BBC Two '1991–2001' idents

This article is about the set of idents used on BBC Two between 1991 and 2001. For more of the channel's identity before and after this timescale, see the channel's section within the History of BBC television idents.
Paint, the first of this series to be broadcast and the last to be broadcast during their first run.

The BBC Two '1991–2001' idents were broadcast from 16 February 1991 until 19 November 2001, and again (in modified form) since 9 July 2014, on BBC Two in the United Kingdom. The idents, which consist of a sans-serif '2', accompanied by the colour viridian,[1] were created by branding agency Lambie-Nairn[2] (and later, BBC Animation & Design), who also created the Channel 4 logo.

The ident package was retained following the corporate rebrand of the BBC in 1997 with a new logo and new idents commissioned.

In 2014 the idents were revived in celebration of the 50th birthday of BBC Two. However, after the celebrations had ended the channel decided to continue using the package and so revised versions of several original idents are now a permanent replacement for the 'Window on the World' idents, airing throughout 2015 and into 2016.[3]

Conception

The newly recruited BBC2 controller, Alan Yentob, noticed that the then-logo for the channel, which featured the word 'TWO' in red, green and blue within a white background and the 'O' being white, was affecting the reputation of BBC2. Surveys commissioned realised that most viewers thought the branding was "dull" and "worthy". He then decided to commission a worthy successor capable of displaying the personality of the channel, revealing his thoughts in the How Do They Do That? episode - about the idents.[1][4][5]

I realised there was a problem almost as soon as I took over the channel [BBC2]. It was obvious that the logo [TWO] made absolutely no impact. In fact, it was something anyone could have told you. It was singularly unmemorable, and told you nothing about the personality of the channel. So we decided to commission a corporate design company to do some research.
— Alan Yentob[5][6]

The idents were designed by branding expert Martin Lambie-Nairn,[2] and first aired on the same day as the BBC1 virtual globe ident, also designed by Lambie-Nairn as part of a corporate rebrand of both channels.

We took this '2', actually, and you think to yourself "Well, there's nothing special about this". But there is something special about this, actually. It's a very distinctive '2'. It has very sharp bits on it and it's rather nice and fat. The reason we wanted that particular '2' is because we wanted to do things with it. So, you need lots of '2', lots of body on the '2' in order to achieve that.
— Martin Lambie-Nairn[5]

Idents

The idents featured a sans-serif '2' in a variety of different forms and environments usually accompanied by an element of the colour viridian and accompanied by a static corporate logo DOG below the '2'. Another DOG often used with the look was a small '888' legend in the top right of the screen. This meant that subtitles were available to accompany the programme on Ceefax page 888. Following the 1997 rebrand, the BBC logo was changed, with the word TWO added after the logo at the bottom of the screen. The '888' legend was also phased out, to be replaced with 'Subtitles' following the uptake in digital television and the increased use of the new BBC Text service. A section of the TV programme How Do They Do That? that was broadcast in 1995 described how the graphics and sound of some of the idents were created.[7]

The new idents commissioned after 1997 placed less emphasis on the use of the colour viridian and the bell/harp music. Later on, as the Internet began to grow, the URL of BBC's website (www.bbc.co.uk) was included in idents on-screen in January 2000.[8] The idents, Predator and Christmas 2000 were put back in use in 2006 but were withdrawn in February 2007 due to a rebrand. In 2012 BBC Two Northern Ireland used a combination of bell music, from several idents to create the titanic ident. These were created using perspex, motion control and a camera. As of July 2014, due to the 50th birthday of the channel, multiple idents from the series have been put back in use. They have semi-permanently replaced the main Window on the World package, sometimes in tandem with the 50th Birthday idents from the current series. In January 2015, the idents returned after taking a break from the Christmas period, replacing the 50 years logo with the original teal logo that is used for programme slides and endboards. However, in Northern Ireland, the logo is in the centre of the idents (without the box). Therefore, ending the ident package of Window on the World after 8 years. But it is expected that BBC Two, in the rest of the UK, would follow the suit in 2016 if it gets a rebrand in order to show more of the '1991-2001' idents that currently used in Northern Ireland since 2015.[9]

Regular

1991–1997

Title Air Dates Description
Paint 16 February 1991 – 19 November 2001;
28 July 2014 – present (Northern Ireland)[10] 		Paint featured a white polystyrene '2' on a black & white background, splashed by a blob of viridian paint which hurtles in horizontally from the right side of the screen. In this ident's soundtrack (entitled "Wind Time"), the paint is heralded by a steady cymbal crash as it comes into view, reaching a peak upon contact with the '2', followed by a two-note resonant sound, symbolic of the dripping paint. This illusion was created by moving the '2' and the camera onto its side by 90 degrees anti-clockwise, to make it appear as though the paint was falling sideways.[11]

The first showing of this ident as well as the first showing of the whole run, coincidentally or not, did not feature the DOG as it would later show the 1991 and later on the 1997 corporate logo, subtitles indicator (originally 888 then later on "Subtitles") etc.[1] It was both the first in this series of idents to be broadcast and the last one to be broadcast during their first run. This ident made a 2014 comeback on BBC Two Northern Ireland in February 2014 for the Afternoon Classics strand;[12] and four months later was shown on both Network, Wales (used rarely) and Northern Ireland for their 90s Night, later being used in that version for the Afternoon Classics strand.[13] It also may be a Northern-Ireland only ident for the 50th anniversary. There's also a St Patrick's Day version of the Paint ident in Northern Ireland on 17 March 2016.[14]

Edited in October 1997.

Water 16 February 1991 – 19 November 2001;
31 July 2014 – present (Northern Ireland)[15] 		This ident featured an aqua-coloured '2' on a background of the same colour, half submerged in a pool of water at a 45 degree angle. Using a similar method to Paint, the '2' and camera are both at 45 degrees, giving the impression of the water flowing diagonally when the shot of the '2' is upright. Wind instruments and reverberated ethnic percussion featured in the audio, enhancing the atmosphere. One of the four original idents to be shown throughout the run of the whole series. This ident made a 2014 comeback on BBC Two Northern Ireland in March 2014 for the Afternoon Classics strand,[12] and also may be a Northern-Ireland only ident for the 50th anniversary (it aired with a blue DOG).

Edited in October 1997.

Blade 16 February 1991 – 19 November 2001;
1 August 2014 – present (Northern Ireland)[16] 		One of the four idents to last the entire run, Blade featured a sharp, metal '2' falling into a viridian-coloured block and impaling it on its edge, standing and wobbling. Audio is a short, sharp cymbal crash with slow attack, subtly changing tone and fading out as the '2' has pierced the block. This ident was brought back as a Northern Ireland only ident for the 50th anniversary.

Edited in October 1997.

