BBC Two 1991-2001 idents - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

BBC Two '1991-2001' idents were broadcast from 16 February 1991 until 19 November 2001 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...

. The idents were created by branding agency 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...

, who also created the Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

logo still used to this day. The idents consist of a sans-serif

Sans-serif

In typography, a sans-serif, sans serif or san serif typeface is one that does not have the small projecting features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. The term comes from the French word sans, meaning "without"....

'2', enlarged in the middle on-screen, accompanied by the colour veridian and synthesized bell music. Originally created to restore the public's perception of BBC2, they have become one of the most popular television idents in history, with fan mail

Fan mail

Fan mail is mail sent to a public figure, especially a celebrity, by their admirers or "fans".In return celebrities may send a poster or picture and usually a return letter.-Overview:...

received and its cult status.

The ident package was retained following the corporate rebrand of the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

in 1997 with a new logo and new idents commissioned.

Conception

The newly recruited BBC2

BBC Two

controller, Alan Yentob

Alan Yentob

Alan Yentob is a British television executive and presenter who has worked throughout his career at the BBC.-Early life:...

, noticed that the then logo for the channel, which featured 'TWO' in red, green and blue within a white background and the 'O' being white, was affecting the reputation of BBC2. Surveys commissioned realised that most viewers thought the new look "dull" and "worthy". He then decided to commission a worthy successor capable of displaying the personality of the channel, revealing his thoughts in the How did they do it? episode - about the idents.
The idents were designed by branding expert 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...

, and first aired on the same day as the 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...

virtual globe

Globe

A globe is a three-dimensional scale model of Earth or other spheroid celestial body such as a planet, star, or moon...

ident

Ident

The Ident Protocol, specified in RFC 1413, is an Internet protocol that helps identify the user of a particular TCP connection. One popular daemon program for providing the ident service is identd.-How ident works:...

, also designed by Lambie-Nairn as part of a corporate rebrand of both channels.

Idents

The idents featured a sans-serif

Sans-serif

'2' in a variety of different forms and environments accompanied by an element of the colour viridian and accompanied by a static corporate logo DOG below the '2'. Another DOG often used with the look was a small '888' legend in the top right of the screen. This meant that subtitles were available to accompany the programme on Ceefax

Ceefax

Ceefax is the BBC's teletext information service transmitted via the analogue signal, started in 1974 and will run until April 2012 for Pages from Ceefax, while the actual interactive service will run until 24 October 2012, in-line with the digital switchover.-History:During the late 60s, engineer...

page 888. Following the 1997 rebrand, the BBC logo was changed, with the word TWO added after the logo at the bottom of the screen. The '888' legend was also phased out, to be replaced with 'Subtitles' following the uptake in digital television and the increased use of the new BBC Text service. The new idents commissioned after 1997 also placed less emphasis on the use of Viridian and the bell music. Later on, as the Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

also began to increasingly grow, the URL of BBC's website (www.bbc.co.uk) was included in idents on-screen in middle of June 2000.

Regular

Title	Air dates



Edited in October 1997.

One of the four idents to last the entire run, Blade featured a sharp, metal '2' falling into a viridian Viridian Viridian is a blue-green pigment, a hydrated chromium oxide, of medium saturation and relatively dark in value. It is composed more of green than blue. Specifically, it is a dark shade of spring green, the color between green and cyan on the color wheel... -coloured block and impaling it on its edge, standing and wobbling. Audio is a short, sharp cymbal crash with slow attack, subtly changing tone and fading out as the '2' has pierced the block. Edited in October 1997.

Also known as Sign, it had a '2' on a black background with seven viridian neon Neon Neon is the chemical element that has the symbol Ne and an atomic number of 10. Although a very common element in the universe, it is rare on Earth. A colorless, inert noble gas under standard conditions, neon gives a distinct reddish-orange glow when used in either low-voltage neon glow lamps or... lights attached to it, flashing in random sequences. The soundtrack matched the timing of the lights as they flashed on and off. It was one of the four original idents to be shown throughout the entire run. Edited in October 1997.

As the title suggests, it featured a copper Copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish... cut-out of a '2' off of which sparks flew, as the figure glowed at its edges. This was punctuated with a loud, distinctive metallic clang sound in the audio, which overlaid a gentle, major chord pad. Edited in October 1997 but was withdrawn at the end of 1999 along with Silk, Firecracker, Diary and Steam.

