<Li> 20 August--First transmissions of John Logie Baird's experimental 30 - line television system . </Li> <Ul> <Li> 1930 <Ul> <Li> 9 March--The majority of the BBC's existing radio stations are regrouped to form the BBC National Programme and the BBC Regional Programme . </Li> <Li> 14 July--Transmission of the first experimental television play, The Man With the Flower in His Mouth . </Li> <Li> 30 September--Number of radio licences reaches 12 million "or roughly every second home in the country". </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> 1931 <Ul> <Li> No events </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> 1932 <Ul> <Li> 15 March--The first radio broadcast is made from Broadcasting House . </Li> <Li> 15 May--Broadcasting House, the BBC's headquarters and home to its main radio studios, is officially opened . </Li> <Li> 22 August--The first, experimental television broadcast is made from Broadcasting House . </Li> <Li> 19 December--The Empire Service (precursor of the World Service) launches, broadcasting on shortwave from Daventry's Borough Hill . </Li> <Li> 25 December--King George V becomes the first monarch to deliver a Christmas Day message by radio, on the Empire Service . </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> 1933--1935 <Ul> <Li> No events </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> 1936 <Ul> <Li> 2 November--The BBC opens the world's first regular high - definition television service, from Alexandra Palace . </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> 1937 <Ul> <Li> 12 May--First use of TV outside broadcast van, to cover the procession that followed the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth . </Li> <Li> 21 June--The BBC broadcasts television coverage of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships for the first time . </Li> <Li> 16 September--The BBC makes the world's first live television broadcast of a football match, a specially arranged local mirror match derby fixture between Arsenal and Arsenal reserves . </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> 1938 <Ul> <Li> 3 January--The BBC begins broadcasting its first foreign - language radio service, in Arabic . </Li> <Li> 30 April--The BBC broadcasts television coverage of the FA Cup for the first time . </Li> <Li> 27 September--Start of the European Service on radio, broadcasting in French, German and Italian . Portuguese and Spanish are added before the start of the Second World War . </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> 1939 <Ul> <Li> Creation of BBC Monitoring </Li> <Li> 1 September--The BBC Television Service is suspended, about 20 minutes after the conclusion of a Mickey Mouse cartoon (Mickey's Gala Premiere), owing to the imminent outbreak of the Second World War and amid fears that the VHF transmissions would act as perfect guidance beams for enemy bombers attempting to locate central London . Additionally, the service's technicians and engineers will be needed for such war efforts as the development of radar . On radio, the National and Regional Programmes are combined to form a single Home Service . </Li> </Ul> </Li> </Ul> <Li> 1930 <Ul> <Li> 9 March--The majority of the BBC's existing radio stations are regrouped to form the BBC National Programme and the BBC Regional Programme . </Li> <Li> 14 July--Transmission of the first experimental television play, The Man With the Flower in His Mouth . </Li> <Li> 30 September--Number of radio licences reaches 12 million "or roughly every second home in the country". </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Ul> <Li> 9 March--The majority of the BBC's existing radio stations are regrouped to form the BBC National Programme and the BBC Regional Programme . </Li> <Li> 14 July--Transmission of the first experimental television play, The Man With the Flower in His Mouth . </Li> <Li> 30 September--Number of radio licences reaches 12 million "or roughly every second home in the country". </Li> </Ul>

When was tv first broadcast in the uk