BBC Choice

Credits

Descriptions by
AdventureTime, IAmJefferson and Mintbucket

Video captures courtesy of
tvboxuk

Background

BBC Choice was launched on September 23, 1998 as the first British TV channel to broadcast exclusively in digital format, as well as the BBC's second non-terrestrial channel launch (following on from the BBC News channel in 1997). At launch, BBC Choice mainly existed to supplement existing programming on BBC One and Two, with some low-profile original programming of its own.

Faced with low ratings for both Choice and sister channel BBC Knowledge, the BBC changed its digital strategy in 2000. Under new controller Stuart Murphy, the channel began to aim specifically at a young adult audience. The BBC ultimately planned to replace the channel with the higher-profile BBC Three, which after some delay, began broadcasting on February 9, 2003.

1st Logo (September 23, 1998-July 10, 2000)

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Logo: On a red/black gradient, green, blue, or red background, we see three things that belong to the same word but have different appearances/meanings. The camera faces the things, and when the camera cuts one last time, we fully see the things with the BBC Choice logo below.

Variants: The three things change from ident to ident:

• Hearts: Heart of stone, heartburn and lightheart.
• Mouse: A furry mouse, a clockwork mouse and a computer mouse.
• Punch: Punch as in Punch & Judy, punch as in boxing, and punch in a bowl.
• Fan: A paper fan, a footy fan and an electric fan.
• Trumpet: An elephant trumpeting, a trumpet flower and a trumpet instrument.

Technique: Very nice and creative animation by Lambie-Nairn.

Music/Sounds: Sounds that go with the things, then a three-note tune, followed by an announcer.

Availability: Extinct.

2nd Logo (July 10, 2000-July 6, 2001)

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Logo: Against a colored background (this depends on the variant), a redesigned version of the last logo's heart zooms in and out as if it were beating. There are some very fast paced (and rather simple) effects as the background changes color. The BBC Choice logo fades in at the bottom of the screen, and the heart shines slightly.

Technique: Animation that involves some parts of the last logo, which was designed in-house by BBC Broadcast.

Music/Sounds: Heartbeat-like sounds followed by a lot of short electric sounds, ending with a gentle synth hum and some quieter echoing heartbeat sounds.

Availability: Extinct.

3rd Logo (July 6, 2001-December 9, 2002)

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Logo: We see three orange boxes doing various things, such as moving or punching, around a green background. The BBC Choice logo is seen at the bottom.

Variant: From December 2001, the background colour was blue.

Technique: Good CGI.

Music/Sounds: A hip-hop/dance-like tune.

Availability: Extinct, preserved by tape/DVD enthusiasts.

4th Logo (December 9, 2002-February 9, 2003)

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Logo: There is a grey construction site with a blue scaffolding, an "UNDER CONSTRUCTION" sign and two builders working inside the scaffolding. The BBC Choice logo is at the bottom.

Variants:

• For Christmas 2002, the building site was given some Christmas lights and the builders were seen walking away wearing either a reindeer hat or a Santa hat.
• Later on in 2002, an ident started airing which briefly flashed the "THREE" sculpture that would be used for the first BBC Three idents.
• From January 2003, there was a sign that counted down to the BBC Three launch date (February 9, 2003).

Technique: Live-action.

Music/Sounds: The sounds of a building site - reverse beeps, welding sparks and hammers.

Availability: Extinct. These were temporary idents while the first BBC Three idents were being prepared.

Legacy: These idents were a very creative and clever way to count down to the BBC Three launch.

BBC Choice

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