This is a list of events that took place in 2012 related to British television.

Events

January Date Event1 Pam St Clement makes her final appearance in EastEnders as Pat Butcher, the character having been killed off in a cancer storyline.BBC One airs Adele Live at the Royal Albert Hall, a programme featuring highlights of a concert given by Adele on 21 September 2011 as part of the singer's Adele Live tour.ITV screens the terrestrial television premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth instalment in the Harry Potter film series. The film is watched by 3.5 million viewers, but beaten in the ratings by "A Scandal in Belgravia", the opening episode of BBC One's second series of Sherlock, and EastEnders.2 1960s-set Inspector Morse prequel Endeavour makes its debut on ITV for the first time, initially as a pilot episode before becoming a full series from April 2013.7 BBC One airs the first episode of Casualty filmed at its purpose-built studios in Roath Lock, Cardiff, the series having been previously filmed in Bristol. The episode, "Duty of Care", is also the first to be broadcast in HD.9 Nick Hewer takes over as presenter of Countdown as the game show returns for a new series.16 Jane McDonald returns to the panel of Loose Women after an 18-month break.18 A call by BBC Two's Stargazing Live for amateur astronomers to locate possible exoplanets, planets orbiting stars outside the Solar System, leads to the discovery of a new Neptune-sized exoplanet by two viewers, one in Peterborough. The planet is named Threapleton Holmes B in their honour.Producers of Coronation Street defend a storyline in which the character Faye Butler is slapped for misbehaving by her adoptive mother's boyfriend after the episode (aired on 16 January) attracts a number of complaints from viewers to ITV and Ofcom.20 Press TV, an English language news channel owned by the Iranian Government, is forced off air in the United Kingdom after Ofcom revokes its broadcasting licence for breaching the terms of the Communications Act.21 Under new guidelines to come into force from 30 April clinics which charge for pregnancy services including abortions will be able to advertise on radio and television after the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice ruled there was no justification for barring such clinics from advertising their services.27Actress and television presenter Denise Welch wins the ninth series of Celebrity Big Brother.

February Date Event2 Letitia Dean is to return to EastEnders.8 – 22 Analogue is switched off in the Hannington area11 The live televised France versus Ireland match in the 2012 Six Nations Championship is abandoned minutes prior to kick-off, prompting boos to ring out among disgruntled spectators inside a packed Stade de France. It is the first time such an event has happened since 1985.13 ITV screens the first ever British advert aimed specifically at dogs. The 60-second commercial for the Bakers dog food brand features high-pitched sounds that cannot be heard by humans, and is a send up of the 1969 film The Italian Job.20 Media regulator Ofcom states that remarks made on Channel 5's The Wright Stuff on 6 December last year in relation to the murder of Liam Aitchison were "clearly capable of causing offence", but that the issue has been "resolved".The ITN produced 5 News bulletins are relaunched, with newscasters Matt Barbet and Emma Crosby retaining their presenting roles.21 The BBC defends its coverage of Whitney Houston's funeral on the BBC News Channel following a number of complaints from viewers about its duration. The four-hour service was aired on Saturday 18 February following the singer's death the previous weekend.Singer Adele apologises for making a middle finger gesture after her Brit Awards acceptance speech is cut short due to broadcasting time constraints. ITV in turn issues an apology to the singer the following day.24 At the conference of St Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Manchester Coronation Street producer Phil Collinson defends a recent storyline involving the rape of Carla Connor by her business partner, but admits mistakes were made in developing the plot.

February–March Date Event29 February – 14 MarchAnalogue is switched off in the Midhurst area.

March Date Event1 BBC News journalist Natalia Antelava is deported from Uzbekistan without official reason.5 ITV and STV sign a deal which (if approved by Ofcom) could see more networked programmes appearing on television in Scotland. The agreement would end a three-year hiatus which has seen many major ITV programmes absent from schedules in Scotland.The BBC broadcast their first Sports bulletins from the new BBC Sport Centre at MediaCityUK in Salford.7 – 21 Analogue is switched off in the Rowridge and Whitehawk Hill areas.9 BBC newsreader Simon McCoy is caught apparently sleeping at the newsdesk as the daily BBC News Channel programming begins at 8:30 am, although he later denied he was asleep.12 BBC Two airs a programme in its This World strand concerning the Chinese television programme Interviews Before Execution in which death row inmates are interviewed by a reporter shortly before they are executed. Chinese authorities cancel the show following international interest generated by the documentary.Bryan Kirkwood resigns as Executive Producer of the BBC's EastEnders.14 Man vs. Wild presenter Bear Grylls has reportedly been sacked by the Discovery Channel because of "a continuing contractual dispute".15Shelina Permalloo wins the 2012 series of MasterChef.18 Channel 4 confirms it has secured a four-year deal to broadcast horse racing from 2013, including coverage of the Grand National, the Derby and Royal Ascot which have previously been aired by the BBC.19 BBC Director-General Mark Thompson tells staff at the broadcaster that he will step down from his position later in the year.The University of Manchester wins the 2011–12 series of University Challenge, beating Pembroke College, Cambridge 180–135.21 Former soap actress Jenna-Louise Coleman is named as the new Doctor Who sidekick, replacing current assistant Karen Gillan whose character Amy Pond will leave during the 2012 series.23 The BBC's new television facility at dock10, MediaCityUK is officially opened by the Queen.24 Harry Hill steps down as presenter of Harry Hill's TV Burp on ITV after 10 or 11 years.25 Matthew Wolfenden and dance partner Nina Ulanova win the seventh series of Dancing on Ice.With the approaching centenary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic ITV begins airing Julian Fellowes' four-part £11million retelling of the disaster.26 The BBC's Panorama alleges that a company owned by News Corporation recruited a pay-TV "pirate" to hack a rival's secret codes then post the details online.27 The BBC announces plans to axe 140 news posts in 2013 as part of cost-cutting measures.31 Former broadcast journalist Mike Nesbitt is elected leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.Anne Robinson presents the final edition of The Weakest Link on BBC One to concentrate on Watchdog.