Featured a glass Glass Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives... -cut '2', which reflected light — with some noticeable viridian colour — in various directions. Soundtrack consists of a resonant bell-like chime, between lighter bells paired with breathy sounds, giving a relaxing feel. It was one of the first to be taken out of service, along with Paper Cut-Out but was played by accident once in the North West in about 1996/1997. However, this ident continued in Northern Ireland until the 1997 revamp.

This ident included a swathe of viridian Viridian Viridian is a blue-green pigment, a hydrated chromium oxide, of medium saturation and relatively dark in value. It is composed more of green than blue. Specifically, it is a dark shade of spring green, the color between green and cyan on the color wheel... silk Silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity... literally drifting over the top of a '2' shape, as if they were ocean Ocean An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000... waves. Haunting wails and loud bell tolls to form a dramatic soundtrack, conjuring up imagery of the '2' as a sinking ship. The jingle used in Neon is also heard in the audio. This was known to be a nightmare-inducing ident back in the day, especially with children. Edited in October 1997 but was dropped from the line-up at the end of 1999 along with four other idents.

Paper Cut-Out featured a completely grey, paper Paper Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets.... -like foreground, with a '2'-shaped cut-out in the middle. The background behind it featured a colourful blue sky, with white clouds. The audio track is very minimal, with faint drums and a high-pitched, tweeting melody, heavy on repetition. Along with Glass it was withdrawn in 1993.

This ident was the black-&-white equivalent of the original Copper Cut Out with viridian sparks flying off the '2'. Withdrawn from the line-up in 1997, when the BBC corporate logo was revamped.

A simple ident, showing the cast shadow of a slowly rotating '2' on a viridian wall. The soundtrack shares some note similarities with Paint and Glass, albeit is not as minimal, with hints of percussion and greater variety and prominence in the chords. Withdrawn from the line-up in 1997, when the BBC corporate logo was revamped.

A subtle variation on Water, the light was altered in such a way that it cast a reflection of the water line onto the top half of the '2'. It also had the same audio as Water. This was also withdrawn before the 1997 corporate logo revamp along with four other idents.

Garden depicted a circular patch of grass in the middle, from which sprouted several white flowers that formed the shape of the '2'. Introduced as a one-off ident in 1991 for a series of gardening programmes, it was launched as a regular ident two years later, albeit with different music. The soundtrack originally had the remix of Water but had its own soundtrack with the music being quite similar to that of Car, small sound of bells to begin with and gets louder when the '2' rises from the patch. It was withdrawn from the line-up before the 1997 corporate logo revamp, however it was brought back again for the 2001 Chelsea Flower Show Chelsea Flower Show The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show, is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural Society in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London... (albeit with the then current "BBC TWO" legend) and remained in use until the end, making it the only ident to have been reinstated. Edited in June 2001.

This featured a birds-eye view of the '2' falling onto a bed of white powder Powder (substance) A powder is a dry,thick bulk solid composed of a large number of very fine particles that may flow freely when shaken or tilted. Powders are a special sub-class of granular materials, although the terms powder and granular are sometimes used to distinguish separate classes of material... , revealing a layer of viridian powder beneath it, left streaked around the '2' as the stray particles clear away. Red and blue lights were cast onto the figure as it fell. The audio track has a sharp, cymbal-like effect as the '2' is falling, and this culminates in a deep cymbal crash as the '2' hits the surface, along with a sustained bass note. The soundtrack continues in the aftermath of the crash, with a faint, deep texture accompanying the bass, although this would have been rarely heard, due to the track usually being faded down for continuity by this point. Edited in October 1997.

Optics included many optical fiber Optical fiber An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of... s of mainly viridian and green colour, swaying from side to side, initially with great momentum but slowly and eventually settling into the shape of the '2' symbol. The slow-tempo audio was atmospheric, carried by warm melodic sounds and a deep bass note, with a high choir pad towards the end. Along with Powder, this was one of the first new idents to be added to the roster, and allegedly replacing Glass and Paper Cut Out, it was to be the joint-second longest running ident and would last for the rest of the series until the 2001 rebrand. An ident produced with CGI Computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media... , Optics was also the last ident to be played out with the slanted BBC logo. Edited in October 1997.

