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Drop The Dead Donkey

Drop The Dead Donkey

Drop the Dead Donkey was a situation comedy that ran on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1998. It was set in the offices of "Globelink News", a fictional TV news company. It tried to match news events in the programme with what was in the news at that time. It was created by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin. The series made stars of Haydn Gwynne, Stephen Tompkinson and Neil Pearson. The series started with the acquisition of Globelink by media mogul Sir Royston Merchant. The major characters in the series were:
- Gus Hedges (Robert Duncan), the unctuous chief executive, and yes man to Sir Royston Merchant. A management stereotype, complete with clichés and clumsy metaphors, he transformed GlobeLink from a serious news network to a ratings-chasing tabloid channel. He precedes most of his comments with phrases like "Now, I'm not here..." or "I'd never interfere with editorial policy, but...". He is disliked by the staff who are unafraid to treat him with contempt.
- George Dent (Jeff Rawle), the chief editor. A nervous wreck and hypochondriac who is never able to argue with Gus, even when he knows he's in the right. He suffers from a number of anxiety disorders, but doesn't like to complain about it. Earlier scripts made much of his denial that his wife was having an affair, and following their divorce, the focus of his references to his homelife switched to his daughter, a terrifying juvenile delinquent.
- Alex Pates (Haydn Gwynne), assistant editor and George's second-in-command. The token normal person (albeit with a messy private life). Married and divorced before the series, her ex-husband used her to thwart a story on his unlawful business practices. She broke his nose. Her mother repeatedly interrupted important meetings with frivolous telephone enquiries. She left to join the BBC.
- Helen Cooper (Ingrid Lacey), who replaced Alex as assistant editor from the third series onwards. A single mother, she was briefly an object of desire for George, until she explained she was a lesbian, though this didn't stop her having a drunken one-night stand with Dave. Dedicated to bringing people proper news, she often clashes with Gus, while George offers moral support from the outer office. She often takes charge in the office if George is feeling too delicate to do so himself.
- Henry Davenport (David Swift), one of the news anchors. A veteran reporter and wig-wearer, he is deeply contemptuous of Gus, Sally and everything about "modern news values" and spends his spare time drinking and womanising, often in cahoots with Dave.
- Sally Smedley (Victoria Wicks), the other news anchor, handpicked by Sir Royston and noted for her snobbishness and vapidity. She is disliked by everyone else, though Helen occasionally tries to sympathise with her.
- Damien Day (Stephen Tompkinson), the field reporter who tries to make his stories as sensational as possible, often by using untruths or stunts. When filming a firing-squad execution in a South American dictatorship, asked the officer for a retake so it would look better. Mildly sociopathic.
- Gerry, Damien's (unseen) cameraman, occasionally voiced by Andy Hamilton. Damien's reports would usually end with something unpleasant happening to Gerry, while Damien yelled at him to keep filming. He appears in one episode, at the station's Christmas party, but is covered in bandages.
- Dave Charnley (Neil Pearson), the deputy sub-editor and general dogsbody. As a compulsive womaniser and gambler, he gets on very well with Henry, owning to these shared interests, and Damien, owing to his willingness to bet on outrageously tasteless things. After seducing a drunken Helen, he finds his feelings for her and takes time to recover when she tells him their fling just helped her confirm her homosexuality further.
- Joy Merryweather (Susannah Doyle), the terrifyingly outspoken PA who is utterly cynical, completely unafraid and prone to threatening violence. She gets away with this owing to being very good at her job, and the fact that even Gus is afraid of her. Her main role in the series is to offer sarcastic commentary on anything anyone does, and predict disaster, usually accurately. Unusually for a sitcom, the show was topical, and was usually written and filmed in the week before broadcast. Typically the last scene, or a voiceover for the ending credits was filmed either the day before or sometimes on the day of broadcast. The most frantic rewrite occurred when, on the day of filming, British media mogul Robert Maxwell drowned. (As the writers said in a later episode, "We don't want to go overboard with the story".) The humour, like that in a real newsroom, was often very black, as the writers did not shy away from sensitive subjects. A typical line (from Henry): "The 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland. What a bloody stupid phrase. Do they think these people are dying of stress?" The series ended with GlobeLink being closed down. This contradicted the already thoroughly contradicted novel Drop The Dead Donkey 2000 by Hamilton and Alistair Beaton (1994) ISBN 0316912360, which had predicted its destruction at the turn of the millennium. Category:British television sitcoms Category:Channel 4 television programmes Category:Satirical television programmes

Situation comedy

A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. Sitcoms usually consist of recurring characters in a format in which there are one or more humorous story lines centred on a common environment, such as a family home or workplace. The situation comedy format seems to have originated in the old time radio era of the United States, but today they have become among the most popular programmes on the schedule.

History

The situation comedy format originated on radio in the 1920s. The first situation comedy is often said to be Sam and Henry which debuted on the Chicago, Illinois clear-channel station WGN in 1926, and was partially inspired by the notion of bringing the mix of sexual confusion and continuity found in comic strips to the young medium of radio. The first network situation comedy was Amos & Andy which debuted on CBS in 1928, and was one of the most popular sitcoms through the 1930s. According to the 11th edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, the term sitcom was coined in 1951, making the term contemporaneous with I Love Lucy. Situation comedies have been a part of the landscape of broadcast television since its early days. The BBC in the United Kingdom broadcast Pinwright's Progress from late 1946 until early the following year. The first in the United States was probably Mary Kay and Johnny, a fifteen minute sitcom which debuted on the DuMont Television Network in November of 1947.

