BBC One comes full circle
After months of anticipation, the universally-disliked rhythm and movement theme was shown the door after a 4 1/2 year service period - fractionally longer than that of the balloons.
A stunning new look came to BBC One at 10am on Saturday 07 October. Based around the shape of a circle, eight new idents bring together kites, motorbikes whizzing around the Wheel of Death, lights in a block of flats and even computer-generated swimming hippos to draw the circle that is the sign and symbol of BBC One. The globe might not have returned in the raw, but the rotation and symbolic formations of the new idents is a nod to past BBC One identities. So it is definitely there in spirit!
The new identity was designed by Red Bee Media, formerly BBC Broadcast, bringing to an end Lambie-Nairn's association with BBC One after fifteen years. Music was composed by Imran Hanif.
Red remains the house colour of BBC One. Frustratingly for presentation fans, a new custom BBC One typeface has been created making it more difficult to reconstruct the new graphics. The clips are presented in order of first appearance.
2006
BBC One Ident - Kites2006
Majestically launching the circle theme at 9:58am on Saturday 07 October, a group of stunt kite flyers arrange their kites into a circular formation. Filmed on Ynyslas beach in North Wales, and featuring members of the Turbulence group of extreme kite flyers.
BBC One Ident - Hippos2006
Wouldn't it be great if hippos could swim? That's exactly what these computer-generated hippopotami are doing here, forming the BBC One circle in the process. Bringing them to life were Framestore CFC, creators of Walking With Dinosaurs and its sequels, with the sequence directed by Mike McGee. No mother-in-law jokes please! First shown 9:59am on 7 October.
BBC One Ident - Ring-A-Roses (Petals)2006
A cheerful sequence of children playing in a field, sending a cloud of petals into the air which lands around them in a circle. Filmed in the wild flower meadow at Coton Manor, Coton, Northamptonshire. First shown 11:30am on 7 October.
BBC One Ident - Moon2006
Not the first time the moon has featured in a BBC One symbol - remember Christmas 1991? But this is very different; a group of people in fishing boats take pieces of the moon out sailing, and then piece them together like a jigsaw puzzle. Filmed in the Kamenjak peninsula of north Croatia (the overseas filming incurred the wrath of some right-wing tabloids). First shown 12noon on 7 October.
BBC One Ident - Bikes2006
The legendary Shepperton Studios play host to three motocyclists performing gravity-defying feats on that stunt show favourite, the Wall of Death. First TX 12:10pm on 7 October.
BBC One Ident - Football2006 The token sports ident - and a study of what might happen if footballers could shoot with mathematical precision. Filmed at the Haberdasher Estate, London N1, and first seen at 4:45pm on 7 October.
BBC One Ident - Windows2006
The traditional kind of windows, nothing to do with computers! Residents of an apartment block in the Greenwich Millennium Village create a spiralling circle of light by opening and closing their windows. Viewers of a certain age might look at this and expect to hear "The next programme on BBC One this morning is Look And Read, which begins in one minute"..(!)
BBC One Ident - Surfers2006
It's off to Puerto Escondido, Mexico (don't tell the Daily Mail!) to witness four surfers riding waves so huge they come together to form one giant, perfect tube. This is the first time 35mm cameras were mounted on remote heads on jetskis to shoot at the foot of such big waves. Among the surfers is Carlos "Coco" Nogales, Mexico's leading big wave rider.
BBC One Christmas2006 Christmas and BBC One have two things in common - they bring people together. So what's big, round and fits the bill for BBC One's Christmas symbol? A giant snowball of course! A community comes together to build a giant snowball which they roll through the streets until it reaches a massive 19ft tall.
"Snowball" (official title) was filmed in Greenwich and features several polystyrene snowballs of varying size. Music is by Imran Hanif - comparisons have been made with the original Breakfast Time theme...
2007
BBC One Ident - Mission Control (Space)from 16.06.2007
The first addition to the set came on Saturday 16 June and was seen before - what else - Doctor Who! This imaginitive sequence features a space craft crash-landing on the moon, releasing its own roving probe which forms the BBC One circle.
BBC One Ident - Magical Forestfrom 16.06.2007
An enchanted forest with fairies and Hartley Hare's first TV job in 27 years (we wish!) The wonder of nature is there for all to see in BBC One's Magic Forest. For reasons unknown, this ident was delayed from a planned May launch, and was finally first seen at 9pm on 16 June.
BBC One Ident - Lawn Circlesfrom 14.07.2007
With circles as the theme it was perhaps to be expected that BBC One would do a crop circles ident sooner or later. But, as with many of the current symbols, this one was executed in a less-than predictable fashion. So it's off to suburban Surrey where the local equivalent of Stepford Wives engage in a spot of synchronised lawnmowing. With great results!
