The BBC
Compiled by James Fabiano, Sean Beard, and Kris Starring
BBC America
(1997-2002)
Nickname: "BBC America Presents"
Logo: Begins with a closeup of an orange
globe. Then in a very quick flash, a box appears against a blue
background. It contains a picture of the same globe over a river
and to the right of a riverside building. Under the picture are
the words "BBC (in the Box logo) AMERICA presents,"
and the "BBC
AMERICA" part expands as the logo
fades out.
FX: The "flash", the hot air balloon used.
Cheesy Factor: The globe looks like an inflatable toy, though that is understandable as it represents BBC's hot-air balloon trademark.
Music: A light piano tune that ends
in an echoey note with the "flash."
Availbility: Is the opening bumper for many British
television programs on public television.
Scare Factor: Low
BBC Video - Opening
Their videos originally went through CBS-Fox for US distribution; the license was taken over by Warner Home Video in 2000.
1st Logo?
(1982-1989)
Nickname: "Neon Sign"
Logo: Many colored parallelograms
come from the top and bottom of the screen towards the middle,
where a white four-pointed star is being "drawn." The
colored shapes stop coming from the bottom as an orange
line with a V-shaped bend in the middle arrives, accompanied by a
"shadow" effect. It stops below the star, and the
parallelograms return from the bottom as the letters "BBC"
and "IDEO" are drawn in white at either side of
the "V." The line with the "V" is
traced over with white. All the parallelograms finally stop as the logo
completes and the star in it shines. It looks like a 1970s neon sign.
FX: The "drawing" and flying shapes.
Cheesy Factor: Much of the logo is
produced with early effects and animation.
Music: A "creeping" synthesized theme that ends
with drawn-out synthesized notes and a three-note synthesized
horn fanfare.
Availability: Probably any early releases of BBC programs.
It appears on the original "Fawlty Towers" tapes, for
example.
Scare Factor: Pretty much harmless
BBC Video - Closing
(1982-1989)
Logo: The rainbow parallelograms are flying towards the BBC VIDEO
logo, which disappears as if it is being played backwards; that
is, it's sort of being "drawn away." The parallelograms
stop and the four-pointed star remains. As a copyright notice
appears, the star "shines" and is drawn away too,
leaving a small light which flashes a few times and then fades.
The accompanying BBC Enterprises copyright disclaimer was deleted
from nearly all US releases by CBS-Fox, the American licensee.
FX: The logo being "drawn away."
Cheesy Factor: Looks like the
opening being played backwards.
Music: Same as the opening logo, except a little extra in
the beginning and end.
Availability: Presumably '80s releases of BBC shows.
Appears on early issues of "Fawlty Towers."
Scare Factor: Low-to-moderate
2nd Logo
(1989-1992)
Nickname: "COW Globe"
Logo: From a black screen some copyright text in a yellow
times font zooms in from the center of the screen. It fades out,
and another load of text zooms in. The second set of text fades
to a map of the world, gold
(land) on blue (sea), the land waves
up and down. The land and sea draw together to form a globe
rotating. The reverse of the globe can be seen through the 'sea'
of the globe. From the front and bottom of the screen 'BBC VIDEO'
flys in. When it stops below the globe two of the letters sparkle
before the program starts. For the end the sequence reverses,
with the BBC VIDEO flying out and the globe turning into a map.
The copyright text was the BBC Enterprises copyright disclaimer; occasionally cut from US releases by CBS-Fox.
FX: Its all CGI
Cheesy Factor: The forming of the globe and the text
zooming looks outdated, but the actual finished globe looks fine.
Music: Calm synth music.
Availability: Appears on some older CBS-Fox releases of BBC material. Blackadder Goes Forth is one video that has this logo.
Scare Factor: Low, Unless you have a fear of globes.
3rd Logo
(1992-1997)
Logo: Identical to the BBC Worldwide
America logo (description at the bottom of this page), except the
word "VIDEO" (in black) appears under the BBC box logo.
FX: The flying letter boxes. Very modern animation.
Music: A 9-note piano piece.
Availability: Appears on home video
releases of BBC programs. "Absolutely Fabulous", for
example.
Scare Factor: Low.
4th Logo
(1997- )
Nickname: "Square Boxes", "Rainbow Smoke" (also used on BBC DVDs)
Logo: On a black background there
are several ribbons going from between top right and top middle
of the screen and the bottom middle of the screen hilighted in
red, green and blue. The BBC squares logo (white) fades in.
FX: The ribbons move a bit.
Cheesy Factor: The red, green and blue highlights make it
look like the background was designed for the last diagonal BBC
logo.
Music: A version of the 1997 BBC jingle (used on a few BBC self promotion trailers.)
Availability: Appeared at the end of later post-1997 episodes of Red Dwarf that ran on PBS.
Scare Factor: Low, it's only boring. However, some may be startled by it's appearence on Red Dwarf after the long, silent Grant Naylor logo fades out.
BBC Worldwide Americas
(1994-1997)
Nickname: "Turning Boxes"
Logo: Against a white
marble background, three black boxes swing in from the right. As
they turn sideways, the letters "BBC" enter
each one. Once the logo is formed, three colored streaks (one blue, one red, and
one green) pass under it and leave similarly colored lines
under the boxes. Finally, the words "WORLDWIDE AMERICA" (in black) appear under the completed logo.
Everything seems to be italicized, even the boxes.
FX: The flying letter boxes. Very modern animation.
Music: None, it's a silent logo.
Availability: Appears at the end of "Red Dwarf"
and I imagine other British programs that appear on PBS stations.
Scare Factor: Low.