RW
That was the continuously looped one, wasn't it? I seem to remember they showed a blurred, slowed down version of it during the channel's downtime too.
Yes, that's the one.
Yes, BBC Choice used to have a lot of low budget, but quirky programmes which I used to like. At times there was a sense of 'no one's watching, we can do what we like', which came out particularly in programmes like The RDA. In contrast, BBC Three when it launched, lost that quirkiness and felt blander, more like a 'proper' channel.
Robert Williams
Founding member
So that ident only had just over a year of use, which was a shame as it was rather nice!
That was the continuously looped one, wasn't it? I seem to remember they showed a blurred, slowed down version of it during the channel's downtime too.
Yes, that's the one.
The early days of digital TV seemed much more imaginitive than what we have today in my opinion!
Yes, BBC Choice used to have a lot of low budget, but quirky programmes which I used to like. At times there was a sense of 'no one's watching, we can do what we like', which came out particularly in programmes like The RDA. In contrast, BBC Three when it launched, lost that quirkiness and felt blander, more like a 'proper' channel.
IS
Yep, they were just branded 'CBBC' and the promos had to say things like 'after the next programme' because it was a 3 hour block of programmes repeated from 6am.
It was such a low key service, I worked in BBC Presentation at the time and it was launched with zero fanfare and run very cheaply. I don't remember it getting any promotion and the programmes weren't listed anywhere, even in the Radio Times: Genome has them as 'children's programmes'. It was obviously a try out for what became CBeebies, but presumably until there was proper approval for a seperate channel it was kept hush hush.
These were 'hidden' images on The TV Room which could only be accessed by manipulating image URLs since they were not featured on a page, and are thus not included in the mirror - I believe them to be from CBBC On Choice.
Yep, they were just branded 'CBBC' and the promos had to say things like 'after the next programme' because it was a 3 hour block of programmes repeated from 6am.
It was such a low key service, I worked in BBC Presentation at the time and it was launched with zero fanfare and run very cheaply. I don't remember it getting any promotion and the programmes weren't listed anywhere, even in the Radio Times: Genome has them as 'children's programmes'. It was obviously a try out for what became CBeebies, but presumably until there was proper approval for a seperate channel it was kept hush hush.
JA
One thing that was good about it is they repeated some early 90s stuff like Bitsa and Radio Roo which I don't think was shown again after CBeebies and the CBBC Channel launched.
NT
They also repeated some post 1983 Play Schools at Christmas, the only time there's ever been a repeat of the programme since it came off the air in 1988.
One thing that was good about it is they repeated some early 90s stuff like Bitsa and Radio Roo which I don't think was shown again after CBeebies and the CBBC Channel launched.
They also repeated some post 1983 Play Schools at Christmas, the only time there's ever been a repeat of the programme since it came off the air in 1988.
VM
The CBBC Channel had 'Class TV' for a while which repeated some old Look & Read shows. Schools programmes were removed from its licence around 2008 though.
One thing that was good about it is they repeated some early 90s stuff like Bitsa and Radio Roo which I don't think was shown again after CBeebies and the CBBC Channel launched.
The CBBC Channel had 'Class TV' for a while which repeated some old Look & Read shows. Schools programmes were removed from its licence around 2008 though.
JA
I'm sure the schools programmes had vanished well before then! I think they even dropped the Class TV name and branding after a while, and it was just continuity-less, straight from one show to the next.
I also found it funny how long primary school programmes lasted on the schedules- I remember seeing BBC Two showing English Express around 2008/2009, which we were shown during my last year at primary school in 1996! None of the kids who would have been watching it then would even have been born when I first saw it.
I also found it funny how long primary school programmes lasted on the schedules- I remember seeing BBC Two showing English Express around 2008/2009, which we were shown during my last year at primary school in 1996! None of the kids who would have been watching it then would even have been born when I first saw it.
Last edited by james-2001 on 28 October 2015 9:22pm - 2 times in total
RW
They also repeated some post 1983 Play Schools at Christmas, the only time there's ever been a repeat of the programme since it came off the air in 1988.
That's the thing I liked about CBBC on Choice - with no budget and a three hour loop to fill, it sometimes delved further into the archives than CBBC had done for a while.
As mentioned, Radio Times didn't print the schedule; possibly the only place that did was the monthly ONDigital magazine. Though most of the line-up in the first month consists of the usual Teletubbies, Tweenies, Playdays, Bob the Builder etc, they were also showing ancient episodes of Caterpillar Trail, complete with plugs for then-upcoming nature events from 15 years earlier! They also showed other 80s shows that hadn't received an outing for a while, like Bertha, and Pigeon Street, and I think went back as far as Mr Benn.
The change to CBeebies was rather disappointing, as it consisted of mostly new or recent shows that didn't have the same archival interest!
The earlier CBBC Choice also included archive material such as Rentaghost, but also less expected shows like Jossy's Giants.
