Draft:Plus

Credits

Background

Plus was a digital channel run by Granada Sky Broadcasting. It was launched on October 1, 1996 under the original name of Granada Plus, and during its availability it underwent successive rebrands as G Plus, G+ and then simply Plus. However, it remained widely referred to by the public at large by its original name. On November 1, 2004, ITV plc bought out BSkyB's stake in Granada Sky Broadcasting to bring its replacement, ITV3, which was due to launch on the same day, onto Sky's digital satellite platform. Despite this closure, Plus would continue broadcasting a static slide on analogue cable which was still viewable in certain parts of the country until 2013, when analogue cable was completely shut off in the UK.

1st ID (October 1, 1996-February 1998)

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Visuals: Transitioning from the Granada Sky Broadcasting logo, there are three purple curtains with three actors and actresses from the channel's programmes stacked in each one zoom out as they pull out. They rotates, as the actors and actresses fade into the "G" from the Granada Sky Broadcasting logo, which consists of a white oval with a purple "G" in the left of it, and "GRANADA PLUS" in a purple Helvetica font flips in below, letter-by-letter.

Variant: Sometimes, three people walk at the left of the finished logo. The person at the front then points at the logo.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A four-note piano tune followed by a drumbeat. A continuity announcer would sometimes talk over the logo after the theme.

2nd ID (February 1998-October 1999)

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Visuals: On a black background, smoke appears, revealing the sky and a magenta circle with a uppercase medium violet red "G" inside it. After the sky is fully revealed, "plus", in the same color as the "G", fades in below the circle.

Variants: There are several variants of the ident:

• A man with a remote controller appears on a black/yellow gradient background. The person aims at the camera with the remote controller and presses the power button, and then the screen blurs while the logo appears via "static" effect.
• A woman, who is carrying a flower banquet, walking towards to the screen. She then threw the banquet to the screen, causing the logo to appear and the background to blur. The woman then walks away while turning around in the process.
• Two women, with the first one wearing a white blouse and black dress, and the second one wears a black dress, are seen catching bubbles on a cyan-green background. The logo later appears, and the background blurs.
  • On some occasions, notably during the sign-off of Granada Men & Motors, the background doesn't blur when the logo is revealed.

Technique: Computer animation. The variants also involve live-action clips.

Audio: An electronic tune starting with descending notes. On the variant, a funky sting is used. The announcer follows in both versions.

3rd ID (October 1999-September 8, 2002)

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Visuals: On a background of colored lights, there is a spinning circle with a border and the plus symbol inside of it. Particles are seen flying and rotating behind it. The circle presses, which glows the entire button before rotates throughout the ident.

Variants:

• There are some variants where the color scheme is different, including:
  • A pink-red background with the play button colored in purple and orange.
  • A pink-red background with the play button colored in purple and yellow.
  • A dodger blue-green background with the play button colored in purple and orange.
  • A purple-blue background with the play button colored in orange and purple.
• There is also a Christmas variant, where the particles are replaced by snowflakes.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A synth rising tune before segueing into a synth-pop tune. A click is also heard when the button presses.

4th ID (September 9, 2002-November 1, 2004)

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Visuals: The idents involve a cyan ball with a plus sign inside on an orange background. These idents include:

• The ball bounces and moves around.
• Unknown.
• Unknown.

3D Variants: Idents involving 3D characters also exist, including:

• A woman sees a remote with a purple button with a plus sign on it on a purple environment. She thinks for a while before proceeding to press it, causing the cyan plus sign as a hologram to appear from it as the woman looks at it, amused.
• The ident takes place on a house setting with a cyan wall with three pictures hanging on it (one of them shows the "following ball" ident), white ceiling and violet floor with two sofas, one of them colored violet, where a grandmother is sitting, while one of them colored cyan, where a couple is sitting and a cat lying on the left of it. They noticed their house is shaking as they looked around. Suddenly, the purple cyan ball with the cyan plus sign falls down to the floor, causing the cat to jump out of the sofa, and people start to look at it and look around.
• On a dark environment with a teal surface, a man is seen on the distance as the teal ball with the white plus sign slowly follows him. He notices, before walking away as the ball follows him again, before stopping to its position.
• Unknown.

Other Variant: Sometimes, the color for the ball and the background were swapped, with the plus sign on the ball being colored cyan.

Technique: Computer animation. CGI for the 3D variants.

Audio: A whistling sound, then a long synth note. A bouncing sound and a short whoosh is also heard at the beginning. The announcer then talks.

Audio Variant: For the 3D variants, it depends on the ident:

• Unknown.
• Unknown.
• Unknown.
• Unknown.