BBC One 2016

Citation needed

I bet they are nowhere near as popular as the balloon idents and they had no problem in ditching them!

You're right- the legacy of Heggessey (Lorraine) who became BBC One's controller in 2000 and made it clear at the outset that she didn't like the balloons. It's a genuine shame that they only lasted 4 and a half years. They were well liked and could have gone on for a lot longer.

They were easy to adapt and evolve too. I guess you could say the same about the circles. No need to drop the circles concept. Just update, evolve and refresh them.

Even in that article they continue to insist the balloon was dropped because the globe isn't inclusive enough. Really can't think of a more inclusive thing myself.

Meanwhile in an alternative universe Strictly Come Hot Air Ballooning is thrashing The X Factor.

The entire planet isn't inclusive enough? What do they want? A solar system ident with spaceships and Martians included, you know, just in case they feel left out?

As much as the fact that Heggessey scrapped what was the best of BBC ONE's presentation - she actually did play a part in helping the channel to finally beat ITV in the ratings, especially with the commissions of Strictly and Doctor Who.

It's a genuine shame that the balloons were pulled - an excellent soundtrack and it truly did represent the beauty of the country as well as what BBC ONE stood for.

As for the circles, they are faithful to the previous globe symbol but are shockingly aging and stale. Changing the motif to a falling 'o' isn't going to help things considering that all manner of consistency is being lost with the current presentation design.

The 2002 paragraph is a spectacular load of early 2000s' marketing mush, trying far too hard to create a problem and justify a solution.

The balloon was iconic... it's a real shame they thought people dressed in bright red and dancing around was a fantastic way to come across as being more diverse...

I firmly believe BBC One and 2 got it right in the late 90s... but once they went digital and competition with other digital channels grew they seemed to worry more about standing out from the crowd without thinking about what the real identities of the channel were.

Red for BBC One and Yellow/Purple for BBC 2 was just... blergh.

itv has been guilty of this too... but the difference is that they were merging into one company in the digital age

The red and purple wasn't the problem - the balloon idents could easily have continued with the red box in the corner.

Does anyone know the reason why she hated the balloons? Did she think the brand wasn't strong enought to tell the viewer what BBC1 was all about.

Probably the same reason I wasn't keen - it was a bit dull.