BBC Two 'Striped' ident
Encyclopedia
The Striped 2 was an ident used by BBC Two
between c.
December 1974 and c.March 1979. The ident featured a numeral 2 made out of horizontal lines.
was also this year, and so a new ident would have been greatly appreciated to celebrate the station. The new look would also coincide with the updated mirror globe
look used by BBC1
and a new look to both channels as a whole.
system that was used to make the BBC1 mirror globes.
A clock accompanied the look and featured a light blue face and hands with a white corporate BBC2 logo. The face included a 'polo mint' centre circle from which the hands radiated out of, and counters that got progressively thicker the further round the clockface. This was either on a navy blue, or black background, depending on the ident that preceded or succeeded it.
Promotional style was varied and usually did not feature the 2, however this was not always the case. In c.1977, a double striped '2' started to appear on some captions, and it was this symbol that would form the basis of the next look
. Unanimated, programme captions were used for programmes and featured thefully white striped '2' in the lower left corner with programme name beside it, all overlaid the picture.
Some information about Christmas Idents during this period exists.
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 c.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
December 1974 and c.March 1979. The ident featured a numeral 2 made out of horizontal lines.
Launch
The new look was to replace the previous look which had been going in one form or another for seven years, a long time for a television ident. The 10 Anniversary of BBC2BBC 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...
was also this year, and so a new ident would have been greatly appreciated to celebrate the station. The new look would also coincide with the updated mirror globe
NODD (Nexus Orthicon Display Device)
NODD , which stands for Nexus Orthicon Display Device , was the method used for generating identifications for the BBC1 and BBC2 television networks from 1963 to February 1985.-About NODD:The term NODD can be used to mean a variety of different things...
look used by BBC1
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...
and a new look to both channels as a whole.
Components of Look
The ident itself featured a numeral 2 made out of horizontal lines of alternating colour of white and light blue. these lines would then move: the light blue all moving to off to the left of the screen, white to the right before both sets reform the 2, by coming in from the opposite side they left by. This ident was usually on a background of navy blue, but black was also occasionally used. The ident was commonly believed to be caused by two rotating cylinders, however they were in fact formed by 23 stacked discs, each with a different line drawn on the outside. Each disc rotated in a different direction to the disc immediately above and below it, and had colour added through the NODDNODD (Nexus Orthicon Display Device)
NODD , which stands for Nexus Orthicon Display Device , was the method used for generating identifications for the BBC1 and BBC2 television networks from 1963 to February 1985.-About NODD:The term NODD can be used to mean a variety of different things...
system that was used to make the BBC1 mirror globes.
A clock accompanied the look and featured a light blue face and hands with a white corporate BBC2 logo. The face included a 'polo mint' centre circle from which the hands radiated out of, and counters that got progressively thicker the further round the clockface. This was either on a navy blue, or black background, depending on the ident that preceded or succeeded it.
Promotional style was varied and usually did not feature the 2, however this was not always the case. In c.1977, a double striped '2' started to appear on some captions, and it was this symbol that would form the basis of the next look
BBC Two 'Computer Generated 2' ident
The Computer Generated 2 was an ident used by BBC Two between c.March 1979 and 31 March 1986. It was the first computer generated ident in the world and was a revolutionary new step for television presentation.-Launch:...
. Unanimated, programme captions were used for programmes and featured thefully white striped '2' in the lower left corner with programme name beside it, all overlaid the picture.
Special Idents
Some special variations of the ident were used for specific programmes- A version of the ident where the background was yellow, and the white lines were black, was used before a Shirley Bassey programme.
- A variation was used to introduce Open SpaceOpen Space (BBC TV)Open Space was a programme produced by the BBC's Community Programme Unit. It was an evolution of the earlier Open Door series of programmes allowing minority points of view to make a television programme about issues of concern to them...
, which featured the 2 revolving out, but a map of the UK reforming in its place.
Some information about Christmas Idents during this period exists.
- Christmas 1976 - A sequined layout version of the 2
- Christmas 1977 - A red 2, with lines following the body of the 2, rotates above a 'Christmas' caption.
- Christmas 1978 - Four medieval trumpeters, with the new '2' double striped 2 logo