BBC Four idents

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BBC Four , and its predecessor BBC Knowledge, are both channels operated by the BBC as cultural and knowledge based channels. Their visual identities therefore have been a result of this aim.

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BBC Knowledge

Ladders of Learning (1999–2000)

A ladders of learning ident BBC Knowledge ident.jpg
A ladders of learning ident

BBC Knowledge was launched on 1 June 1999 with the intent of creating a multimedia learning channel. [1] The idea was that computers, interactive TV via the Red Button and television could come together to make a new, factual, learning channel for children and adults alike. [1] The launch identity consisted of cartoon characters climbing 'ladders of learning' between clouds against an orange background. [1] [2] All the idents featured the station logo, which followed the BBC style design of the time by having the station name follow the BBC logo in upper case. This white logo would appear at the end of ident. [1] [2]

The idents all featured characters, drawn by Michael Sheehy, [1] shown with items such as a magnifying glass, telescope or rolls of paper. [1] Several variations of the ident were made featuring different characters prominent on the ladders of learning. [1] The ident was also used as the background to programme menus with characters seen climbing the ladders of learning in the background with programme information overlaid and centred to accommodate widescreen. [1] These characters could also be seen as stills on launch promotional material and on the BBC Knowledge website. [1] [2]

The channel launched with a Digital on-screen graphic (DOG), in line with the BBC practice at the time. However, different from the other channels which used the station logo, BBC Knowledge used the URL of their website 'www.bbc.co.uk/knowledge'. [1] [2] [3] The use of this promoted the website tie in with the channel. The channel also used credit promotions where additional content or information is promoted over a programmes end credits, by reducing the credits to a smaller size and filling the information in the remaining space. [1] [3] Another style of presentation utilised was that of viewer videos, shown either as part of the shrinking credits, or between programmes. [1] [3]

The presentation for the channel as a whole was in 16:9 widescreen from launch, however all information was kept in a 4:3 safe area, so no information was lost to viewers watching on a 'full screen' television. Information included the logo, promotions and the DOG. [1] [3]

Circles (2000–2002)

In January 2000, following the approval of the new BBC Four, BBC Knowledge's programming was realigned to better reflect the new channel. A single ident was utilised instead featuring a circle made out of different materials which would move forward and off the screen at the viewer. [4] These could be made with a variety of objects. [4] The musical accompaniment followed the choral and instrumental style. [4] This sequence lasted until the station went off air. Promotional style remained the same with the BBC Knowledge logo seen at the bottom. The DOG also changed to the BBC Knowledge logo.

Stranded idents

The channel had always utilised a stranded layout to make genres of programmes easy to find on the new channel. However, special idents began to appear for each strand from c.2000. [2] [3] These featured an object, before a fact about it related to the strand appears and ends on an image with the strand name shown clearly on screen, with a letter encircled at the centre of the screen. [2] It is unclear whether these idents were replacements of the normal idents, or complementary to them, however it appears they complemented them, with these idents being used in the stranded sections, with the animated idents used for general interest programming.

Following the relaunch in 2000 and 2001, all different idents were dropped in favour of a single ident, featuring numerous circles made out of different structures reflecting the new strands.

BBC Four

Improvised (2002–2005)

One of the improvised idents, used between 2002 and 2005 BBC Four 2002 ident.jpg
One of the improvised idents, used between 2002 and 2005

The BBC's "cultural" channel BBC Four was launched on 2 March 2002 as a successor to BBC Knowledge. As a result, the channel was to show a broad variety of programming. To show this, Lambie Nairn devised the idea of an improvised ident that reacted to the frequencies of continuity announcers' voices or the background music of the ident. [5] As a result, no idents were ever the same, however variations were produced featuring different visualisations, such as semicircles, vibrating lines or shafts extending from the bottom surface. [5]

The channel logo featured the new style of logo with the channel name 'Four' located in upper case inside a black box with the BBC logo above it. This logo was present in the bottom right corner of idents and promotions for the entire duration. [5]

The launch slogan of the channel 'Everybody needs a place to think' was present on all launch promotions. [5] Promotional style featured the BBC Four logo present throughout the promotion with the details appearing in white in the top right corner of the screen, aligned right. [5] If the background image was too light, a translucent black box was placed over the top third of the screen. The channel also used a DOG, however this was not the new logo, but a one line style used by the previous channel with the BBC logo and 'FOUR' to the right of it in the same size. [5]

Four sections (2005–present)

Swimming Pool ident introduced in 2005 (retired in 2016) BBC Four Pool.jpg
Swimming Pool ident introduced in 2005 (retired in 2016)

BBC Four's identity changed on 10 September 2005. These new idents, designed by Red Bee Media, featured an image made up of four parts but undistinguishable until something interacts within the scene. [5] [6] Idents included:

