The dates that new episodes were first shown in the UK on ITV

flashbulb · October 7, 2018

A few years ago, I embarked upon a project to go through every television guide from February 1989 until June 2000 in order to match up every episode of Home And Away (identified by its episode number) with the date it was first broadcast in the UK by ITV.

Episode 1 was first shown on Monday, February 13, 1989 and episode 2840 (the final episode to be broadcast on ITV) was first shown on Thursday, June 8, 2000.

Those two dates span a period of 2954 weekdays. Yet only 2838 “new episodes” were broadcast during this period (episodes 1954 and 2418 were never broadcast on ITV, hence why that number is 2838 and not 2840). This tells me that there were 116 weekdays during this period in which ITV did not show a “new episode” of Home And Away.

However, what I found agonisingly frustrating when I carried out this research was that I could only account for 115 of those 116 weekdays. There is one weekday that is unaccounted for! Here is a list of all the weekdays from Monday, February 13, 1989 to Thursday, June 8, 2000 on which a “new episode” of Home And Away was not shown:

1989 (1) December 26

1990 (5) January 1; June 8; May 28; December 25-26

1991 (3) January 1; December 25-26

1992 (1) December 25

1993 (0)

1994 (0)

1995 (5) December 25-29

1996 (16) January 1; April 5, 8; May 6, 27; June 10, 13, 19; August 26; December 23-27; December 30-31

1997 (17) January 1-3; March 28, 31; May 2, 5, 26; August 25; December 22-26, 29-31

1998 (33) January 1-2; April 10, 13; May 4, 25; June 12*, 15-16, 18-19; July 10, 17, 24, 31; August 7, 14, 21, 28, 31; September 4, 11, 18, 25; December 21-25, 28-31

1999 (28) January 1; April 2, 5-9, 12-16, 19-23; May 3, 31; August 30; October 8, 20; December 24, 27-31

2000 (6) January 3; May 1, 19, 26, 29; June 2

Total = 115

*There was an episode shown on Friday, June 12, 1998 (just in the evening). However, it was a repeat of the episode shown the previous day (just in the afternoon).

So why 115 and not 116? The most likely explanation is that ITV - on one occasion - had to alter its original scheduling to make way for live coverage of a News or Sports event. This would mean, therefore, that an episode of Home And Away was only given one airing - instead of its usual two - on that particular day. In order to make up for this, the same episode would have been repeated twice the following day instead of showing a “new episode”. All “new episodes” from that point onwards would have been shown one weekday behind the original scheduling.

I have a theory, but I was wondering whether anyone with a particularly good memory - or with access to this kind of information - could confirm whether this theory is correct.

Let’s start with the facts. On Monday, June 25, 1990, Home And Away was shown in its lunchtime slot as usual. However, Republic of Ireland played Romania in the round of 16 of the 1990 FIFA World Cup and this match went to extra-time and penalties. The News/Weather was originally scheduled to follow the football and the evening repeat of Home And Away was originally scheduled to follow the News/Weather.

My theory is that the episode shown at lunchtime on Monday, June 25, 1990 - which was supposed to be repeated in the evening as mentioned – was culled that evening and was therefore repeated twice the following day. All episodes that were originally scheduled to be shown from Tuesday, June 26, 1990 onwards would therefore have been broadcast one weekday later than originally planned.

That would make Tuesday, June 26, 1990 the elusive 116^th weekday in which a “new episode” of Home And Away was not broadcast on ITV. It would also mean that it was one of only two occasions in which ITV broadcast the same episode on consecutive days. As I mentioned previously, the same episode was shown on Thursday, June 11, 1998 and Friday, June 12, 1998.

However, it’s just a theory. If anybody has any information that could shed any further light on my query, I would really appreciate it.

flashbulb · October 13, 2018

Hi again! Sorry for asking such a fiendishly difficult question.

Since posting the question, I have discovered that my theory regarding the same episode being shown on Monday, June 25, 1990 and Tuesday, June 26, 1990 is incorrect. This is why……

I’ve searched through the television listings contained within the Glasgow Evening Times newspaper archives to discover that episode 378 was scheduled to be shown on Tuesday, July 31, 1990.

I’ve also searched through the Christmas 1990 edition of the TV Times (dated Saturday, December 22, 1990 – Friday, January 4, 1991) to discover that episode 481 was scheduled to be shown on Monday, December 24, 1990.

In between these two dates (Tuesday, July 31, 1990 and Monday, December 24, 1990), there were 103 weekdays……yet only 102 “new episodes” of Home And Away were shown on ITV during this period.

This means that anytime from the beginning of August 1990 to mid-December 1990, there was a day in which a “new episode” of Home Away – which was originally scheduled – was not actually shown.

One explanation is that a particular episode was shown on successive days in error.

