The TK range replaced the Bedford S type in 1960, and served as the basis for a variety of derivatives, including fire engines, military, horse carriers, tippers, flatbed trucks, and other specialist utilities.

[3] Available with inline four or inline six cylinder petrol and diesel engines from Bedford, Leyland and Perkins, the TK was the quintessential light truck in the United Kingdom through most of the 1960s and 1970s, competing with the similar Ford D series.

[5] TKs were assembled for many years by General Motors New Zealand (GMNZ) at its Petone truck plant.

It was succeeded by the TM series and GMNZ later switched source to launch a range of Bedford-by-Isuzu models assembled locally from kits shipped from Japan.

[7] The Bedford MK/MJ was a 4x4 variant of the TK used in large numbers by the British Armed Forces and others.