1960s Books, Films And TV: The Decade Guide
Doctor Who, Coronation Street, the Bond films and the British New Wave, with children's writing at its best.
Below: the books worth reading from the 1960s, then the films and television year by year from 1960 to 1969.
Useful for a themed night, a reading list, a reminiscence session or working out what someone grew up with.
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Years covered in the 1960s
- 1960 - Coronation Street began, national service ended and the sixties had not started yet. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1960
- 1961 - The Beatles started playing the Cavern and Yuri Gagarin went into space. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1961
- 1962 - Love Me Do, the first James Bond film and the Cuban missile crisis. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1962
- 1963 - The big freeze, Beatlemania, Doctor Who and the assassination of President Kennedy. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1963
- 1964 - Top of the Pops, pirate radio, mods and rockers, and BBC Two. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1964
- 1965 - Churchill's funeral, the 70mph limit and the Beatles at Shea Stadium. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1965
- 1966 - England won the World Cup, and then Aberfan happened in October. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1966
- 1967 - Sgt. Pepper, Radio 1, colour television and the summer of love. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1967
- 1968 - Manchester United in Europe, Dad's Army and a year of protest. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1968
- 1969 - The moon landing, the Beatles on the roof and the end of the decade. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1969
- That is every 1960s year we have written up so far: 1960 to 1969.
Books of the 1960s
- Roald Dahl, James and the Giant Peach (1961) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964).
- Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960, UK edition the same year).
- Muriel Spark, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961).
- Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange (1962).
- John le Carre, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963).
- Eric Carle, The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1969).
- Clive King, Stig of the Dump (1963).
- Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar (1963).
- Alan Garner, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen (1960) and Elidor (1965).
Film and television, year by year
- 1960 - Coronation Street began on 9 December.
- 1961 - The Avengers began on ITV.
- 1962 - Dr. No opened in October and James Bond was on screen for the first time.
- 1963 - Doctor Who began on 23 November, the day after the Kennedy assassination, and the first episode was repeated a week later.
- 1964 - Top of the Pops began on 1 January.
- 1965 - The Sound of Music was released and ran in some cinemas for years.
- 1966 - Cathy Come Home was broadcast in November and led directly to the growth of Shelter.
- 1967 - BBC Two began colour broadcasts on 1 July, starting with Wimbledon.
- 1968 - Dad's Army began on 31 July.
- 1969 - BBC One and ITV began colour broadcasts in November.
More from the screen
- 1960 - Psycho and Saturday Night and Sunday Morning were the films that caused arguments.
- 1961 - West Side Story and Breakfast at Tiffany's were released.
- 1962 - Z-Cars began on the BBC.
- 1963 - The Beatles appeared on the Royal Variety Performance in November.
- 1964 - BBC Two launched on 20 April, delayed on the first night by a power failure.
- 1965 - Thunderbirds began on ITV.
- 1966 - Till Death Us Do Part began on the BBC.
- 1967 - The Jungle Book was released at the end of the year.
- 1968 - 2001: A Space Odyssey and Oliver! were the films of the year.
- 1969 - Monty Python's Flying Circus began on 5 October.
How to use this
- Themed night: one film from the decade, the matching party playlist, and a quiz round from the trivia page.
- Reading list: pick one book from the decade someone was born in and one from the decade they turned eighteen.
- Reminiscence session: read the television lines out and let people finish the theme tunes.
- Anyone born in 1960 turns 50 in 2010, 60 in 2020 and 70 in 2030.
Found your words? Now find the card
Shop cards Look back to 1960 Look back to 1961 Look back to 1962
How to write it so it lands
- Pair one film and one playlist from the same decade for an easy themed night.
- For a card, name the book or programme they grew up with rather than the decade.
- Charity shops are still the cheapest place to find the older titles on this list.
Where to shop next
- Look back to 1960
- Look back to 1961
- Look back to 1962
- Look back to 1963
- Look back to 1964
- Look back to 1965
- Look back to 1966
- Look back to 1967
- Look back to 1968
- Look back to 1969
- 1960s history: events, politics and culture
- 1960s calendar: year by year
- 1960s music: songs, genres and trends
- 1960s films and directors
- 1960s books: novels and authors
- 1960s art: artists and styles
- 1960s fashion: styles, designers and trends
- 1960s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
- 1960s travel: destinations and holidays
- 1960s technology: gadgets and computers
- 1960s shopping guide: what to buy
- 1960s games: board, card and video
- 1960s trivia: fun facts
- 1960s quiz: questions and answers
- 1960s party playlist
- The 1960s: the whole decade
- Retro gift guide: the 1960s
- The decade before: the 1950s
- The decade after: the 1970s
- All decade guides in one place
- Card messages by occasion: every guide in one place
- Card hub: cards, badges and messages by occasion
- Decade history by era
- Decade calendars: every year from 1920
- Decade music: songs, genres and trends
- Decade films: best movies and directors
- Decade books: novels, authors and reading trends
- Decade art: artists, styles and trends
- Decade fashion: styles, designers and trends
- Decade food: dishes, restaurants and eating trends
- Decade travel: destinations and holidays
- Decade technology: gadgets and computers
- Decade shopping guides
- Decade games: board, card and video games by era
- Decade trivia: fun facts by era
- Decade quizzes: questions and answers by era
- Decade trivia game: play for points
- Decade quiz: test your memory
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- Playground games by region
- Knock down ginger
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- Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
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- All guides
Frequently asked questions
What are the best books of the 1960s?
The list above names real titles published between 1960 and 1969, with their years - a mix of the novels that defined the decade and the children's books that have stayed in print since.
What films and TV shows were popular in the 1960s?
The year-by-year list above gives the screen highlights for each year of the decade. For the full picture of any single year, open that year's page.
Where do these come from?
The film and television lines use the same checked facts as our year pages. The book lists are our own picks - real titles with real publication years, nothing invented.
Do you sell books or films?
No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read and free to copy.