World in Action 1963
What is World in Action?
World in Action was a British investigative current affairs programme produced by Granada Television for the ITV network. The series aired for thirty-five years, beginning on 7 January 1963 and concluding on 7 December 1998.
- Type
- TV series
- Year
- 1963
- Status
- Ended
- Episodes
- 1,294
- Runtime
- 30 minutes
- First aired
- Jan 1, 1963
- Last aired
- Dec 7, 1998
- Original language
- EN
- Origin
- GB
- Networks
- ITV1
- Genres
- News, Documentary
- Updated
Where to watch
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How long to binge?
Estimate the schedule using 1,294 episodes and an average 30-minute runtime.
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Find the trailer on YouTube ↗Overview
World in Action was a British investigative current affairs programme produced by Granada Television for the ITV network. The series aired for thirty-five years, beginning on 7 January 1963 and concluding on 7 December 1998. The programme established a reputation for film-led investigative reporting and maintained a forceful editorial stance throughout its run. Its campaigning journalism frequently influenced events of the day, and production teams often took audacious risks during their reporting. The show produced significant public and political repercussions, including investigations into miscarriages of justice such as the Birmingham Six. Additionally, the series served as a platform for landmark documentary projects, including the 1964 broadcast of Seven Up! as part of the strand. The programme also featured reports on various aspects of society, including an examination of life inside Manchester’s Strangeways Prison, where the production team interviewed both wardens and prisoners. By the time it concluded in 1998, the series had solidified its place as Granada Television’s flagship current affairs programme.
Should you watch it?
“This influential British current affairs series pioneered film-led investigative journalism and held power to account for decades.”
- historic investigative reporting
- impactful political journalism
- origins of landmark documentary projects
- focuses on historical political issues
- may feel dated to modern viewers
Watch it if you are interested in the history of television journalism and investigative reporting.
The series features serious investigative journalism regarding political and social issues.
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Cast
Episode guide
Season 1 · 23 episodes
Open the complete Season 1 guide →- E1 Beat the Clock on Defence Spending Jan 1, 1963
- E2 Atomic Arms Race Jan 7, 1963
- E3 Congo Conflict Jan 14, 1963
- E4 East Germany Jan 21, 1963
- E6 Lord Hailsham Feb 11, 1963
- E7 Supermarkets Feb 18, 1963
- E8 The Fashion Houses Feb 25, 1963
- E9 Tibet Mar 11, 1963
- E10 Harold Wilson Mar 25, 1963
- E11 The Gambling Business Mar 25, 1963
- E12 Typhoid in Zermatt Apr 1, 1963
- E13 Migrants Apr 8, 1963
- E14 The Airlines Apr 8, 1963
- E15 The Volunteers Apr 14, 1963
- E16 The Der Speigel Affair Apr 24, 1963
- E17 The Petrol Business Apr 29, 1963
- E18 The Greek Royal Family May 6, 1963
- E19 Charities May 13, 1963
