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
Spoiler-Safe Browsing Progress
Season 1 · 23 episodes
Open the complete Season 1 guide & lore primer →- E1 Beat the Clock on Defence Spending Mytharc Jan 1, 1963
- E2 Atomic Arms Race Core Jan 7, 1963
- E3 Congo Conflict Core Jan 14, 1963
- E4 East Germany Core Jan 21, 1963
- E6 Lord Hailsham Core Feb 11, 1963
- E7 Supermarkets Core Feb 18, 1963
- E8 The Fashion Houses Core Feb 25, 1963
- E9 Tibet Core Mar 11, 1963
- E10 Harold Wilson Core Mar 25, 1963
- E11 The Gambling Business Core Mar 25, 1963
- E12 Typhoid in Zermatt Core Apr 1, 1963
- E13 Migrants Core Apr 8, 1963
- E14 The Airlines Core Apr 8, 1963
- E15 The Volunteers Core Apr 14, 1963
- E16 The Der Speigel Affair Core Apr 24, 1963
- E17 The Petrol Business Core Apr 29, 1963
- E18 The Greek Royal Family Core May 6, 1963
- E19 Charities Core May 13, 1963
- E20 Stanley Matthews Core May 27, 1963
- E21 Litter Core Jun 3, 1963
- E22 Don't Take the Risk Core Jun 10, 1963
- E23 Election Costs Mytharc Jun 24, 1963
- E24 Ivanov Mytharc Jul 1, 1963
Season 2 · 35 episodes
- E1 The Guns Mytharc Sep 11, 1963
- E2 Lord Denning Core Sep 16, 1963
- E3 Dick Gregory Core Sep 29, 1963
- E4 M.R.A Core Sep 30, 1963
- E5 Oxfam Core Oct 10, 1963
- E6 Blackpool Conference Core Oct 14, 1963
- E7 Living in the Slums Core Oct 22, 1963
- E8 Repairs Core Oct 29, 1963
- E9 Power Core Nov 5, 1963
- E10 The Prime Minister - Sir Alec Douglas Home Core Nov 12, 1963
- E11 The Shadows Core Nov 19, 1963
- E12 Increasing Traffic Core Nov 26, 1963
- E13 The British Way of Death Core Dec 3, 1963
- E14 Dallas Core Dec 3, 1963
- E15 President Lyndon Johnson Core Dec 10, 1963
- E16 The Cost of Dying Core Dec 17, 1963
- E17 Cooke on America Core Dec 31, 1963
- E18 Truth About Spain Core Jan 7, 1964
- E19 Alistair Cooke Reports Core Jan 21, 1964
- E20 Lakonia - The Facts Core Jan 14, 1964
- E21 The Thin Red Line Core Jan 21, 1964
- E22 Smuggling Core Feb 4, 1964
- E23 The Power of the Nanny Core Feb 11, 1964
- E24 Cyprus Core Feb 18, 1964
- E25 Concorde Core Feb 25, 1964
- E26 The Great Train Robbery Core Mar 26, 1964
- E27 The Williams Family Core Mar 28, 1964
- E29 Radio Pirates Core May 12, 1964
- E30 How to Make a Million in One Minute Flat Core May 19, 1964
- E31 The Face on the Cover Core May 26, 1964
- E32 Lord Beaverbrook Core Jun 9, 1964
- E33 Typhoid in Aberdeen Core Jun 16, 1964
- E34 Goldwater for President? or How to Win Friends and Influence People Core Jun 30, 1964
- E35 John Bloom Mytharc Jul 21, 1964
- E36 U.S. in U.K. Mytharc Jul 28, 1964
Season 3 · 27 episodes
- E1 The Story of the Sun Mytharc Sep 15, 1964
- E2 The Flip Side Core Sep 22, 1964
- E3 U.S. Elections Core Sep 29, 1964
- E4 Canada Core Oct 6, 1964
- E5 Eyes Core Oct 20, 1964
- E6 How to Loose at the Olympics After Really Trying Core Oct 27, 1964
- E7 Vietnam Core Nov 3, 1964
- E8 Air Safety Core Nov 10, 1964
- E9 Smethwick and Racial Tension Core Nov 17, 1964
- E10 State of the Unions: Unions and the Motor Car Core Dec 1, 1964
- E11 Sunday Laws Core Dec 8, 1964
- E12 Labour Party Conference 1964 Core Dec 15, 1964
- E13 Ballroom Dancing Core Dec 22, 1964
- E14 Highlights of 1964 Core Dec 29, 1964
- E15 The English Disease Core Feb 9, 1965
- E17 Malcolm X Core Feb 23, 1965
- E18 The Night Drivers Core Mar 2, 1965
- E21 The BBC Core Mar 20, 1965
- E24 The Middle East Core Apr 20, 1965
- E25 Seventy Up Core Apr 27, 1965
- E26 Water Core Jun 1, 1965
- E30 The Other World Core Jun 29, 1965
- E31 Dukes Core Jul 6, 1965
- E32 The £.S.D. of MPH Core Jul 13, 1965
- E33 Jerry Builders Core Jul 20, 1965
- E34 The Tory Leadership Mytharc Jul 22, 1965
- E35 Drugs Mytharc Aug 3, 1965
Season 4 · 51 episodes