Neon 16 February 1991 – 19 November 2001;
1 August 2014 – present (Northern Ireland)[17]		 Originally known as Sign, it had a '2' on a black background with seven viridian neon lights attached to it, flashing in random sequences. The soundtrack matched the timing of the lights as they flashed on and off.[18] It was one of the four original idents to be shown throughout the entire run. The Neon ident's music was repeated at Christmas 1995 with the Christmas BBC2 idents that year featuring Wallace and Gromit and the 2 ident covered in fairy lights – the music was played in time with the fairy lights flashing. This ident made a 2014 comeback on BBC Two Northern Ireland in April 2014 for the Afternoon Classics strand;[12] and two months later was twice shown on Network for their 90s Night, later being used in that version for the Afternoon Classics strand (used rarely since 2016).[13] It also may be a Northern-Ireland only ident for the 50th anniversary.

Edited in October 1997.

Copper Cut-Out 16 February 1991 – 31 December 1999,
7 January 2015 – present (Northern Ireland) 		As the title suggests, it featured a copper cut-out of a '2' off of which sparks flew, as the figure glowed at its edges. This was punctuated with a loud, distinctive metallic clang sound in the audio, which overlaid a gentle, major chord pad.

Edited in October 1997 but was withdrawn at the end of 1999 along with Silk, Firecracker, Diary and Steam. This ident returned on 28 October 2013 for the Network and Wales airings of the Afternoon Classics strand (also used rarely today).[12] It has made a 2015 comeback in Northern Ireland as of 7 January 2015 and it is currently being used as a Northern Ireland-only ident for the 2015 rebrand.

Glass 16 February 1991 – 31 October 1993,
2 January 2015 – present (Northern Ireland) 		Featured a glass-cut '2', which reflected light — with some noticeable viridian colour — in various directions. Soundtrack consists of a resonant bell-like chime, between lighter bells paired with breathy sounds, giving a relaxing feel. It was one of the first to be taken out of service, along with Paper Cut-Out, but was played by accident once in the North West in about 1996/1997. However, this ident continued in Northern Ireland until the 1997 revamp. A digitally-remastered, widescreen version was shown multiple times in Northern Ireland in October 2014, for the celebrations of ninety years of the BBC giving coverage to the region.[19] Since then, it has made a 2015 comeback for the 2015 rebrand on 2 January 2015, and it is currently being used as a Northern Ireland-only ident for the 2015 rebrand.
Silk 16 February 1991 – 31 December 1999,
1 January 2015 – present (Northern Ireland)
25 June 2015 – present (Network) 		This ident included a swathe of viridian silk literally drifting over the top of a '2' shape, as if they were ocean waves. Haunting wails and loud bell tolls to form a dramatic soundtrack, conjuring up imagery of the '2' as a sinking ship. The jingle used in Neon is also heard in the audio. Along with Copper Cut-Out, elements of the jingle was reused for the Titanic ident in 2012. However it is only used in Northern Ireland [20] This ident made a 2014 comeback on BBC Two Northern Ireland in March 2014 for the Afternoon Classics strand,[12] it has made a comeback in Northern Ireland on 1 January 2015. Network showed the ident on 25 June 2015 before Newsnight, and since have usually shown the ident before it or other serious programming.[21] Unlike the other idents being used on the Network, Silk is shown with a white box which does not fade in, whereas the other idents possess a teal box which eventually fades in.

Edited in October 1997 but was dropped from the line-up at the end of 1999 along with four other idents.

Paper Cut-Out 16 February 1991 – 31 October 1993 Paper Cut-Out featured a completely grey, paper-like foreground, with a '2'-shaped cut-out in the middle. The background behind it featured a colourful blue sky, with white clouds. The audio track is minimal, with faint drums and a high-pitched, tweeting melody, heavy on repetition. It was one of the first to be taken out of service, along with Glass.
Black & White Copper Cut-Out 16 February 1991 – 3 October 1997,
1 January 2015 – present (Northern Ireland) 		This ident was the black-&-white equivalent of the original Copper Cut Out with viridian sparks flying off the '2'. It also had the same audio as Copper Cut Out. This was also withdrawn from the line-up in October 1997, when the BBC corporate logo was revamped. This ident has made a comeback in Northern Ireland on 1 January 2015, and it is currently being used as a Northern Ireland-only ident for the 2015 rebrand.
Shadow 16 February 1991 – 3 October 1997,
7 April 2015 – present (Northern Ireland) 		A simple ident, showing the cast shadow of a slowly rotating '2' on a viridian wall. The soundtrack shares some note similarities with Paint and Glass, albeit is not as minimal, with hints of percussion and greater variety and prominence in the chords. Was withdrawn from the line-up in 1997, when the BBC corporate logo was revamped. This ident was reintroduced on BBC Two Northern Ireland on 7 April 2015 and it is currently being used as a Northern Ireland-only ident for the 2015 rebrand.[22]
Water Reflection 16 February 1991 – 3 October 1997 A subtle variation on Water, the light was altered in such a way that it cast a reflection of the water line onto the top half of the '2'. It also had the same audio as Water. This was also withdrawn before the 1997 corporate logo revamp along with four other idents.
Garden 1 March 1991 – 3 October 1997;
21 May 2001 – 19 November 2001; 1 August 2014 – present (Northern Ireland) [23]		 Garden depicted a circular patch of grass in the middle, from which sprouted several white flowers that formed the shape of the '2'. Introduced as a regular ident in 1991 for a series of gardening programmes and few normal shows, albeit with different music. The soundtrack originally had a remix of Water between 1 March 1991 and 25 October 1992, but from 26 October 1992 onwards, upon its big change was given its own soundtrack with the music being quite similar to that of Car a year later in 1993, small sound of bells to begin with and gets louder when the '2' rises from the patch. It was withdrawn before the 1997 corporate revamp, however it was brought back again for the 2001 Chelsea Flower Show, and again in Northern Ireland for the channel's 50th Birthday. On 10 January 2015, the original 1991-1992 music was brought back to the ident, in addition to its own music. Both the original version with a remix of the Water theme and with its own music are currently airing as Northern Ireland-only idents for the 2015 rebrand.
Powder 26 October 1992 – 19 November 2001;
31 July 2014 – present (Northern Ireland)[24] 		This featured a birds-eye view of the '2' falling onto a bed of white powder, revealing a layer of viridian powder beneath it, left streaked around the '2' as the stray particles clear away. Red and blue lights were cast onto the figure as it fell. The audio track has a sharp, cymbal-like effect as the '2' is falling, and this culminates in a deep cymbal crash as the '2' hits the surface, along with a sustained bass note. The soundtrack continues in the aftermath of the crash, with a faint, deep texture accompanying the bass, although this would have been rarely heard, due to the track usually being faded down for continuity by that point. This ident made a 2014 comeback on BBC Two Northern Ireland in February 2014 for the Afternoon Classics strand;[12] and it also may be a Northern-Ireland only ident for the 50th anniversary. It also aired in Wales that April, for the anniversary of BBC Cymru Wales.

A variant for celebrating 30 years of BBC2 had the background a cake with "30" on it; the 2 is blue and instead of powder flying away, cream flies away. It, unusually, has the same tune as the regular Powder ident. The following year, Centenary was shown, which saw a 2 plunging onto a bed of film, only causing it to bounce on the film.

Edited in October 1997.

