The Comedy Christmas

What was previously believed to be BBC1's 1974 ident (the glass bauble) has now been confirmed as not that year's official ident. BBC1 did in fact use the same globe as in 1975 but with a different legend (Christmas on BBC-1).

So exactly what that bauble was meant for, heaven only knows. The footage came from a BBC Christmas tape so it was either made for just that, or it was intended to be a particular years ident before being rejected at the last minute by Pres. Who knows?

I've seen the opening for that Christmas tape on the MHP Private Parts site, where it's been dated as 1979 - when the bauble ident appears, the globe disappears after a few seconds to be replaced by a reel of videotape.

Its a shame it on then as STV birthday show on the other side, at the same time,

unless you in England then you get a one off comedy

Shame about the bauble- it looked better than the globe for 74/5.

But also a little indistinct, especially the land masses on the globe.

Saw the '74 closedown clip on MHP t'other day; answers one question but raises more...

It does however show that recycling of a BBC1 Christmas symbol occured well before the Noughties - I'd previously thought this to be as recent as 2003, but that's now been predated in a big way.

Difference was, the 2002/03 ident was broadcast in EXACTLY the same form both years. This one, although the same globe, had a different legend, making it a different symbol (if only pedantically).

You could similarly argue the pre-1981 and post-1981 globe was one and the same. It was the same model (at least for the first year of the 1981-85 era), but otherwise presented differently.

Have any programme menu trails for Christmas night on BBC1 in 1975 and 1977 been found anywhere? Charlie Brooker seemed to find some on his Screenwipe Christmas special last year but I don't know what year they were from.

Some 1977 trails are now available on The TV Room.

I didn't see Charlie Brooker's special last year - does anyone know where I can see it?

Lovely to see the clip of Edmonds blowing up the robins again. Funny how time plays tricks with the mind; I always thought the robins suddenly exploded midway during the actual anno into the show, whereupon the camera panned out to reveal a smug Edmonds with smoking gun in hand. I was only 10 at the time though.

Incidentally the 1986 ident (the holly leaves dancing round the tree) was the winning entry in a Blue Peter viewers competition to design that year's BBC1 theme. I remember spending hours drawing up intricate storyboards for my own design, explaining how they'd work as idents, holding captions and menus. I was fuming when they announced the winner who'd just scribbled his stupid holly leaf idea with crayons on a bit of dog-eared A4. I still think the finished thing looks sh*te and feel quite bitter about it.

Where is the clip of Edmonds blasting the robins with a shotgun? I remember vividly seeing him do that on the very first The Late Late Breakfast Show of the new year.

The same thing happened more or less in 2004. Then, as in 1986, Blue Peter were relying on those entering the competition NOT to have any intimate knowledge of TV presentation as you demonstrated with your entry - they were just after a basic idea or ideas that they could manipulate to suit their requirements.

Three years ago, it was not once mentioned that the idea should have a "rhythm and movement" theme nor that it should have a lot of red in the design. So not surprisingly, the winning entry was a single drawing of a child on an inflatable Christmas pudding - ie. an ambiguous concept that the BBC could adapt to the preconceived idea it already had - so history repeated itself, you might say.

Incidentally, TSW held a viewer competition to design its logo in 1981, but for whatever reason none of the entries were deemed good enough and the final logo designed in-house.