BBC One Ident - Neon (Saturday Nights)from 13.10.2007 Saturday nights are all about fun - and on BBC One Saturday night is so special it now has its own ident and stings based around it. Filmed at Blackpool Pleasure beach, the famous neon signs come to life and head down to the big wheel to let off steam at the end of another week. First seen on 13 October, Neon is strangely only used up until the late news on Saturday (after which time it's back to the other idents), but its jollity has often brought it into conflict with the gritty content of Casualty.
BBC One Christmas2007 Aka Penguins. A stunning mix of live action and computer-generated Penguins that whizz around Romford Ice Rink to welcome in the festive season on BBC One. The wrappers were first peeled off this ident (sorry, couldn't resist) at 6:10pm on Saturday 15 December.
2008
BBC One Ident - Helicopterfrom 01.01.2008
Since the introduction of the circles idents BBC One has reverted to normal idents on New Year's Day, whereas on BBC2 Christmas lasts 24 hours longer. There was some compensation in that a new, more serious ident, Helicopter, launched (quite literally) on January 01 with at least two different edits. This is the longest version, and the first broadcast in which it was shown almost in its entirety.
BBC One Ident - Penguinsfrom 05.02.2008
So popular were the penguins over Christmas that they made a surprise return, minus the festive adornments, on Tuesday 05 February just before EastEnders. "The penguins are back on BBC One", proclaimed announcer Delroy Haines. But was the re-introduction of Penguins all-year-round a reaction to the ident's popularity or was it planned all along? It's unclear from comparing the two versions whether or not the Christmas tree in the original was added in post production, or airbrushed out of the new version.
BBC One Ident - Capesfrom 24.08.2008 BBC One gets on its bike - but in the most colourful way, as a gridlocked, rain-soaked city centre is suddenly overtaken by a swarm of cyclists - each wearing a cape with one colour of the rainbow. As the sun comes out they make a colourful display at a roundabout. Three different edits of Capes are in use, the longest has a 15-second formup and the first outing was at 9pm on Sunday 24 August.
BBC One Ident - Dog Displayfrom 29.08.2008 The bad news - dogs have been introduced to BBC One. The good news - they're the four-legged kind and they'll make you wag your tail with delight! The latest symbol features a troupe of canine acrobats doing their stuff, culminating in a circular formation and directed with military precision by their Jack Russell leader. As well as the video we have an MP3 of the orchestral soundtrack - uninterrupted and in full.
BBC One Christmas Idents2008
Thirteen years after they were chosen as mascots for BBC Two's Christmas branding, Wallace and Gromit are back, this time on BBC One! Award-winning Aardman Animations produced the new BBC One Christmas idents (they were also behind the 2001 "Home For Christmas" campaign) featuring Nick Park's much-loved plasticine creations. Gromit pushes Wallace up a snowy hill in his sledge "Rosebud", only for Wallace to wipe out leaving Gromit to show off his snazzy snowboarding skills.
BBC One Christmas Idents2008
This is BBC One's first Christmas ident since 2001 not to feature live action, also the BBC One logo does not form up. For the news and serious programming, Wallace and Gromit disappear leaving us to admire the snowy view. The idents were designed to promote Wallace and Gromit's new film, shown on Christmas Day. The entire package comprises idents, stings, animated backgrounds and even a Christmas breakdown slide (wonder if we'll see it?) Post production was by Envy.
BBC One Christmas Night closedown25.12.2008
Duncan Newmarch brings his customary enthusiasm to the Christmas Night sign-off - but it's a turkey of an announcement (in the nicest possible way) as you'll discover when you play the clip.
Blue Peter: Behind the scenes16.12.2008
Blue Peter sends presenter Joel DeFries to Aardman's Bristol studios to see the BBC1 Christmas ident being made. He helps lead animator Merlin Crossingham and his assistant Will move Wallace and Gromit up the hill.It's a very long process, and when Will mentions that just half a second's worth of film is produced in one day, you get an idea of how long the 40-second piece took to make.
2009
BBC One - Football Ident2009
In 2009 shorter versions of the idents were produced, so the BBC One logo resolved much earlier in the sequence.
BBC One Christmas Ident2009 Left clip - BBC One's Christmas ident for 2009 featuring the TARDIS and Doctor Who (David Tennant) . "The End of Time" a two part Doctor Who was the big billing for BBC One's Christmas schedule, hence the ident! David Tennant regenerated to Matt Smith on New Year's day which was watched by 10.4 million viewers.
Right clip - a clean verison of the ident in full.
BBC One Christmas (News) Ident2009
A shorter version minus The Doctor for the news
Right clip - clean ident in full.
2010
BBC One Ident - Albert Square2010 Albert Square is transformed in Albert Circle as the theme for BBC One's latest offering, in readiness for the soap's 25th birthday celebrations.
The ident was first shown in February 2010