Characteristics

Traditionally, situation comedies featured individual episodes that were largely self-contained; the regular characters themselves remained largely static and events of the episode resolved themselves by the conclusion of the episode. Most sitcoms took this format; events of previous episodes would rarely be mentioned in subsequent episodes and while school friends or beloved relatives might appear, often they would only be seen once in the series, something apparent in The Brady Bunch and many other programs. This formula has been parodied many times by The Simpsons. The characteristics of animation allow the characters to be unchanging in appearance forever and the characters in the show sometimes make knowing reference to this. The true identity of Seymour Skinner parodies the habit of traditional sitcoms introducing a major upheaval in the story of an episode before returning everything to how it was before and subsquently never mentioning that change in later episodes. More recently sitcoms have introduced some ongoing storylines. Friends, a hugely popular US sitcom of the 1990s, contains soap opera elements such as regularly resorting to an end-of-season cliffhanger, and has gradually developed the relationships of the characters. Other sitcoms have veered into social commentary. Examples of these are sitcoms created by Norman Lear (including All in the Family and Maude) in the U.S., and Johnny Speight's Till Death Us Do Part in Britain. A common aspect of family sitcoms is that at some point in their run they introduce an addition to the family in the form of a new baby. One exception to this are the several sitcoms starring Bob Newhart, who insisted that his sitcoms not have babies or children. The addition of a new baby to the family provides new story situations for the series as the family must adjust to a new member, however the new-born baby itself - while appearing cute - provides only a limited range of stories due to their limited mobility, mental development and limited vocabulary. In addition there are the practical problems of working with a baby on set. Thus most sitcom kids are aged to four or five within two years of their birth—for example Andrew Keaton on Family Ties and Chrissy Seaver on Growing Pains, allowing the characters a wider range of storylines. Instances in which sitcoms retained the same child without such age jumps, such as Erin Murphy as Tabitha Stephens on Bewitched and the Olsen twins as Michelle Tanner on Full House are the exception to the rule. Most contemporary situation comedies are filmed with a multicamera setup in front of a live studio audience, then edited and broadcast days or weeks later. This practice has not always been universal and is used mainly for traditional style comedies. Several 1960s sitcoms such as The Munsters, The Addams Family, I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched used the single camera filming style which looked slicker and was more practical given the visual effects used in these shows. Overall the late 1960s was a period of increased production values for sitcoms, with others such as Get Smart also using the single camera filming style allowing it to feature carefully created and sharply edited sequences that parodied action and fight sequences of spy genre films and TV shows - something that would not have been achieved with the same level of finesse in a multi-camera production. In the 1970s M
- A
- S
- H also used the single camera filming style which again was more suited to the show's naturalistic, and flowing style, and more practical given its multiple sets and frequent location filming. In the 1980s US sitcoms again predominantly used the multicamera style.

Ensemble cast structure

Many sitcoms reuse a common mixture of character archetypes to achieve reliable comedic situations from week to week. The most common archetype appearing in sitcoms is the Holy Fool. Typically, this character accepts events and statements at face value, and often misunderstands situations in ways that create conflict in the plot. Examples of the naive fool character in sitcoms include:
- Rose Nylund in The Golden Girls
- Gilligan in Gilligan's Island
- Coach / Woody in Cheers
- Latka Gravas in Taxi
- Steve Urkel in Family Matters
- Joey in Friends
- Father Dougal in Father Ted
- Herman Munster in The Munsters
- Walter (Radar) O'Reilly in MASH
- Kramer in Seinfeld
- Barney Fife in The Andy Griffith Show
- Mork in Mork and Mindy
- Baldrick in Blackadder
- Uncle Fester in The Addams Family
- Kelso in That 70's Show
- Chrissy Snow in Three's Company
- Tim Taylor in Home Improvement The Sage is another frequently-occurring archetype in sitcoms. In the standard sitcom ensemble, this character usually has either an elevated intellect, advanced age, or "outsider" experience. The Sage frequently comments wryly on the situation into which the other characters have placed themselves, and often suggests solutions to resolve the major plot conflict. Examples include:
- Niles in The Nanny
- Chandler Bing in Friends
- Professor Roy Hinkley Jr. in Gilligan's Island
- Mike Brady in The Brady Bunch
- Jeffery in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- Dr. Frasier Crane in Cheers
- Wilson in Home Improvement
- Lisa Simpson in The Simpsons
- Andy Griffith in The Andy Griffith Show
- Dr. Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable in The Cosby Show
- Debra Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond
- Steven Hyde in That 70's Show Other recurring archetypal characters that appear in sitcoms include:
- The meddling or nosy neighbor
- The wisecracking curmudgeon
- The well-meaning blue collar worker
- The lovable loser (the always-second-best)
- The acerbic servant/worker
- The cutesy moppet

Plot formulas

The plot and situations for many sitcom episodes arise out of a character's lying to or otherwise deceiving the other characters. Some sitcom television series, such as Mr. Ed, Bewitched, Three's Company, and Bosom Buddies based their fundamental premise on the main character's attempt to hide the truth through a series of deceptions and "white lies". The most common comedic situations based on deception include:
- Attempts to hide egregious mistakes or acts of weakness.
- Attempts to protect friends and family members from bad news.
- Attempts to "correct" a mistake before others find out about it.
- Attempts to hide the breaking of pacts.
- Attempts to maintain an advantage based on deception.
- Attempts to dupe someone so as to achieve an advantage.
- Attempts to return stolen property before discovery of the theft. The majority of sitcom episodes revolve around some form of the lying/deception premises listed above. Lesser-used sitcom plot formulas include:
- One or more characters going into a foreign environment only to return to "where they belong." Frequently, sitcom writers will use this plot formula to transplant the entire cast to Hawaii, Hollywood, or Europe in later seasons.
- A character choosing to make some fundamental change in their body, habits, job, or other component of their environment, only to return to "what feels normal."
- Characters entering contests or races.
- Characters being elevated to positions of responsibility they can't handle.
- Newcomers or strangers making one-time appearances that change the personal dynamics between the recurring characters.
- A special holiday episode, such as for Christmas or Halloween.
- A character thinks another character is going to die and does anything to please him/her, which the other character takes advantage of.

Lifecycle

Landmarks in the lifecycle of a typical sitcom include:
- Development
- pilot episode
- Jumping the shark
- Cancelation
- Reruns in syndication

Specific countries of origin

Most US sitcoms are half-hour shows in which the story is written to run a total of 22 minutes in length, leaving 8 minutes of commercial time. Sitcoms made outside the US may run somewhat longer. US sitcoms are often characterised by long series runs of 20 or more episodes, whereas the British sitcom is traditionally comprised of distinct series of six episodes each. US sitcoms often have large teams of young script writers from top universities firing gags into the script and round-table sessions, whereas most British sitcoms are written by one or two people.

Australia

Australia has not had a significant number of long running sitcoms, however there have been a large number of Australian sitcoms through each decade of Australian television that each had relatively short runs. The successful sitcoms it has had have been somewhat similar to UK comedies. In the 1970s it was the popular soap operas Number 96 and The Box that provided the forum for Australian-grown sitcom style comedy. There was also a number of sketch comedy programs, one of which, The Naked Vicar Show, spawned successful sitcom spinoff Kingswood Country in 1980, a series which itself was somewhat similar to UK comedy Til Death Us Do Part. At around this time there were also Australian versions of UK comedies Are You Being Served, Doctor in the House (as Doctor Down Under) and Father, Dear Father which transplanted key original cast members to Australia to situations markedly similar to those of the original series. A subsequent sitcom to achieve lasting success was Hey Dad...!. In 2002, sucessful sitcom Kath and Kim begun its hit run.

