BBC Two 'Personality' idents - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Personality Idents were a set of idents used on BBC Two

BBC Two

BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...

between 19 November 2001 and 18 February 2007. The idents were produced by the Lambie-Nairn

Lambie-Nairn

Lambie-Nairn is an international branding agency within the WPP Group, headquartered in London with offices in Munich, Madrid, Abu Dhabi and Prague...

branding agency, who had created the previous look. The idents feature an ivory sans serif '2' in a yellow environment and performing a variety of tasks, and a purple boxed BBC Two logo.

Conception

Ever since 1997, BBC Two

BBC Two

was changing it's programming style. The channel was becoming less factual and more light hearted. This problem had already been posed to the last ident package, and they had responded by adding some newer lighter hearted idents, such as 'Swan' and 'Zapper'. However by 2001, the channel was becoming even entertainment based, and the old idents were no longer appropriate. A thorough rebrand was needed, and one that would equal the popularity gained by their predecessors and be light hearted in face of this new programming. This daunting task was set to Martin Lambie-Nairn

Martin Lambie-Nairn

Martin Lambie-Nairn is one of the most influential British graphic designers. He was the founder of his eponymous branding agency, Lambie-Nairn & Company, and is currently the creative director of branding agency Heavenly Group Ltd. His work mainly concentrates on brand identity for television...

, who set out by continuing a theme began in the previous set: that of making the '2' a person.
Another new part of the presentation was the logo for the channel, as the simple "BBC TWO" logo that had been used previously would not be accompanying the channel following the rebrand. The solution was by putting the logo in a box, with the BBC stacked on top of the TWO.

Idents

The idents were produced entirely on computer and featured a constant ivory '2' on a yellow background. This aspect never varied in the majority of their usage. Also accompanying the new look was a new style of logo for the BBC, that of a box. This new style was a variation of a logo but still retaining an overall look. The box was purple in colour and was always located in the bottom right corner of idents and presentation.

A notable occlusion of the look was that of the clock. When the channel rebranded, no clock design was made for the look. Idents continued the use of the 'Subtitles' DOG in the top right corner from the last look, but also included the BBC Two website URL as a DOG in the top left corner. This was removed in 2003.

Regular

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The 2 stands vigil at the top of the screen surveying the landscape before noticing that the BBC Two logo isn't there, instead being occupied by a white square. The helpful 2 then moves over, and uses it's mechanical arms to lift and flip over the BBC Two logo, before retreating to the top of the screen.

A huge line of 2s are lined up like dominoes waiting for the 2 on the end to fall, setting of the chain. A instructor 2 blows his whistle: the end 2 wobbles, but falls the wrong way, leaving his fellow 2s stranded and the instructor infuriated.

This ident, introduced in late January 2002, used the same graphics as Bounce but had a modified soundtrack made of base string instruments with bass drums used when a '2' bounced. This Ident was introduced to introduce serious programming, such as Newsnight Newsnight Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades.... , following complaints by announcers concerning the lack of an appropriate ident.

A dirty black spot has appeared in the middle of the screen. The 2 waiting in the middle of the screen notices this mark, and goes to clean it, by breathing on it and then rubbing it off with his hand, before returning to his position.

The 2 gets dripped on by water droplets, and wherever he moves around the screen, the droplets always fall on him. The soundtrack that accompanied the music was a short, snappy techno variation of the jingle, with no soundtrack while the 2 is being dripped on. A loud dripping noise is heard each time the 2 is hit.

A 2 glides around the screen, going from left to right and disappearing behind invisible walls, only to reappear at a different point on the screen. The soundtrack is a minimal version of the jingle with surreal overtones when a 2 passes an invisible barrier. This ident was another used to introduce serious programming and gave more variety to said programmes.

A 2 slides onto a structure similar in concept to a see-saw. Another 2 then jumps on the other end propelling the 2 atop of a stack of eight 2s all balancing on a ball. The soundtrack is a comical, circus themed version of the jingle. It was used mainly for comedy programmes and introduction into CBBC CBBC CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14... and CBeebies CBeebies CBeebies is the brand used by the BBC for programming aimed at children 6 years and under. It is used as a themed strand in the UK on terrestrial television, as a separate free-to-air domestic British channel and used for international varients supported by advertising, subscription or both... children's strands.

A 2 comes along to find a remote control device on the floor. Upon picking it up and shaking it, he moves it, to find he controls himself. He reverses quickly, does a spin before crashing into the screen, causing the screen and BBC Two logo to get knocked, and the remote control aerial to get bent. The soundtrack was a techno rendition of the jingle. The knocked effect to the BBC Two logo was removed from 2003, when the URL was removed.

A 2 bounces up and down, as if on the skin of a drum, in time to the music: a reggae rendition of the jingle. During this, the 2 falls onto its side and upside down. This ident was created to introduce a season of programmes entitled "Jamaica 40".

The 2 notices a brush sticking out from the BBC Two logo. The ever curious 2 picks up the brush, and paints a stylised '2' on the screen in the same purple as the logo. He then adds a dot in the 2, a dot on the others side before drawing a line underneath the bottom, similar to a mouth, and another above a dot to create a face. He stands back to admire his work.

A 2 notices that the logo is located in the centre of the screen at a slanted angle, as opposed to it's normal bottom right position. Our ever helping 2 then peels of the logo and sticks it back in it's corner. However the logo is stuck to his fingers and he can't peel it off. He tries flicking it off only to have it get stuck on his shoulder where he can't see or get to it. The ident was accompanied by a twanging soundtrack and version of the jingle.

Half a dozen 2s are sat reading books gently and in time with each other. However, one 2, who is eager to learn the plot, flicks through in a hurry to the end and then laughs softly. The other 2s then follow, and too laugh at the outcome. The ident is accompanied by a gentle flute version of the jingle and was used to introduce BBC Two's The Big Read.

