BBC Channel Islands

That looks very much like a PBU (Photo blow up). Many BBC English regions had PBU versions of their electronic graphics for Breakfast bulletins in the 90s. (You can tell the PBUs from the shadows...)

Hmm - either an opt is on the television or it is not... BBC One Channel Islands had TV opts more than 10 years ago - if you were watching BBC One in the Channel Islands you got a TV bulletin more than 10 years ago. It may not have been the most exciting TV - but I don't think you can re-write history to the extent that the BBC Channel Islands TV service only started 10 years ago.

If you use your definition of a "proper television opt" then loads of English regions weren't providing a service for years...

When Breakfast Time launched in 1983 most regional opts were in-vision and stills (if you were lucky) only with no VT. Similarly many regions were still running in-vis and stills only daytime BBC One and BBC Two opts well into the mid-to-late 90s. (At one point there were 5 daytime opts ISTR - 10, 11 and 12am on BBC One and two on BBC Two in the afternoons? One channel had 1'00" opts the other 1'15"? Some regions ran these as live camera and still-store only bullies)

Did it stop? I was under the impression that the "studio garage" camera+stills operation ran until the opt doubled in length when the Nine became the Ten?

I think it was around this time that Cumbria had a similar opt out with a "pres desk" (i.e. presenter vision and stills). It was part of BBC North West at the time. I seem to recall that Carlisle did the daytime summaries only for sone reason, whereas North West Today and North West Tonight ran across the whole region at Lunch, 6.30 and after the nine. The Carlisle opt disappeared after the creation of BBC North East and Cumbria. I think the Carlisle opt studio still exists as a down-the-line contribution studio, but it may be a new installation altogether. It's not one that crops up on the news channel very often!

I have heard stories that the Freemont installation was prone to opting out of its own accord every so often. In one case, the engineer was leaning over the desk fixing something when it happened. It was only when someone called him to report that a shot of his backside was spoiling that evening's programmes on BBC One that he swiftly hit the opt back button