New look for BBC1

Maybe, I shouldn't be laughing. At least not if BBC ONE will be in a style similar to ITV or UKTV.

But then, BBC FOUR is styled and animated in a fairly different way, so maybe this lone designer for Red Bee really can produce something a bit more unique if they try, even if it means lack of consistency (FOUR's logo is placed in the centre instead of the bottom left or right)!!

Do you not think there's a slight similarity between BBC Four's Red Bee idents which use a split-screen effect to create various illusions and ITV4's Red Bee idents which use a split-screen effect to create various illusions?

Is every channel having Red Bee design their new look when they decide to change? I'm not impressed by their work at all.

Good point! Never thought of that.



I should hope they aren't just selected by default!

Am I right in thinking there are usually a few companies in the running who all want commission, with each one given the chance to pitch their idea, and the one that is considered to be the best is then given the green light?

If that's the case, then I wonder who they were up against? I'd be surprised if Lambie-Nairn were up for the BBC FOUR new look in 2005; given what they had produced originally for the channel (the sound-responsive idents which I thought were rather nice), surely they would've come up with something better than Red Bee's decidedly more bland split-view idea.

To the people that said the new idents would launch in October roundabout the launch of shows like Strictly Come Dancing and Robin Hood, well it looks like you could be right. I was talking to somebody on the Outpost Gallifrey forum and they said that there's talk of the idents debuting around then; he also said knowing the BBC that date could change. He said he'll PM me if and when he gets anymore news. So I'll let you know as soon as I find out.

So it looks like October for the new idents, just like when the balloon debuted in 1997.

Thanks for the info Im thinking Saturday 7th October. Lets hope we get some more info soon.....

Do you think Robin Hood and Strictly Come Dancing will launch on the same day? The October date does seem to make sense to me now. It's just that before, the new season on TV would start in September; but there's nothing major on BBC1 in September on Saturday it's just series coming to an end like Maria and filler shows like Test The Nation.

I reckon Robin Hood starts in September - otherwise they'll be a gap between when Maria finishes and SCD starts with nothing on. I reckon it might start on the 23rd September, finishing on 16th December - the big SCD final will probably be on the 23rd Dec which would take up a lot of airtime so Robin Hood finishing a week earlier makes a lot of sense.

Maria and In It to Win It both finish on the 16th September, so the new lottery show 1 vs 100 would also most likely start on the 23rd.

But remember we'l have that Noel Edmonds Lottery Show for the tenth anniversary on September 23rd. I think 1vs100 will be the week after.

Looking at this topic, there's barely any mention of clocks - Is this because it is known that they simply won't be returning, ever?

They are always a striking visual element, but despite digital delay, I still believe there is a place for a clock on BBC ONE at least, even though I'm not optimistic about a return.

There were times during this dancers' era when using one would have been wholly more appropriate than an ident for news of a particularly serious nature. The clock in itself is a unique symbol to indicate that a news bulletin follows, allowing a clear distinction from regular programme junctions - but you can never go wrong with it; it's a completely 'neutral' element.

There is not just a visual benefit though - as while music can reflect moods, the clock was accompanied by silence, nothing more. Perhaps that is how it should be ahead of bulletins. It tends to grab attention far better, and again is a neutral approach that is never unsuitable.

Maybe clocks are a thing of the past; but then, there is S4C.

The digital delay is a bit of a poor excuse for not having a clock. News 24 still has a countdown.

The News 24 countdown is not a clock though. It is a countdown to the start of the next bulletin - it's not even a countdown to the top of the hour really. I don't think we'll ever see the return of a pres clock because there are too many factors involved in the digital process that makes delays all over the place - including the delay in different receivers decoding the signal.