- E1 A Girl Called Sharon Mytharc Jul 3, 1967
- E2 Some Grains of Truth Core Jul 10, 1967
- E3 A Duel in the Sun Core Jul 17, 1967
- E4 Defender of the Faith Core Jul 24, 1967
- E5 Mick Jagger Core Jul 31, 1967
- E6 The Third World Core Aug 7, 1967
- E7 Scientology for Sale Core Aug 14, 1967
- E8 Colonels' Democracy Core Aug 21, 1967
- E9 The Professional Dreamers Core Aug 28, 1967
- E10 Hell No! We Won't Go Core Sep 4, 1967
- E11 The Militants Core Sep 11, 1967
- E12 The Born Losers Core Sep 18, 1967
- E13 The O'Rahilly File Core Sep 25, 1967
- E14 Smith's Back Door Core Oct 2, 1967
- E15 The Breathalyser Core Oct 9, 1967
- E16 Island Under Arms Core Oct 16, 1967
- E17 We Know What We Saw! Core Oct 20, 1967
- E18 King of Kings Core Oct 23, 1967
- E19 Wanted: Kind English Lady Core Nov 6, 1967
- E20 You Can't Find Uncle Tom Core Nov 13, 1967
- E21 East of Aden Core Nov 20, 1967
- E22 Mothers in Action Core Dec 4, 1967
- E23 The End of a Revolution Core Dec 11, 1967
- E24 India on the Edge Core Dec 18, 1967
- E25 An Outlaw's Life Core Jan 1, 1968
- E26 The Long Bridge Core Jan 8, 1968
- E27 Alas Poor Hippies, Love is Dead Core Jan 15, 1968
- E28 Merchants of War Core Jan 22, 1968
- E29 Episode 29 Core Jan 29, 1968
- E30 The Twelve Year Engagement Core Feb 5, 1968
- E31 Death by Instalments Core Feb 12, 1968
- E32 Caught for a Baby Core Feb 19, 1968
- E33 Cold War, Warm Water Core Feb 26, 1968
- E34 No Entry Core Mar 4, 1968
- E35 Richard Nixon's Last Hurrah Core Mar 11, 1968
- E36 The Demonstration Core Mar 18, 1968
- E37 Episode 37 Core Mar 25, 1968
- E38 A Group of Terrorists Attacked... Core Apr 1, 1968
- E39 Listen, Whitey Core Apr 8, 1968
- E40 Horoscope Core Apr 9, 1968
- E41 Wake Up and Work Together Core Apr 15, 1968
- E42 The Flame in Spain Core Apr 29, 1968
- E43 Below the Belt Core Apr 22, 1968
- E44 The Star Spangled War Core May 6, 1968
- E45 Stage for a Revolution Core May 13, 1968
- E46 Ward F.13 Core May 20, 1968
- E47 Stop That Bowing, Scrapin' and Scratchin' Core May 27, 1968
- E48 Robert Kennedy Core Jun 10, 1968
- E49 The Guinea Pigs Core Jun 17, 1968
- E50 Election of Fear Mytharc Jun 24, 1968
- E51 Jeremy Thorpe Mytharc Jul 1, 1968
Season 5 · 34 episodes
- E1 Give Us the Works Mytharc Sep 10, 1968
- E2 Spies for Hire Core Sep 16, 1968
- E3 February's Children Core Sep 23, 1968
- E4 Episode 4 Core Sep 30, 1968
- E5 New Drugs, Same Needle Core Oct 7, 1968
- E6 A Score to Settle Core Oct 14, 1968
- E7 Backs to the Wall Core Oct 21, 1968
- E8 Special: Vietnam Core Oct 27, 1968
- E9 A City Stumbles Core Nov 4, 1968
- E10 Nasser's Fortified Ditch Core Nov 11, 1968
- E11 An Outbreak of Peace? Core Nov 18, 1968
- E12 A Buyer's Market Core Nov 25, 1968
- E13 The Trail of the Vanishing Voters Core Dec 9, 1968
- E14 The Twenty Four Carat Kingdom Core Dec 16, 1968
- E15 First Class Delivery Core Dec 23, 1968
- E16 Sorry, Nothing Doing Core Dec 30, 1968
- E17 The Making of a Prime Minister Core Jan 6, 1969
- E18 Next Year in Peking Core Jan 13, 1969
- E19 All Change at Newry! Core Jan 20, 1969
- E20 A New School of Thought Core Jan 27, 1969
- E21 Death of a Student Core Feb 3, 1969
- E22 Like Other Men Core Feb 10, 1969
- E23 Living in the Red Core Feb 17, 1969
- E24 A War on Ice Core Feb 24, 1969
- E25 Home for a Revolution Core Mar 3, 1969
- E26 Where People Don't Matter Core Mar 10, 1969
- E27 A Case to Answer Core Mar 17, 1969
- E28 The Men Left Behind Core Mar 24, 1969
- E29 The Six Day War - Day 666 Core Mar 31, 1969
- E30 The Owners and the Owned Core Apr 14, 1969
- E31 Inside Out Core Apr 21, 1969
- E32 A modest proposal Core May 5, 1969
- E33 Two Men in Two Tin Huts Mytharc May 12, 1969
- E34 The Leftovers Mytharc 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.