Optics 26 October 1992 – 19 November 2001;
23 July 2014 – present (Northern Ireland) 		Optics included many optical fibres of mainly viridian and green colour, swaying from side to side, initially with great momentum but slowly and eventually settling into the shape of the '2' symbol. The slow-tempo audio (entitled "Inhale") was atmospheric, carried by warm melodic sounds and a deep bass note, with a high choir pad towards the end. Along with Powder, this was one of the first new idents to be added to the roster in 1992, and it was to be the joint-second-longest-running ident and would last for the rest of the series until the 2001 rebrand. Before the BBC Re-brand in 1997, apology screens would be made with a still image of this ident. The first of the idents produced with CGI, Optics was also the last ident to be played out with the slanted BBC logo in the early hours of 4 October 1997. This ident made a comeback on BBC Two Northern Ireland in February 2014 for the Afternoon Classics strand,[12] and it also may be a Northern-Ireland only ident for the 50th anniversary.[25]

Edited in October 1997.

Car 1 November 1993 – 19 November 2001;
18 July 2014 – present 		One of a new series of idents introduced in 1993. It featured a viridian '2' with an aerial moving about on wheels in a yellow studio, in the same manner as a remote-controlled car. The car noise varies in pitch as it whizzes around at varying speeds. The bassline of the audio track is the same as that heard in Garden was musically changed back in 1992. It is possible that this inspired the 2001-2007 series of idents.[26] Two variations were made: one with the car coming from the left hand side (the more common version) and one coming from the right hand side. The former variation made a 2014 comeback on BBC Two Northern Ireland in April 2014 for the Afternoon Classics strand;[12] and two months later shown in Wales for the 90s Night.[13] The same variation has been brought back in July 2014 for the channel's 50th anniversary,[27] and was one of a few to air in its 50th Anniversary form in Northern Ireland before showing in Network and Wales (alongside Woodpecker, Duck, Zapper, Dog and the currently Northern Ireland-only idents),[28] being the second (after Dog) to show on Network afterwards two days later.[29]

Edited in October 1997.

Dog 1 November 1993 – 19 November 2001;
22 July 2014 – present 		Also known as "Fluffy Dog". This ident included a fluffy mint green '2' whirring, yapping and doing back flips in the manner of a toy mechanical dog on the same mint green table against the shaded-red background. The bassline of the audio track is the same as that heard in Copper Cut Out. Along with Car, this was one of the first new idents to be added to the roster in 1993, and allegedly replacing Glass and Paper Cut Out, it was to be the joint-third-longest-running ident and would last up for eight years until the 2001 rebrand. There was also a special variant where the '2' turned into a scared piece of cotton, it was seen during a Monster Night from 1998. This ident made a 2014 comeback on BBC Two Northern Ireland in March 2014 for the Afternoon Classics strand;[12] and three months later shown in both Wales and Northern Ireland for the 90s Night.[13] This ident has been brought back in July 2014 for the channel's 50th anniversary,[30] and was one of a few to air in its 50th Anniversary form in Northern Ireland before showing in Network and Wales (alongside Woodpecker, Duck, Zapper, Car and the currently Northern Ireland-only idents),[28] being the first of those to show on Network afterwards the next day.[31]

Edited in October 1997.

Balloon 1 November 1993 – 3 October 1997;
1 January 2015 – present (Northern Ireland) 		Another of the more simple idents, Balloon featured a silver, helium-filled balloon in the shape of a '2' bobbing around gently in a fixed spot. This was withdrawn in 1997 to avoid a clash with the BBC One 'Balloon' idents. The music for this sequence begins with similar ethnic percussion to Water, and, in the middle, an ascending flute trill is heard. A bongo drum could also be heard supporting the soundtrack. Two versions of the ident were made: one with the music starting with the percussion, and one with the music starting with the trill, the latter being more common. This ident has made a 2015 comeback on BBC Two Northern Ireland in January 2015 for the 2015 rebrand and it is currently being used as a Northern Ireland-only ident for the 2015 rebrand.
Crystal Ball 1 November 1993 – 19 December 1993 Also known simply as "Ball", this was rarely seen ident that was introduced as one of the 1993 idents, Crystal Ball was inexplicably dropped after just two months before Christmas. It featured a crystal ball rolling across a blue, purple and green background, revealing a distorted image of a '2' as it passed over the middle of the screen. One possible explanation for its removal so quickly after launch was the similarity between it and the BBC One 'Virtual Globe' ident. It is also rumoured that the ident was pulled due to the reduced visibility of the '2', which was only in view for a split second. For its soundtrack (entitled "Abstraction"), a sparse minor chord composition overlays subtle howling effects, lending a mystical feel.
Firecracker 1 November 1993 – 31 December 1999,
12 January 2015 – present (Northern Ireland) 		Also known as "Firework", this ident featured a viridian '2' on a rusty-looking brown desk, with live firecrackers attached to it. The firecrackers go off, launching the '2' towards the camera, before it is pulled back into place by an attached cable — which can be clearly seen after the final explosion. The final firecracker actually fails to go off. The featured soundtrack (entitled "Puff Ball") starts with a rich, deep orchestral texture as the fuse burns down, then as each firecracker goes off, it is paired with a simultaneous crash and musical note — while both during the explosion and in the aftermath, windchimes play a waltz through the piece.[32] The notes played during the explosions are vaguely similar to what became BBC Two's signature tune from 2001–2007. This ident made a 2014 comeback on BBC Two Northern Ireland in March 2014 for the Afternoon Classics strand;[12] and three months later was shown in the region for their 90s Night.[13] It has made a 2015 comeback in Northern Ireland as of 12 January 2015 and it is currently being used as a Northern Ireland-only ident for the 2015 rebrand.

Edited in October 1997 but was withdrawn at the end of 1999 along with 4 other idents.

Diary 1 February 1995 – 31 December 1999;
1 January 2015 – present (Northern Ireland) 		This ident featured a white '2' on a black background, with paper layers peeling off and drifting away. This was originally meant to have several layers quickly peel off, but instead looped the same four layers in different directions due to tangling wirework.[33] The music (entitled "Harmonic Beauty") consists of a gentle E-minor chord-scale piece, led by a harp on single plucked notes, plus very faint, high-pitched strings. This ident along with Steam were the last regular idents to be added to the line-up before the 1997 revamp. This ident made a 2014 comeback on BBC Two Northern Ireland in March 2014 for the Afternoon Classics strand;[12] and three months later was shown in the region for their 90s Night.[13] It has made a comeback in Northern Ireland on 1 January 2015, and it is currently being used as a Northern Ireland-only ident for the 2015 rebrand.

Edited in October 1997 but was withdrawn at the end of 1999 along with four other idents.

