How BBC TV started the day in the 1950s.
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[00:00:00] IDENT: it took Abram Games two years to design this symbol.
The model that he created was made of piano wire and brass and strobing lights. The device worked long enough to be filmed. It then failed irrecoverably.
According to his account book, the BBC paid Games 200 guineas, plus 70 guineas for an on-screen clock and a 15 guineas “retainer”.
The official BBC description of the ident: “The abstract pattern consists of two intersecting eyes which scan the globe from north to south and east to west, symbolising vision and the power of vision.
“Flashes of lightning on either side represent electrical forces and the whole form takes the shape of wings which suggest the creative possibilities of television broadcasting.”
[00:00:18] PROGRAMME: this short sequence featuring two television masts and animating radio waves was accompanied by The Television March by Eric Coates.
I love that logo!