programme broadcast at 8pm during the week. 17 July – Tyne Tees Television starts broadcasting in colour from the Pontop Pike transmitting station. August 3 August – The UK's final 405-lines television transmitter is switched on at Newhaven, East Sussex. All future transmitters are at the higher definition 625-lines. 6 August – A BBC2 broadcast of Christopher Marlowe's 16th century drama Edward II features the first same-sex kiss on British television, between Ian McKellen (as Edward) and James Laurenson (as Piers Gaveston, Edward's favourite). 19 August – ITV airs what is billed as the 1000th episode of Coronation Street. A souvenir edition of TVTimes is also published for the episode, even though it is in fact, the 999th. August – Yorkshire and Tyne Tees Television announce plans to merge when the two are brought under the control of Trident Television Limited, a company formed to deal with the problem of effective ownership of the Bilsdale UHF transmitter and the allocation of airtime. September 12 September – ITV broadcast the children's sitcom Here Come the Double Deckers. 14 September Ulster Television launches a colour service, but only from the Divis transmitting station. To mark the change, the logo is redesigned. The first colour edition of Blue Peter is aired on BBC1, but the last black and white edition will be transmitted on 24 June 1974. The programme alternates between colour and black and white depending on studio allocation. The Nine O'Clock News is first broadcast on BBC1. The programme airs until 13 October 2000 when the station's main evening bulletin is switched to 10pm. 16 September - Gerry Anderson's live action science fiction series UFO airs on ITV. 17 September - The hugely popular US cartoon show Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? makes its first UK television appearance on BBC1. 18 September – London Weekend Television launches its famous river ident. 19 September – The US cartoon series The Pink Panther Show debuts on BBC1. October 1 October — Anglia Television starts broadcasting in colour from the Tacolneston transmitting station. 15 October – BBC1 launch the popular Play for Today which showcases one-off dramas by a diverse variety of writers and directors. 17 October – The children's literacy programme Words and Pictures debuts on BBC1. November 7 November – Felix Dennis becomes the first person to use the word "cunt" on British television during a live broadcast of The Frost Programme. 8