Canada

See also: Canadian humour Despite Canada's wealth of comedic talent, Canadian TV's conventional sitcoms have generally fared poorly with both critics and audiences. One particularly notorious example is The Trouble with Tracy, regarded by many Canadians as one of the worst TV shows ever made. Other Canadian sitcoms have included Snow Job, Check it Out!, Mosquito Lake and Not My Department, all of which were mocked in their time as being particularly unfunny. The few successful Canadian sitcoms have included: La famille Plouffe and its English version, The Plouffe Family, King of Kensington, Hangin' In and Corner Gas. Canadian TV networks have had much more success with sketch comedy shows such as The Kids in the Hall, CODCO, SCTV, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, You Can't Do That On Television, and Royal Canadian Air Farce, and quirky dramedies such as Twitch City, The Newsroom, Made in Canada, Trailer Park Boys, The Beachcombers, Naked Josh and Seeing Things. While being teen dramas, the shows Degrassi Junior High and it's sucessor, Degrassi: The Next Generation occasionally use sitcom-like subplots for comic relief. One of Canada's most enduring comedic television series airing today, The Red Green Show, is essentially a cross between a sitcom and a sketch series. Each episode unfolds through short comedic sketches rather than a conventional sitcom plot, but unlike a true sketch series, the sketches always draw from a single set of characters and no actor plays more than one role. A notable Quebec sitcom in recent years was La Petite Vie; one episode of that show holds the world record for the highest market share ever achieved by a television program. A popular current Quebec sitcom is Les Bougon.
Russia
See also: Russian humour Sitcoms have appeared in Russia in second half 1990s, for example, My beautiful nurse on channel STS.

New Zealand

New Zealand began producing television programmes later than many other developed countries. Due to New Zealand's small population the two main New Zealand networks will rarely fund more than one or two sitcoms per year each. This low output means there is less chance of a successful sitcom being produced to offset the failures. Early sitcoms included Joe & Koro and Buck House. Later there was The Billy T James Show (subsequently rerun in early 2004 as part of the first year's offering on Maori Television). The team of David McPhail and Jon Gadsby produced and/or starred in quite a number (such as Letter to Blanchy), with help from writer A K Grant. The most popular and successful New Zealand produced sitcom to date has been Roger Hall's Gliding On, based on his hit stage play Glide Time. Another Hall play, Conjugal Rites was also made into a sitcom, but by Granada in Britain. In 1994, Melody Rules was produced and screened. Critically and commercially unsuccessful, it has become part of the lexicon within the television industry to describe an unsuccessful sitcom. (e.g. that show will be the next "Melody Rules" ) Another sitcom to have its roots in a stage play was Serial Killers (2003), about the scriptwriters of a medical soap opera. Many British and US sitcoms are and have been popular in New Zealand, including many of those aforementioned in this article.

United Kingdom

Main article: British sitcom The United Kingdom has produced a wealth of sitcoms, many of which have been exported to other nations or redone in adaptation. Classic British sitcoms include Only Fools and Horses, Porridge, Fawlty Towers, Dad's Army, Blackadder, Open All Hours, and The Young Ones. More recent successes have included Father Ted (set in Ireland), The Vicar of Dibley, The Royle Family, Spaced and The Office. The British sitcom tends to rely less on quick-fire jokes and quirky characters than plots, the analysis of the British individual and exaggerated caricatures of everyday stereotypes. There are, of course, some exceptions. Bottom gained popularity through its exaggerated comical violence and childish humour mixed with adult situations, Red Dwarf was a parody of the sci-fi genre, and The League of Gentlemen revolves around the macabre. There is also a tendency towards black humour—Porridge, for example, is set in a prison, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin involves a man who is suicidal, Steptoe and Son can be heart-breaking as the ambitions of Harry are quashed by his needy, manipulative father, and the end of each series of Blackadder involved the ritual slaughter of the cast. Additionally, British sitcoms tend to be set in unusual situations—World War II, prison, the far future—than the more everyday situations preferred elsewhere. Many British sitcoms are re-made for American audiences. For example, Till Death Us Do Part became All in the Family, Man About the House became Three's Company, and the hugely popular Steptoe and Son became Sanford and Son. However, most British sitcoms usually fare better in their original forms. Re-makes of Red Dwarf, Men Behaving Badly, Coupling, and One Foot in the Grave fell victim to adaptations that largely removed the essence of the comedy and did not stand the test of time. Possibly the best example of this was Fawlty Towers, where the character of Basil became a woman. This eliminated the roles of the hen-pecked lead and the dragon-like wife.

United States

Mary Kay and Johnny was followed by The Goldbergs which first aired on January 17, 1949. Probably the most well-known and successful early television sitcom was I Love Lucy, starring Lucille Ball, which is well known because the producer took the step, unusual for its time, of shooting the episodes on film, thereby inventing reruns. The Simpson's is another very successful sitcom. In 2005, Bravo aired a reality show, called Situation: Comedy, produced by Sean Hayes. Out of 10,000 scripts, NBC President, Kevin Reilly, chose two pilots: Mark Treitel and Shoe Schuster's The Sperm Donor and Stephen's Life, with the later ultimately winning the reality series.

List of sitcoms

Listed alphabetically by decade

1940s

- The Aldrich Family (1949–1953)
- Mary Kay and Johnny (1947–1950)
- The Morey Amsterdam Show (1948–1950)
- Pinwright's Progress (1946–1947)
- That Wonderful Guy (1949–1950)

1950s

- The Adventures of Hiram Holiday (1956–1957)
- The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952–1966)
- Amos & Andy (1951–1953)
- The Ann Sothern Show (1958–1961)
- Bachelor Father (1957–1962)
- Beulah (1950–1953)
- The Bob Cummings Show (1955–1959)
- Date with the Angels (1957–1958)
- December Bride (1954–1959)
- The Donna Reed Show (1958–1960)
- The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950–1958)
- Hancock's Half Hour (1954–1960)
- The Hank McCune Show (1950–1953)
- Hennessey (1959–1962)
- The Honeymooners (1955–1956)
- I Love Lucy (1951–1957)
- I Married Joan (1952–1955)
- Jamie (1953–1954)
- The Jean Carroll Show (1953–1954)
- Leave It to Beaver (1957–1963)
- Love and Marriage (1959–1960)
- Make Room For Daddy (1953–1965)
- My Favorite Husband (1953–1955)
- The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959–1963)
- My Friend Irma (1952–1954)
- My Hero (1952–1953)
- Our Miss Brooks (1952–1956)
- The People's Choice (1955–1958)
- Private Secretary (1953–1957)
- The Real McCoys (1957–1963)
- Stanley (1956–1957)
- Those Whiting Girls (1955–1957)