- E20 Stanley Matthews May 27, 1963
- E21 Litter Jun 3, 1963
- E22 Don't Take the Risk Jun 10, 1963
- E23 Election Costs Jun 24, 1963
- E24 Ivanov Jul 1, 1963
Season 2 · 35 episodes
- E1 The Guns Sep 11, 1963
- E2 Lord Denning Sep 16, 1963
- E3 Dick Gregory Sep 29, 1963
- E4 M.R.A Sep 30, 1963
- E5 Oxfam Oct 10, 1963
- E6 Blackpool Conference Oct 14, 1963
- E7 Living in the Slums Oct 22, 1963
- E8 Repairs Oct 29, 1963
- E9 Power Nov 5, 1963
- E10 The Prime Minister - Sir Alec Douglas Home Nov 12, 1963
- E11 The Shadows Nov 19, 1963
- E12 Increasing Traffic Nov 26, 1963
- E13 The British Way of Death Dec 3, 1963
- E14 Dallas Dec 3, 1963
- E15 President Lyndon Johnson Dec 10, 1963
- E16 The Cost of Dying Dec 17, 1963
- E17 Cooke on America Dec 31, 1963
- E18 Truth About Spain Jan 7, 1964
- E19 Alistair Cooke Reports Jan 21, 1964
- E20 Lakonia - The Facts Jan 14, 1964
- E21 The Thin Red Line Jan 21, 1964
- E22 Smuggling Feb 4, 1964
- E23 The Power of the Nanny Feb 11, 1964
- E24 Cyprus Feb 18, 1964
- E25 Concorde Feb 25, 1964
- E26 The Great Train Robbery Mar 26, 1964
- E27 The Williams Family Mar 28, 1964
- E29 Radio Pirates May 12, 1964
- E30 How to Make a Million in One Minute Flat May 19, 1964
- E31 The Face on the Cover May 26, 1964
- E32 Lord Beaverbrook Jun 9, 1964
- E33 Typhoid in Aberdeen Jun 16, 1964
- E34 Goldwater for President? or How to Win Friends and Influence People Jun 30, 1964
- E35 John Bloom Jul 21, 1964
- E36 U.S. in U.K. Jul 28, 1964
Season 3 · 27 episodes
- E1 The Story of the Sun Sep 15, 1964
- E2 The Flip Side Sep 22, 1964
- E3 U.S. Elections Sep 29, 1964
- E4 Canada Oct 6, 1964
- E5 Eyes Oct 20, 1964
- E6 How to Loose at the Olympics After Really Trying Oct 27, 1964
- E7 Vietnam Nov 3, 1964
- E8 Air Safety Nov 10, 1964
- E9 Smethwick and Racial Tension Nov 17, 1964
- E10 State of the Unions: Unions and the Motor Car Dec 1, 1964
- E11 Sunday Laws Dec 8, 1964
- E12 Labour Party Conference 1964 Dec 15, 1964
- E13 Ballroom Dancing Dec 22, 1964
- E14 Highlights of 1964 Dec 29, 1964
- E15 The English Disease Feb 9, 1965
- E17 Malcolm X Feb 23, 1965
- E18 The Night Drivers Mar 2, 1965
- E21 The BBC Mar 20, 1965
- E24 The Middle East Apr 20, 1965
- E25 Seventy Up Apr 27, 1965
- E26 Water Jun 1, 1965
- E30 The Other World Jun 29, 1965
- E31 Dukes Jul 6, 1965
- E32 The £.S.D. of MPH Jul 13, 1965
- E33 Jerry Builders Jul 20, 1965
- E34 The Tory Leadership Jul 22, 1965
- E35 Drugs Aug 3, 1965
Season 4 · 51 episodes
- E1 A Girl Called Sharon Jul 3, 1967
- E2 Some Grains of Truth Jul 10, 1967
- E3 A Duel in the Sun Jul 17, 1967
- E4 Defender of the Faith Jul 24, 1967
- E5 Mick Jagger Jul 31, 1967
- E6 The Third World Aug 7, 1967
- E7 Scientology for Sale Aug 14, 1967
- E8 Colonels' Democracy Aug 21, 1967
- E9 The Professional Dreamers Aug 28, 1967
- E10 Hell No! We Won't Go Sep 4, 1967
- E11 The Militants Sep 11, 1967
- E12 The Born Losers Sep 18, 1967
- E13 The O'Rahilly File Sep 25, 1967
- E14 Smith's Back Door Oct 2, 1967
- E15 The Breathalyser Oct 9, 1967
- E16 Island Under Arms Oct 16, 1967
- E17 We Know What We Saw! Oct 20, 1967
- E18 King of Kings Oct 23, 1967
- E19 Wanted: Kind English Lady Nov 6, 1967