Steam 1 February 1995 – 31 December 1999,
1 January 2015 – present (Northern Ireland) 		This featured a viridian-coloured, metallic '2' of extremely hot temperature, as a ring of syringes dispensed water droplets which fell onto and around the figure. Any drops landing on the boiling '2' instantly evaporated into steam, and upon impact were accompanied by a tinkling sound on the audio track. The soundtrack bore a strong resemblance to that of Optics, only with a D# chord progression, with four synth-lead notes in order to create an atmospheric, mystical feel. This ident along with Diary were the last regular idents to be added to the line-up before the 1997 revamp. This was also the first surviving regular ident at the time of the BBC Revamp on 4 October 1997 to feature the new logo. This ident made a 2014 comeback on BBC Two Northern Ireland in March 2014 for the Afternoon Classics strand,[12] it has made a comeback in Northern Ireland on 1 January 2015, and it is currently being used as a Northern Ireland-only ident for the 2015 rebrand.

Edited in October 1997 but was withdrawn at the end of 1999 along with four other idents.

Like Firecracker, the four notes played at the beginning of the ident are vaguely similar to what became BBC Two's signature tune from 2001–2007.

1997–2001

Title Air Dates Description
Aerial 4 October 1997 – 19 November 2001;
23 July 2014 – present (Northern Ireland) 		Aerial featured a dark green '2' with aerials attached to it in a red studio, appearing in random places between flashes of static, before finally appearing in the centre of the screen. The soundtrack is slightly similar to Car (which aired in 1993 from the previous era), featuring notably prolific use of harp sounds, albeit in the D-chord-scale as opposed to the F#-chord-scale in Car. This was the first ident to be shown with the then-new "BBC TWO" legend. This was one of the new idents to be added to the line-up after the 1997 revamp along with Duck, Paint Pot, Zapper and Gorilla. On 21 June 2014, the ident was shown in Wales for the 90s Night.[13] It is currently being used as a Northern Ireland only ident for the 50th birthday.[34]
Duck 4 October 1997 – 19 November 2001;
21 July 2014 – present 		This ident depicted a soapy setting, from which a yellow '2' resembling a rubber duck emerged, giving a little squeak. Later showings of Duck has the 'BBC TWO' DOG's colour changed to black in order to be visible on the lighter background. This ident has been brought back in July 2014 for the channel's 50th anniversary, with a white DOG,[35] and was one of a few to air in its 50th Anniversary form in Northern Ireland before showing in Network (which happened in the early hours on the 26th)[36] and Wales (alongside Woodpecker, Car, Zapper, Dog and the currently Northern Ireland-only idents) [28] Three stings exist of this - all three have been shown in Northern Ireland.
Paint Pot 4 October 1997 – 19 November 2001;
27 July 2014 – present[37] 		In a parody of the original Paint ident, a silver paint pot is bombarded by lots of little viridian '2's, once again falling sideways.[38] The music is similar to Paint, with some slight changes to the score. Usually, apology screens were made on this ident. This ident has been brought back in July 2014 for the channel's 50th anniversary.[39]
Zapper 4 October 1997 – 19 November 2001;
25 July 2014 – present 		This featured a fly zapper in the shape of a '2' upon a wall. A fly is attracted to it, but the zapper breaks on contact and the fly buzzes away, leaving a smoke trail behind it. Behind the sound effects of the zapper is essentially the same audio as Neon. This ident made a 2014 comeback on BBC Two Northern Ireland in March 2014 for the Afternoon Classics strand;[12] and three months later shown in the region for the 90s Night.[13] This ident has been brought back in July 2014 for the channel's 50th anniversary,[30] and was one of a few to air in its 50th Anniversary form in Northern Ireland before showing in Network (on 7 August[40]) and Wales (alongside Woodpecker, Duck, Car, Dog and the currently Northern Ireland-only idents).[36]
Gorilla 12 October 1997 – 19 November 2001,
1 January 2015 – present (Northern Ireland) 		There were two variations on this ident. A gorilla stands up a yellow '2' in one ident, named Gorilla Shadow and knocks it over in the other, named Gorilla Tantrum. Originally a special ident for a wildlife programme, it became a regular symbol. The music (entitled "Forest Canopy") is the same for both idents, and is suitably jungle-themed. It was brought back in Northern Ireland on 1 January 2015 and it is currently being used as a Northern Ireland-only ident for the 2015 rebrand.
Swan 19 January 1998 – 19 November 2001;
9 July 2014 – present 		Introduced at the start of 1998, it featured three grey '2's, resembling cygnets, swimming past a clearly bemused swan, which shakes its head shortly after. The soundtrack was of mid-slow tempo, no percussion, with harp and a rich, dreamy background texture. This ident made a 2014 comeback on BBC Two Northern Ireland in February 2014 for the Afternoon Classics strand (with the 1991–1997 logo);[12] five months later, this ident was the first of two (alongside Predator/Venus Fly Trap) to have been brought back in July 2014 for the channel's 50th anniversary.[41] As of the 2014 comeback, it is the one aired most often. A sting exists where the swan 2s swim away from the swan.
Dalek 13 November 1999 – 19 November 2001; 19 August 2014 – present (Northern Ireland) Originally a special ident for Doctor Who Night, its popularity meant it went on to join the roster of regular idents. It featured black & white Daleks in the shape of '2's moving between a grey corridor. The audio intro draws inspiration from the style of the series' famous theme tune lead. A variant on this ident, named Exterminate, has the sequence opening with the Dalek '2' shouting the familiar phrase. Both variants have aired for the 50th birthday of the channel in Northern Ireland.[42] It is also believed this may have inspired the 'Invisible Walls' Ident in the next batch some 4 years after the introduction.
Excalibur 1 January 2000 – 19 November 2001;
31 July 2014 – present (Northern Ireland)[43] 		One of six new idents to be introduced at early 2000, Excalibur featured a cerulean-blue '2' rising from a pool of water sideways, à la Paint. As the '2' emerges, stray droplets of water fall off the '2' and back into the water, causing (vertical) ripples, with each drop that hits the water being accompanied by a finger cymbal-esque note on the soundtrack. This only ident did feature the cerulean, not the viridian. It was the last in this series of idents to be broadcast on BBC Two Scotland. It also may be a Northern-Ireland only ident for the 50th anniversary.
Catalyst 1 January 2000 – 19 November 2001;
31 July 2014 – present (Northern Ireland)[43] 		Catalyst features a turquoise polystyrene '2' on a black & dark teal background, in this ident, a bunch of liquid droplets fly in from the top right corner of the screen and cause flames to flare up around the '2' on contact. This is heralded with the sound of dramatic, blaring horns. The flames die down after about 16 seconds, revealing the 2 to be completely undamaged, before the cycle starts again. It also may be a Northern-Ireland only ident for the 50th anniversary.
Wave Day 1 January 2000 – 19 November 2001;
23 July 2014 – present (Northern Ireland) 		Originally called Wave, this featured a dark cyan '2' within a shaded-white background and a sheet of blue liquid that splashes around it throughout. The soundtrack opens with a three-note melodic synth chime that features occasionally thereafter, and the sound of filling water serves to enhance the visuals. It is also a Northern-Ireland only ident for the 50th anniversary.[44]
Predator 1 January 2000 – 19 November 2001;
22 May 2006 – 18 February 2007;
9 July 2014 – present 		Predator begins centered on a '2'-shaped butterfly sitting within a jungle environment. The camera then zooms out, and the '2' is gobbled up by a larger green '2' in the form of a Venus Flytrap. The audio starts off quiet and gentle, but then builds to a crescendo as the butterfly '2' gets swallowed, before returning to quietude. This ident was later revived (albeit with the then-current look) in mid-2006 (renamed Venus Fly Trap), and remained in occasional use until the entire set was revamped in 2007. This along with the Christmas 2000 ident (used for the 2006 Winter Olympics between 10–26 February) were the only idents to be revived in the 2001–2007 set. This ident was the first of two (alongside Swan) to have been brought back in July 2014 for the channel's 50th anniversary thus making this the only ident to be revived twice in 2 different sets.[41] The ident usually appeared before (and still does as of both comebacks) programmes about gardening and horticulture.
Kebab 1 January 2000 – 19 November 2001;
27 July 2014 – present[45] 		Kebab has a '2' made of meat on a kebab spinning. It has a new Eastern soundtrack (entitled "Arabian Freakact"), differing slightly in each variation. There were 3 variations where the kebab was in different stages of cooking. The ident has been brought back for the channel's 50th birthday in a new variation[46] - the variation currently airing is a mixture of Version 1's visuals with Version 3's music.[47] Northern Ireland, on the other hand, are currently airing all three variants. The ident usually appeared before (and still does as of the 2014 comeback) programmes about food and cooking, later comedy and sketch shows.
Woodpecker 1 January 2000 – 19 November 2001;
21 July 2014 – present 		This ident depicted five metal poles, of varying distance, against an orange background. Viridian '2's edge their way down the poles in the same manner as a mechanical woodpecker. The soundtrack features a fitting whistled four-note jingle, vaguely similar to what became BBC Two's signature tune from 2001–2007, amongst the drilling of the woodpecker '2's; all of this overlaying an F#/A major chord pad. As well as being shown in Wales for the 90s Night on 21 June 2014,[13] this ident has been brought back in July 2014 for the channel's 50th birthday,[30] and was one of a few to air in its 50th Anniversary form in Northern Ireland before showing in Network (on 11 August[48]) and Wales (alongside Car, Duck, Zapper, Dog and the currently Northern Ireland-only idents).[28] As well, a sting exists.
Wave Night 2 September 2000 – 19 November 2001,
1 January 2015 – present (Northern Ireland)		 Introduced in the last half of the year, it was a retake on the original Wave (Day) ident. It now featured a darker background and liquid pool, with a bright cyan '2'. The side(s) at which the liquid rose were also reversed, for example starting up the left side instead of the right. The soundtrack was the same as the original Wave Day, with some changes to the filling water sound effects. This was the final ident to be added to the regular roster before the entire set was revamped in 2001. It was brought back in Northern Ireland on 1 January 2015 for the 2015 rebrand and it is currently being used as a Northern Ireland-only ident for the 2015 rebrand.