1960s

- Accidental Family (1967–1968)
- The Addams Family (1962–1966)
- The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968)
- Angel (1960–1961)
- The Baileys of Balboa (1964–1965)
- The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971)
- Bewitched (1964–1972)
- The Bill Cosby Show (1969–1971)
- The Bill Dana Show (1963–1965)
- The Bing Crosby Show (1964–1965)
- The Bob Newhart Show (1961–1962)
- The Brady Bunch (1969–1974)
- Car 54, Where Are You? (1961–1963)
- Citizen James (1960–1962)
- The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1969–1972)
- Dad's Army (1968–1977)
- The Dick van Dyke Show (1961–1966)
- The Dustbirmen (1969–1970)
- Fair Exchange (1962–1963)
- The Farmer's Daughter (1963–1966)
- The Flintstones (1960-1966)
- The Flying Nun (1967–1970)
- Get Smart (1965–1970)
- Gidget (1965–1966)
- Gilligan's Island (1964–1967)
- The Good Guys (1968–1970)
- Grindl (1963–1964)
- Hancock (1961)
- Hazel (1961–1966)
- Here Come the Brides (1968–1970)
- Here's Lucy (1968–1974)
- Hogan's Heroes (1965–1971)
- I Dream of Jeannie (1965–1970)
- In Loving Memory (1969–1986)
- The John Forsythe Show (1965–1966)
- Julia (1968–1971)
- The Liver Birds (1969–1996)
- Love on a Rooftop (1966–1967)
- Margie (1961–1962)
- Mister Ed (1961–1966)
- The Monkees (1966–1968)
- The Mothers-In-Law (1967–1969)
- Mr. Digby Darling (1969–1971)
- Mr. Terrific (1967–1968)
- The Munsters (1964–1966)
- My Favorite Martian (1963–1966)
- My Mother the Car (1965–1966)
- My Three Sons (1960–1972)
- O.K. Crackerby! (1965–1966)
- On the Buses (1969–1973)
- The Patty Duke Show (1963–1966)
- The Rag Trade (1961–1963, 1977)
- The Second Hundred Years (1967–1968)
- Steptoe and Son (1962–1974)
- The Tab Hunter Show (1960–1961)
- Tammy (1965–1966)
- To Rome With Love (1969–1971)
- Two in Clover (1969–1970)
- The Ugliest Girl in Town (1968–1969)
- Valentine's Day (1964–1965)
- Wendy and Me (1964–1965)
- Window on Main Street (1961–1962)

1970s

- Agony (1979–1981)
- Alice (1976–1985)
- All in the Family (1971–1979)
- All's Fair (1976–1977)
- Angie (1979–1980)
- Archie Bunker's Place (1979–1983)
- Are You Being Served? (1972–1985)
- Arnie (1970–1972)
- The Associates (1979–1980)
- Baa Baa Black Sheep (1976–1978)
- The Bad News Bears (1979–1980)
- Barefoot in the Park (1970–1971)
- Barney Miller (1975–1982)
- The Baxters (1979–1981)
- Benson (1979–1986)
- The Betty White Show (1977–1978)
- Bless This House (1971–1976)
- The Bob Newhart Show (1972–1978)
- The Brian Keith Show (1972–1974)
- Bridget Loves Bernie (1972–1973)
- Butterflies (1978–1983)
- C.P.O. Sharkey (1976–1978)
- Chico and the Man (1974–1978)
- Terry and June (1979–1987)
- The Last Resort (1979)
- Working Stiffs (1979)
- Out of the Blue (1979)
- The Facts of Life (1979–1988)
- End of Part One (1979)
- The Ropers (1979–1980)
- Flatbush (1979)
- Turnabout (1979)
- Hello, Larry (1979)
- Delta House (1979)
- Tankki täyteen (1978)
- Please Stand By (1978)
- Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986)
- Apple Pie (1978)
- Who's Watching the Kids (1978)
- WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982)
- Mork & Mindy (1978–1982)
- Taxi (1978–1983)
- The Waverly Wonders (1978)
- ABC Saturday Comedy Special (1978)
- America 2-Night (1978)
- The Ted Knight Show (1978)
- Father, Dear Father in Australia (1978)
- A.E.S. Hudson Street (1978)
- On Our Own (1977)
- We've Got Each Other (1977)
- The Love Boat (1977–1986)
- Sugar Time! (1977)
- A Year at the Top (1977)
- The ABC Monday Night Comedy Special (1977)
- All That Glitters (1977)
- Eight Is Enough (1977–1981)
- Three's Company (1977–1984)
- Blansky's Beauties (1977)
- Robin's Nest (1977–1981)
- The Fosters (1976)
- Ball Four (1976)
- All's Fair (1976)
- Big John, Little John (1976)
- George and Mildred (1976–1979)
- What's Happening!! (1976–1979)
- Viva Valdez (1976)
- Good Heavens (1976)
- Laverne & Shirley (1976–1983)
- On the Rocks (1975)
- King of Kensington (1975–1980)
- One Day at a Time (1975–1984)
- Grady (1975)
- The Cop and the Kid (1975)
- Fawlty Towers (1975–1979)
- When Things Were Rotten (1975)
- Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979)
- Phyllis (1975–1977)
- Big Eddie (1975)
- The Melting Pot (1975)
- The Last of the Australians (1975)
- The Good Life (1975–1977)
- We'll Get By (1975)
- The Bob Crane Show (1975)
- Barney Miller (1975–1982)
- The Jeffersons (1975–1985)
- Paper Moon (1974–1975)
- Rhoda (1974–1978)
- Rising Damp (1974)
- My Name Is Harry Worth (1974)
- Good Times (1974–1979)
- Happy Days (1974–1984)
- Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973)
- Steptoe and Son Ride Again (1973)
- Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1973)
- Needles and Pins (1973)
- Adam's Rib (1973)
- The Girl with Something Extra (1973)
- Lotsa Luck (1973)
- Thicker Than Water (1973)
- Here We Go Again (1973)
- Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (1973)
- Last of the Summer Wine (1973-)
- Steptoe and Son (1972)
- Fleksnes fataliteter (1972)
- Maude (1972)
- Temperatures Rising (1972)
- The New Bill Cosby Show (1972)
- The David Steinberg Show (1972)
- The Corner Bar (1972)
- Sanford and Son (1972)
- The Trouble with Tracy (1971)
- The Chicago Teddy Bears (1971)
- It's Awfully Bad for Your Eyes, Darling (1971)
- The New Andy Griffith Show (1971)
- The Goodies (1970)
- The Odd Couple (1970)
- The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977)
1980s

