In July 1962 the Government published a White Paper on the recommendations of the Pilkington Report, which criticized the existing structure of ITV and proposed a third channel for British TV viewers, to be run by the BBC. It was agreed that the BBC would provide this by 1964 and that BBC2 (as it would become known) would broadcast on 625 lines in UHF (this was the general standard used in Europe, whereas British TV was still transmitting 405 lines). Initially BBC2 would only be broadcast to the London area with the whole of Britain being covered by 1970.

Broadcasting hours would be extended and there would be more educational programmes for adults. The go-ahead was also given for the development of colour TV and a separate Welsh TV service.

Test transmissions for the new BBC channel began in January 1964 with a target set for a full programming service by April. BBC2 officially opened on 21st April 1964 and was promptly blacked out by a power failure.

In programming terms the 1960s is generally regarded as a golden era for British television. In spite of the incentive of having a second channel the BBC would find itself having to adapt in order to re-establish itself and meet the demands of serious competition. At the start of the decade ITV introduced British viewers to the action/adventure series via the exploits of Danger Man and The Avengers, the former being a fast paced all out actioneer that pre-dated James Bond by two years. The Avengers began as a straight crime drama, but by the mid 60s would become a stylised thriller that took British drama to the extremes of escapism, and go on to be remembered as one of the defining series of the 1960s.

Other successful series followed and shows such as The Saint and Man in a Suitcase were given an international flavour by having a British star who was well known on both sides of the Atlantic (Roger Moore had appeared in the US Western series Maverick) and an American lead actor (Richard Bradford) in the all-important lead roles. It was a calculated move by ATV supremo Lew Grade, who knew early on the importance of international sales.

It was said that by the 1960's Lew Grade and his brothers Leslie Grade and Bernard Delfont controlled 80 per cent of the British entertainment industry. As the founder of ATV it was Lew who gave the green light for some of the most fondly remembered television shows of all time. Programmes such as The Saint, Danger Man, The Champions, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and The Prisoner are still being rerun today and are also big money spinners in the international sell-through DVD and Video market.

Even when he started to commission TV shows in the 1950's and without any experience in the television marketplace, Grade identified the key areas that would lead many to regard him one of the great showmen -who not only knew what the public wanted, but always managed to deliver it. "To hold our viewers we will aim to spend more money on scripts and production values. Stars are important but not as important as a good scriptwriter. A good scriptwriter is a wonderful thing." He said.

As for just how much should be spent on each production he stated: "When you decide to do a production of major significance it's the quality and idea of the product that counts -not what it's going to cost. That you face afterwards." However, in reality Lew knew the value of good budgeting. Speaking in the early sixties he revealed that a normal hour of TV drama would cost around £15,000 to produce. This wasn't good enough for Lew Grade. "The ones I make work out more like £40,000 each. They are quality films and it costs me around £5 million to make four series of 26 programmes a year. For that I get two hours a week on our home station. Two-thirds of the money has to be recouped overseas or we just couldn't afford to give the British public shows of this quality. We all gain by the export market - the country, the Treasury and the viewer."

In spite of spending so much on each show Lew signed deals for overseas sales for most of them before they even went in front of the cameras. "No one but a fool makes television for the British market alone. Without the guarantee of an American outlet he will lose his shirt." This view even extended to children's programmes and it was Grade who bankrolled the popular Gerry Anderson series such as Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray and Thunderbirds: All international money-spinners.

But the BBC, funded by public money, did not have to consider such matters, and many of their own shows would have little appeal outside of Britain. It's hard to imagine shows such as Dixon of Dock Green, Dr Finlay's Casebook or Z Cars having much appeal beyond Britain's shores. But where the BBC's strength lay was in comedy and Comedy Playhouse in particular became the launch-pad for some of the most celebrated sitcoms on television. And these were not strictly limited to Britain because formats such as Steptoe and Son and Till Death Us Do Part were sold to the US and under titles such as Sandford and Son and All In The Family they enjoyed equal success in the States. And in Till Death Us Do Part the BBC pushed the boundaries of (what was then considered) acceptable comedy to its very limit.

The BBC became no stranger to controversy. Its groundbreaking 'new wave' of television drama led by gritty and realistic productions such as Up The Junction and Cathy Come Home not only courted praise and condemnation from all corners of British society, but in retrospect it can be clearly seen how they led to a better understanding and, perhaps more importantly, significant social reforms. If the 1960s did little else than enlighten a blinkered nation then it would still be seen as one of the most important decades in television history.

But the golden era of British TV was so much more than that. It was an era of boundary pushing, innovation, freedom of expression, social awareness and a flourishing creativity. Perhaps its strength came from the fact that television, still very much an infant itself, was being made by people with little or no experience in programme making. Without that experience there were no preconceived ideas of what you could and couldn't do. You just did it.

It was British TV's golden era. And it was every bit as good as we remember it.