries and documentaries: The Six Wives Of Henry VIII, Elizabeth R, The Search for the Nile, Clochemerle, The Stone Tape, War And Peace, The Ascent of Man and The Pallisers.The Guardian newspaper, 9 February 2000, p22, retrieved 21 July 2026 He was replaced by Aubrey Singer in 1974, then by Brian Wenham in 1978. Under the latter, he commissioned Not the Nine O'Clock News and gave more airtime to snooker and opera.
The 1980s During Wenham's management, Newsnight launched on 28 January 1980, four months off from its planned September 1979 launch due to industrial action at the BBC.Billen, Andrew (7 February 2000), "Flagship sails on". , New Statesman. Usually the last programme of the weeknight, it would not get a fixed timeslot until 31 October 1988. Before he left, he commissioned The Young Ones.
Graeme MacDonald was appointed director in 1982, the first time a director came from the drama department (he was head of BBC television drama until 1985), until 1987 when he left the BBC. During this period, he had to face a new competitor (Channel 4) by increasing its drama output, creating Screen 2 for single dramas. He also added Star Trek repeats to the 6:30pm slot. On 6 September 1985, BBC2 started airing a slot for regional programmes, which were previously seen on BBC1 late at night. Up until then, the channel provided a single feed for England, the BBC had begun a plan to make opting more practical, as well as for the main feed from London delivering material to the regions.The mystery of the delayed launch for the new BBC regional news slot
Under Alan Yentob, he commissioned The Late Show, the long-running panel show Have I Got News for You and sitcom Absolutely Fabulous (which moved to BBC1 from season 2).
Rejuvenation in the 1990s Michael Jackson took over Alan Yentob's job in April 1993, when he moved to BBC1. The channel was now catering a broader demographic and was competing against cable and satellite channels, however the channel's overall share increased from 10% to 11% during his three-year period, carrying a broad mix of leisure and factual programmes, as well as big name imports such as The X-Files. He was replaced by Mark Thompson on 22 July 1996.Andrew Culf (1996, Jul 23). Former Panorama chief takes charge of resurgent BBC2. The Guardian Following the 1996 Edinburgh Television Festival, he announced his plans, namely the development of new drama and comedy series, as well as an increase in factual and arts programmes, including the possibility of reviving Arena and Horizon. A new competitor, Channel 5, was set to start next year, and since the new channel still lacked the budget for drama productions, BBC2 had to reformulate its strategies for leisure and lifestyle programming.Mathew Horsman (1996, Aug 27). BBC2's new chief promises more comedy offered by new chief of BBC2's new chief promises 36/36 over 3 deckys. The Independent He was replaced by Jane Root on 17 December 1998, the first woman to do so.
Recent years The channel as of 2024 lacked popular programming; from the start of 2023 to April 2024, the most popular programmes from the channel on the BBC iPlayer were four individual episodes of Only Connect, four from the 43rd season of Antiques Roadshow and two from The Traitors Uncloaked, a spin-off talk show of the BBC One reality show. In the same period, the channel aired Flog It! repeats over 400 times. It also started airing shows commissioned for the UKTV network.Liam Kelly, BBC Two is 60 – but it may not reach 70, The Daily Telegraph, 19 April 2024, retrieved 22 July 2026 (requires subscription)
Technological advancements Unlike BBC1 and ITV, BBC2 was broadcast only on the 625-line UHF system, so was not available to viewers still using sets only capable of receiving the 405-line VHF system. This created a market for dual standard receivers which could switch between the two systems. Set manufacturers increased production of UHF sets in anticipation of a large market demand for the new BBC2, but the market did not materialise.
The early technical problems, which included being unable to transmit US-recorded videotapes due to a lack of system conversion from the US NTSC system, were resolved by a committee headed by James Redmond, although this problem was not unique to BBC2.
On 1 July 1967, during the Wimbledon Championships, BBC2 became the first channel in Europe to begin regular broadcasts in colour, using the PAL system.TV Technology 8. Britain In Colour – and UHF. Screenonline, Richard G. Elen. Retrieved 26 November 2010. The thirteen-part series Civilisation (1969) was created as a celebration of two millennia of western art and culture to showpiece the new colour technology.David Attenborough extra on BBC DVD Civilisation by Kenneth Clark. BBC1 and ITV later joined BBC2 on 625-line UHF band but continued to simulcast on 405-line VHF until 1985. BBC1 and ITV simultaneously introduced PAL colour on UHF on 15 November 1969, although they both had broadcast some programmes in colour "unofficially" since September 1969.
In 1979, the station's adoption of the first computer-generated channel identification (ident) in Britain, with its use of the double striped, orange '2' logo, heralded the start of computer-generated logos. The ident, created in-house by BBC engineers, lasted until March 1986.
As the switch to digital-only terrestrial transmission progressed, BBC Two was (in each region in turn) the first analogue TV channel to be replaced with the BBC multiplex, at first four, then two weeks ahead of the other four channels. This was required for those relay transmitters that had no current Freeview service giving viewers time to purchase the equipment unless they had already selected a satellite or cable service. The last region for BBC Two to end on analogue terrestrial television was Northern Ireland on 10 October 2012.