Special

Since 1974, BBC Two has aired special idents for use at national celebrations such as Christmas. The Christmas idents were changed annually throughout this period (except for 2001 where the channel would have rebranded prior to Christmas of 2001), and were seen as a Christmas tradition for BBC's 1 and 2 to produce a new Christmas package on an annual basis (This tradition was broken in 2003 when BBC One reused the previous year's ident, and in recent times when the same ident was used alongside BBC Two for 4 Christmases consecutively). In contrast, Halloween and St. Valentine's Day idents were only produced between 1991 and 1997. As well as the Holiday idents, many other special idents were produced, mainly to introduce themed nights of programming on the channel, or specific programmes.

1991–1997

Title Air Dates Description
Made in Japan 7 September – 28 December 1991 The animation starts with a Japanese "2". A smoke effect billows out, and the Japanese "2" dissolves through to the usual "2". Audio was the same as Paint.
Pop Art 14 September – 5 October 1991 Apparently, pop art animation, at the end, the "2" zooms in. Audio was the same as Glass.
English 15 October – 1 December 1991 A tea-cosy appears in the centre of the screen which is removed to reveal the "2" as a teapot. Hilda Ogden style ducks can be seen on the wall.
Christmas 1991 Christmas 1991 A reference to Georges Méliès' A Trip to the Moon featuring a wrapped-up 2 set against a cloudy night sky with stars and the moon interacting and looking.
Rembrandt Week 22 March – 30 December 1992 The "2" is part of the eye in a self-portrait of Rembrandt. It starts as a pencil sketch, and as the camera pulls back, we see the artist's hand adding detail to the painting in a series of mixes, until the finished portrait is revealed.
One World 3 May – 10 June 1992 The globe is a flat disk which starts the sequence side-on, rotating 90 degrees along its vertical axis, until it faces the camera. Coloured powder "blows" on to the disk, finally forming the image on the left. The sequence is obviously the reverse of how it was shot - the powder was blown off the disk as it rotated away from the camera. Audio was the same as "Paint".
Wet and Windy 9 May 1992 This ident was used for weather programmes during Saturday evenings of May 1992. The cyan moon-shaped "2" is reflected in the window, which bangs open and shut the door in the wind and rain.
Billboard 16 – 17 May 1992 In time-lapse, a man on a ladder pastes the advertising billboard with sheets of paper, finally revealing the complete picture - a large "2". Audio was similar to Copper Cutout.
Edinburgh Nights 17 August – 4 September 1992 This ident was used for programmes during the 1992 Edinburgh Festival. A red curtain both opens, then an aqua-coloured "2" welcomes to the stage and steps in to the spotlight.
War and Peace 3 October – 8 November 1992 A "2" made of barbed-wire forms around a single poppy.
Halloween Night 31 October 1992 The Halloween Night special consists of three idents. The first was a parody of Paint, in which red blood splashes on the 2, which is then cut by a chainsaw.

The second ident for "The Vault of Horror" night of programmes features the 2 electrocuted by jumper cables.

The third ident, a parody of the Ghost sting, featured the 2 covered in white cloth and stabbed by a knife.