These are the some of the idents that were launched since 2016 which it was used to introduce special programming:

The black box logo was retained from the previous look but moved to the centre of the screen to divide the four segments. [5] [6] [7] Promotional style also changed. The BBC Four logo would remain in the bottom corner of the screen throughout the promotion, but would be overlaid by the programme information in an opaque coloured box in the lower right segment of the screen, with the BBC Four logo in the centre. [5] [15] This was altered in 2008 to a BBC Four box appears in the middle of the screen from which the video is wiped out anticlockwise round the logo from the right revealing the programme information to the right of the logo. [15] In July 2013, they updated trailer graphics. [16] This includes centralizing the channel logo unifying trailer styles from BBC One and BBC Two. In February 2018, [17] the channel updated its trailer graphics and holding animation shown during the channel's downtime hours. BBC Four is the first channel to use the new corporate font of the BBC, which is the BBC Reith. [18]

The DOG for the channel remained the same in the 4:3 screen size safe zone; [5] this was only changed in 2011 when it was switched to widescreen 16:9.

As of 2021, these idents have had the longest lifespan of any on a BBC channel.

The ident package was retained following the corporate rebrand of the BBC on 20 October 2021 with the 2021 BBC logo being placed at the top of the screen while "FOUR" was moved to the bottom, with the font changed to BBC Reith Sans. Bridge was the first ident to feature the updated branding at 7:00pm.

See also

Related Research Articles

BBC Knowledge was a British television channel which was owned by the BBC and was launched on 1 June 1999, broadcasting documentary, cultural and educational programmes. It was shut down on 1 March 2002, and was replaced by BBC Four.

BBC World Service Television, often abbreviated to WSTV, was the name of two BBC international satellite television channels between 1991 and 1995. It was the BBC's first foray into worldwide television broadcasting. In Europe, it was the successor to BBC TV Europe, which it replaced on 11 March 1991. The service was also launched in Asia as a 24-hour news and information service with minor differences, a precursor to BBC World News, launched on 14 October 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC One "Balloon" idents</span>

The BBC One Balloon idents were a series of idents used on the British TV channel BBC One from 4 October 1997 to 28 March 2002. The balloon theme replaced the computer-generated spinning globe that had been used as the main ident on the channel since 1991, and marked a radical departure from the traditional spinning globe which had been the channel's primary identity since 1963. It launched on the same day as a BBC-wide rebrand, and thus the new idents also carried the new BBC logo. The channel's name also changed from BBC1 to BBC One. This was the last ident set used by the channel when it fully closed down; the last proper closedown took place in the evening hours of 8 November 1997. Starting the following evening, BBC News 24 would broadcast on BBC One during closedown, which continues today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Learning Zone</span>

The BBC Learning Zone was an educational strand run by the BBC as an overnight service on BBC Two. It broadcast programming aimed at students in Primary, Secondary and Higher Education as well as to adult learners. Viewers are encouraged to watch programmes after the original broadcast via the use of, originally VHS, then later DVD. In 2015, the BBC confirmed that due to budget cuts, the service would no longer be running.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noddy (camera)</span> System for filming idents on BBC TV

Noddy was a camera system used for generating idents for the BBC One and BBC Two television channels from late 1963 to February 1985.

The history of BBC television idents begins in the early 1950s when the BBC first displayed a logo between programmes to identify its service. As new technology has become available, these devices have evolved from simple still black and white images to the sophisticated full colour short films seen today. With the arrival of digital services in the United Kingdom, and with them many more new channels, branding is perceived by broadcasters to be much more important, meaning that idents need to stand out from the competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer Originated World</span> BBC symbol

The Computer Originated World (COW) was the method of creating the BBC1 symbol that was used between 18 February 1985 and 16 February 1991. It was later used by the international, commercial television service BBC World Service Television from its launch until 26 January 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC One "Circle" idents</span>

The BBC One "Circle" idents were a set of on-screen channel identities used on BBC One from 7 October 2006 to 4 December 2016. They also featured on the BBC Studios channel, BBC America. The idents contained images of circles being formed by nature, or people and their actions. This was the longest set of idents that was used by BBC One, as they lasted for 10 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC One "Virtual Globe" ident</span>

The "Virtual Globe" was the method of creating the BBC1 symbol that was used between 16 February 1991 and 4 October 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Select (1992–1995)</span> Overnight BBC subscription television service

BBC Select was an overnight television service run by the BBC during the hours when BBC1 or BBC2 had closed down, usually between 2am and 6am. The channel showed programming intended for specialist audiences, such as businessmen, lawyers, nurses and teachers, and was designed to be viewed after broadcast via a video recording. It was funded by a subscription, and most programming was scrambled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Two "Personality" idents</span>

The BBC TwoPersonality idents were a set of idents used on BBC Two from 19 November 2001 until 18 February 2007. The idents were produced by the Lambie-Nairn branding agency, who had created the previous look. The idents feature an ivory sans serif white '2' in a yellow environment and performing a variety of tasks, and a purple boxed BBC Two logo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Two "Two" ident</span> Station identification used on BBC2

The BBC Two "Two" ident was the station identification used on BBC2 between 30 March 1986 and 16 February 1991. It was the last non-corporate look for the channel, and the only look until 2018 that did not feature a numeral '2' in the design.