If anybody has any information regarding any of these 102 episodes (from episode 379 to episode 480) - in terms of the date they were first shown on ITV - I would really appreciate it. It would at the very least narrow down my search.

Hopefully, one day, these dates can be added to the backtothebay episode guide. The dates that episodes 296-4670 and 4711-4730 were first shown in the UK haven’t been included on the backtothebay episode guide as it stands – I know all of them except for the aforementioned 102.

flashbulb · October 15, 2018

Hi again! I’m pretty sure that I’ve solved my query now.

I’ve searched through the Liverpool Echo newspaper archives and I think that the same episode was shown on ITV on Tuesday, December 11, 1990 and Wednesday, December 12, 1990. That would make the episode in question episode 473.

There is the possibility that ITV only showed the same episode of Home And Away on successive days due to a change that they made to their original scheduling.

In these circumstances, it may have taken the Liverpool Echo up until it printed the TV listings for Wednesday, December 12, 1990 to realise that the episode being described each day (in the episode summary) had been one day ahead of schedule in previous edition/s of the newspaper. Therefore, the “repeated episode” could theoretically have been shown any time before Tuesday, December 11, 1990/Wednesday, December 12, 1990.

I’m happy with Tuesday, December 11, 1990/Wednesday, December 12, 1990 though. I feel like I’ve finally solved the problem!

So here are the dates that episodes of Home And Away have been shown in the UK. Hopefully the ones that are currently missing from the backtothebay episode guide can be added one day:

ITV

Episodes 1-226 (Monday, February 13, 1989 – Monday, December 25, 1989)

Episodes 227-229 (Wednesday, December 27, 1989 – Friday, December 29, 1989)

Episodes 230-333 (Tuesday, January 2, 1990 – Friday, May 25, 1990)

Episodes 334-341 (Tuesday, May 29, 1990 – Thursday, June 7, 1990)

Episodes 342-472 (Monday, June 11, 1990 – Monday, December 10, 1990)

Episode 473* (Tuesday, December 11, 1990)

Episodes 474-481 (Thursday, December 13, 1990 – Monday, December 24, 1990)

Episodes 482-484 (Thursday, December 27, 1990 – Monday, December 31, 1990)

Episodes 485-739 (Wednesday, January 2, 1991 – Tuesday, December 24, 1991)

Episodes 740-999 (Friday, December 27, 1991 – Thursday, December 24, 1992)

Episodes 1000-1779 (Monday, December 28, 1992 – Friday, December 22, 1995)

Episodes 1780-1847 (Tuesday, January 2, 1996 – Thursday, April 4, 1996)

Episodes 1848-1866 (Tuesday, April 9, 1996 – Friday, May 3, 1996)

Episodes 1867-1880 (Tuesday, May 7, 1996 – Friday, May 24, 1996)

Episodes 1881-1889 (Tuesday, May 28, 1996 – Friday, June 7, 1996)

Episodes 1890-1891 (Tuesday, June 11, 1996 – Wednesday, June 12, 1996)

Episodes 1892-1894 (Friday, June 14, 1996 – Tuesday, June 18, 1996)

Episodes 1895-1941 (Thursday, June 20, 1996 – Friday, August 23, 1996)

Episodes 1942-1953 (Tuesday, August 27, 1996 – Wednesday, September 11, 1996)

Episode 1954 (Not Shown)

Episodes 1955-2026 (Thursday, September 12, 1996 – Friday, December 20, 1996)

Episodes 2027-2085 (Monday, January 6, 1997 – Thursday, March 27, 1997)

Episodes 2086-2108 (Tuesday, April 1, 1997 – Thursday, May 1, 1997)

Episodes 2109-2122 (Tuesday, May 6, 1997 – Friday, May 23, 1997)

Episodes 2123-2186 (Tuesday, May 27, 1997 – Friday, August 22, 1997)

Episodes 2187-2270 (Tuesday, August 26, 1997 – Friday, December 19, 1997)

Episodes 2271-2339 (Monday, January 5, 1998 – Thursday, April 9, 1998)

Episodes 2340-2353 (Tuesday, April 14, 1998 – Friday, May 1, 1998)

Episodes 2354-2367 (Tuesday, May 5, 1998 – Friday, May 22, 1998)

Episodes 2368-2379 (Tuesday, May 26, 1998 – Wednesday, June 10, 1998)

Episode 2380** (Thursday, June 11, 1998)

Episode 2381 (Wednesday, June 17, 1998)

Episodes 2382-2395 (Monday, June 22, 1998 – Thursday, July 9, 1998)

Episodes 2396-2399 (Monday, July 13, 1998 – Thursday, July 16, 1998)

Episodes 2400-2403 (Monday, July 20, 1998 – Thursday, July 23, 1998)

