The pilot episode was created as part of the '' Comedy Playhouse '' series , although the BBC had originally chosen not to broadcast the programme . The pilot was used as a filler during the 1972 Summer Olympics when the coverage of the Olympiad was interrupted by the Munich massacre on 8 September 1972 , leading to a full series being produced . This first episode was repeated at the beginning of the first series on 14 March 1973 . Although the first series was aired in the same timeslot as '' Coronation Street '' on ITV , consequently receiving relatively little attention , the repeats shown later in the year were much more successful
Munich massacre
Munich massacre
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