Thank you both. It was as much a culture shock for viewers as it was for BBC continuity announcers. After years of being used to talking over idents that were just there and you could talk whenever you wanted to, they were then confronted with a jingle or form up leading into the ident. I did notice back then that they had no trouble when it was a trailer leading straight into an ident.
Are the BBC incapable of making a Christmas trailer remotely exciting anymore? Even going back to as late as 2005, the two trailers for Christmas were very fast pace and made you feel excited, but this years (and last years I must add) just don't.
For the Christmas ident, I was hoping for something along the lines of people in a "close" (i.e. a road with a round bit at the top from a birds eye view) with a christmas tree in the centre with people holding hands and singing around it. A few shots would be taken of the people, then zooming out for a birds eye view with the top of the Christmas tree being where the "o" in "one" is...
So it appears that ice skating is going to make an appearance for this years Christmas ident. Personally I think that this would have been a better idea for a dancer ident by using figure skaters than what was actually offered. Also I think that it may be a bit mundane if the skating has to form a circle as it will no doubt do the standard close up of a skater, zoom out and pan up to show lots of skaters conveniently forming a circle. Not the most interesting really.
Poor trailer really, its mainly promoting Doctor Who. Was that Clive Swift at the beginning? I thought Keeping Up Appearances was coming back, it obviously isn't but that would be something.
Poor trailer really, its mainly promoting Doctor Who. Was that Clive Swift at the beginning? I thought Keeping Up Appearances was coming back, it obviously isn't but that would be something.
Keeping Up Appearances isn't coming back but To the Manor Born is, but it's called.....wait for it...To The Manor
REBORN
.
Do you see what they did there?
Also I think that is just the drama trailer, no doubt we'll get trailers for comedies and films too like we did in previous years.
Is Phil on over Christmas? And one thing I've always wanted to know. When new idents get introduced do the announcers do continuity rehearsals? I remember Christmas 1987 and David Wheal always speaking too early before the music started on the BBC1 ident that year.
Everything is scripted and pre-agreed - even back in 1980 there were "production meetings" of the pres staff whereby scripts were gone over for that evening's shift.
Interesting you should mention David Wheal's example in 1987. That was the first year BBC1 had ever used an ident with any sort of form-up and so it was perhaps to be expected that some annos weren't used to having to wait before speaking. Andy Cartledge was similarly "caught out" that same year - there's video evidence on MHP.
Found this old Christmas 1987 trailer, watch to the end and you can hear the continuity announcer speaking a bit too early over the ident.