Christmas 1992 Christmas 1992 A red 2 appears as fairy lights on a Christmas tree.
A Night of Love 13 February 1993 The "2" symbol rose out of the water, with its reflection making the shape of a heart.
Birth Night 27 February 1993 The "2" is in form of a baby inside the body. All this is on the doctors' body electronic system.
Crime and Punishment 16 May – 13 June 1993 The "2" is in form of a light with the shadows of the jail cells in it. This takes place inside the prisoner room. It was revived in 1997 lineup as a sting.
One Day in the Sixties 29 – 30 August 1993 The ident had suitably groovy to accompany it, as the various small squares alternated randomly between 60s imagery and the familiar "2".
After Margaret 23 – 29 October 1993 A "2" is fixed to the door of Number 10 Downing Street after it slams the door. Audio was the same as Powder.
Animated 2 1 November 1993 – 16 November 2001 This special ident was introduced in 1993 before animated and cartoon programmes, a black "2" with a piano falls from the sky accompanied by piano music and crashes to the floor before displaying the 2 in its place and the Animated letter being formed above on the top left hand side. It was withdrawn in 2001.
Christmas 1993 Christmas 1993 A metallic coloured 2 is hoisted up atop a Christmas tree by hobbit like creatures.
30th Anniversary 16 April 1994 This appropriately named ident was used on 16 April 1994 to celebrate BBC2's 30th Birthday. A "2" falls and splashes into a cake, in the style of Powder. Surprisingly, it also has exactly the same soundtrack as Powder.
Goal TV 30 May 1994 This ident is used only for coincide the greatest football world cup fevers in Goal TV for bank holiday Monday before the World Cup 94 kicks off on 17 June, the following month. The stadium LED screen appears on the viridian screen as the light teal "2" flipcards diagonally to the left in a whole logo of the 2. Audio was the same as Optics.
Moon 28 June – 2 July 1994 Another appropriately named ident was used between 28 June and 2 July 1994 to celebrate Neil Armstrong's landing on the moon for 25th Anniversary. The "2" is in form of a satellite tower in a shadow. This takes place in the moon. Audio was the same as Optics, albeit with astronaut sounds.
Shakespeare 16 October – 14 December 1994 This special ident is used for a month of seasonal Bard on the Box programmes. A potato-shaped "2" suddenly appears from the black cauldron after 5 seconds of magical myth.
Berlin Wall 29 October – 9 November 1994 Another special ident was used to coincide with the season on the Tales from Berlin and the collapse of the Berlin Wall. The Great Berlin Wall in the mid-center of a "2" gets hoisted away by a crane to reveal a 2-shaped hole and see a dark blue sky background in the center area of Berlin.
Christmas 1994 Christmas 1994 A large yellow 2 in a dome against a tundra landscape.
Centenary 7 January 1995 – 3 October 1997, 16 May 2015 – present (Northern Ireland) This ident was used in 1995 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of cinema and film. The "2" plunged down from a great height onto a bed of film and cinema tapes. This ident was reintroduced on 16 May 2015 on BBC Two Northern Ireland for BBC Films Week, albeit with the soundtrack from the Powder ident.[49] On 25 June 2015, the ident was edited yet again to feature the original soundtrack, albeit with the visuals slowed down and softened edges around the ident.[50]
Christmas 1995 Christmas 1995 Wallace and Gromit accompany a 2 covered in fairy lights while sat at Christmas dinner. As with Neon, the music plays in time with the fairy lights flashing.
Christmas 1996 Christmas 1996 A wizard walks on clouds in the sky, before spinning and turning into a 2 made of stars.
Tug of War 1 March 1997 This special ident is used on St David's Day only on BBC Two Wales, a "2" made of rope of tug is pulled to and fro by using the ropes.
The Comedy Zone 14 March 1997 – 16 February 2001 A disco ident based version of the 'Seeing Stars' sting, this ident features a white "2" inside a coloured padded cube as a 2 knocks the screen once, then the colourful cube zooms up to the center area, whilst stretches the wall made of rectangle, a 2 looks around then dances around the now rectangled cube made of disco lights, then a 2 normally jumps around the cube, a la 'Seeing Stars' sting, then bashes into the screen as the 2 gets dizzy, then shakes its head off whereas the 'Comedy Zone' made of white letters positions into the centered cube, then the 2 jumps on to the position, looks nice then stands there with the now labelled 'Comedy Zone' as the 2 sits on the floor.
Mars Weekend 4 July – 2 October 1997 It starts in close-up on the "2" Martian surface, then zooms out to reveal the full scene, with the flying saucer blipping in and out of view. There were two versions - one with the flying saucer, and one without. This ident is used for special Mars Weekend, later comedy shows like 3rd Rock from the Sun and It's Ulrika, and this was the final new ident before the channel's revamp in October 1997.

1997–2001

Title Air Dates Description
Christmas 1997 24 December 1997 A white 2 in a snowglobe. A few variants with the faces of BBC Two's Christmas lineup appearing as reflections in the snowglobe were made; however, only one (with the cast of Shooting Stars) was shown.
Red Dwarf Night 14 February 1998 A series of five idents, each used on "Red Dwarf Night" from 14 February 1998. Each ident was transmitted only once. Unfortunately BBC Presentation made a mess of the first one, fading up half a still on top of the image.

The theme is a love affair between the "2", which has a red antenna sticking out of its head, and a skutter, one of the mechanical robot service droids on board Red Dwarf. The theme of a love affair was fitting, as it showed that Valentine's Day. Idents show the 2 rejecting the skutter's passes, the 2 and skutter at a cinema date in which they noisily share a soft drink, disrobing to have sex (complete with saxophone theme), getting married and, finally, the 2 giving birth to their children.

Evolution Weekend 27 – 29 March 1998 The single ident was animated by starting with the still image of a "2" in clear water. A stone is dropped causing large ripples in the water. We see the reflection of a monkey peering into the water, as it morphs into an ape, early man, and into modern man before he moves away to reveal the "2" where we started. Further ripples are seen with just the "2" visible.
Christmas 1998 23 December 1998,
6 December 2014 		A green fairy moves back to reveal the 2 atop a Christmas tree with surreal white and green colours. Reused at Christmas 2014 to introduce archive programming (new content was introduced with the 2013 animations)
Millennium 4 January – 31 December 1999 A camera zooming down on an hourglass reavels that many little 2's are falling instead of sand, counting down to the new millennium.
Monty Python Night 9 October 1999 BBC Two celebrates the 30 years of Monty Python and Monty Python's Flying Circus. A series of three spoof-based idents, each used on "Monty Python Night" from 9 October 1999. In the first, a white mouse climbs down inside the 2-shaped glass-cage against the light blue background, then exits out the cage, but is suddenly smashed by a hammer and replaced by a little white kitten (accompanied by a now kitten's den-shaped 2, except with killing the kitten with splattering blood next to our actor and comedian John Cleese).

In the second, the grey 2 made of hardened clay against a same light blue background, then hoists them up with a gripping rope to reveal the Monty Python's viewers as "Comedy of the Millennium" logo zooms in.

In the third, the plain blue 2 against the peach-coloured background is filled by a freshly amber coloured mango juice drink inside the 2 as it turns amber, then peels off and drops it down with a hand, then replaced by a fake red BBC One Balloon logo with "BBC ONE" has written on it, after a several seconds the balloon logo deflats away and lands on the floor.

And finally, against the same as above, the clay hardened-2 is holding a rope whilst John Cleese ends the Monty Python Night. He says: "That was the end of Monty Python. And now the BBC is closing down... Forever.", afterwards, the 2 drops onto the stylised BBC TWO logo then shatters into pieces at the end (albeit with clumsy clattering cartoon sounds). Audio was the same as Neon.

