BBC1 EastEnders promos1985
BBC1 would never be the same under Michael Grade. A new look and new schedule changed the face of the channel in early 1985 but at the centre of the shake-up was the new supersoap, EastEnders. In the weeks leading up to Episode 1, a series of promos for the series was screened in which the characters would introduce themselves. Here we meet Debs and Andy, Ethel and Sue and Ali. Then, a reminder to tune in from the eve of the show's launch.
BBC1 - New Look Monday18.02.1985
Just before BBC1's new COW globe was revealed to an unsuspecting public, Ray Moore takes us through the brand new schedule for Monday nights.
BBC1 On BBC2 now...18.02.1985 Some things never change. The cross-promotional "ribbon" slide signposts Tele-Journal over on BBC2, on the night of BBC1's relaunch.
BBC1 Saturday Menu23.02.1985 (?)
From what seems to be the first weekend since the change of globe, a very pastel Saturday evening menu.
BBC1 Children's links1985
In the final days before the introduction of Children's BBC, the BBC micro was called upon to provide linking animations between afternoon children's programmes. Two examples here including a link into Jackanory.
BBC1 Bank Holiday Monday1985
This Bank Holiday menu reflects more accurately the typical weather conditions during a long weekend! And judging from BBC1's evening fare, you might think it's TOO long a weekend...
Autumn comedy on BBC11985 With the arrival of the COW came moves to establish the globe as a corporate symbol for BBC1 through trails and other promotions. This example from 1985 shows, ironically, a globe looking more like the old one showcasing the new comedy coming this season.
BBC1 Christmas Promo1985
Santa should be more careful - someone will end up disappointed on Christmas morning! But not this little robin who's in the right place at the right time when Santa sheds his load.
Trail: Silas Marner1985 Followed by some festive programme slides. This year they were electronically generated for the first time; they also shared a common design (based on BBC2's Christmas lantern).
BBC1 Easter Monday menu1986
A wonderfully striking promo for Easter on BBC1 featuring three colourful eggs. The animation first appeared in 1985 - why was it never made into an ident?
BBC1 Sunday menu1986
The late 1980s saw the first serious attempt at using corporate branding in programme trail. As this example shows, the COW era BBC1 logo is prevalent.
BBC1 Ceefax link27.08.1986
A common sight on weekdays in the mid-1980s - BBC1 hands over to Ceefax after Play School and Gharbar. The music is "Rio Dancanaro" from Maximus Music.
BBC1 Animation - Cogs1986 Turn on to a new season of inspired promos from BBC1! A witty stop-frame featuring cogs and sprockets spelling out "BBC ONE".
BBC1 All In The Day promo1986 A promo which brings a tear to many a hardened Pages from Ceefax fan! When BBC1's schools programmes decamped to BBC2 in 1983, the plan was to gradually fill the daytime hours with programmes. This went well at first but then a cash crisis left BBC1 in the nightmare position of having to close down for much of the day.
BBC1 Christmas Promos1986
The viewers of CBBC designed BBC1's Christmas animations in 1986 and three characters - a dancing Christmas tree, its star and a band of marching holly - were brought together in the sequence. You can see it here on its own and as part of the Christmas Eve morning menu.
Christmas Movies1986
It's the steel band version of BBC1's Christmas theme for 1986, and there's some great movies to make a song and dance about this year too. The promo is incomplete but enjoy the calypso!
BBC1 Election '87 trail1987
As Britain prepares to go to the polls, BBC1 promises a comprehensive results service on the night. Ray Moore has the details.
BBC1 Tuesday menu A1987
Several striking promo graphics emerged in the mid-late 1980s with more imaginitive ways of expressing the BBC1 brand. This example dates from summer 1987.
BBC1 Tuesday menu B1987
Another variation of a sequence first seen in 1986, showing a large "1" as the pointer in a sundial.
BBC1 Presley trail1987 Marking ten years since the demise of The King, BBC Television celebrated Elvis' life and work with a season of his films and concerts. Among these was the biopic "Presley", shown over two nights on BBC1.
