BBC News 24 and World - 90s flags presentation

BBC World launched with the new BBC logo and the "sun flag" ident on Sunday 26th October 1997. The BBC at 75 celebration promos had the old BBC logo slapped over them until that date. Thus nearly two weeks before BBC News 24 launched, BBC World got its new look - in the 1990s BBC World's schedule always changed (like World Service radio) at the end of March and at the end of October when the clocks in some countries changed. For example, HARDtalk was introduced following the March schedule change in 1997. Further changes to the schedule did take place when News 24 launched, with "Europe Direct" airing at 2100 CET on BBC World, and 2000 UK on News 24. USA Direct launched at 0105 CET. Dateline London (with Charles Wheeler) also entered the schedule, replacing "Breakfast with Frost", which for some reason always aired early afternoon CET on BBC World!

Following the schedule change at the end of March 1998, BBC World and BBC News 24 started sharing nights.

You seem to be quite knowledgeable about BBC World during the flags era; may I ask you a few questions which have stumped me for a few years?

1) When did the most recent Asia Today titles and theme music launch? I know it was in use by 2001 and was used continuously through until the programme was quietly dropped in 2011. But was it introduced during the flags era, or when BBC World relaunched in April 2000?

2) What format did World Business Report have during the flags era? Was it just short 15 minute programmes like we have now, or were the editions 30 minutes? When did the London/New York broadcast start?

3) Can you remember any programmes by the name of "24 Hours", "Euro Briefing", "Science Week" and "Window on Europe"? If so, what format did the take and what were they about?

Sorry for asking so many questions, but hopefully I can finally get an answer for some of them!

Sorry, one more.......

4) What form did The World Today take during the 1997-2000 flags era? Was it just a 30 minute programme containing news, business, sport and weather, which was then repeated again to make up the hour, like GMT/Impact/The Hub are today? Or was it one continuous programme which didn't repeat any content? What times were the business, sport and weather segments during TWT?

Many thanks

Thanks very much for that reply. So, to clarify, was BBC World still using the old, / B / B / C / logo until 25th October, even though the |B|B|C| logo was introduced three weeks earlier on BBC TV in the UK?

Yes that's how I remembered it. I lived in Germany at the time and BBC World, NBC Europe and CNN were the only English language channels I had access to in 1997.

BBC World contained programmes that were shown on BBC1 earlier in the week or day such as Panorama, The Money Programme and Breakfast with Frost. I can't remember which programme it was, but my first sight of the new BBC logo on screen was on an endcap for one of these programmes, as BBC World still had the slanting boxes. My first sighting of the new BBC logo in general was in a small article I'd seen published in the Radio Times when I was over in the UK earlier in '97. I suspected at the time that the new logo would come in when the new schedule was launched so was up early to see the new look! If I'd known we'd have something like YouTube in the future, I might have recorded it

The October 1997 presentation uniquely didn't feature the BBC logo in the World News, World Today, WBR titles.

Although I didn't have access to it, the promos for BBC Prime during the ad breaks changed to feature a BBC Prime logo with a ball creating a ripple effect and the new BBC logo. BBC World Text took a few days to catch up with the new look!

1) Asia Today launched as a standalone programme at 1730 CET on Monday 3rd April 2000. Stephen Cole was one of the regular presenters. There was also an edition of Asia Today shown overnights (mornings in Asia) I can't remember if there was an Asia Today during the second half hour of the night shift before the relaunch. Nights used to consist of World Business Report and 24 Hours - a programme that had the same look as "This Week".

2) World Business Report was always a 10 minute bulletin at :15. Weather followed at :25. A new bulletin launched in 1998 at 2210 CET, which was a shame as the 2200 CET bulletin used to feature more British News than the other bulletins. In 1999 (can't remember when) it turned into the channel's first 30 minute bulletin from New York and London. Richard Quest and Paddy O' Connell started it off.

3) 24 Hours was around at the beginning of BBC World. It was a short 10 minute segment featuring news reports from the past 24 Hours. Similar in format to This Week - a rotating computer simulated glass panal with "24" and several dots in a circular pattern leading down to the text "Hours". This Week had a " T " on the computer simulated glass panal with three dots in a circular pattern leading down to "his Week" The titles featured the panal rotating, coming in to place and the three dots and text appearing at the side. (I hope someone can unearth some videos so you can see for yourself!!)

Euro Briefing was a short lived Euro-politics programme with David Jessel. The Record Europe kind of replaced that (although that's now been axed by BBC Parliamant). 30 minute slot. I have a feeling it was only broadcast in Europe.

