March 1966 highlights  Only editions of Radio Times distributed in areas that could receive BBC2 contained details of the second channel; the South and West region in 1966 was not one of those regions, so once again there are no BBC2 listings for this feature.
Proving that splitting programmes around the news is not a new phenomenon, the new series of Dr Kildare was showing in two parts, although to be fair, it was two separate episodes. The early evening magazine Tonight had vanished the previous year; however its presenter Cliff Michelmore (right) was not out of a job, as he was now anchoring 24 Hours, the nightly current affairs show which ran until 1972. This was followed by Choice, which seems a strange choice of viewing for 10.45 on a Friday night; then what in retrospect must seem a landmark edition of The Sky at Night. During the hiatus between Tonight and Nationwide, a miscellany of programmes appeared in the post-news slot. Today it was Film Preview, which would appear to be a forerunner to Barry Norman's long-running Film series. This was followed by BBC1's twice-weekly 'soap' of the period, The Newcomers. The seeds of Look and Read were being sown in a story called 'Tom, Pat and Friday', which was airing under the Merry-Go-Round banner (what we now know as Zig Zag). A daily dose of Jackanory had brought the start of children's programmes forward to 4.45. Then after Crackerjack younger viewers were invited to write in with their views on television in Junior Points of View (the adult version aired on Wednesday with, no, not Robert, or even Anne, but Kenneth Robinson). Elsewhere this week, the classic BBC1 Thursday schedule was already in place, with Tomorrow's World doubling up with Top of the Pops, at 7.00 and 7.30 respectively. David Jacobs was our commentator for the eleventh Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night, followed by the infamous satire show BBC-3.
 And in Radio Times 5-11 March 1966 Price 6d
Dr Kildare Richard Chamberlain was the star on the cover of this week's Radio Times, still being produced fully in black-and-white (other than the logo). It would be another year-and-a-half before colour would become a regular ingredient of the magazine. On page three Radio Times previewed the Eurovision Song Contest, this year being held in Luxembourg, with pictures of each of the 18 entrants. The UK had yet to score a win, but our hopes this year lay with Kenneth McKellar (right). He didn't win, but we only had one more year to wait! 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Radio Times Covers | 
