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Out with the revolving cube and in with the cylinder

Posted on 29th December 2024
By Andrew Nairn
Last updated on 29th December 2024
Filed under Features
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ARCHIVE: The TV Room

28th December marked the 50th anniversary of what is arguably the most iconic version of BBC One’s mirror globe.

But 28th December 1974 is also thought to be the date BBC Two got a refresh too.

The revolving cube ‘2’ ident was replaced by the cylindrical lined ‘2’ which remained in use until 1979.

PICTURED: BBC two ident introduced in December 1974. COPYRIGHT: BBC.

The word “colour” did not feature on the new ident – just as it was withdrawn from use on BBC One.

This reflected a conscious decision by BBC TV – or at least Presentation – to stop actively promoting the fact an individual programme was in colour.

By then, all new network programmes and routine repeats of programmes less than two years old were in colour.

Other than the Open University and older schools programmes, there was little in black and white by then apart from material which only the densest of viewers wouldn’t realise was years old.

It would be no shock to viewers much over the age of 6 or 7 – even those watching with a brand new colour set – to discover that an old film, Champion The Wonder Horse or Sergeant Bilko was in glorious monochrome.

Shortly after the change to the idents, Radio Times stopped highlighting colour programmes too. Instead a weekly footnote to the listings reminded readers that “all BBC TV programmes are in colour…unless otherwise indicated.”

Of course, the ‘BBC Colour’ tag stayed on end credits for another three years. The reason for this isn’t so immediately obvious.

Intriguingly with the Presentation refresh, the BBC Two clock got a radical new look.

Little is known about the new BBC2 clock although there is a reconstruction of it online.

What we do know is that it was very quickly abandoned. The old clock returned. (Pedantic note – we don’t know for sure when the line between the ident and the clock was removed. Was this before December 1974? Or when the old clock returned?)

A Kaleidoscope junction from early 1975 shows the clock branded ‘BBC2 COLOUR’ – minus the line – in use during afternoon adult education programmes but the use of this version may have been an operational error. It is presumed that two versions of the clock – one without the suffix – were always available to the announcer.

Quite why the new clock failed is a mystery.

If someone disliked it intensely – or if it proved impractical operationally – why did this not get picked up beforehand?

Another thing worth mentioning is that the corporate BBC Two logo remained a key part of the channel’s look with its prominent role on the clock.

Why did it stay on the BBC Two clock when its BBC One counterpart was removed from the globe, clock and schools diamond?

The changes on BBC Two were less significant than the much-loved modification to the globe.

At this point in time, there were still viewers who could not receive BBC Two and others who rarely watched what to them – if not to those of us brought up on BBC TV  – was the third channel rather than the second.

It would take another 16 years – with two more revamps along the way – for BBC Two to finally gain a powerful visual identity.

But this ident is still part of the channel’s story.

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Acknowledgements

FEATURE IMAGE:
PICTURED: BBC Two ident. COPYRIGHT: BBC.

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Broadcaster/Channel: BBC, BBC Two
Broadcast Area: UK: National

OSP Category: Ident

OSP Package: BBC Two: December 1974 - June 1979

Ident: BBC Two ident: Cylinder (1974)

Decade: 1970s

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