2007 in British television


This is a summary of the year 2007 in British television.

Events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Debuts

BBC One

BBC Two

BBC Three

BBC Four

ITV (1/2/3/4/CITV)

Channel 4

Five

Cartoon Network UK

Boomerang UK

Changes of network affiliation

Channels

New channels

Defunct channels

DateChannel
13 MarchITV Play
27 MarchiBuy
23 MayToonami
26 SeptemberABC1
1 OctoberFtn
1 OctoberFtn +1
5 OctoberRadio Music Shop
15 OctoberUKTV Bright Ideas

Rebranded channels

Television shows

Returning this year after a break of one year or longer

Continuing television shows

1920s

2007 saw Channel 4 reality show Big Brother involved in two high-profile race-rows.

Celebrity Big Brother 5

In January, Jade Goody, her mother Jackiey Budden and boyfriend Jack Tweed, along with Danielle Lloyd and Jo O'Meara, were accused of racist bullying towards Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty. This resulted in protests in India and a record number of complaints to British TV regulator Ofcom and to Channel 4.

Big Brother 8

At the end of May, Channel 4 broadcast an apology for not intervening in the bullying just moments before the eight non-celebrity series started; all housemates in this series were given strict warnings about racism before entering. Just one week after the launch, Emily Parr was removed from the house in the early hours of the morning for saying the word "nigger" to black housemate Charley Uchea just hours before. This incident was widely discussed in the media; viewers complained about Channel 4 broadcasting the word, however, other viewers complained that Emily had been treated unfairly, as she did not use the word in a spiteful context, instead possibly imitating rappers who use the word in their songs.

Ending this year

Top 10 highest rated shows of 2007

Death