BBC SCHOOLS & COLLEGES - BACKGROUND

PIE CHART
 
From September 19th 1960, the BBC began broadcasting schools television in the mornings on BBC One. Early BBC Schools presentation used a pie chart style interval and was controlled mechanically! Segments would vanish to be followed by a countdown analogous style clock.
 
The more famous BBC Schools Diamond sequence was introduced in the 1970s and again, initially mechanical. Following that presentation style, the BBC introduced an ITV Schools style clock in the 1970s with dots that would vanish. Timing was every 2.7 seconds (not very logical) and latterly was computer generated imagery (CGI). Computer clocks came to play around 1982. These clocks, as always, had musical accompaniment.
 
The BBC had one unique trait over ITV Schools in that the soundtrack would often be mainstream pop and chart music of the time. Library music was also used frequently.
 
In 1983 the BBC went through a shake up in scheduling, as ITV did in 1987, to introduce new daytime services. The BBC banished their schools service to BBC2 where it was re-branded, Daytime On Two.
 
The three images below are BBC Schools on BBC1 clocks, dots and diamonds from 1975, 1977 and 1981 respectively.

DAYTIME ON TWO: BACKGROUND

COUNTDOWN CLOCK
 
BBC2 was the new home of BBC Education, as Channel 4 was for ITV Schools. The first broadcasts came in autumn 1983.
 
The clocks were gone and latterly replaced with dedicated CG graphics. Images shown below relate to the launch term in autumn 1983. The second was the more familiar (to me anyway) animated 'TWO' logo. A digital countdown clock did grace our screens. At around fifteen seconds the top right hand corner of the screen was defaced with the aforementioned timer. Fifteen seconds to Fred Harris!
 
The three images below are Daytime on Two first year 1983. The second is from 1986 and the third is a 1988 programme information holding slide.