Episodes 2404-2407 (Monday, July 27, 1998 – Thursday, July 30, 1998)

Episodes 2408-2411 (Monday, August 3, 1998 – Thursday, August 6, 1998)

Episodes 2412-2415 (Monday, August 10, 1998 – Thursday, August 13, 1998)

Episodes 2416-2417 (Monday, August 17, 1998 – Tuesday, August 18, 1998)

Episode 2418 (Not Shown)

Episodes 2419-2420 (Wednesday, August 19, 1998 – Thursday, August 20, 1998)

Episodes 2421-2424 (Monday, August 24, 1998 – Thursday, August 27, 1998)

Episodes 2425-2427 (Tuesday, September 1, 1998 – Thursday, September 3, 1998)

Episodes 2428-2431 (Monday, September 7, 1998 – Thursday, September 10, 1998)

Episodes 2432-2435 (Monday, September 14, 1998 – Thursday, September 17, 1998)

Episodes 2436-2439 (Monday, September 21, 1998 – Thursday, September 24, 1998)

Episodes 2440-2499 (Monday, September 28, 1998 – Friday, December 18, 1998)

Episodes 2500-2563 (Monday, January 4, 1999 – Thursday, April 1, 1999)

Episodes 2564-2568 (Monday, April 26, 1999 – Friday, April 30, 1999)

Episodes 2569-2587 (Tuesday, May 4, 1999 – Friday, May 28, 1999)

Episodes 2588-2651 (Tuesday, June 1, 1999 – Friday, August 27, 1999)

Episodes 2652-2679 (Tuesday, August 31, 1999 – Thursday, October 7, 1999)

Episodes 2680-2686 (Monday, October 11, 1999 – Tuesday, October 19, 1999)

Episodes 2687-2732 (Thursday, October 21, 1999 - Thursday, December 23, 1999)

Episodes 2733-2816 (Tuesday, January 4, 2000 – Friday, April 28, 2000)

Episodes 2817-2829 (Tuesday, May 2, 2000 – Thursday, May 18, 2000)

Episodes 2830-2833 (Monday, May 22, 2000 – Thursday, May 25, 2000)

Episodes 2834-2836 (Tuesday, May 30, 2000 – Thursday, June 1, 2000)

Episodes 2837-2840 (Monday, June 5, 2000 – Thursday, June 8, 2000)

Channel 5

Episodes 2841-4355*** (Monday, July 16, 2001 –Friday, May 4, 2007)

Episodes 4356-4369*** (Tuesday, May 8, 2007 – Friday, May 25, 2007)

Episodes 4370-4433*** (Tuesday, May 29, 2007 – Friday, August 24, 2007)

Episodes 4434-4517*** (Tuesday, August 28, 2007 – Friday, December 21, 2007)

Episodes 4518-4544*** (Wednesday, January 2, 2008 – Thursday, February 7, 2008)

Episodes 4545-4574 (Friday, February 8, 2008 - Thursday, March 20, 2008)

Episodes 4575-4603 (Tuesday, March 25, 2008 – Friday, May 2, 2008)

Episodes 4604-4617 (Tuesday, May 6, 2008 – Friday, May 23, 2008)

Episodes 4618-4666 (Tuesday, May 27, 2008 – Friday, August 1, 2008)

Episodes 4667-4750 (Tuesday, August 26, 1998 – Friday, December 19, 2008)

Episodes 4751-4900 (Monday, January 5, 2009 – Friday, July 31, 2009)

Episodes 4901-4980 (Monday, August 31, 2009 – Friday, December 18, 2009)

Episodes 4981-5125 (Monday, January 11, 2010 – Friday, July 30, 2010)

Episodes 5126-5200 (Monday, September 6, 2010 – Friday, December 17, 2010)

Episodes 5201-5340 (Monday, January 17, 2011 – Friday, July 29, 2011)

Episodes 5341-5415 (Monday, September 5, 2011 - Friday, December 16, 2011)

Episodes 5416-5555 (Monday, January 16, 2012 – Friday, July 27, 2012)

Episodes 5556-5630 (Monday, September 3, 2012 – Friday, December 14, 2012)

Episodes 5631-5780 (Monday, January 7, 2013 – Friday, August 2, 2013)

Episodes 5781-5850 (Monday, September 9, 2013 – Friday, December 13, 2013)

Episodes 5851-5930 (Monday, January 13, 2014 – Friday, May 2, 2014)

Episodes 5931-6080 (Monday, May 26, 2014 – Friday, December 19, 2014)

Episodes 6081-6165 (Monday, January 5, 2015 – Friday, May 1, 2015)

Episodes 6166-6300 (Monday, June 1, 2015 – Friday, December 4, 2015)

Episodes 6301-6535 (Monday, January 11, 2016 – Friday, December 2, 2016)

Episodes 6536-6765 (Monday, January 9, 2017 – Friday, November 24, 2017)

Episodes 6766- (Monday, January 8, 2018 – )

*Episode 473 was also shown on Wednesday, December 12, 1990 instead of a new episode.