One of a new series of idents introduced in 1993. It featured a viridian '2' with an aerial moving about on wheels in a yellow studio, in the same manner as a remote-controlled car. The car noise varies in pitch as it whizzes around at varying speeds. It's possible that this inspired the 2001-2007 series of idents. Edited in October 1997.

Also known as "Fluffy Dog". This ident included a fluffy green '2' whirring, yapping and doing back flips in the manner of a toy Toy A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old... mechanical dog Dog The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in... . The bassline of the audio track is the same as that heard in Copper Cut Out. There was also a short variant where the '2' turned into a scared piece of cotton, but it was only seen during a Monster Night promo from 1998. Edited in October 1997.

A House Included with a TV They Changes the Channel and Revals the '2' in the TV Edited on November 2001

A rarely seen ident that was introduced as one of the 1993 idents, Crystal Ball was inexplicably dropped after just 26 months. It featured a crystal ball Crystal ball A crystal ball is a crystal or glass ball believed by some people to aid in the performance of clairvoyance. It is sometimes known as a shew stone... rolling across a blue, purple and green background, revealing a distorted image of a '2' as it passed over the middle of the screen. One possible explanation for its removal so quickly after launch was the similarity between it and the BBC One 'Virtual Globe' ident. It's also rumoured that the ident was pulled due to the decreased visibility of the '2', which was only in view for a split second. A sparse minor chord composition overlaid subtle howling effects, lending a mystical feel. This was the very first ident to be taken out of use.

Also known as "Exploding Fireworks" or simply "Fireworks". This featured a viridian Viridian Viridian is a blue-green pigment, a hydrated chromium oxide, of medium saturation and relatively dark in value. It is composed more of green than blue. Specifically, it is a dark shade of spring green, the color between green and cyan on the color wheel... '2' on a rusty-looking brown desk, with live firecracker Firecracker A firecracker is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang; any visual effect is incidental to this goal. They have fuses, and are wrapped in a heavy paper casing to contain the explosive compound... s attached to it. The firecracker Firecracker A firecracker is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang; any visual effect is incidental to this goal. They have fuses, and are wrapped in a heavy paper casing to contain the explosive compound... s go off, launching the '2' towards the camera, before it is pulled back into place by an attached cable — which can be clearly seen after the final explosion. The final firecracker Firecracker A firecracker is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang; any visual effect is incidental to this goal. They have fuses, and are wrapped in a heavy paper casing to contain the explosive compound... actually fails to go off. The featured soundtrack starts with a rich, deep orchestral texture as the fuse burns down, then as each firecracker goes off, it is paired with a simultaneous crash and musical note — while both during the explosion and in the aftermath, windchimes play a waltz through the piece. The notes played during the explosions are vaguely similar to what became BBC Two's signature tune from 2001–2007. Edited in October 1997 but was withdrawn at the end of 1999 along with 4 other idents.

This ident featured a white '2' on a black background, with paper Paper Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets.... layers peeling off and drifting away. This was originally meant to have several layers quickly peel off, but instead looped the same four layers in different directions due to tangling wirework. The music consists of a gentle E-minor chord-scale piece, led by a harp on single plucked notes, plus very faint, high-pitched strings. This ident along with Steam were the last regular idents to be added to the line-up before the 1997 revamp. Edited in October 1997 but was withdrawn at the end of 1999 along with 4 other idents.

This featured a viridian-coloured, metallic '2' of extremely hot temperature, as a ring of syringes dispensed water droplets which fell onto and around the figure. Any drops landing on the boiling '2' instantly evaporated into steam, and upon impact were accompanied by a tinkling sound on the audio track. The soundtrack beared a strong resemblance to that of Optic only with a D# chord progression, with four synth-lead notes in order to create an atmospheric feel. This ident along with Diary were the last regular idents to be added to the line-up before the 1997 revamp. Edited in October 1997 but was withdrawn at the end of 1999 along with 4 other idents. Like Firecracker, the four notes played at the beginning of the ident are vaguely similar to what became BBC Two's signature tune from 2001–2007.

Aerial featured a viridian '2' with aerials Antenna (radio) An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver... attached to it in a red studio, appearing in random places between flashes of static, before finally appearing in the centre of the screen. The soundtrack is slightly similar to Car (which aired in 1993 from the previous era), featuring notably prolific use of synthesized bell sounds. This was the first ident to be shown with the then-new "BBC TWO" legend. This was one of the new idents to be added to the line-up after the 1997 revamp along with Duck, Paint Pot, Zapper and Gorilla.


