2 Entertain

Main Availability

Credits

Descriptions by
EnormousRat

Editions by
indycar, Michael Kenchington and TheRealMarcel2000

Video captures courtesy of
Not-B-Roll and EnormousRat

Background

2 Entertain is a British music and video publisher that was formed as a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and the Woolworths Group in September 2004 for releasing home media and music. Both companies shared a 60%-40% ownership in the venture that that combined BBC Worldwide's video publishing unit (BBC Video) with Woolworths Group's video publishing, music publishing and video production unit (Video Collection International).

The company held several subsidiaries, with 2 Entertain Video (the former Video Collection International) handling standard full-cost releases (including mainstream BBC content); though BBC Worldwide retained it's educational and children's products and would instead release those titles under the BBC Children's DVD label for fulfill this measure. Cinema Club remained as a low-cost budget distributor and added additional labels (eg, Classic TV) to its lineup, Demon Music Group (also inherited from VCI) which released music, and Banana Split Productions, a production and commercial company.

In March 2010, BBC Worldwide acquired the Woolworths Group's 60% share in the company, giving them full control.

By 2012, 2 Entertain began solely using the BBC Home Entertainment brand for all BBC-related releases. Third-party releases retained the 2 Entertain brand. The brand also remains as the company's legal name.

Logo (September 19, 2005-)

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Visuals: On a black background, white spotlights start to appear, shining about before disappearing for a moment. Then, they return as they intensify and then reveal a light blue plate, which rotates around to reveal "2 entertain" close-up. As they zoom out one-by-one, the lights continue to shine brightly before they slowly start to die down. Finally, a lens flare shoots across the logo to change it to blue and the lights fade out as the logo turns 2D.

Variants:

• On Blu-ray releases, another bunch of spotlights appear as the first pair start fading out, the logo is a bit zoomed in, and the words "HIGH DEFINITION" rotate in during the final flash of light.
• A 4:3 variant exists, which is seen on VHS releases.
  • However, this variant was not used on earlier fullscreen DVD releases, like Oranges are not the only fruit though. They use the standard variant of the logo, albeit letter-boxed to a 4:3 ratio.
• An in-credit variant also exists, which is still and white. This variant can be found at the end of the Clarkson DVD releases of Duel, The Italian Job and Powered Up.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A series of calm synth noises with a four-note synth tune in between when the 2 is revealed.

Availability: Seen on releases from the company since 2005.

• DVD and VHS releases that were released between September 2004 and September 2005 used the BBC Video logo for BBC releases, and the Video Collection International logo for 2 Entertain Releases. 2 Entertain's print logo started to appear on DVD and VHS releases from June 2005.
• It is seen on a majority of BBC Video/BBC Home Entertainment releases from September 2005 until May 2012.
  • Children's releases until 2010 were still distributed solely by BBC Worldwide, and so just have the standard BBC warning and BBC Video (2005-2007)/BBC Children's DVD (2007-2010) logos.
• It is also seen on Thomas & Friends DVD releases beginning with Calling All Engines! (and is also seen on the VHS release of the former) to The Spirit of Sodor.
  • However, the HIT Entertainment reissues replace this logo and the warning with theirs instead beginning in June 2008.
• It also appears as a closing logo on Manchester United DVD releases and on VHS tapes, like it's predecessor.
• It is also preserved on DVD releases of shows from Chapman Entertainment - Fifi and the Flowertots (including the VHS release of "Fifi's in Charge", but excluding "Fifi's Talent Show", which despite having 2 Entertain branding on the packaging, still has the VCI logo on the disc) and Roary the Racing Car.
• It is also intact on various Milkshake! DVD releases until Abbey Home Media took over.
• This logo is also preserved on DVD releases of several RDF/Zodiak-owned children's shows, including Waybuloo, Mister Maker and Big Barn Farm.
• It is also preserved on many Aardman DVD releases, such as Shaun the Sheep: The Complete First Series, Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death, Angry Kid Season 2, Aardman’s Darkside, Creature Comforts Season 3 (which is actually the show’s U.S. version) as well as Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Collection on DVD and Blu-ray.
• It is also preserved on DVD and Blu-ray releases of BBC content distributed under license by Universal, such as the first and second series of All Creatures Great and Small, Last of the Summer Wine, The Vicar of Dibley and many other BBC series.
• It is also preserved on Talkback Thames DVD releases distributed under licence by FremantleMedia, such as Celebrity Juice and The IT Crowd (although it does not appear on the Version 1.0 DVD release), among others.
• It is also seen on many Ross Kemp documentaries, including Gangs, In Search of Pirates and Extreme World.
• It is also preserved on DVD releases of shows that aired on Sky One, such as Moone Boy and An Idiot Abroad, among others.
• Other non-BBC releases that feature this logo include DVD releases of Friday Night Dinner and Benidorm, among others.
• This logo does not appear on the 2005 UK DVD releases The Wash and Goodbye Charlie Bright, despite 2 Entertain's print logo appearing on the packaging of both releases. This is because both DVD releases are re-releases that were originally distributed by Metrodome Distribution in 2003.
• After 2012, the logo's usage has became scarce, as it no longer appears on BBC Home Entertainment releases and only on occasional non-BBC releases.

◄ Video Collection International

2 Entertain