BBC1 On BBC2 now...1987 Out with the ribbons from 1986 and in their place corporate cross-promo slides with a different look to the usual ones. At the time, regular slides remained exactly that.
BBC1 Wednesday menu1987
For the first time, the globe symbol is incorporated in trails. Just who is under those bandages in Dallas?
BBC1 Friday menu1987 It's what makes television possible, so what better way of promoting Friday night than a cathode ray tube identifying the station?
BBC1 Christmas Promo/Startup1987
Santa time once again and this year's theme is a stylised "Christmas" logo which doubled as the main festive ident. Starting in an attic full of toys, animation takes over to form the end board. Bernard Newnham designed the sequence. There was no real ceremony to BBC1's startup on Christmas Day. No music, just Andy Cartledge to run through the menu and before CBBC, some wintry film.
Into '88 with BBC11987
Christmas has just left the building so time to focus on the new year. And BBC1 leaps heraldically into 1988 with two stunning CGI animations to launch it's new year programming.
BBC1 See For Yourself trail1988 Time once again for the BBC to show us how our license fee was spent in the last year. The vox pops are quite telling - take away the pictures and you could easily assume they were recorded today.
BBC1 Thursday menu1988
Thursday night on 1 begins with Charles Nove and his enthusiastic look at tonight's offerings, including the return of Lou Beale to EastEnders.
BBC1 Michael Barrymore trail1988
Once upon a time things were "awight" for Michael Barrymore, who enjoyed successful careers on both the BBC and ITV. In what seems a precursor to his ITV series, Michael got his own Saturday night variety show on BBC1. However "Saturday Night Out" does not seem to have stuck in the public's mind as Michael's other series have.
Christmas Day menu1988
A look ahead to Christmas Day on BBC1, including Christmas Morning with Noel, the obligatory EastEnders and the British TV premiere of Back To The Future. Followed by continuity from Richard Straker.
BBC1 Promos1989
Sunday evening and a windy theme for all the usual evening fare. The end board at least had been used for some time at this point. Then, BBC1 looks forward to the new series of Holiday 89.
BBC1 - The Star Attraction1989 Today it's "The One", in 1989 BBC1 was The Star Attraction. Everything about this promo is 80s - right down to the television set!
BBC1 Interval menu1989 September 1989 and with it being Sunday, there's a five-minute break between the end of Open University programmes and Playbus. Time for David Allan to run through the morning's line-up, and for everyone else to get those line dancing boots on and shake it to the rhythm of "Cajun Highways"!
BBC1 Christmas Animations1989
The final Christmas of the decade and BBC1 really goes to town. Toytown, to be exact! A wondeful stop-frame sequence features Santa having a well-earned rest and a frog hopping aboard the BBC1 express, which also linked trails to the main ident.
BBC1 Sunday Menu1990 An award-winning menu animation first seen on BBC1 in the spring and summer of 1990. This summery piece expands on the globe theme and uses several artistic devices to represent BBC1's globe symbol, incuding a fruit stall shaped like Africa and a dancer with a globe-patterned skirt. The globe even appears in the endboard as a setting sun.
BBC1 Christmas Animations1990
A pop-up book was the centrepiece of BBC1's Christmas identity in 1990. It looks ordinary - then springs open unveiling a fantasy world brought to life by Maj the magician. In reality the sequence was made possible using the "Harry" editing system.
BBC1 Winter Animations1991
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, greater emphasis was placed on trails as a way of programme promotion. By now the animations were having a good deal of money spent on them, as this example shows. At the time, graphics were changed quarterly and this design survived the 1991 rebrand. See how conveniently placed the door is.
BBC1 - Open University1991 Recorded during the final OU weekend of the COW era, this link features OU programme captions (still on slides) and the welcome return of Mark Waddington to the announcer's chair.
BBC1 Programme menu10.02.1991 The Gulf War means extra news bulletins are being slotted around programmes, and this junction informs viewers of changes. Look out for the stylised OU logo for the COW era.