BBC1 1981 – 1985 Branding

On September 5, 1981, shortly after the airing of Grandstand, BBC1’s globe underwent a significant transformation, adopting the channel’s twin-stripe logo. While this was intended to be a seamless transition, the new globe did not meet the satisfaction of the executives. Within a mere two days, further revisions were implemented, and the design continued to undergo multiple adjustments over its initial ten months, primarily concerning the ident’s colour scheme and dimensions.

BBC1 Special Idents

BBC1 Programme Promotions

BBC1 Holding Slides

The BBC1 stripe style holding slides from September 1981.

BBC2 Holding Slides

Cross promotional slides for BBC 2 that were shown on BBC 1.

The following design was used from September 1982 until 1987.

So how did they do make the BBC1 symbol/ident in 1981?

Interestingly, Murray Andrew’s original vision for the globe involved a solid black rubber sphere featuring raised white mouldings to represent the continents. The plan was to illuminate it externally, but the results fell short of his expectations. This led him to rethink the design, ultimately opting for a hollow globe that could be internally lit, thereby achieving the iconic visual effect we’ve come to know.

Miscellaneous