April Date Event3 James Murdoch resigns as Chairman of BSkyB in the wake of the News International phone hacking scandal.Munich-based media regulator BLM announces it is removing Press TV from the SES Astra satellite as they do not have a licence to broadcast in Europe.4 – 18 Analogue is switched off in London.5 Sky News admits illegally hacking emails belonging to members of the public on two separate occasions.6 The EastEnders Omnibus edition is moved to a late night Friday/early Saturday morning slot from Sunday afternoons.7 The 158th University Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge is stopped mid-race due to a swimmer in the water. Cambridge go on to win when a clash of oars at the restart leaves Oxford with a broken paddle.10 BBC Breakfast makes its first broadcast from the BBC's new media complex at Salford Quays in Manchester, having moved there from London.12 BSkyB signs a deal with MGM for exclusive rights to air the James Bond films in the United Kingdom, beginning from October to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the film franchise. The agreement means the end of ITV's unbroken run as sole holder of the screen rights which began in 1975.14 The Grand National is shown on the BBC for the last time following a consecutive run of 52 years. 18 In a rare move, television cameras are allowed into the High Court in Edinburgh to film the sentencing of David Gilroy for the murder of Suzanne Pilley.The ETP-1 test card makes one final appearance on Channel 4 to announce the loss of analogue television services in the London region. The card is shown from the Crystal Palace transmitter only, and is the last thing broadcast by analogue Channel 4 before the signal is switched off.19 Sky News airs a televised debate between the main three candidates in the 2012 London mayoral election.20 Tetley announce a deal to sponsor family movies on Channel 5.23 Ofcom launches an investigation into the hacking of private email accounts by Sky News. The announcement comes on the same day that the news channel's boss John Ryley appears before the Leveson Inquiry where he says the company broke the law by hacking emails.24 Northern Ireland's Social Democratic and Labour Party urges the British government to support calls for Irish broadcaster RTÉ to reverse its decision to close its London office, which is scheduled to shut following 2012 Summer Olympics.25 The ITV HD channel is beset by a glitch when ITV accidentally cuts away from footage of extra time play during a Champions League match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to show news presenter Mark Austin doing up his jacket as he waits to present the delayed News at Ten. It is the broadcaster's third glitch during live football in recent months.30 The BBC defends its decision to pre-record the Sunday evening results edition of The Voice after receiving 30 complaints because the show had been billed as a live broadcast. The BBC says the programme is too expensive to record live on Sundays and airing it on Saturday evening would mean it clashed with Britain's Got Talent.

May Date Event2 Cardinal Seán Brady, the Catholic primate of all-Ireland says he will not resign his post as the BBC's This World programme reveals he had details of those being abused by paedophile priest Brendan Smyth, but did not pass the information on to police or parents of the victims.10 The Channel 5 daytime show The Wright Stuff is being investigated by Ofcom over a survey on 26 April edition of the programme that asked viewers what the most offensive word is to describe someone with learning difficulties.Prince Charles presents the lunchtime weather forecast during a visit to the BBC Scotland headquarters in Glasgow.12Ashleigh and Pudsey, a dancing dog trick act, win the sixth series of Britain's Got Talent.14 The eighth instalment of the Up Series, 56 Up debuts on ITV.Blockbusters returns to Challenge TV for the first time since the death of original host Bob Holness on 6 January. DJ Simon Mayo is chosen as the new host for the revival. 16 The BBC Trust confirms children's programmes will no longer air on BBC One and BBC Two following the completion of the digital switchover. Instead they will move to the dedicated CBBC and CBeebies channels.19Absent Friends, a fourth series episode of comedy Dad's Army, is repeated on BBC Two for the first time since its original broadcast in 1970. Before this, the episode was left out of repeat runs because of the controversial appearance of the IRA.26Sweden's Loreen wins the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest with "Euphoria".29 The UK Government confirms that television viewers in Northern Ireland will be able to watch RTÉ One, RTÉ Two and TG4 on Freeview following the digital switchover.

May–June Date Event30 May – 13 JuneAnalogue is switched off in the Hastings, Heathfield and Tunbridge Wells areas.

June