The Christmas Ident Thread 2005

Going back to ABC1, I'm confused as to why they've started airing their menus with snowflakes. I haven't seen them anywhere else other than the menus. Though they could be introducing them gradually of course!

With me not having freeview, what did ABC1 do for last Christmas?

Moving on, as said, VH1 launched with a full day of Christmas presentation and videos, and many different dogs with different Christmas symbols.
MTV Hits had their red and green logo for some parts of the day, but that was all that I saw!

CBBC kicked off Christmas in big style. With this being the first year without the bugs, they've got a flying bauball, sort of like a bauball with fairy wings. CBBC's got a pink one, with CBeebies having a blue (even though I've only seen the CBeebies on the dog today!).

Plus they are something to do with Christmas for once, rather than the last few years when they have used winter ones.
Though the studios have been plastered with ice effect plastic and polysterene. They do look rather cold, but totally different.

Even though they are meant to be for Christmas, they don't actually have their tree up yet. I'm sure this is earlier than usual, I'm sure that it has been the first Monday in December the past few years.

Onto other news, a couple of the gaming channels (quiz nation and big game tv) have gone Christmassy.

And finally, this year is the first recent year when Disney Channel haven't got Christmas Presentation running on December the 1st. Last year they even began them on the 29th, presumebly due to decorating Studio Disney, that alas isn't with us anymore!

I presume that they will launch this weekend as they're having a full day of Christmas programmes on Sunday.

Future News... GMTV are advertising saying that their Countdown to Christmas will begin this Monday (presumebly This Morning, and other daytime shows will begin next week as most end in two weeks time).

This should be/probably is in the news thread but.. here's hoping 'Breakfast' has their tree arriving in good time.

Lol!!! For some bizarre reason the BBC News department only seems to have a Christmas tree in the studio in the few days leading up to Christmas. Snobbery methinks!!! I agree though, it would be nice to see it sooner.

CBBC's end ident hasn't changed.

I don't know if this has been said already but on the Doctor Who advert for the Christmas Special, the BBC One logo has had the sparkles added.

Yes, I think that was the very first airing of this year's BBC1 Christmas trailer. Please do forgive me if I'm mistaken.

Grapically, it was identical to last year's. The red box sparkled, glitter dust fell when the shutters closed, and of course the slogan was "The One for Christmas". The music was different. I can't remember what exactly, but it wasn't the edited Christmas Carol from last year, thank god.

The Christmas Doctor Who trailer came immediately afterwards, and again the box sparkled. I wonder if BBC2 will have their box sparkling this year.

Anyway, if this is the first airing of the trailers, as I'm sure it was, then they were first shown at 8:00pm on Friday 2nd December. Again my apologies if I'm wrong. That's 2 days earlier than last year. So with it being so early in December, I reckon there's every chance that the new Christmas ident will debut on Saturday 17th December.

Totally agree. Given that the BBC have also released the Christmas schedule 2 or 3 days earlier than last year (21st Nov vs 24th Nov) - it has to point to a 17th December ident, otherwise why start the promos so soon? In past years (when the ident used to start on Christmas Eve) they wouldn't start the trailers until at least the 5th/6th December, sometimes even later. If that's the case then it's 2 weeks tommorrow...

So, Chicago's 'All That Jazz' is the theme for BBC1's first Christmas promo. Little disappointing to see the same 'The ONE for Christmas' slogan used. Obviously the glittering box indicates the same ident format will be used.

No it doesn't, you are making connections where there isn't one.

Are you seriously thinking that there is a fixed rule that the number of days between promos and ident is fixed.

There's going to be lots of disappointment on the 17th Dec if this continues. At one time they didn't used to start until the 24th Dec, 17th Dec would be just stupid.

Has BBC2 started showing Christmas trailers yet?

Oh.... Isn't there?

That's a shame...

and there was I thinking that the BBC have a mathematical equation for working it out....

I'm not that sad or stupid, but neither do I believe that they are sitting there at TV Centre twiddling their thumbs during Eastenders thinking "I wonder what ident we should put on after this? I know! we havent that Christmassy one yet...." In the multi-channel, ratings-driven world the BBC competes in I'm sure they have a pretty well thought-out promo plan, which sets-out what's to be launched and when.

Perhaps it will be the 24th, or perhaps the 17th, or perhaps (if there's no rule at all and Auntie Beeb is flying by the seat of her pants) even before Brucie tommorrow night...

I did think that the 17th would be too early, but with Test the Nation scheduled for 18th, and The Greatest Party Songs scheduled for the 17th, Chopratown (one of the Christmas programmes) scheduled for the 19th along with a Comic Relief Christmas Special, there is now every chance that the Christmas Ident may launch on 17th December. I think since 2002, the trend has been to launch the ident on the day the festive Radio Times begins. 2002....21st December (Radio Times 21 December until January 3) 2003.....20th December (Radio Times 20 December to 2 January) 2004....18 December (Radio Times 18 December to 31 December). Only speculation of course but there may be a connection.