This ident depicted a soapy setting, from which a yellow '2' resembling a rubber duck Rubber duck A rubber duck is a toy shaped like a stylised Yellow-billed Duck , and is generally yellow with a flat base. It may be made of rubber or rubber-like material such as vinyl plastic... emerged, giving a little squeak. Later showings of Duck has the 'BBC TWO' DOG Dog The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in... 's colour changed to black in order to be visible on the lighter background.


In a parody of the original Paint ident, a silver paint pot is bombarded by lots of little viridian Viridian Viridian is a blue-green pigment, a hydrated chromium oxide, of medium saturation and relatively dark in value. It is composed more of green than blue. Specifically, it is a dark shade of spring green, the color between green and cyan on the color wheel... '2's, once again falling sideways. The music is similar to Paint, with some slight changes to the score. Usually, apology screens were made on this ident.


This featured a fly zapper in the shape of a '2' upon a wall. A fly is attracted to it, but the zapper breaks on contact and the fly buzzes away, leaving a smoke trail behind it. Behind the sound effects of the zapper is essentially the same audio as Sign.


There were two variations on this ident. A gorilla Gorilla Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies... stands up a yellow '2' in one ident and knocks it over in the other. Originally a special ident for a wildlife programme, it became a regular symbol.


Introduced at the start of 1998, it featured three white '2's swimming past a clearly bemused swan Swan Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae... , which shakes its head shortly after. The soundtrack was of mid-slow tempo, no percussion, with harp and a rich, dreamy background texture.


Originally a special ident for Doctor Who Doctor Who Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior... Night, its popularity meant it went on to join the roster of regular idents. It featured black & white Dalek Dalek The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals... s in the shape of '2's moving between a grey corridor. The audio intro draws inspiration from the style of the series' famous theme tune lead. A variant on this ident, named Exterminate, has the sequence opening with the Dalek '2' shouting the familiar phrase.


One of six new idents to be introduced at early 2000, Excalibur featured a blue '2' rising from a pool of water sideways, à la Paint. As the '2' emerges, stray droplets of water fall off the '2' and back into the water, causing (vertical) ripples, with each drop that hits the water being accompanied by a finger cymbal-esque note on the soundtrack. This ident did not feature the viridian. It was the last in this series of idents to be broadcast on BBC Two Scotland.


In this ident, liquid droplets fly in from the top right corner of the screen and cause flames to flare up around the '2' on contact. This is heralded with the sound of dramatic, blaring horns. The flames die down after about 18 seconds, revealing the 2 to be completely undamaged, before the cycle starts again. The music was later updated with the same audio as Sign along with flaring sounds.


Originally called Wave, this featured a '2' within a sheet of blue liquid that splashes around it throughout. The soundtrack opens with a three-note melodic synth chime that features occasionally thereafter, and the sound of filling water serves to enhance the visuals.


Predator begins centered 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 later revived (albeit with the then-current look) in mid-2006 (renamed Venus Fly Trap), and remained in occasional use until the entire set was revamped in 2007. This along with the Christmas 2000 ident (used for the 2006 Winter Olympics 2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter... between 10–26 February) were the only idents to be revived in the 2001-2007 set.


Kebab has a '2' made of meat on a kebab spinning. It has a new Eastern soundtrack. There were 3 variations where the kebab was in different stages of cooking.


This ident depicted five metal poles, of varying distance, against an orange background. Viridian '2's edge their way down the poles in the same manner as a mechanical woodpecker Woodpecker Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species.... . The soundtrack features a fitting whistled four-note jingle, vaguely similar to what became BBC Two's signature tune from 2001–2007, amongst the drilling of the woodpecker '2's.


Introduced in the last half of the year, it was a retake on the original Wave (Day) ident. It now featured a darker background and liquid pool, with a bright cyan '2'. The side(s) at which the liquid rose were also reversed, for example starting up the left side instead of the right. The soundtrack was the same as the original Wave Day. This was the final ident to be added to the regular roster Roster A roster is a list of names of people involved with an organization of some kind.A roster can be a list of people and the times when they are required to work or a list of students in a classroom.... before the entire set was revamped in 2001.

