The channel had originally been planned as part of the BBC's plans with Flextech to launch a series of BBC-branded channels and was conceived as a television version of BBC Radio 1[1] but conflicts over advertising on BBC-branded channels saw the UKTV partnership transitioned over to BBC Worldwide and the channel launched as UK Play on 10 October 1998, and without any formal ties to Radio 1.

On 30 June 2002, it was announced that Play UK would shut down at the end of the year, with the closure of ITV Digital being the reason for its demise.

Some of the channel's comedy programming like The Office, The Fast Show and Shooting Stars were moved to UK Gold following the closure.

The majority of the music programmes broadcast (quizzes, interviews and compilations) on Play UK were produced by UKTV.

Play UK also used to air repeats of TOTP2, which were originally broadcast on BBC Two.