- E20 You Can't Find Uncle Tom Nov 13, 1967
- E21 East of Aden Nov 20, 1967
- E22 Mothers in Action Dec 4, 1967
- E23 The End of a Revolution Dec 11, 1967
- E24 India on the Edge Dec 18, 1967
- E25 An Outlaw's Life Jan 1, 1968
- E26 The Long Bridge Jan 8, 1968
- E27 Alas Poor Hippies, Love is Dead Jan 15, 1968
- E28 Merchants of War Jan 22, 1968
- E29 Episode 29 Jan 29, 1968
- E30 The Twelve Year Engagement Feb 5, 1968
- E31 Death by Instalments Feb 12, 1968
- E32 Caught for a Baby Feb 19, 1968
- E33 Cold War, Warm Water Feb 26, 1968
- E34 No Entry Mar 4, 1968
- E35 Richard Nixon's Last Hurrah Mar 11, 1968
- E36 The Demonstration Mar 18, 1968
- E37 Episode 37 Mar 25, 1968
- E38 A Group of Terrorists Attacked... Apr 1, 1968
- E39 Listen, Whitey Apr 8, 1968
- E40 Horoscope Apr 9, 1968
- E41 Wake Up and Work Together Apr 15, 1968
- E42 The Flame in Spain Apr 29, 1968
- E43 Below the Belt Apr 22, 1968
- E44 The Star Spangled War May 6, 1968
- E45 Stage for a Revolution May 13, 1968
- E46 Ward F.13 May 20, 1968
- E47 Stop That Bowing, Scrapin' and Scratchin' May 27, 1968
- E48 Robert Kennedy Jun 10, 1968
- E49 The Guinea Pigs Jun 17, 1968
- E50 Election of Fear Jun 24, 1968
- E51 Jeremy Thorpe Jul 1, 1968
Season 5 · 34 episodes
- E1 Give Us the Works Sep 10, 1968
- E2 Spies for Hire Sep 16, 1968
- E3 February's Children Sep 23, 1968
- E4 Episode 4 Sep 30, 1968
- E5 New Drugs, Same Needle Oct 7, 1968
- E6 A Score to Settle Oct 14, 1968
- E7 Backs to the Wall Oct 21, 1968
- E8 Special: Vietnam Oct 27, 1968
- E9 A City Stumbles Nov 4, 1968
- E10 Nasser's Fortified Ditch Nov 11, 1968
- E11 An Outbreak of Peace? Nov 18, 1968
- E12 A Buyer's Market Nov 25, 1968
- E13 The Trail of the Vanishing Voters Dec 9, 1968
- E14 The Twenty Four Carat Kingdom Dec 16, 1968
- E15 First Class Delivery Dec 23, 1968
- E16 Sorry, Nothing Doing Dec 30, 1968
- E17 The Making of a Prime Minister Jan 6, 1969
- E18 Next Year in Peking Jan 13, 1969
- E19 All Change at Newry! Jan 20, 1969
- E20 A New School of Thought Jan 27, 1969
- E21 Death of a Student Feb 3, 1969
- E22 Like Other Men Feb 10, 1969
- E23 Living in the Red Feb 17, 1969
- E24 A War on Ice Feb 24, 1969
- E25 Home for a Revolution Mar 3, 1969
- E26 Where People Don't Matter Mar 10, 1969
- E27 A Case to Answer Mar 17, 1969
- E28 The Men Left Behind Mar 24, 1969
- E29 The Six Day War - Day 666 Mar 31, 1969
- E30 The Owners and the Owned Apr 14, 1969
- E31 Inside Out Apr 21, 1969
- E32 A modest proposal May 5, 1969
- E33 Two Men in Two Tin Huts May 12, 1969
- E34 The Leftovers May 19, 1969
Frequently asked questions
What was World in Action?
It was Granada Television's flagship ITV current affairs series.
When did the series air?
It ran from 7 January 1963 to 7 December 1998.
What kind of reporting did the show feature?
The program was known for its film-led investigative reporting and forceful editorial stance.
Did the show have any impact?
Yes, its journalism produced major public and political repercussions, including investigations into miscarriages of justice.
Are there famous projects associated with the show?
The program served as a platform for landmark documentary projects, including the first broadcast of Seven Up! in 1964.