Special Idents

Since 1974, BBC Two

BBC Two

has aired special idents for use at national celebrations such as Christmas

Christmas

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

. The Christmas idents were changed annually throughout this period (except for 2001 where the channel would have rebranded prior to Christmas of that year), and were seen as a Christmas tradition for BBC's 1

BBC One

and 2

BBC Two

to produce a new Christmas package on an annual basis (This tradition was broken in 2003 when BBC One

BBC One

reused the previous years ident, and in recent times when the same ident was used alongside BBC Two for 4 Christmases consecutively). In contrast, Halloween and St. Valentine's Day idents were only produced between 1991 and 1997.

Christmas 1991 - A wrapped up 2 set against a cloudy night sky with stars and the moon interacting and looking.
Christmas 1992 - A red 2 appears as fairy lights on a Christmas tree.
Christmas 1993 - A metallic coloured 2 is hoisted up atop a Christmas tree by hobbit like creatures.
Christmas 1994 - A large yellow 2 in a dome against a tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...

landscape.
Christmas 1995 - Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit are the main characters in a series consisting of four British animated short films and a feature-length film by Nick Park of Aardman Animations...

accompany a 2 covered in fairy lights while sat at Christmas dinner.
Christmas 1996 - A wizard walks on clouds in the sky, before spinning and turning into a 2 made of stars.
Christmas 1997 - A white 2 in a snowglobe with the faces of BBC Two's Christmas lineup appearing as reflections in the snowglobe.
Christmas 1998 - A green fairy moves back to reveal the 2 atop a Christmas tree with surreal white and green colours.
Christmas 1999 - A similar theme to last year, and the first ident to feature the bbc.co.uk URL. The 2, complete with wings, knocks the fairy off the tree before taking her place.
Christmas 2000 - Two small white 2's skate on top of, and fall off, a huge ice-covered 2. This ident was reused in 2006.

As well as the Holiday idents, many other special idents were produced, mainly to introduce themed nights of programming on the channel, or specific programmes.

Puzzle - Used for a night about the origins of puzzles
Made In Japan - Japanese Culture
English - Little England programmes
Billboard - Art programmes on Commissions and Collaborations
Wet & Windy - The Weather
One World
War & Peace - War themed night
A Night Of Love - Love programmes for Valentine's Day
Birth Night
Crime & Punishment - Justice System
One Day In The Sixties
BBC Two 30th Anniversary
Centenary - Centenary of Film
Mars Weekend
Red Dwarf night - 1998.
Evolution weekend
Monster night
It's Scary Out There - Horror films
Seventies
Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...

Night
I love the 80s - Adapted from a sting
Star Trek night

Stings

During the run of the idents, there were also quick, usually humorous short animation

Animation

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...

s shown before the trailers known as 'Stings'. Such examples included a 2-shaped pancake landing in a frying pan, a '2' performing stunts on a bicycle, or a set of spinning plates in the form of the '2'. These were sometimes themed to suit a particular event, such as sport coverage. Examples include a set of snooker balls racked in the '2' shape (of which — like some others — there was more than one variant of the scene). Animations were also often created annually to match the theme of that year's Christmas symbol; for example, a set of short animations featuring Wallace and Gromit

Wallace and Gromit

Wallace and Gromit are the main characters in a series consisting of four British animated short films and a feature-length film by Nick Park of Aardman Animations...

were used during the 1995 Christmas period along with a similarly themed ident.

Today, these 'sting' animations are not remembered as prominently as most of the idents. They were usually only a few seconds long and, particularly from 1997, the '2' would become a character rather than a symbol, an idea that was carried on for the BBC Two

BBC Two

yellow idents from 2001.

Below is an incomplete, short summary of some of the stings.

