1970s - 1976
9 O'Clock News1972
The main evening bulletin against a backdrop of the BBC newsroom. Not a PC in sight! The newsroom was actually keyed in behind the presenters! Note the similarity between the title graphic and that used around 1987.
Double headed presentation started on the 13th November 1972.
1976 - 1981
BBC Nine O'Clock News1977 On the 8th March 1976, the first common BBC News branding was introduced across all BBC News bulletins.
Angela Rippon became the first female to hold the job as newsreader on a regular basis. ITN's Barbara Mitchell and Nan Winton were the first female news readers to appear on tv.
BBC Nine O'Clock News1978 left clip - Opening with Kenneth Kendal
right clip - from a different programme, but the same year Richard Baker
BBC Nine O'Clock News1978
Presented by Richard Whitmore.
The Nobel prize for Northern Ireland peace campaigners, and Mrs Thatcher is having second thoughts about outlawing the closed shop (she did in the end of course). Note the pre-programme continuity - the voice is that of Paul Harris from BBC South, who's speaking over the network clock.
BBC Nine O'Clock News16.11.1978 Lots of holding captions provide a list of the rest of the evening's programmes ahead of tonight's news.
BBC Nine O'Clock News1981 In 1979 the orange double circle look was updated to blue. The Nine O O'Clock news set was also updated to a fashionable wood effect brown
BBC Nine O'Clock News (Closing)1979 / 1980
Kenneth Kendal here closing The Nine O'Clock News in 2 different sequences...
BBC Nine O'Clock News1981 Things aren't going to plan in our first offering; Jan Leeming appears flummoxed as captions appear where they shouldn't be. Eventually we cross to Christopher Morris with news of Prince Charles' engagement to Lady Diana Spencer. No such problems in our later bulletin (29.06.1981) read by Richard Baker.
Some stills featuring Peter Woods...
1981 - 1985
BBC 9 O'Clock News1981
BBC news programmes got a radical makeover in Autumn 1981. The heralding music of the last ten years made way for a new theme; the stripes era had arrived! Here's the first new-look main bulletin; instead of the usual circle the stripes form a distinctive figure 9.
BBC 9 O'Clock News1982 John Humphrys and John Simpson became lead newsreaders on the 9 O'Clock News from 1981.
BBC 9 O'Clock News1982 Seven weeks after the end of the Falklands War, a remarkable story of survival in the Falkland Islands is the lead story of tonight's bulletin.
BBC 9 O'Clock News (Close)1982
A bulletin close with Michael Buerk which recaps the top story and mentions the time of the late night summary before saying goodnight.
BBC 9 O'clock News1983 This clip features the full link between the previous programme and the start of the news
BBC 9 O'Clock News1984 Presented by John Humphrys
Another update on the Miner's Strike; Arthur Scargill rules out a national ballot while miners who want to work are being intimidated by pickets.
Further examples of content graphics, before the days of live tv reporting, it had to be done on the phone illustrated like this...
1985 - 1988
9 O'Clock News1986 On September 2nd 1985, The 9 O'Clock News recieved it's own look, a year after the Six O'Clock News had theirs. A bold new CGI sequence and double headed presentation.
John Humphreys and Andrew Harvey, sitting in for Julia Somerville, introduce the BBC's flagship evening bulletin ten months after the new state of the art graphics were introduced.
9 O'Clock News1987 This time, Andrew Harvey sits in for John Humphreys to present the evening news.
9 O'Clock News1987 There's no Comic Relief from the news which leads with strikes and more strikes.
9 O'Clock News (close)1987 The 1985 look saw a full headline recap at the end of the programme rather than just the top story. Note that it's the secondary presenter, in this case Andrew Harvey, who does the sign-off.
Some behind the scenes shots from the 9 O'clock News
1988 - 1993
BBC Nine O'clock News1988 Martin Lambie-Nairn worked his magic on BBC News from 31 October 1988, introducing a common look and the transmitter mast icon across BBC's evening and late bulletins. The aim was to redefine the BBC's news image. However, the new look was panned by viewers, who likened it to a Nazi symbol, and BBC unions, who sought assurances such a major rebranding project would never again be outsourced. How times change... Breakfast News and the One would retain their own identities for the time being.