Science Week - I vaguely remember. I think it was monthly and I think Nici Marx featured somewhere. Part of the World Focus strand. 30 minute slot.

Window on Europe - Introduced by Nisha Pillai. Usually consisted of her introducing a documentary style report. Part of the World Focus strand. 30 minute slot.

The 1900 CET The World Today (the original one) with Donald MacCormack and Nici Marx was one long programme. Originally BBC Prime carried the first half hour, and there was a pregnant pause at around 1927 when Prime opted out. In 1997 BBC Prime ditched all news. Business, Sport were during the second half hour. I remember that they used to have a segment called European Briefing at 1935 CET I think on a Wednesday. From Spring 1997 the programme was cut to 90 minutes, with HARDtalk moving in at 2030 CET. Not much changed in the format of the programme until it was axed, a few weeks before the April 2000 relaunch.

Think of the old style (1993-1997) BBC Breakfast News, less regional news but with a dash of Newsnight, and an hourly repeating cycle rather than half hour editions.

Newsdesk/The World Today at midday CET was the first programme to go all funny, with Nik Gowing thanking viewers for watching only for the programme to continue a few minutes later at the half hour. I think South Asia might have had a few opt-outs then. Quite a few programmes used to have trials with "except for viewers in South Asia and the Middle East" at the bottom, just above the BBC WORLD logo, e.g:

World Living
TOP GEAR
In 30 minutes

Except for viewers in South Asia and the Middle East
[B][B][C] WORLD

(all centred in the bottom third of the screen and in Gill Sans)

...so I presumed that the reason they were ending a programme halfway through was because someone somewhere was opting out of the main international schedule.

a516, I can't thank you enough for answering all of those questions. You have an amazing memory, and it's great to finally have answers to those questions! I've pondered about some of them for years.

I can only vaguely recall BBC World during the flags era. I didn't have the channel at home like I do now, and for most of the late 1990s we holidayed in the USA rather than Europe. So, my only recollection of BBC World was during transatlantic flights, when they would show an edition of BBC World News during the in-flight entertainment. I remember being mesmerised by the flags as the domestic BBC News at that time was all cut glass virtual reality stuff. It was like a whole BBC I didn't know existed!

The first time I got to see BBC World as a channel itself was during a holiday to Rome in October 2000. By this time the David Lowe era was underway and this time I mesmerised by his music, especially the breakfiller and 10 second countdown. Once I got home I found TV Home online and eventually started watching online streams of the channel in 2001/early 2002. I loved BBC World so much that I got a satellite dish installed in November 2002 and have had 24/7 access to BBC World ever since.

Just to clarify about Asia Today... when it launched as a standalone programme in April 2000, was that when the orange titles and associated theme music launched? Did Asia Today exist before April 2000, and if so, in what form?

Yes, the 2000 relaunch saw the introduction of the new orange titles. The overnight programme (or morning programme in Asia) was presented by the last BBC World duty presenter of the day, before the joint overnight service, which was very BBC News 24-led at the time.

I'm trying to remember when Asia Today launched as a nighttime strand. I really can't be sure of that piece of information. I usually only caught the last hour of the News 24 night simulcast with the 0600 CET bulletin at the time.


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By the way, if anyone can access back issues of The Times, the weekend (Saturday) Vision supplement in 1996 and 1997 carried BBC World listings. The supplement changed to "The Directory" during 1997 and ceased to list BBC World. It was the only paper available abroad with the TV supplement included.

Here's a fact for you: Olympic Grandstand with Des Lynam - half hour highlights programme from Atlanta aired on BBC World in 1996. I think Europe only. Back then, Olympics rights were held by the EBU, so no rights problems then.

24 Hours and This Week were actually REAL glass, indeed a colleague of mine still has them!

He also tells v funny stories of getting REAL flags fluttering in Soho Production houses at no doubt, considerable expense!

Wow, I can't imagine a time when TV title sequences were made with REAL elements! Everything's been computerised for so long now. I take it when you mention the real flags fluttering you're talking about the BBC World/News 24 flag idents? If so, how exactly were they recorded? Someone suggested a few weeks ago they could have been filmed underwater?

Boy, I wish someone could unearth some videos of BBC World (especially programmes like 24 Hours etc) during the later flags era. There's dozens of videos of the 1995-1997 era on TV Ark, but little from 1997-00. Go figure!

Yes, it was a Europe only opt-out.

In those days the European version of World was done by what was left of Thames (they were shareholders in the early days and AIUI there was an issue with BBC staff handling adverts) therefore the tape had to be biked from TV Centre to Teddington for transmission, at least once it didn't make it on time!


They still were until about 2 weeks ago!