**Episode 2380 was also shown on Friday, June 12, 1998 instead of a new episode.

***Episodes 2841-4544 were also shown on the following weekday.

**Dan F** · October 16, 2018

Great going with all that!

As you've seen I did make a start on inputting the UK airdates from the beginning, but it's a manual process for each ep and other things started taking priority.

I did recall someone else doing the same thing a while back which I'd forgotten about until now, and I've just checked and found the appropriate thread, with the second to last post on the first page showing the conclusions that he came to. Sorry I didn't point this out sooner following your first queries, I've been away recently and am still playing catchup!

The good thing is, as far as I can tell, they seem to largely match up - and with the same conclusions being drawn by two separate people (presuming you're not 'dan' in disguise ), most of those dates can probably be set in stone. I have cross-referenced a few random 90s eps that I do know the dates of and they seem to match up correctly also.

The only difference seems to be that anomaly in 1990, which 'dan' has apparently narrowed down to 22nd November and the resignation of Thatcher, though it's later said it could also be around the 27th/28th for Major's appointment.

Now that the lists are set out, and I'm not researching as I go, we will of course endeavour to gradually transfer these dates over to the site.

flashbulb · October 16, 2018

Hi Dan F,

Hahaha. I can categorically say that I am not 'dan' in disguise. I've been frantically searching for this elusive 116th weekday over the past few days - like a needle in a haystack - and all along, the answer was lying within this forum.

As I mentioned in my previous post, it may have taken the Liverpool Echo up until when it was compiling the TV listings for Wednesday, December 12, 1990 to realise that the episode being described each day (in the episode summary) had been one day ahead of schedule in previous edition/s of the newspaper. This was obviously the case. There was no significant event that happened on Tuesday, December 11, 1990 to warrant ITV changing their original schedule. However, Thursday, November 22, 1990 - the day that Margaret Thatcher resigned as UK Prime Minister - is about as significant as you can possible get.

It's interesting to read that 'dan' refers to Thursday, November 22, 1990 as an "Apparent skip" and thinks that "EXTENDED ITN SLOTS?" may have taken its place. It doesn't sound like he is entirely sure, whereas "James Martin" is adamant that Home And Away had to make way for coverage of John Major's appointment as UK Prime Minister. To add further confusion into the mix, John Major won the Conservatives' leadership election on Tuesday, November 27, 1990 and he was formally appointed as UK Prime Minister on Wednesday, November 28, 1990. So was it on the 27th or the 28th that Home And Away was supposed to have made way (according to "James Martin")?

However, the critical question is......do the episodes of Home And Away dated Thursday, November 22, 1990, Tuesday, November 27, 1990 and Wednesday, November 28, 1990 appear in "ITV's top 30 weekly ratings chart"? According to 'dan', the 22nd isn't included but both the 27th and 28th are included......so I guess that categorically settles the argument of Thursday, November 22, 1990 being the elusive 116th weekday. Does anybody know where I can find this chart? The only website I can find is the one entitled "BARB Weekly top 30 programmes", which only starts in July 1998.

To respond to the point that "James Martin" makes, I would imagine that only one airing of Home And Away was scrapped on the day you are referring to. However, only you know whether it was the Tuesday, November 27, 1990 episode or the Wednesday, November 28, 1990 episode......and whether it was the lunchtime airing or the evening airing that was scrapped.

The aforementioned contribution that "James Martin" makes is very helpful indeed because it clears something up for me. One of the questions that I was going to pose was "would it have been possible that ITV showed the episode originally scheduled for Thursday, November 22, 1990 on one occasion that day - either at lunchtime or in the evening - and then decided to carry it over to the next day to make up for this?" The answer to this question is definitely no, and that both airings were definitely scrapped.....because if they carried the Nov 22 episode over to the next day (after it had already aired once), then they would also have carried the Nov 27th/Nov 28th episode (which "James Martin" refers to) over to the next day as well (which also aired once)......and we know they didn't!

So here are my revised dates:

ITV

Episodes 1-226 (Monday, February 13, 1989 – Monday, December 25, 1989)

Episodes 227-229 (Wednesday, December 27, 1989 – Friday, December 29, 1989)

Episodes 230-333 (Tuesday, January 2, 1990 – Friday, May 25, 1990)

Episodes 334-341 (Tuesday, May 29, 1990 – Thursday, June 7, 1990)

Episodes 342-459 (Monday, June 11, 1990 – Wednesday, November 21, 1990)

Episodes 460-481 (Friday, November 23, 1990 – Monday, December 24, 1990)