Central Independent Television
Compiled by Andrew Batstone
1st Logo
(1982-1983)
Nickname: "The UFO"
Logo: On a dark blue background, we see what appears to be a total eclipse of the sun. The "shine" disappears after a second and then the disc turns sideways, revealing it to be a light blue planet-like object. As the shadow gets halfway round, the globe opens up like an egg and a bright array of coloured lights burst out. A couple of seconds later, the two halves come back together, the lights go back inside and the word "Central" appears in a white font below the globe, which now has a crescent shadow.
FX: The globe opening, the lights exploding.
Cheesy Factor: The light effects look slightly dated.
Music: A synthesized string arrangement with a "wah" effect. This is joined by a ten-note synthesized bell fanfare after two notes.
Availability: Extinct on television. Logo buffs in the UK have preserved Central's logos, as they did with all the ITV companies.
Scare Factor: Median, the jingle and the light effects may catch some viewers off guard.
2nd Logo
(Nov. 1983-1988)
Note: This logo was used concurrently with the first one in 1982 before replacing it outright in November of 1983.
Logo: On a black background, we see a shining circular outline. A dark shadow slowly dissipates from the right side revealing a white spherical object with a rainbow crescent. The word “Central” in a white font slowly fades in below the logo.
FX: The shadow fading from the right, revealing the logo.
Music: Same as the 1st logo.
Availability: See the 1st logo.
Scare Factor: Low, despite the music, the logo is much tamer than the first.
3rd Logo
(1988-1998)
Nickname: "The Cake"
Note: Central used many versions of this logo throughout the decade, but this is probably the first and most well-known.
Logo: On a black background, a silver disc (divided into six rows and a crescent-shaped column appearing towards the screen) rotates from underneath, while six small coloured balls (red, orange, yellow, green, light blue and purple) leap from the bottom of the screen. As we reach the frontal view of the logo, now in white (the crescent part is still silver), one by one the balls quickly fall and absorb into the silver segments on the left. The logo continues to rotate until it reaches the centre of the screen, while the word “Central” appears underneath. The end result is a segmented white disc with a multi-coloured crescent three quarters towards the left.
FX: Top notch CGI (for 1988)
Music: A synthesized “sweep” culminating in a majestic, seven-note orchestral fanfare.
Availability: Again, see the 1st logo.
Scare Factor: Low, beautifully rendered CGI has held this logo up well over the years.