ITV turns 60: Some of the most iconic shows

ITV is celebrating 60 years of broadcasting this week.

This week ITV is celebrating 60 years on air.

Here are some of the best-loved shows which have been broadcast since September 1955.

Coronation Street

Coronation Street first aired in 1960 and since then has gone on to become Britain's longest running soap due in part to its much-loved characters.

It marked its 50th anniversary in 2010 with a live episode which featured a tram crash.

Upstairs, Downstairs

Set in a large townhouse in Edwardian, First World War and interwar London, the series followed the lives of the servants "downstairs" and their masters - the family "upstairs".

Stars In Their Eyes

Gary Mullen performs as Freddie Mercury Credit: PA Wire

"Tonight...I'm going to be..." were the infamous words uttered by contestants taking part.

Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Cher and Madonna were among the stars most impersonated on the show.

The most prolific winner was Gary Mullen - who won the show as Freddie Mercury in 2000.

Blind Date

The moment Alex met Sue for the first time. Credit: GMB

Dating show Blind Date, hosted by Cilla Black, had its first wedding in 1991 - six years after it first appeared on TV screens.

Alex and Sue Tatham met as contestants on the show in 1988. Two more couples got married after meeting on the show.

However it wasn't all love and sweetness. A contestant named Nicola Gill appeared on the show claiming to be a temporary secretary. She was outed as a journalist for Cosmopolitan magazine on the show, leading Gill to be booed by the audience.

Spitting Image

Puppets of members of the Royal Family Credit: PA Wire

Satirical puppet show Spitting Image premiered on February 26 1984 and lampooned famous figures of the day.

The show sparked outrage with its portrayal of figures such as the Queen Mother as a gin-swigging Brummie; a pinstripe suit-wearing Margaret Thatcher and fellow Conservative MP Norman Tebbit as a leather-clad skinhead.

Pop Idol

Pop Idol judges Simon Cowell, Pete Waterman, Nicki Chapman and Neil Fox Credit: PA Wire

Pop Idol ushered in a new wave of talent shows including The X Factor.

The show, with judges Simon Cowell, Pete Waterman, Nicki Chapman and Neil Fox, ran from 2001-2003, with more than 13 million people tuning in to see Will Young beat Gareth Gates in the first final.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire host Chris Tarrant Credit: PA Wire

Judith Keppel was the first person to take the million pound prize on the show presented by Chris Tarrant between September 1998 and February 2014.

The show also had a moment of infamy in 2003 when Army Major Charles Ingram was found guilty of cheating his way to the top prize by using a coughing accomplice in the audience.

Downton Abbey

The cast of Downton Abbey Credit: PA Wire

The period drama focusing on an aristocratic Edwardian family and their servants has won numerous awards since first airing in September 2010.

The show has also been parodied in episodes of The Simpsons and Sesame Street with rapper P Diddy also starring in his own spoof of the show.