This is a list of British television-related events from 1996.
Events
January
1 January – The James Bond film Never Say Never Again is aired as part of BBC1's New Year's Day schedule, starring Sean Connery. 3 January – Debut of Hetty Wainthropp Investigates on BBC1, starring Patricia Routledge. 7 January – The Herald (Glasgow) reports that STV have sold their shares in HTV to United News and Media. 9 January – The US science-fiction series The X-Files makes its debut on BBC1 with the episode Humbug. 12 January – Gaby Roslin presents her final edition of The Big Breakfast on Channel 4 after three years, weeping live on the air. 14 January – The network television premiere of Father of the Bride on ITV, starring Steve Martin and Diane Keaton. 15 January – Zoe Ball begins hosting The Big Breakfast on Channel 4. 15 January–11 March – Our Friends in the North, a nine-part drama spanning from the 1960s to the 1990s in the lives of four friends, begins airing on BBC2. 22 January – The Sci-Fi Channel begins airing episodes 109–150 of the BSB soap Jupiter Moon which were not televised during the series original 1990 run. Two episodes are aired per day up to 19 February. 23 January – The network television premiere of Single White Female on ITV, starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh. 26 January – The findings of the judicial review into the ITC's decision to award the licence for a fifth UK television channel to Channel 5 Broadcasting Ltd are published. The review concludes that there was no illegality or unfairness in the process. January – L!VE TV introduces the News Bunny.
February
5 February – Breakfast News Extra is launched. The 20-minute programme which airs at the end of the main edition of Breakfast News is presented by Juliet Morris. 9 February – The entertainment show TFI Friday makes its debut on Channel 4, presented by Chris Evans. The show ran for six series over four and a half years until 2000. 11 February – Debut of the Irish-set drama series Ballykissangel on BBC1. 18 February – The final episode of the long-running satirical puppet show Spitting Image is broadcast on ITV. 19 February – At the 1996 BRIT Awards, aired by ITV, Pulp's lead singer Jarvis Cocker invades the stage during Michael Jackson's performance of Earth Song. Jackson, surrounded by children was dressed as a Christ-like figure, an image which Cocker found objectionable. 21 February – Debut of the long-running crime drama Silent Witness on BBC1, starring Amanda Burton. 24 February – BBC1 begins airing a four-part adaptation of the Minette Walters psychological thriller The Sculptress. The miniseries stars Pauline Quirke, Caroline Goodall and Christopher Fulford and is shown over two consecutive weekends, on 24–25 February and 2–3 March.