Christmas 1999 23 December 1999 A similar theme to last year, and the first ident to feature the bbc.co.uk URL. The 2, complete with wings, knocks the fairy off the tree before taking her place, a christmassy view from the cities against a cerulean background as the 2 with wings sits well at the top of the Christmas tree.
It's Scary Out There 8 January 2000 – 19 November 2001; 30 October 2015 – present The ident features an empty graveyard. The camera then zooms further into the graveyard until a giant '2' pops out of nowhere, and the camera zooms back. This rare special ident is used for horror movies and horror shows, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Demon Seed, but joined by regular roster of BBC Two idents and became a regular and rare ident until 19 November 2001. On 30 October 2015, the ident was reinstated in Northern Ireland to coincide with Halloween.[51] It was subsequently brought back on the Network the following morning, with the text box used for the Network version coloured black.[52]
Simpsons Night 23 June 2000 Two idents that were produced for Simpsons night. The first one was a parody of the show's opening titles, showing a yellow coloured '2' cracking the camera recording it. The second shows a power cut in the Simpsons household. The Simpsons family are all '2's.
I Love 1970's 22 July – 23 September 2000 A blood–orange '2' appeares in a lava lamp before disappearing moments later.
X-Files Night 12 November 2000 – 19 November 2001 3 idents were created for use throughout X-Files night, two joined the regular roster of idents (Camcorder and Super 8) however the third was only used on the night.
Christmas 2000 22 December 2000; 1 December 2015 — Two small white 2's skate on top of, and fall off, a huge ice-covered 2 against a blue background. This ident was reused for the 2006 Winter Olympics and sporting programmes. The ident was also reused during December 2015 as part of that year's Christmas presentation, albeit with the original soundtrack replaced with a choir repeatedly singing "two" to the tune of Jingle Bells.
I Love 1980's 13 January – 24 March 2001 In the first ident, the '2' would be seen dancing to a song of Don't You Want Me by The Human League from the late 1981 ident. In the second ident, the 2 can be seen kissing the television screen, then let go to body moves to a song of Planet Earth by Duran Duran from the early 1981 ident.
Comedy Night 26 February – 4 June 2001 A series of three idents with a caricature of Anne Robinson behind a blue, techno-like background with 2s behind her. In one ident she is shown dancing to Kelis' Caught Out There. Those idents also doubled up as continuity announcements, as the voiceover would match the Robinson caricature's mouth movements.
Star Trek Night 16 September 2001 Also known as 'Teleporter'. This ident was originally a sting, the '2' can be seen teleporting. This was the last ever ident used for one of BBC 2's themed nights.

2014–present

Title Air Dates Description
The Wrong Mans Series 2 18 December 2014 – 2 January 2015 Special ident for the second season of The Wrong Mans. It is first aired Thursday 18 December 2014, Sam and Phil are exited out of the prison and heading their way to the plane for escape, but they are both chased by the '2'-shaped car that drives around outside the area, then blocking the plane to prevent The Wrong Mans, whilst the Teal-coloured 2 interacting around and looks after them both to dance around the path.
Meet The Super Rich Season 27 December 2014 – 15 January 2015 This special ident was used between 5 and 15 January 2015 to promote the Super-rich season, a helicopter lands slowly then a helicopter door opens to reveal a golden 2 who sits comfortably in the chair.
We Know Food 16 March 2015[53] – present Introduced to be usually used for programs about cooking. This ident is starting the oven on, seven blinking photographs shown the celebrity chefs are: Lorraine Pascale, Rick Stein, Tom Kerridge, Mary Berry, The Hairy Bikers, Nigella Lawson and Raymond Blanc (whose saying 'oh la la'). The oven and the four cooking pots are surrounded by Kitchen utensils as the steam rises, the 2 forming within the steam. Similar to the 50th anniversary idents, the channel logo is rendered as a 3D cube, one side having "WE KNOW FOOD" written on it.
Cue Rest 18 April 2015 – present Introduced for the 2015 World Snooker Championships, this ident featured a 2-shaped cue rest was tickled by a snooker cue as it laughs.
Tennis Ball 26 June 2015 – present This ident, featuring a tennis ball in the shape of the iconic '2', was introduced to coincide with tennis coverage.[54] It depicts a doubles match, with each of the four players groans "B", "B", "C" and "Two" as the ball is hit across the court.[55]
Sundays Don't Stop 12 July 2015[56] – present This ident, used on Sunday nights, is an edited version of the regular Dog ident, featuring the fluffy '2' dancing to "You Make It Hard" by JM 118[57] while the background changes colour and the 'BBC TWO' box beats in time with the music. The ident is accompanied by its own menu and trail style.
India Season 24 August — 8 September 2015[58] This ident was introduced to coincide with a season of cross-channel programming known as the 'India Season'. The ident features a 2-shaped taxi dancing to Indian music. The box in the ident is white and placed further to the right than in the regular idents. It also carries white text, advertising the season; Northern Ireland's version of the ident does not feature the white text.[59]
Silk Surprise 21 September 2015 This one-off ident was used to introduce the first episode of In Case You Missed It. It is a parody of the Silk ident and features the silk sheet being pulled away to reveal a man, in nothing but his underwear, imitating the shape of the '2'.
Christmas 2015 1–31 December 2015 Various previous Christmas 2 idents were shown. The box logo was white with a shiny feel and the font was black with the 'O' substituted by a snowflake.
China Season 21 January – 3 March 2016 This ident was introduced to coincide with season of Chinese-based programming known as the 'China Season' The ident feature a 2 dressed as a Chinese Dragon slithers around the paved streets of China, then the 2 looks scared by popping out of fireworks on the floor by accident, then the 2 hops into the position and dances into the Chinese music as the fireworks explodes into the sky above the background. The box in the ident placed further to the right than in the regular idents. It also carries white text, advertising the season; Northern Ireland's version of the ident does not feature the white text.

Stings

During the run of the idents, there were also quick, usually humorous short animations shown before the trailers known as 'Stings'. Examples included a 2-shaped pancake landing in a frying pan, a '2' performing stunts on a bicycle, or a set of spinning plates in the form of the '2'. These were sometimes themed to suit a particular event, such as sport coverage; for instance, a set of snooker balls racked in the '2' shape. Animations were also created to match the theme of a year's Christmas symbol. During the 1995 Christmas period, for example, a set of short animations featuring Wallace and Gromit were used, along with a similarly themed ident.

These 'sting' animations were usually only a few seconds long and, particularly from 15 March 1993 onwards, the '2' would become a character as well as merely a symbol, an idea that was carried on for the BBC Two yellow idents from 2001.

Below is a complete list in short summary of BBC Two Stings.

