10. Porridge (1974-1977) Ronnie Barker was one of the UK’s most outstanding comedic actors, and Porridge represents his personal master work. Written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, it featured Barker as professional burglar Norman “Fletch” Fletcher, sentenced to five … Continue reading 100 Years of the BBC: #10-1

20. Colditz (1972-1974) Major Pat Reid, imprisoned by the Germans during World War II, eventually wrote a successful memoir of his experiences as a prisoner-of-war, and that hugely successful book inspired the feature film The Colditz Story in 1955. Almost two decades … Continue reading 100 Years of the BBC: #20-11

30. Wolf Hall (2015) The BBC do period drama like nobody’s business. Wolf Hall, broadcast in 2015 and based on the novels of the late Hilary Mantel, is one of the very best. Both books and series focused on Thomas Cromwell, first … Continue reading 100 Years of the BBC: #30-21

40. All Creatures Great and Small (1978-1990) Veterinary surgeon Alf Wright, writing as James Herriot, had made a lucrative career out of a series of semi-fictionalised memoirs about caring for animals in the Yorkshire Dales. While his work had already … Continue reading 100 Years of the BBC: #40-31

50. This Life (1996-2007)As the mid-1990s saw the United Kingdom succumb to the Britpop explosion, so television and film evolved to accommodate this new music-inspired craze for youth and drug culture. In 1996 audiences got Trainspotting in the movie theatres, … Continue reading 100 Years of the BBC: #50-41

60. Challenge Anneka (1989-1995) This entertainment program was devised specifically as a vehicle for Anneka Rice, who had become very popular in the UK off the back of the Channel 4 game show Treasure Hunt. The concept was trialled in 1987 as … Continue reading 100 Years of the BBC: #60-51

70. Cracked Actor (1975) Tasked with covering David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs tour, director Alan Yentob (later controller of BBC1 and ultimately creative director of the whole BBC) was granted full backstage access. Combining behind the scenes observations, sit-down interviews, and excerpts from … Continue reading 100 Years of the BBC: #70-61

80. Star Cops (1987) In 1987 writer Chris Boucher – who had created Leela for Doctor Who and script-edited all four seasons of popular classic Blake’s 7 – created his own science fiction series Star Cops. It had a terrible title, and it wasn’t helped … Continue reading 100 Years of the BBC: #80-71

90. Extras (2005-2007) It’s not Ricky Gervais who made Extras sing, it is the mind-boggling array of famous and respectable actors and singers willing to ridicule themselves in name of comedy. Whether it was Patrick Stewart pitching a movie where everybody’s … Continue reading 100 Years of the BBC: #90-81

The BBC was founded on 18 October 1922, originally as a radio broadcaster and – from 1929 – as a television service as well. I grew up in regional Australia, which meant all I got to see as a child … Continue reading 100 Years of the BBC: #100-91