- My Wife Next Door (1980)
- Rising Damp (1980)
- Breaking Away (1980)
- Bosom Buddies (1980–1982)
- Too Close for Comfort (1980–1986)
- Mr. and Mrs. Dracula (1980)
- Semi-Tough (1980)
- Flo (1980–1981)
- When the Whistle Blows (1980)
- Family Matters (1989–1998)
- Yes, Minister (1980–1988)
- Kingswood Country (1980–1984)
- Keep It In the Family (1980)
- Hangin' In (1981–1987)
- Open All Night (1981)
- A Fine Romance (1981–1984)
- Gimme a Break! (1981–1987)
- Lewis & Clark (1981)
- Laverne and Shirley in the Army (1981)
- Mr. Merlin (1981)
- Best of the West (1981)
- Only Fools and Horses (1981–2003)
- Till Death... (1981)
- Aloha Paradise (1981)
- The Brady Brides (1981)
- Harper Valley P.T.A. (1981)
- Newhart (1982–1990)
- Star of the Family (1982)
- Cheers (1982–1993)
- Square Pegs (1982–1983)
- Silver Spoons (1982–1987)
- Family Ties (1982–1989)
- Third Time Lucky (1982)
- A.J. Wentworth, BA (1982)
- Teachers Only (1982)
- Report to Murphy (1982)
- Making the Grade (1982)
- Joanie Loves Chachi (1982–1983)
- Herbie, the Love Bug (1982)
- One of the Boys (1982)
- The New Odd Couple (1982)
- Reinikainen (1982)
- 'Allo 'Allo! (1982–1992)
- The Young Ones (1982)
- Foot in the Door (1983)
- Oh Madeline (1983)
- After MASH (1983–1985)
- Just Good Friends (1983–1986)
- Just Our Luck (1983)
- Webster (1983–1987)
- We Got It Made (1983)
- Herndon (1983)
- Zorro and Son (1983)
- Goodnight, Beantown (1983–1984)
- Baby Makes Five (1983)
- Krovim Krovim (1983)
- Ace Crawford, Private Eye (1983)
- Amanda's (1983)
- Mama's Family (1983–1985)
- Down to Earth (1983–1987)
- Shaping Up (1984)
- The Front Line (1984)
- It's Your Move (1984–1985)
- Three's a Crowd (1984–1985)
- Tripper's Day (1984)
- Who's the Boss? (1984–1992)
- The Cosby Show (1984–1992)
- E/R (1984–1985)
- The Duck Factory (1984)
- Double Trouble (1984–1985)
- Fresh Fields (1984)
- Pablo (1984)
- Night Beat News (1984)
- Duty Free (1984)
- Mother and Son (1984–1994)
- Night Court (1984–1992)
- What's Happening Now! (1985–1988)
- Check It Out (1985)
- Orazio (1985)
- In Sickness and in Health (1985–1992)
- Girls on Top (1985–1986)
- Growing Pains (1985–1992)
- The Golden Girls (1985–1992)
- Maguy (1985)
- Small Wonder (1985–1989)
- Mr. Belvedere (1985–1990)
- Better Days (1986)
- Designing Women (1986–1993)
- Amen (1986–1991)
- ALF " (1986–1990)
- It's Garry Shandling's Show (1986–1990)
- Throb (1986–1988)
- Perfect Strangers (1986–1993)
- All Is Forgiven (1986)
- You Again? (1986)
- Air Waves (1986–1987)
- He's the Mayor (1986)
- Yes, Prime Minister (1986)
- Hey Dad...! (1986–1994)
- New Monkees (1987)
- Familie Ouderijn (1987)
- Beverly Hills Buntz (1987)
- The Lenny Henry Show (1987)
- A Different World (1987–1993)
- I Married Dora (1987)
- Full House (1987–1995)
- My Two Dads (1987–1990)
- The New Statesman (1987–1992)
- Marblehead Manor (1987)
- Marc et Sophie (1987)
- Married... with Children (1987–1997)
- The Popcorn Kid (1987)
- Vivement lundi (1988)
- Baby Boom (1988)
- Loft story (1988)
- Just the Ten of Us (1988–1990)
- The Wonder Years (1988–1993)
- Eisenhower & Lutz (1988)
- Red Dwarf (1988–1999)
- After Henry (1988–1992)
- Ken Ma?! (1988)
- Murphy Brown (1988–1998)
- The Van Dyke Show (1988)
- Annie McGuire (1988)
- Roseanne (1988–1997)
- The Munsters Today (1988–1991)
- Empty Nest (1988–1995)
- Dear John (1988–1992)
- Acropolis Now (1989–1992)
- French Fields (1989)
- The Simpsons (1989-)
- Tattingers (1989)
- Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989–1993)
- Major Dad (1989–1993)
- Saved by the Bell (1989–1993)
- Seinfeld (1989–1998)
-

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a public service television broadcaster in the United Kingdom (see British television). It was created by an Act of Parliament and started broadcasting on November 2, 1982. Unlike the nation's long established public service broadcaster, the BBC, it does not receive public funding. All programming is financed through its commercial activities, which includes advertising. It is a publicly owned corporation whose board is appointed by OFCOM, in agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Like the BBC it has a public service remit. It also has an obligation to provide schools programming. Channel 4 nominally broadcasts only in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland; in Wales, its equivalent is S4C, which broadcasts a mix of Channel 4 programming along with Welsh language programmes. However, Channel 4 is also received in border areas of Wales, and now broadcasts throughout the principality on Freeview, the digital terrestrial TV service. While Channel 4, like UTV, is not "officially" available in the Republic of Ireland, it is broadcast on Cable/MMDS operators Chorus and NTL. So far the channel transmits encrypted on Sky Digital and cannot be viewed outside the UK.

History

IBA Control: 1982–1990

Republic of Ireland In 1980 Britain had three terrestrial television channels: BBC1, BBC2 and ITV. The 1980 Broadcasting Act began the process of adding a fourth, and Channel 4 was formally created by an Act of Parliament in 1982. After some weeks of test broadcasts it began scheduled transmissions on November 2 1982. From the start, the channel set out to provide an alternative to the existing channels. In doing so it sometimes, in the eyes of its critics (including the public decency campaigner Mary Whitehouse), overstepped the boundaries of acceptability, but it has arguably led to a liberalisation of the UK television industry. Programming such as the "red triangle" series, The Tube, and Network 7 often straddled the boundary between being pioneering and being beyond the pale. Channel 4 was one of the first "publishing only" television broadcasters in the world. All of its programming is produced by other companies; it exists only to fund, broadcast and distribute it. It was also the first broadcaster in the world to put its name on the introduction or credits of programmes it did not produce, a practice that is now widespread. For example, at the end of a programme, the independent producer's logo appears, with the words 'a [name of company] production for Channel Four' and 'Channel Four Television Corporation (c) [year of production]'. Thus although it does not produce programmes, many are seen to be belonging to it. Initially, the station was managed by the Independent Broadcasting Authority through subscription from the ITV franchise holders. In return, advertising on the channel (and advertising revenue) was handled by the ITV regions. This both removed the need for Channel 4 to establish its own relationships with advertisers, and kept it from competing too closely with ITV. In many ways, Channel 4 was the first version of ITV2, complementing ITV programming in the same way BBC2 did with BBC1. While the channel greatly pleased many minority groups (ethnic, sexuality and others), it never found a wide mainstream audience. Channel 4 also funded independent films during this period, in addition to made-for-TV material.

