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The Best TV Shows on BBC One

Every BBC One Show Ranked From Best To Worst

BBC One has delivered an expansive roster of over 20 shows, dating from 1955 all the way to 2011. Premiering in 1955 and 1961, Dixon of Dock Green and Points of View are among BBC One’s most celebrated shows. Peruse our comprehensive roster of BBC One’s top shows, encompassing over 20 distinct series as of March 2025.

  • The Generation Game
    The Generation Game (1971)9.0

    The Generation Game was a British game show produced by the BBC in which four teams of two competed to win prizes. The programme was first broadcast in 1971 under the title Bruce Forsyth and the Generation Game and ran until 1982, and again from 1990 until 2002. The show was based on the Dutch TV show Een van de acht, "One of the Eight", the format devised in 1969 by Theo Uittenbogaard for VARA Television. Mrs. Mies Bouwman - a popular Dutch talk show host and presenter of the show - came up with the idea of the conveyor belt. She had seen it on a German programme and wanted to incorporate it into the show. Another antecedent for the gameshow was 'Sunday Night at the London Palladium' on ATV, which had a game called Beat the Clock, taken from an American gameshow. It featured married couples playing silly games within a certain time to win prize money. This was hosted by Bruce Forsyth from 1958, and he took the idea with him when he went over to the BBC. During the 1970s, gameshows became more popular and started to replace expensive variety shows. Creating new studio shows was cheaper than hiring a theatre and paying for long rehearsals and a large orchestra, and could secure a similar number of viewers. With less money for their own productions, a gameshow seemed the obvious idea for ITV. As a result many variety performers were recruited for gameshows. The BBC, suffering poor ratings, decided to make its own gameshow. Bill Cotton, the BBC's Head of Light Entertainment, believed that Bruce Forsyth was best for the job. For years, The Generation Game was one of the strong shows in the BBC's Saturday night line-up, and became the number one gameshow on British television during the 1970s, regularly gaining over 21 million viewers. However, things were about to change. LWT, desperate to end the BBC's long-running ratings success on a Saturday night, offered Forsyth a chance to change channel to host The Big Night.

  • Match of the Day
    Match of the Day (1964)7.4

    BBC's football highlights and analysis. "The longest-running football television programme in the world" as recognised by Guinness World Records in 2015.

  • Have I Got News for You
    Have I Got News for You (1990)7.1

    Hilarious, totally-irreverent, near-slanderous political quiz show, based mainly on news stories from the last week or so, that leaves no party, personality or action unscathed in pursuit of laughs.

  • Have I Got a Bit More News for You
    Have I Got a Bit More News for You (N/A)7.0

    Based on the week’s news and fronted by guest hosts, this extended version of the satirical news quiz features more of the stuff that wouldn't fit into the regular programme.

  • Top of the Pops
    Top of the Pops (1964)6.6

    The biggest stars, the most iconic performances, the most outrageous outfits – it’s Britain’s number one pop show.

  • Newsnight
    Newsnight (1980)6.2

    A daily BBC Television current affairs programme which specialises in analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians.

  • Pointless Celebrities
    Pointless Celebrities (2011)6.1

    Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman present a celebrity version of the general knowledge quiz in which contestants try to come up with the answers that nobody else could think of.

  • Antiques Roadshow
    Antiques Roadshow (1979)5.8

    Antiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom to appraise antiques brought in by local people. It has been running since 1979. There are also international versions of the programme.

  • Dixon of Dock Green
    Dixon of Dock Green (1955)5.3

    Created by Ted Willis. Dixon of Dock Green was a BBC television series following the activities of police officers at a fictional Metropolitan Police station in the East End of London from 1955 to 1976. Some episodes were later remade as a BBC radio series in 2005 and 2006.

  • Antiques Road Trip
    Antiques Road Trip (2010)5.0

    Antiques experts travel across the country, competing to make a profit at auction.

  • Celebrity Big Brother
    Celebrity Big Brother (2001)4.9

    Celebrity Big Brother is a British reality television game show in which a number of celebrity contestants live in an isolated house trying to avoid being evicted by the public with the aim of winning a large cash prize being donated to the winner's nominated charity at the end of the run.

  • Doctors
    Doctors (2000)4.8

    Set in the fictional Midlands town of Letherbridge, defined as being close to the city of Birmingham, this soap opera follows the staff and families of a doctor's surgery.

  • The One Show
    The One Show (2006)4.6

    A topical magazine-style daily television programme broadcast live on BBC One.

  • Wogan
    Wogan (1982)4.5

    Chat show hosted by Terry Wogan, featuring live studio interviews with famous and notable personalities.

  • EastEnders
    EastEnders (1985)4.1

    The everyday lives of working-class residents of Albert Square, a traditional Victorian square of terrace houses surrounding a park in the East End of London's Walford borough.

  • Daytime Live
    Daytime Live (1987)3.5

  • Pebble Mill
    Pebble Mill (1991)3.1

    Pebble Mill was a re-launched version of the 1970s daily chat show Pebble Mill (also known as Pebble Mill At One for a while) which aired on BBC1 in the United Kingdom. The series premiered on October 14, 1991. The show was a mixture of celebrity guests and music. Alan Titchmarsh was a presenter on the show throughout it's complete run. Other presenters included Judi Spiers, Gloria Hunniford and Ross King.

  • Points of View
    Points of View (1961)N/A

    Points of View is a long-running British television series broadcast on BBC One. It started in 1961 and features the letters of viewers offering praise, criticism and purportedly witty observations on the television of recent weeks.

  • Ready Steady Cook
    Ready Steady Cook (1994)N/A

    Talented chefs battle it out against the clock, creating delicious dishes in 20 minutes

  • Crimewatch Live
    Crimewatch Live (2009)N/A

    Crimewatch hits the streets of Britain to appeal for help with unsolved cases.