BBC Nine O'Clock News1989
John Humphreys with an extended news on the day East Germany announces democratic elections as the Berlin Wall comes down.
BBC Nine O'clock News1990
Michael Buerk presents.
the right clip is the programme close but a year later from 1991
BBC Nine O'clock News1991
Martin Lewis with an opening and closing sequence from Children In Need night 1991.
BBC Nine O'clock News1992 New Astons were introduced to the Nine O'Clock News (and also to weekend and bank holiday bulletins) at the start of the 1992 general election campaign. They stayed for a full year, until the 1993 BBC News relaunch.
examples of content graphics...
1993 - 1999
BBC Nine O'clock News1993 This is the first programme shown on the 13th April 1993 when all of BBC News was given a coherent look.
Gone were the controversial transmitter titles, in came a bold CGI virtual reality look. The backdrop behind the presenters would change throughout the day from pink for Breakfast News to blue throughout the day, to a dark blue/purple for The Nine O'Clock News.
1999 - 2004
BBC News at Nine O'Clock1999
Here's the first broadcast of the new look 9 O'Clock News on 10th May 1999 with Peter Sissons.
Things look a little more familiar, with a major facelift for BBC News in May 1999. From now on, the regions would insert their headlines in the title sequence.
BBC News at Ten (First Edition)2.10.2000 After 30 years, the BBC decided to move its main bulletin to 10pm to cash in on the loss of ITV's News At Ten. The first Ten O'Clock News was broadcast on 2nd October 2000.
BBC News at Ten O'Clock2000 UK Today was broadcast in England during the early days of digital TV in place of the regional news programmes, which were only broadcast on analogue during the first couple of years of digital broadcasting. UK Today's lead stories are headlined in the spot where the regional headlines are shown.
2003 - 2004
In January 2003 a brand new set was introduced with a virtual newsroom of monitors, desks and screens. Huw Edwards became anchor of the 10 O'clock News, as Michael Buerk retires from newsreading duties. Peter Sissons moved to BBC News 24
BBC News at Ten O'Clock (Close)2003
Hugh's back with us for the final headline recap which followed the regional news
2004 - 2006
BBC News at Ten O'Clock2004
Presented by Huw Edwards.
Time for a change and the News 24 'clam shell' look came to the Ten on 16 February. The new sequence, featuring a large red globe, is interactive and allows one of the white text bands to carry a major headline instead of the default "BBC News". As yet we haven't seen this, but it won't be long...
BBC News at Ten O'Clock - Death of Pope2005
Presented by Dermot Murnaghan in the Vatican and Darren Jordan in London.
After a long illness, the Pope lost his battle to live on 02 April 2005. An extended bulletin, with further reaction to his passing. Nine days of mourning have now been declared and millions of followers have arrived in Vatican City to pay their last respects.
BBC News at Ten O'Clock - Election2005
left clip - Presented by Huw Edwards. The "election edition" title sequence for the 10pm bulletin, with Huw Edwards bringing the latest news from the hustings.
right clip - Presented by Darren Jordan. Blink and you'll miss it - during the campaign for the 2005 General Election, BBC News inserted the election "X" logo into the titles of main news bulletins.
2006 - 2007
BBC News at Ten02.05.2006 Presented by Huw Edwards. On the 2nd May 2006, all BBC News titles were refreshed with this more glossier CGI look. A new spacious set was also introduced, featuring a vast video wall, allowing the studio to now be shared by BBC Breakfast.
The brand-new, all-virtual Ten launches after the Spring bank holiday with the latest on the foreign prisoners scandal. And tonight there's a further twist - one of the unsupervised ex-convicts may have been responsible for the murder of WPC Sharon Beshinivsky...
2007 - 2008
2008 - Present
BBC News at Ten2008 Presented by Huw Edwards.
Coming just 14 months after the previous BBC News makeover, a more radical rebrand of the entire BBC News operation saw a new opening for the lunchtime bulletin plus some tweaks to the set. The bulletins were also renamed "BBC News At...(Time)", meaning the late bulletin now had almost the same name as its ITV rival which was relaunched at the start of the year. Gill Sans was returned as the typeface for on-screen captions.