Independence: 1990–Today

BBC1 BBC1 The 1990 Broadcasting Act [http://www.ofcom.org.uk/licensing_numbering/tv/c4/Channel_4_licence_Dec_2002.doc] altered the organisation of Channel 4, transforming it into a public corporation with a board partly appointed by the new Independent Television Commission. While its original remit was preserved, the channel now had to manage its own advertising (a potential disaster for a public service broadcaster), with a 'safety net' guaranteed minimum income should the revenue fall too low (which it so far has not). This safety net was funded by large insurance payments which the company had to make to the ITV companies. These premiums were phased out by the government in 1998. Its new independence help bring in a rash of programming changes. Instead of aiming for the fringes of society, it began to focus on the edges of the mainstream, and the centre of the mass market itself. It began to show many US programmes in peak viewing time, previously a rarity on UK terrestrial television. It premiered such shows as Friends and ER. It also started broadcasting a lot of reality formats (including Big Brother), and sports like cricket and horse racing. This new direction caused its ratings (and revenues) to skyrocket. In addition, it launched a number of subscription channels. These included a number of FilmFour channels, focusing on independent and non-English language films; attheraces, a horse racing channel; and E4, primarily an entertainment channel. Some of the FilmFour channels were discontinued due to a lack of interest. In 2002, Channel 4's film financing division (FilmFour) was closed, due to massive losses. It had however had various successes, most notably Four Weddings and a Funeral and Trainspotting. Partially in reaction to its new populist direction, the Communications Act of 2003 directed the channel to demonstrate innovation, experimentation and creativity, appeal to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society and to include programmes of an educational nature which exhibit a distinctive character. In 2005, Channel 4 made E4 'free to air' on the Freeview platform, and now has launched a new 'free to air' terrestrial channel on the same platform (More4). Channel 4 also may begin a new radio service based on Oneword.

Management

Channel 4 is run by a chief executive, whose role is similar to that of the Director-General of the BBC. The chief executive is appointed by the chairman, which is a part-time position appointed by Ofcom.

Chairmen

- Edmund Dell (1982–1987)
- Richard Attenborough (1987–1992)
- Michael Bishop (1993–1997)
- Vanni Treves (Jan 1998–Dec 2003)
- Luke Johnson (Jan 2004–)

Chief executives

- Jeremy Isaacs (1981–1987)
- Michael Grade (1988–1997)
- Michael Jackson (1997–2001)
- Mark Thompson (Mar 2002–June 2004)
- Andy Duncan (July 19, 2004–) Andy Duncan was appointed on July 1, 2004. He was previously the Director of Marketing, Communications and Audiences at the BBC.

Other channels

Film Four

Channel 4 has had a long record of success in funding the production of films through Channel Four Films, later renamed FilmFour in 1998 to coincide with the launch of its digital channels. Among its biggest successes are The Madness of King George, The Crying Game, and Four Weddings and a Funeral. However, this dedicated film-making wing was effectively closed in 2002 as a cost-cutting measure in the face of substantial losses. Channel 4 launched a subscription film channel, FilmFour, in November 1998. It is available on analogue and digital satellite television and digital cable. Companion services, such as FilmFour +1, FilmFour World and FilmFour Extreme were also available on some digital services. In 2003 Extreme and World were discontinued, and replaced with Film Four Weekly. The Film Four channel is sometimes used to carry live cricket when the main channel is committed elsewhere, at which time it is free-to-air,

attheraces

Channel 4 launched a dedicated horse racing channel, attheraces, in 2000, however for a combination of financial and legal reasons the channel ceased broadcasting in 2003. It was subsequently bought by BSkyB and relaunched in June 2004, but Channel 4 no longer has any involvement with it.

E4

E4, a digital entertainment channel previously available on the Internet, was launched in January 2001. It features premieres of US imports and supplementary footage for programs on its main channel (most notably extended Big Brother coverage). In 2005 it launched on the Freeview service. E4 now has as much coverage as other services available on Cable, Satellite and Freeview like ITV2 and BBC Three. It is a very successful channel with a first look or sneak peak, with the next episode of some series appearing on E4 immediately after the show on Channel 4 has finished.

T4

T4 is a separately identified strand carried on Channel 4 and E4. It consists of programming in the mornings seven days a week for an age range of around 13–25. Music, soaps and US comedy shows all feature as part of the schedule on T4. Famous programmes include the Hollyoaks Omnibus, Will & Grace and Friends, with popular US animation Futurama airing weekend mornings too.

Quiz Call

Quiz Call is a television channel on which puzzles and questions are displayed and viewers invited to call in to win prizes. The channel launched on August 30, 2005, and is available on Sky, Freeview (channel 37) and NTL cable. The channel advertises no connection with Channel 4 on-screen.

More4

More4 is a channel aimed at more upmarket 35 to 60 year olds. It was launched on 10th October 2005. The channel also carries news and nightly discussion programmes. Advertising prior to the launch of the channel flaunted HBO shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Sopranos, as well as The West Wing from NBC.

4Learning

4Learning produces innovative and thought-provoking multimedia services for schools and learners of all ages in the United Kingdom. More than 400 hours of its programming is broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK(excluding Wales)each year. One of its well known programmes is The Hoobs.

Future proposals

On 27 February 2004 it was reported that Channel 4 and Five were discussing a possible merger. Because of the special nature of Channel 4, any such merger would have required an Act of Parliament. However in November 2004, Channel 4 pulled out of the discussions. Subsequently, Five has now been bought by RTL. In August 2004 the news came that Channel 4 is planning a digital radio station using the licence currently belonging to Oneword radio. For more information, see the article Oneword. In September 2004 Channel 4 spent £55m reserving space for up to 14 channels on SES Global's Astra 2D satellite before the limited amount of air space is filled, though some of this may be filled with Channel 4's existing channels when more expensive contracts with BSkyB expire in 2008. At the time it was rumoured that Channel 4 were working on a new channel, with a working title of More4, aimed at older audiences, which would broadcast programmes from the channel's archive of factual and documentary programmes, described by Channel 4 Director of Television Kevin Lygo as "Channel 4 without the stupid bits". More4 was launched on October 10th 2005. Also in September, the television regulator, Ofcom, announced it was looking into creating a new public-service broadcasting license for a channel broadcasting three hours per day dedicated to factual and current affairs programming. The new channel, if it is approved, will probably not be funded by advertising, and may be a subscription channel or funded by a top-up to the BBC's license fee. It was widely suggested in the news that Channel 4 would be the most likely candidate to run the new channel. In 2005, Channel 4 won an additional slot on the Freeview platform. It is to launch a new channel aimed at older viewers on October 10th 2005. In May 2005, E4 (which was previously a subscription channel via Top Up TV on the digital terrestrial platform) went free-to-air at the same time as E4+1 arrived on Freeview, on the opening day of the sixth season of Big Brother. At an unspecified date, Channel 4 is planning to launch a channel devoted to programming imported from the United States, such as Lost, Desperate Housewives, ER and L.A. Law. [http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds26081.html]

