The End of The World!

So, is this really only a cosmetic change, then??? i.e. the name of the programme, the title sequence, set design (etc etc) will change, but the programme's content will fulfil more-or-less the same function as currently??? (Remember, it was once " BBC Four News ") :

Wasn't it only BBC Four News for UK viewers - ISTR some complicated set-up where BBC World presentation played in different titles for BBC World viewers (or BBC Four pres did for UK viewers?)

I didn't think it became a BBC Four/BBC World simulcast until it was renamed as " The World "! It never occurred to me that they could cleverly brand the programme differently for different channels!

I imagine that they must've done something like what you said, if it was indeed a simulcast in those days, as the "BBC Four"-orientated title would have seemed bizarre and inexplicable to non-UK viewers watching BBC World.

Indeed. There used to a be a short sting before the main headlines with either BBC Four News or, for the international viewers, BBC World News.

It all looked rather good, indeed the whole presentation of the previous incarnation of the programme was excellent.

Still, World News Today looks like it'll be just as good - I only hope someone sees fit to rejig the second set around a little so it doesn't look quite so awful.

The old BBC Four News was pretty good - especially when George Alagiah presented it originally. I'm not sure how long he did it before being promoted to the Six O'Clock News.

To answer everyone's questions:

1) That bulletin was launched on BBC World only on Monday 21st January 2002. It did not premiere on BBC 4 until March 2002, when the channel launched, replacing BBC Knowledge. The first bulletin on BBC 4 was on a Saturday (launch night). This is the only time the programme has ever been produced on a weekend. It was re-branded as "The World" in January 2004.

2) Noggin is quite correct when he says it had different pre-headline titles on BBC World and BBC4. The former just said "BBC WORLD", the latter "BBC FOUR NEWS". The titles after the headlines went out on both channels and merely said "BBC".

3) George Alagiah originally presented Monday-Thursday, with Kirsty Lang deputising on Friday. Alagiah left to return to BBC 1 News in January 2003. Kirsty Lang then became the regular presenter and several presenters deputised, including Brian Hanrahan, Zeinab Badawi, Nisha Pillai and even Peter Sissons on one occasion, I seem to remember. Kirsty Lang was eventually phased out and Zeinab took over. Kirsty now only deputises on the programme as well as now presenting generic bulletins on BBC World.

4) If the new bulletin takes on the same format as the current WNTs at 11.00 and 20.00 GMT, then it will be a lot different to The World. There will be fewer feature reports and less analysis. WNT is more like a longer version of a normal bulletin on BBC World, which includes World Business Report at **.40. That said, I have no idea as to what the new WNT at 1800 GMT will be like. What I've said in this paragraph is only based on the two existing WNTs. They may re-jig it a bit for the BBC4 audience.

Did the BBC World titles ever go out accidently on BBC Four & vice versa, or were they pretty good at playing out the correct titles?

I think the titles will go like this:

WORLD NEWS
TODAY


BBC NEWS

when dose this pointless show end then its dosent seem to be anytime soon acording to the TV guide

will world news today on bbc4 come from N9

A simple check of the TV guide reveals..

World News Today - 19:00 GMT - Next Tuesday - BBC Four.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/listings/index.shtml?day=tuesday&service_id=4544

Presume it'll come from the same studio that the rest of WNT comes from - the second set in N9.

The last ever " The World " was presented, unusually, by one-time Newsroom South East man Mike Embley (sp?). Has he ever presented " The World " before?

He must be the only newscaster in the UK who introduces himself with "My name's..." (not Slim Shady! ) rather than "I'm..." It's so noticable, because seemingly nobody else does it.

I hadn't really held up much hope that the coming changes on Tuesday would be mentioned on-air, but they were!

His closing speel was something along these lines:

"And finally, some news about us . From next week, we'll be on an hour earlier, at 1900 in the UK - that's 1800 GMT around the world. And we'll also have a new name - World News Today - from Tuesday the 29th of May."

Then something to the effect of "goodbye". His very final line was either "Do come again" or "Do join us again" (I can't quite remember), which felt a bit cheesy to me.

It felt a bit too much like that Look Hull gem "Thanks for being there", IMHO. (Yuk!)

EDIT: Presumably the programme will have to be moved to 1900 GMT in October, otherwise it won't be able to go out on BBC Four in the UK (?).

Spelling is right. Can't wait for Zeinab's WNT.

RIP The World 2002-2007.