Robert Williams
Founding member
One thing that was good about it is they repeated some early 90s stuff like Bitsa and Radio Roo which I don't think was shown again after CBeebies and the CBBC Channel launched.
They also repeated some post 1983 Play Schools at Christmas, the only time there's ever been a repeat of the programme since it came off the air in 1988.
That's the thing I liked about CBBC on Choice - with no budget and a three hour loop to fill, it sometimes delved further into the archives than CBBC had done for a while.
As mentioned, Radio Times didn't print the schedule; possibly the only place that did was the monthly ONDigital magazine. Though most of the line-up in the first month consists of the usual Teletubbies, Tweenies, Playdays, Bob the Builder etc, they were also showing ancient episodes of Caterpillar Trail, complete with plugs for then-upcoming nature events from 15 years earlier! They also showed other 80s shows that hadn't received an outing for a while, like Bertha, and Pigeon Street, and I think went back as far as Mr Benn.
The change to CBeebies was rather disappointing, as it consisted of mostly new or recent shows that didn't have the same archival interest!
The earlier CBBC Choice also included archive material such as Rentaghost, but also less expected shows like Jossy's Giants.
JA
Rentaghost did at least show up on the first series of Dick & Dom In Da Bungalow (when it was still CBBC Channel only). In fact the CBBC channel did show a few archive shows when it first began, sadly they were gone after probably only around a year or two.
It's a shame that there's such an archive of shows that both CBBC and CITV could show, but they don't. Seeing as CITV could theoretically broadcast for 24 hours (as they haven't timeshared their space for years IIRC), as could CBBC when BBC Three closes down, couldn't they use some of these late night/overnight slots to show archive programming?
It's a shame that there's such an archive of shows that both CBBC and CITV could show, but they don't. Seeing as CITV could theoretically broadcast for 24 hours (as they haven't timeshared their space for years IIRC), as could CBBC when BBC Three closes down, couldn't they use some of these late night/overnight slots to show archive programming?
:-(
A former member
A good amount of old CITV archive does not belong to ITV plc., TVS stuff, Thames stuff and even the cartoon Central created I believe are now owned by the current owners of Filmfair.
JA
They have ownership of the good majority of it though. It's only really, what, Thames, TVS and STV stuff they don't own? And even then I imagine the Thames & STV stuff could be bought in fairly cheaply. TVS though is obviously f***ed apart from Art Attack (which I think Disney own now? Along with TVS ironically, though through a different route and with paperwork).
NJ
When TVS lost its franchise, Neil Buchanan formed the Media Merchants and bought the rights to Art Attack and transferred it to Media Merchants. To get a programme on the ITV network prior to 1993, it had to go through an ITV contractor and thus it went through STV, effectively following Nigel Pickard who moved to STV when TVS lost the franchise.
Media Merchants was later ultimately taken over by HIT Entertainment, which was an arm of Jim Henson Productions but after Art Attack was dropped by CITV, Media Merchants closed, and HIT have since sold the rights to it, seemingly into the hands of Disney who have revived the format for Disney Junior.
Apparently the Disney Junior version of the show is/was filmed in Argentina in contrast to the original UK version which was filmed at the Maidstone Studios.
To deal with the final part of your post, Disney own the TVS archive but didn't own Art Attack until well after TVS's demise, and to date show no interest in the archive, primarily because it has no paperwork (and is virtually useless without that - can be rebuilt but costs money to do so) but also because it's a legacy thing that they've inherited and don't seem to know what they want to do with it.
Neil Jones
Founding member
They have ownership of the good majority of it though. It's only really, what, Thames, TVS and STV stuff they don't own? And even then I imagine the Thames & STV stuff could be bought in fairly cheaply. TVS though is obviously f***ed apart from Art Attack (which I think Disney own now? Along with TVS ironically, though through a different route and with paperwork).
When TVS lost its franchise, Neil Buchanan formed the Media Merchants and bought the rights to Art Attack and transferred it to Media Merchants. To get a programme on the ITV network prior to 1993, it had to go through an ITV contractor and thus it went through STV, effectively following Nigel Pickard who moved to STV when TVS lost the franchise.
Media Merchants was later ultimately taken over by HIT Entertainment, which was an arm of Jim Henson Productions but after Art Attack was dropped by CITV, Media Merchants closed, and HIT have since sold the rights to it, seemingly into the hands of Disney who have revived the format for Disney Junior.
Apparently the Disney Junior version of the show is/was filmed in Argentina in contrast to the original UK version which was filmed at the Maidstone Studios.
To deal with the final part of your post, Disney own the TVS archive but didn't own Art Attack until well after TVS's demise, and to date show no interest in the archive, primarily because it has no paperwork (and is virtually useless without that - can be rebuilt but costs money to do so) but also because it's a legacy thing that they've inherited and don't seem to know what they want to do with it.