BBC Schools, also known as BBC for Schools and Colleges or BBC Education, is the educational programming strand set up by the BBC in 1957, broadcasting a range of educational programmes for children aged 5–16. From launch until June 1983, programming was based on BBC1 during the daytime, apart from coverage of major news events which saw the programmes shifted to BBC2. In September 1983, programming was transferred permanently to BBC2 freeing BBC1 to develop its own daytime schedule. The strand, named Daytime on Two, remained on BBC Two until March 2010, later supplemented by the 'Class TV' strand on CBBC.

BBC One used a number of different idents from the time of the station launch on 2 November 1936 until the station took on the Mirror Globe Idents on 15 November 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Two "Window on the World" idents</span>

The Window on the World idents were a set of idents used by BBC Two from 18 February 2007 until 13 November 2014. They were created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO and produced by Red Bee Media. The idents featured a number 2 cut out of, or made out of parts of the everyday environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Two "Cube" ident</span>

The Cube 2 was an ident used by BBC Two between 2 December 1967 and 28 December 1974. It featured a stylised "2" that rotated on screen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Two launch ident</span>

The launch ident was a television station identification used by BBC Two between their launch night in 1964 and the introduction of colour in 1967.

Throughout the years, Children's BBC, and later CBBC and CBeebies, have used a number of different identities. The branding of the stranded service is distinctive both in the past and at present.

The presentation and the identities of the BBC News channel in the UK alongside its international counterpart and the BBC Parliament coverage channel use specific identities that demonstrate their remit and purpose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HGTV (British and Irish TV channel)</span> Television channel about homes and gardens

HGTV (formerly Home) is a British free-to-air television channel interior home and garden-orientated lifestyle television channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom and Ireland, currently owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel originally launched on 1 November 1997 as UK Style and then was rebranded to Home on 30 April 2009 and was rebranded to its current form on 21 January 2020. HGTV is broadcast 24 hours a day on Sky and TVPlayer. UK Style was transmitted by terrestrial provider ITV Digital 24 hours a day until the company's collapse in 2002. After a slight rebrand to UKTV Style, the channel made a return to terrestrial screens for a time in the mid-2000s as part of the now-defunct Top Up TV system. Home became available as a free-to-air linear service on Freeview from 1 March 2016.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Walker, Hayden. "BBC Knowledge". TVARK: The Online Television Museum. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "BBC KnowledgeJune 1999 - December 2000 Idents". The TV Room. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "BBC Knowledge June 1999 - December 2000 Miscellaneous". The TV Room. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 "BBC Knowledge December 2000 - March 2002". The TV Room. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "BBC Four Idents". TVARK. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2011. Contains videos of the idents.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "BBC Four - Idents". BBC. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "BBC Four September 2005 - Present". The TV Room. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  8. ↑ LightCreativeLTD (13 July 2011). "BBC Four Idents" – via YouTube.
  9. ↑ https://theident.gallery/play.php?id=BBC4-2017-ID-CHERRYBLOSSOM-1.mp4 [ dead link ]
  10. ↑ https://theident.gallery/play.php?id=BBC4-2016-ID-HOMES-1.mp4 [ dead link ]
  11. ↑ https://theident.gallery/play.php?id=BBC4-2017-ID-SATELLITE-1.mp4 [ dead link ]
  12. ↑ https://theident.gallery/play.php?id=BBC4-2016-ID-FIRE-1.mp4 [ dead link ]
  13. ↑ https://theident.gallery/play.php?id=BBC4-2016-ID-TREES-1.mp4 [ dead link ]
  14. ↑ https://theident.gallery/play.php?id=BBC4-2017-ID-TELEVISION-1.mp4 [ dead link ]
  15. 1 2 "BBC Four September 2005 - Present Promotions 1". The TV Room. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  16. ↑ "BBC FOUR : 2013 Miscellaneous Presentation : The Ident Gallery : Presentation to Watch". theident.gallery.
  17. ↑ "BBC FOUR : 2018 Miscellaneous Presentation : The Ident Gallery : Presentation to Watch". theident.gallery.
  18. ↑ "New BBC corporate font: BBC Reith: To replace Gill Sans in print and on screen - Page 33 - Post 1120406 - TV Forum". tvforum.uk.
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