Programming

One of the channel's strengths is its comedy mostly shown on a Friday night. In the early days they screened The Comic Strip Presents, a highly innovative series of hour-long one-off comedies produced by a rotating line-up of alternative comedians such as Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Peter Cook, Peter Richardson, and Alexei Sayle. The Tube and Friday Night Live also launched the careers of a number alternative comedians. Latterly they have aired cutting-edge comedy shows such as Brass Eye, The Mark Thomas Product, Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights, Drop the Dead Donkey, Desmond's and arguably its biggest mainstream hit Father Ted. The first voice ever heard on Channel 4 was that of continuity announcer Paul Coia, who intoned, "Good afternoon. It's a pleasure to be able to say to you: Welcome to Channel Four", before heading into [http://www.vintagebroadcasting.org.uk/video/c4opening.mpg a montage of clips from its programmes] (link to video clip) set to the station's David Dundas-penned signature tune, Fourscore, which would form the basis of the station's jingles for its first decade. The first programme to air on the channel was the teatime game show Countdown, produced by Yorkshire Television; it is still running as of 2005 and is contracted until 2009. In contrast to the other terrestrial TV channels, Channel 4 makes none of the programmes it broadcasts, because it is known as a publishing only television channel and partly as a result of the terms under which it was founded. Its critically acclaimed news service, Channel 4 News, is supplied by ITN, and the channel commissions all of its programmes from outside companies. The channel has established a tradition of broadcasting the animated film of Raymond Briggs's picture book The Snowman, which in 1982 was the new channel's first major animated commission, every Christmas. From 2002, the film was controversially cropped from its original 4:3 picture format to the current widescreen standard of 16:9. Channel 4 was the first UK broadcaster to use stranded programming with slots such as 4 Mation showing innovative animation. Under Isaacs the channel also gained a reputation for programmes on the contemporary arts. Channel 4 pioneered the concept of 'after the pub' television, with series such as Who Dares Wins, Tonight with Jonathan Ross, Friday Night Live and The Word broadcast in the 10 – 11pm slot. In 1989 the Channel launched a Breakfast Television slot produced by Mentorn Films, called the Channel 4 Daily. In 1992 this was replaced by The Big Breakfast. After the massive failure of RI:SE the channel has quit original programming for the breakfast TV slot in favour of repeats. Now T4 runs the early morning slots on weekdays to replace RI:SE with popular shows like Friends showing every weekday morning. On November 4, 2003, Channel 4 screened its final episode of Brookside, a soap opera which had run for 21 years, since the channel started. For years, Channel 4 has broadcast episodes of the most popular situation comedies from the United States on Friday nights. In 2004, Friday-night sitcoms on Channel 4 included Friends, Sex and the City and Will & Grace. American drama is also a key part of Channel 4's portfolio, including ER, Without a Trace, The West Wing and Six Feet Under. Many of these programmes are shown (and notably edited) for their Sunday morning T4 slot. Channel 4 is also noted for the screening of Big Brother. Based on the original Dutch format, the UK version has attracted massive press attention for each of its six series from 2000 to date. Channel 4 also has a strong reputation for history programmes and real-life documentaries. It has also courted controversy, for example by broadcasting live the first public autopsy to be carried out in the UK for 170 years, carried out by Gunther von Hagens in 2002, or the 2003 one-off stunt Derren Brown Plays Russian Roulette Live. The television chef Jamie Oliver could not reach a deal with the BBC after his contract with them expired in December, 2002. Channel 4 took him up. Since this happened, Jamie Oliver has created a number of documentaries such as Jamie's Kitchen, Jamie's School Dinners, which was broadcast to coincide with his campaign to improve the quality of school dinners, and Jamie's Great Escape. Starting in 2004, Channel 4 began a promotion of its channel consisting of the broadcast of short clips between programs of British or American actors, alongside presenters of Channel 4 programmes, answering more or less personal questions, such as "What animal do you feel most compatible with?", "What would you be doing if you weren't an actor?". One such clip featured actors saying their favourite swear words. Since 5 November 2004, Channel 4 has had the British terrestrial rights to show new-to-terrestrial episodes of The Simpsons, in addition to several of the classic seasons, rights that had previously been held by the BBC since the show started airing on British terrestrial (1996). This was considered a major scoop for Channel 4, which began promoting The Simpsons nearly a month in advance, using 18-frame teasers for the show (made up of various characters' faces being created using different-coloured Channel 4 logos) to lead into commercial breaks from October 8th onward. When it started airing in November 2004, seasons 2-5 of the show were repeated weekdays at 6pm, with new and newer episodes from seasons 11 & 12 Fridays at 9pm. More new episodes are scheduled to start airing in the post-watershed slot (Season 13) soon, and Season 6 will be airing in the 6pm slot from Monday, 7th November. It has also started airing season 2 on Sundays too. In January 2005, Channel 4 gained the rights to show the hugely popular US comedy Desperate Housewives. It became a ratings landslide, having received 6 million viewers and getting 3rd place in the ratings. In August 2005, Channel 4 started showing the US TV show Lost after a lengthy advertising campaign that included a 60-second commercial, shot by David LaChapelle, that featured the cast and cost over £1 million, becoming the most expensive advertisement produced in the UK. This gamble seems to have paid off, however; the pilot episode was watched by over 6 million viewers, placing it second in the overall ratings for the channel this year, Big Brother securing the top spot. Channel 4 and its associated channels do not cut programmes or movies for commercial timing purposes.

Audience records

The highest audience ever attained by Channel 4 was 13.8 million for the film A Woman of Substance, broadcast on 4 January 1985. Excluding films, the channel's highest rating was 10 million viewers for the final of the third series of Big Brother on 27 July 2002. The channel's daily share of viewing on that date was 22.8%, then the highest recorded by the station. This record was beaten on Monday 12 September, 2005, the final day of the 2005 Ashes, when the channel's daily share of viewing in UK homes was recorded as 23.2%. This was also the first time that Channel 4 had been the highest-rating UK television station across a 24-hour period.

Building

2005 Ashes Channel 4 occupies a distinctive, purpose-designed building on Horseferry Road, Westminster, designed by Richard Rogers Partnership with structural engineering by Ove Arup & Partners. It follows on from, but is more restrained than, the Lloyd's building in the City of London, and was constructed from 1991–94. It was built on the former site of a Methodist teacher-training college, which occupied a neo-Gothic campus intermittently from its foundation in 1851 until World War Two, when the buildings were badly damaged by an incendiary bomb. The College eventually moved to a purpose-built site in Oxford in 1959 and became Westminster College, Oxford.

External links

- http://www.channel4.com/
- http://www.filmfour.com/
- [http://media.guardian.co.uk/channel4/0,12225,752247,00.html Media Guardian special report on Channel 4]
- [http://tgabber.mine.nu/stuff/promo.htm Channel 4 Swearing ad] WARNING: this clip includes strong language and may be inappropriate for children under 16 years of age. Category:British television channels
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1990

:This article is about the year. For other uses, see 1990 (disambiguation). :"MCMXC" redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a.D.. 1990 (MCMXC) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar.

