BBC1 COW globe @ 20!

The COW was IMO a terrific brand for BBC1 and I still think it looks great today. It was generated by a whole rack of kit I believe and was there 24/7 as a constantly revolving source on the Pres mixer. It was of course accompanied by a new BBC1 Clock (though fairly similar to it's predecessor) which was called the GNAT - Generator of Network Analogue Time !

I think someone said on MHP chat ages ago that due the permament on screen COW in transmission control that the screen burn of the ident was so great that it stayed on TX screens long after it was replaced in 1991!

True - I remember at one point Midlands Today had it constantly spinning in the background on a monitor on their set. Kenny Everett also did the same in his final BBC1 series.

You'd think they'd have switched the monitor off when not required... Happy birthday COW, a design classic even if it did mean the end of the mirror globe. And don't forget, the first appearance of the COW, the clock, and their first closedown are all available at TV Ark.

Do Teddy bears count?

http://thetvroom.com/images-bbc-one/bbc-one-85/mhp-ident-cin-1988.jpg

Courtesy The TV Room

(Not forgetting gorillas, fish, eagles, whales et al on BBC Two idents)

The second one down has the BBC Video ident from this time. I wonder what it would be like if they used that music on the ident...

These little video clips don't do the symbol justice - try and get hold of a decent VHS copy of it to see it's clarity and motion, which is very good considering the limitations of technology at the time

BBC Video

Although I think in retrospect I think the mirror globe is also a design classic, in 1985 it did look very out-of-date and was long overdue for replacement; in contrast the COW seemed to get replaced a bit too soon!


I always thought the BBC Video globe looked rather naff compared to the 'real' version. I don't think music would have been appropriate on any of the globe symbols; the only time I think music was ever used was occasionally on one or two of the late 1960s globes.

Talking of MT, correct me if I'm wrong boys & girls, it was then veteran MT presenter David Stevens final day on air too, having been there since the late 60's, & ISTR he had a sort of mock chat with the Midlands globe(of course it was the final day of the regional mirror ident too!), along the lines of 'Well 'world', we've been through a few things' etc etc, & I think at the end of the show, they made the Midlands globe slow to a stop, then return to network, new COW, & hello Terry Wogan(It was his first of the thrice weekly shows too!).