ITV has announced that the 2026 edition of Celebrity Big Brother will not air in the spring slot until 2027 due to the unorganised scheduling issues with the rival reality shows as it moves from ITV1 to ITV2. The twenty-third civilian version will continue as normal later this autumn.[5]
A UK-wide exclusion on junk food advertising on television before the 9pm watershed, and at anytime online, comes into force in an attempt to tackle childhood obesity.[7]
The identity of the "secret traitor", a new feature of the latest series of The Traitors, is revealed.[12]
During the evening's edition of Match of the Day, presenter Gabby Logan is replaced by Mark Chapman midway through the programme after Logan is called away because of a family emergency.[13]
John Alford is jailed for eight and a half years following his conviction for sexually assaulting two teenage girls in April 2022.[15] He would die in prison 2 months later.[16]
ITV confirms that filming for Love Island: All Stars has been suspended for a number of days after the villa used for the series is evacuated due to wildfires.[17]
17
Ant & Dec apologise over an advert for their new podcast was criticised for evoking suicide and as triggering because it showed a pair of feet dangling above the ground.[18]
21
The BBC announces a landmark deal with YouTube that will see it produce content for the platform.[19]
The final edition of Sky News at Ten is transmitted, ending after more than 25 years on air. It is replaced by The Wrap.[23]
26
The first edition of a new two-hourly late evening programme on Sky News, The Wrap, is broadcast. The programme, which focuses on storytelling and debate rather than being a traditional news bulletin, includes a look at the next day's newspapers.[24]
Weather presenter Carol Kirkwood announces that she has decided to leave the BBC after 28 years with the corporation. She will present her final weather forecast on BBC Breakfast in April.[26]
The BBC urges producers of The Apprentice to carry out stricter background checks on its contestants after the emergence of offensive tweets posted a decade ago by Levi Hodgetts-Hague, a contestant in Series 20, after filming had finished on the series.[28]
29
Publication of an independent review into the BBC in which the broadcaster commits to strengthening how it measures the ways audiences from different socio-economic and geographical backgrounds are portrayed and represented in its output.[29]
30
It emerges that comedian Alan Carr inadvertently revealed he had won the first series of The Celebrity Traitors the day after filming finished.[30]
Channel 5's coverage of snooker expands as it begins to show the Players Championship. Channel 5 will also broadcast the Tour Championship and the British Open.[36]
The BBC confirms it will celebrate Sir David Attenborough's 100th birthday on 8 May with a week of programming, including three special programmes about the presenter and wildlife expert.[38]
Ofcom updates its electoral guidelines for broadcasters ahead of May's local elections.[39]
EastEnders announces that Gemma Bissix will reprise her role of Clare Bates in the soap opera after 18 years, for a short stint as part of a dementia storyline involving Clare's stepfather, Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley).[42]
ITV confirms that the revived edition of You Bet! has been axed again after just two series.[43]
22
The 79th British Academy Film Awards are broadcast on BBC One. During the ceremony, Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson (the subject of the biographical drama I Swear, a film nominated for five BAFTAs) has several tic-related outbursts, including screaming a racial slur at black actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo while they are presenting the category of Best Special Visual Effects. This later prompts ceremony host Alan Cumming to apologise for any strong language heard throughout the broadcast, though he thanks the audience for their "understanding" of Tourette's.[44][45][46] The BBC apologises the following day for not editing Davidson's outburst during the delayed broadcast.[47]
24
BBC content director Kate Phillips confirms that a second racial slur that occurred during the BAFTA Film Awards was edited out of the broadcast.[48]
Sky One returns after a 4.5 year absence. It replaces Sky Max. Sky Showcase, which had been used as a shop window for the entire Sky portfolio, also closes on this day.[49]
25
The BBC launches an investigation into its coverage of the BAFTA Awards.[50]
The BBC says the broadcast of a racial slur during the BAFTA Awards was a "genuine mistake" but that it is looking into why the footage is still available on BBC iPlayer.[52]
BBC News launches a temporary programme nightly at 18:30 The Iran War Today to cover the days events in the 2026 Iran War.[53]
11
The BBC confirms its gay dating show I Kissed a Boy will be axed after the next series.[54]
13
The BBC announces that two missing episodes of the Doctor Who serial "The Daleks' Master Plan" have been found in a private collection. Restored versions of the two episodes are scheduled to be released on BBC iPlayer during Easter.[55]
Channel 4 announces that Clare Balding will continue to present The Boat Race after they took over the rights from the BBC. She will be joined by Ade Adepitan with commentary from the channel's F1 lead commentator Alex Jacques.[56]
BBC presenter Louise Minchin is taken to hospital after contracting frostbite during an Arctic adventure challenge in Canada to raise money for the Duke of Edinburgh Award.[63]
24
The Sun reports that a segment of BBC One's The Repair Shop featuring the restoration of a Bob Monkhouse joke book was dropped because the jokes were deemed to be inappropriate.[64]
Launch of HBO Max in the UK, which will include Friends as part of its streaming content, meaning the series is once again available to watch in the UK.[66]
Launch of Sky and Disney's Disney+ Cinema, which will include films from the film studio's library along with the streaming service becoming available on Sky's pay-TV services as part of a multi-year agreement between the two companies.[69]
Tyler West is announced as the replacement for Scott Mills on the new video podcast Race Across the World: The Detour, when it launches this evening following the sacking of Mills after historic allegations of serious sexual offences.[75][76]
3
Rhodri Talfan Davies becomes Acting BBC Director General following the departure of Tim Davie.[77]
4
Channel 4 broadcasts the University Boat Race for the first time, replacing the BBC which, apart from in the late 2000s and 2020, had broadcast the event since 1938.[78][79]
An independent review finds that BAFTA fell short in its duty of care to guests, members and viewers over the racial slur incident, but that there was no malicious intent.[83]
The CITV brand airs on a linear channel for the final time when the last CITV block is aired on ITV2.[84]
The children's TV programme Balamory returns to CBeebies for a new series over two decades after it was originally aired.[90]
Diane Howe, a housewife and carer from Lancashire, is named 2026 Mastermind Champion after a tie-breaker in which she won by one point. It is only the second time a Grand Final has ended with a tie-breaker in the series' history.[91]
BBC Sport confirms that Football Focus will end after 52 years, with the last edition to be shown at the end of the 2025–26 football season.[94]
Despite the absence of Celebrity Big Brother this year, ITV confirms that the civilian version of Big Brother will run for eight weeks this autumn and it will be Big Brother's longest series to air this year following the reality show's relaunch on ITV2 in October 2023.
24
Jamie Bigg, known as Giant, announced he will not be returning for the fourth series of Gladiators.[95]
BBC One broadcasts the last of the five-part nature series Secret Garden narrated by David Attenborough five days before Attenborough's 100th birthday.[101]
Two female contestants on Married at First Sight UK allege that they were raped by their on-screen husbands during filming, with a third claiming she had experienced sexual misconduct by her on-screen husband. Channel 4 subsequently removes all episodes of the show from their linear and streaming services.[107]
Following the revival of Balamory the previous month garnering 1.5 million viewers, the BBC announce that a third and fourth series have been ordered. The revival was initially ordered for two series.[113]
30
For the first time, the UEFA Champions League final is not available free-to-air after TNT Sports decides not to allow free access to it, and to the other two European cup finals, despite all three featuring English teams. The games are instead available on HBO Max, which is provided at no extra cost to most Sky customers, and Virgin Media customers are able to view them via a pop-up channel. Highlights of the Champions League final will be shown on the BBC.[114][115][116]