Events

January

- January 3 - Former leader of Panama Manuel Noriega surrenders to American forces.
- January 7 - The Leaning Tower of Pisa is closed to the public due to safety concerns.
- January 9 - Lt Gen Bazilio Olara Okello, the man who led the coup against Dr Apolo Milton Obote's government, dies in Ormduruman Hospital in Khartoum, Sudan.
- January 10 - Time Warner is formed from the merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications Inc.
- January 11 - Massive (200,000) demonstration in favor of Lithuanian independence.
- January 13 - Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African American governor as he takes office in Richmond, Virginia.
- January 15 - Thousands storm the Stasi HQ in Berlin in an attempt to view their records.
- January 18 - Former McMartin preschool operators Raymond Buckey and his mother Peggy McMartin Buckey are acquitted in a Los Angeles, California court of 52 child molestation charges.
- January 18 - Washington, DC, Mayor Marion Barry is arrested for drug possession in an FBI sting.
- January 22 - Robert Tappan Morris, Jr. is convicted of releasing the 1988 Internet worm.
- January 25 - Avianca Flight 52 crashed into Cove Neck, Long Island, after a miscommunication between the flight crew and JFK airport officials.
- January 25 - The Berlin Wall starts to come down.
- January 25-January 26 - Burns' Day storm rages over northwestern Europe - 97 dead
- January 27 - City of Tiraspol in the Moldavian SSR declares brief independence
- January 29 - The trial of the former skipper of the Exxon Valdez, Joseph Hazelwood, begins in Anchorage, Alaska. He is accused of negligence that resulted in America's worst oil spill.
- January 31 - The first McDonald's opens in Moscow, USSR.

February

USSR
- February 2 - Apartheid: In South Africa President F.W. de Klerk allows the African National Congress to legally function again and promises to set Nelson Mandela free.
- February 7 - Collapse of the Soviet Union: The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agrees to give up its monopoly of power
- February 10 - South African President F.W. de Klerk announces that Nelson Mandela would be released the next day.
- February 11 - James "Buster" Douglas KOs Mike Tyson to win world heavyweight boxing crown.
- February 11 - Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster prison, near Cape Town, South Africa
- February 13 - German reunification: An agreement is reached for a two-stage plan to reunite Germany
- February 15 - The United Kingdom and Argentina restore diplomatic links after 8 years. The UK had broken off links in response to Argentina's invasion of the Falkland Islands, a British Dependent Territory
- February 26 - The Sandinistas are defeated in Nicaraguan elections.
- February 26 - The USSR agrees to withdraw all 73500 troops from Czechoslovakia by July, 1991.
- February 27 - Exxon Valdez oil spill: Exxon and its shipping company are indicted on five criminal counts.

March

- March 1 - A fire at the Sheraton Hotel in Cairo kills 16.
- March 1 - Steve Jackson Games is raided by the U.S. Secret Service, prompting the later formation of the EFF.
- March 1 - Royal New Zealand Navy discontinues the daily rum ration
- March 4 - Afrisecal movement/ Afrisecaism introduced as an intellectual school of thought to the Literary collective of Jos by Francis Okechukwu Ohanyido on his birthday as part of the "Afriquest initiative".
- March 6 - An SR-71 sets a US transcontinental speed record of 1 hour 8 minutes 17 seconds, on what is publicized as its last official flight.
- March 9 - Police seals off Brixton South London after another night of protests against the poll tax
- March 9 - Dr. Antonia Novello is sworn in as Surgeon General of the United States, becoming the first female and Hispanic to serve in that position
- March 9 - Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Clyde Wells confirms he will rescind Newfoundland's approval of the Meech Lake Accord, effectively killing the Accord
- March 10 - 18 months after seizing power in a coup, Prosper Avril is ousted in Haiti
- March 11 - Lithuania declares independence from the Soviet Union
- March 11 - Patricio Aylwin is sworn-in as the first democratically-elected Chilean president since 1970
- March 15 - Gulf War: Iraqis hang British journalist Farzad Bazoft for spying. Daphne Parish, a British nurse, is sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment as an accomplice
- March 15 - Mikhail Gorbachev is elected as the first executive president of the Soviet Union
- March 15 - The Soviet Union announces that Lithuania's declaration of independence is invalid
- March 18 - 12 paintings, collectively worth $100 million, are stolen by two thieves posing as police officers from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. This is the largest art theft in US history and the paintings (as of 2005) have not been recovered
- March 18 - East Germany holds first free elections since 1932
- March 18 - Thieves loot Isabella Steward Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, stealing paintings and treasures worth estimated $200 million (not recovered as of 2005)
- March 20 - Ferdinand Marcos's widow, Imelda Marcos, goes on trial for bribery, embezzlement, and racketeering
- March 21 - After 75 years of South African rule Namibia becomes independent
- March 21 - A massive poll tax demonstration in Trafalgar Square, London turns into a riot. 417 people injured, 341 arrested
- March 23 - Gerald Bull assassinated in Brussels
- March 24 - The government of Australian prime minister Bob Hawke is re-elected for a 4th term.
- March 25 - In New York City, a fire due to arson at an illegal social club called "Happy Land" kills 87
- March 27 - Propaganda: The United States begins broadcasting TV Martí to Cuba
- March 27 - Namibia becomes a state independent of South Africa
- March 28 - President George H. W. Bush presents Jesse Owens with the Congressional Gold Medal.
- March 31 - London anti-Poll Tax Riots in Trafalgar Square. Incident subsequently known as "The Second Battle of Trafalgar"

April

- April 7 - Iran Contra Affair: John Poindexter is found guilty of five charges for his part in the scandal but the convictions were later reversed after an appeal
- April 7 - Scandinavian Star, a Bahamas-registered ferry, catches fire en route from Norway to Denmark - 158 dead
- April 13 - The Soviet Union apologizes for the Katyn Massacre
- April 15 - Food poisoning kills 450 guests of an engagement party in Uttar Pradesh
- April 24 - The Space Shuttle Discovery places the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit.It becomes operational May 20
- April 24 - West and East Germany agree to merge currency and economies on July 1

May

- May 2 - In London, England, man brandishing a knife robs courier Nicholas Lane of bearer bonds worth £292 million - the largest mugging to date.
- May 15 - Portrait of Doctor Gachet by Vincent van Gogh is sold for a record $82.5 million.
- May 19 - British agriculture Minister John Gummer feeds a hamburger to his 5-year-old daughter to counter rumours about the spread of Mad cow disease and its transmission to humans
- May 20 - The first post- Communist presidential and parliamentary elections are held in Romania
- May 22 - The leaders of the Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen