Ident Packages

Inspired by the BBC Christmas Ident thread and the various threads about the BBC2 90s idents, I’m wondering which UK channel was the first to use a set of idents as opposed to a single ident - and hopefully inspire a general discussion around idents of yesteryear.

Examples of early ident packages that come to mind are Central’s cake idents, used from around 1985 onwards. I think Central must win hands down on the number of variations that were used!

BBC2’s 1991-2001 package is another one with many variants - already being discussed elsewhere but worthy of a mention.

Channel 4 used more than one variant of its ident from the outset in 1982 - implode, explode, round and back, round and back followed by explode etc. More were introduced a year or so later (space trip, interlock etc), and some programme specific idents for basketball, American football, Japanese films...

Some of the ITV regions had day and night versions of their ident in the 90s, such as Tyne Tees, and YTV introduced a set with local landmarks in 1999. I think UTV may have done this too, a few years earlier.

I’m not familiar with most of the satellite/Pay TV channel’s idents - but many of thee must have used packages in the 90s.

So.. was Channel 4 the first UK channel to use a set of different idents simultaneously?

Probably. BBC1 didn't until 1997, BBC2 as you say was in 1991, Channel 5 didn't exist until 1997, and the Sky channels didn't use multiples until the same year (the egg idents). As for ITV, it varies by region, but yes, Central was probably first. LWT had multiple variations from the late 80s too. Some regions, such as Border, didn't have multiple idents until 1999.

BBC2 I think though would be the first to have a different look for each of the idents considering C4's, Central's initial batch and I think LWT all basically ended with the same formation. and had the same or very similar sound tracks.

Granada was an interesting one - they went from 1 ident used day-in-day-out (with a rarely-used alternative that was still very much the same style) to introducing the most random set of idents you could imagine that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Yes, Channel 4 may have had different ways of animating it, but the resulting symbol was always the same - a multi-coloured 4 on a black background. Equally, it could be claimed that the 1979 BBC2 symbol came in three variants - animate on, static, and animate off. But BBC2 in 1991 were the first to do something entirely different with each ident.

Plus in 1983 there was a Daytime on 2 version with a yellowish background.
https://www.tvark.org/?page=media&mediaid=131327

Actually, that’s not quite true about Border as in the early 90s “ITV” era, they made additional idents featuring the generic logo using footage from trailers, and used these alongside the 1989 version.

Of course S4C debuted with a rotation of idents consisting of letterboxed footage of Welsh scenes above a simply animated WALE S4C CYMRU strap. As well as predating Channel 4 by a whole day, is it arguable these are the first live action ident?

I've never been sure whether they really count as idents or just stings, given the continuing use of IVC and that they didn't feature the logo that was still in regular use, but what about TSW's seasonal idents?