A 2 moves into centre screen before sprouting a flame thrower. The background goes a dark yellow as it starts spraying fire everywhere as it reverses, going round in circles and jumping spraying fire in bursts. It stops and retracts the flamethrower, only when it sets the BBC Two logo on fire. The background and 2 return to normal as the logo continues to burn.

A variation on The Big Read: instead of six 2s, we now have a whole screen full all reading. However our centre 2 cant help but flicking quickly to the back, sparking off the rest of them. Used primarily for The Big Read, and although they remained in circulation after their introduction, they remained rarely seen.

A 2 playing an accordion pans out to reveal six other 2s, complete with handkerchiefs, partaking in Morris Dancing Morris dance Morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, handkerchiefs and bells may also be wielded by the dancers... . They continue to weave amongst one another and wave their handkerchiefs until the ident end. The soundtrack features the jingle before a morris style tune with electric guitar at the end kicks in.

Used to introduce coverage of the Winter Olympics 2006, this ident featured a huge ice '2' with small white 2s skating on top of and falling off of said 2, against a blue background. This ident is not new, but in fact the BBC Two Christmas ident from 2000, albeit with the new logo. Following the games, the ident was retained and regularly used, for sporting events.

Venus Fly Trap begins centred on a '2'-shaped butterfly Butterfly A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured... sitting within a jungle Jungle A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its... environment. The camera then zooms out, and the '2' is gobbled up by a larger '2' in the form of a Venus Flytrap Venus Flytrap The Venus Flytrap , Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces... . The audio starts off quiet and gentle, but then builds to a crescendo Crescendo -In music:Crescendo, a passage of music during which the volume gradually increases, see Dynamics Crescendo , a Liverpool-based electronic pop band* "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue", one of Duke Ellington's longer-form compositions... as the butterfly '2' gets swallowed, before returning to quietude. This ident was part of the 1991-2001 ident set, named Predator, but was revived, albeit with new logo. It was added to introduce the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, but was retained for programmes like Gardeners World.

Special

BBC Two, for the first time, decided to reuse some of their previous Christmas idents in the years during this era, instead of a new, annual ident. The Christmas idents are as follows:

Christmas 2001 - The 2 holds out his hands, produces a fairy which then zooms up and forms a Christmas tree from her trail.
Christmas 2002 - A 2 moves left in the screen, and as the camera pans round, we see a snow covered floor. The 2 then makes a snow 2, complete with sticks for arms. This ident was used in conjunction with the Christmas 2001 version.
Christmas 2003 - The 2 is trapped in an ice cube that slides around all over the place. This ident was used in conjunction with the Christmas 2001 version and the Christmas 2002 version.
Christmas 2004 - The idents from Christmas 2001, 2002, and 2003 were reused.
Christmas 2005 - The 2 is formed out of stars with light trails zooming around the screen against a dark yellow/black background. Variations included one of the strs hitting the screen and the trails tying themselves up in knots. No previous idents were used.
Christmas 2006 - Last years ident was reused.

Near to the end of the period, special idents were used to introduce special programmes.

As part of BBC Two's Pedigree Comedy strand, three new idents featuring the fluffy 2 from 1993 interacting with other dogs were used. The fluffy dog also appeared in promotions.
A special ident to introduce The Armstrongs
The Armstrongs
The Armstrongs is a British television drama/documentary series broadcast on the BBC in the UK. The Armstrongs is an access-all-areas insight into the unorthodox and sometimes ruthless business antics that are par for the course at "U-Fit", Coventry's third-biggest double glazing company. The show...

featured a leather style 2 being looked after by the title characters.
A series on homes produced 2s in two very distinct living rooms - one was a stately home with huge amounts of decoration with a decorated porcelain 2 on a pedestal, another a drak blue and green nature inspired room, with the 2 as an outline on the wall.
For BBC Two's 40th anniversary in 2004, a number of idents were altered so that the logo rotated to display '40 Years'. The Invisible Walls ident was also altered, so that as the 2 passed between the walls, previous BBC Two idents were projected onto the 2.
In 2003, BBC Two was made channel of the year. In response,a number of the idents were altered so after a few seconds, the BBC Two logo would rotate to display 'Channel of the Year'.

Another special ident was created in 2002, following the launch of BBC Four

BBC Four

BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....

. This special variation of Logo involved the 2 rotating the box to display 'BBC Two' as normal, before rotating it again to display the BBC Four black box logo. This was used before the "BBC Four on BBC Two" strand. Another variant included the BBC Three

BBC Three

BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...

logo for their programming displayed on the channel, however this was rarely used, owing to the fact that BBC One

BBC One

BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...

repeated a lot of BBC Three's programming.

Criticisms

The new look has been criticised many times by a number of people. The first of these was the fact that there is significantly less choice. At the time of the launch of the last look had 11 launch idents, as compared to four launch idents with the personality 2s. This was especially noticed by the announcers, and the network director apparently complained to anyone who would listen about the lack of choice. In addition to the lack of choice, the yellow background and ivory 2 made the idents look similar, and as a result made them tedious to watch after a little while.

A common criticism of the look was the lack of an appropriate ident to introduce serious programming or news items. The Invisible Walls and Bounce Sombre idents went some way towards this, however the bright yellow colour scheme diminished the effect of any serious outlook it was trying to convey.

Another common criticism of BBC Two

BBC Two

itself is that, since the launch of BBC Four

BBC Four

BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....

, BBC Two has been transferring arts and serious programming to the new channel which some viewers can't receive. This was rectified in the BBC Four on BBC Two strand, and to mark this distinction, a special ident was made.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Conception

Idents

Regular

Special

Criticisms

See also

External links