Name	Description
Jelly	A gelatin (jelly) Gelatin Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, brittle , flavorless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar... '2' jumps over the floor in a room. The room and the 2 are both dark yellow. First aired 1993.
Cliffhanger	A '2' hanging on the top of a wooden object, possibly about to fall off. Introduced in 1993.
Crash	A '2' crashes into the screen and gets dizzy. First aired 1995.
Door	A '2' in a dark room, with a door being closed, leaving the '2' in darkness. There were two versions in this ident. Introduced around 1994.
Polaroid	A polaroid camera Instant camera The instant camera is a type of camera that generates a developed film image. The most popular types to use self-developing film were formerly made by Polaroid Corporation.... , printing off a photograph Photograph A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of... with a '2' on. The colour of the 2, and the angle of the camera, were changed from time to time. Introduced in 1991.
Ten Pin	A bowling game Bowling Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule... , showing a '2' as the only pin not knocked down. A ball is rolled to try and knock the 2 over, but the 2 jumps into the air, making the ball fall down. First aired 1995.
Hangover	A glass of water (or some other type of transparent liquid), with two '2'-shaped Alka-Seltzer Alka-Seltzer Alka-Seltzer is an effervescent antacid and pain reliever first marketed by the Dr. Miles Medicine Company. It was developed by Treneer in Elkhart Indiana. Alka-Seltzer is marketed for relief of minor aches, pains, inflammation, fever, headache, heartburn, sour stomach, indigestion, and hangovers,... tablets being dropped into the water and dissolving. Introduced around 1994.
Spaghetti	A bowl of '2'-shaped spaghetti Spaghetti Spaghetti is a long, thin, cylindrical pasta of Italian origin. Spaghetti is made of semolina or flour and water. Italian dried spaghetti is made from durum wheat semolina, but outside of Italy it may be made with other kinds of flour... pieces in a tomato sauce. First aired 1991.
Plunge	A '2' jumps from a high diving board into a pool of water. First aired 1995.
Slinky	A Slinky-shaped '2' rolls down some stairs. First aired 1993.
Cuckoo Hooligan	A naughty cuckoo Cuckoo The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos . Some zoologists and taxonomists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute... '2' leaps out of a clock Clock A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece... , and tries to hit the camera Camera A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images... . First aired 1993.
Pump	An inflatable '2' pumps on a patio. First aired 1995.
Velcro	Also known as 'Sticky Pad'. A '2' made out of Velcro Velcro Velcro is the brand name of the first commercially marketed fabric hook-and-loop fastener, invented in 1948 by the Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral... in a vidarin room tries to get out. First aired 1997.
Harley Bike	A bicycle '2' does a trick, and then rides home. First aired 1993.
Newton's Cradle	A '2' ball is seen in a Newton's Cradle type of toy. First aired 1994.
Pounce	A '2' that looks like a cow or a cat practices pouncing. First aired 1994.
Ducks	A '2' is crowed by hundreds of rubber ducks. First aired 1997.
Hair Curlers	A hair drying machine opens to reveal '2' shaped hair curlers in the woman's hair First aired 1991.
Sub	One of three animated shorts featuring the duck '2', who also starred in his own ident. The '2' pops up from underneath the bubbles, and like a submarine periscope, looks around in different directions, before sinking below surface again. First aired 1997.
Jaws	The third in this family of shorts. This one features the duck '2' swimming through the bubble bath squeaking the theme from Jaws. First aired 1997.
Web	The spider makes its web, and the web turns into a '2'. First aired 1995.
Whacky	A saw makes a circle around the '2', causing the '2' to fall. First aired 1993.
Fridge	The '2' becomes fat in a freezer and falls. First aired 1998.

Further references

The 1991-1997 version of Powder was aired in the titles of the 3rd National Television Awards
3rd National Television Awards
The 3rd National Television Awards ceremony was held at the Royal Albert Hall on 8 October 1997 and was hosted by Trevor McDonald.-Awards:...

on 8 October 1997 on ITV1. This was the final broadcast of this version, and it had ceased to exist on BBC Two some days before. It was only a second long clip of the ident.
An Internet meme
Internet meme
The term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...

based on making mock-versions of the BBC Two '1991-2001' idents has appeared. Some various mock idents include Blade II, Spin, Transylvania, Starfield, and Water Splash.
The B.F.T. titles from Children's BBC in 1991 featured a small recreation of the Blade ident in the opening titles.
'Glass' appeared as part of a spoof BBC Two programme menu sequence in 1994 comedy series The Day Today
The Day Today
The Day Today is a surreal British parody of television current affairs programmes, broadcast in 1994, and created by the comedians Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris. It is an adaptation of the radio programme On the Hour, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1991 and 1992...

, which aired shortly after the ident had been removed from regular network use.

External links

BBC Two page on idents
- Idents wall poster (750KB)
idents.tv the new BBC Two idents
BBC2 1991-1997 idents at TV Ark
BBC Two 1997-2001 idents at TV Ark

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