Toaster Two slices of bread come out and drop onto a plate upon a '2' logo appears on the left side of the screen. First aired 1991 and withdrawn soon after.
Cactus A cactus in a desert blooms '2' logo on the left side of the screen coming out. First aired 1991 and withdrawn soon after.
Chameleon A grey chameleon stands on the rocks to change the colour from plain grey to colourful green as a '2' logo appears on the left side of the screen. First aired 1991 and withdrawn soon after.
Ostrich An ostrich sticks its head out of the ground upon the '2' logo on the left side of the screen as it appeared. First aired 1991 and withdrawn soon after.
Bungy A gelatin (jelly) '2' jumps over the floor in a room. The room and the 2 are both black and yellow. First aired 1993.
Cliffhanger A '2' is hanging on the top of the dark-wooden mantelpiece, possibly about to fall off. First aired 1993.
Crane A '2' made of metal is picked up by a hook. First aired 1993.
Alien An egg cracks, revealing a '2' which seems like a reptile. First aired 1993.
Edge A grey '2' chips a wooden floor that leaves the wood carved trail behind as it goes. There was a variation where it was viewed from a top-down angle. First aired 1993.
Op Art A '2' coloured white and black stripes blends on a same coloured background. There were total of eight random variations in this sting. First aired 1993.
Loudspeaker A '2' gets blown away by a Loudspeaker from a right-hand side. There was a variation whereas a 2 gets shaked & vibrated violently by a loudspeaker from a left-hand slide. First aired 1993 (currently and rarely used today, but only in Northern Ireland since 2015).
Hangover A glass of water (or some other type of transparent liquid), with two '2'-shaped Alka-Seltzer tablets being dropped into the water and dissolving. First aired 1992.
Cheese A mouse eats all the cheese to reveal a hole of a '2', then a mouse scutters off. First aired 1992.
Wacky A saw makes a circle around the '2', do a classic cartoon gag, then the 2 causes to fall. First aired 1993 and usually used as a closing ident in early 1994 (currently and rarely used today, but only in Northern Ireland since 2015).
Carrot A donkey in the field is eating a '2'-shaped carrot by pulling off it's tail. First aired 1992.
Football A '2' slides down the banisters and kicks the circular grip representing a "ball" into the fireplace which represents the "goal". First aired 1993.
Ski Jump A snow version of Football where the '2' slides down the banisters and does the ski jump. First aired 1993.
Stay-Puft A giant light grey '2' is rampaging in New York City which represents Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. First aired 1994 (currently and rarely used today since 2015).
Teleleporter A '2' transports via a Star Trek like device. First aired 1993.
Hair Curlers A hair drying machine opens to reveal a '2'-shaped hair curlers in the woman's hair. First aired 1992.
Chewing Gum A chewing gum-shaped '2' on the pedestrian road was squashed by a man's left foot. First aired 1992.
Dead Body A man is showing a dead body of a '2' where has examined by police investigators. First aired 1992.
Pancake A frying pan is holding by a cookery man by using to land a '2'-shaped pancake on a frying pan, spot on target. First aired 1992.
Snowshoes A man is using a snowshoes to walk like a mountain climber. Both '2'-shaped snowshoes are made off footwear to tread the snow during winter. First aired 1992.
Parking Meter A red arrow-shaped '2' suddenly appears above the parking meter after two seconds of disappearing the black arrow. First aired 1992.
Snooker Balls A '2' is made from snooker balls with two variations. First one, a white ball hits the 2, then splits apart as the crowd cheers, then a second variation, a group of snooker balls forms back into a 2, the crowd gasps in shock. First aired 1992.
Trap Door A red '2' with a waiting woman presses a button, activates the trap door, send a 2 falling down and pops out of nowhere to see the animated hall room with windows, floors and entry door is hiding behind the 2. First aired 1992.
Traffic Lights A traffic light stops by red, ready by yellow and now go by green as a yellow '2' appears below inside the green light. First aired 1992.
Chimney Sweep The houses are covered in snow made of chimneys as the Chimney sweep wipes a dirty soot off in a puff of smoke to be appeared by a '2'-shaped broomstick. First aired 1992.
Clown A clown flies towards the screen, then smiles nicely and winks as the '2' on the left eye around the face-paint. First aired 1992.
Pantomime Season A funny old horse costume immediately rips them off in both half during the pantomime season as the red '2' (complete with white wings) draws the curtains down. First aired 1992.
Spaghetti A bowl of 2-shaped spaghetti pieces in a tomato sauce. First aired 1992.
Cows A couple of cows are mooing in the field, cows are made of black and white 2 above the skin. First aired 1992.
Polaroid A polaroid camera, printing off a photograph with a 2 on. The colour of the 2, and the angle of the camera, where changed from time to time. First aired 1992.
Test Card F The test card girl, or Carole Hersee replaces Bubbles the Clown with a viridian toy shaped in a 2. First aired 1992.
Dalmatian Dog The girl is walking in the park with a Dalmatian dog, both girl's black tight socks made of white 2-shaped spots and a Dalmatian dog with white coat made of black 2-shaped spots albeit with barking Hip Hop music sounds. First aired 1992.
Plummet A 2 jumps from the high diving board into a pool of water inside the circus tent. First aired 1994.
Rope A white 2 cuts the tent supports off from a guy rope outside the capri tent area as it zooms close to the 2 after it cuts off. First aired 1994.
Ballet A gold 2 dances by spinning a la ballet in a ballet classroom, then stops. First aired 1993 (currently used today since 2015).
Animated Film An ivory 2 in the garden with 14:9 picture comes closer and closer to the screen (as the Jaws theme played), then stops. First aired 1993.
Demolition A wrecking ball hits a giant 2 made of rock but cracks on impact. First aired 1993.
Sneeze A white 2 in the dark attic was dropped by a feather, then sneezes to send the 2 flying out of the attic. First aired 1993.
Slinky A Slinky-shaped 2 rolls down some stairs after it presumably "sneezes". First aired 1993 (currently used today, but only in Northern Ireland since 2015).
Magnet A 2 magnet gets everything and the camera attached next to it. There was a variation with no music at all. First aired 1993 (currently used today, but only in Northern Ireland since 2015).
Pump An inflatable 2 pumps on a patio, accompanied by a deep trombone piece. There was a variation where the 2 is pumped to big, and the music ends differently. First aired 1993 (currently used today since 2015).
Sub One of three animated shorts featuring a duck 2, who also starred in its own ident. The 2 pops up from underneath the bubbles, and like a submarine periscope, looks around in different directions, before sinking below surface again. First aired 1997 (both parts currently used today, but only in Northern Ireland since 2014).
Ducks The second in this family of shorts. A 2 is crowded by hundreds of rubber ducks. First aired 1997 (currently used today since 2014).
Jaws The third in this family of shorts. This one features the duck 2 swimming through the bubble bath squeaking the theme from Jaws. First aired 1997 (currently used today, but only in Northern Ireland since 2014).
Swan Change Mind The shorter version of its own ident. Two little grey 2s, resembling cygnets, swim passes the clearly bemused swan, then third little grey 2 gets timid, then goes right at the wrong way after swims away from the swan. First aired 1998 (currently used today since 2014).
Pounce A black and white 2 looks like a cat and tries to pounce on a dot. First aired 1994 (currently used today since 2015).
Spider's Web The spider makes its web, and the web turns into a 2, at the end it snaps (due to the web turning into a 2). First aired 1995 (currently used today, but only in Northern Ireland since 2015).
Harley's Bike A bicycle 2 does a trick, and then rides home. First aired 1993 and usually used as a closing ident in mid 1995 (currently used today since 2015).
Corridor An electro-light 2 patrols around the low lit corridors as they go in and out of doors, (as the 2 glows rapidly due to flashing dim-litly as it goes in and out). First aired 1994.
Eerie A 2 in a dark room, with a door being closed, leaving the 2 in darkness. There were three versions in this ident, one with the zooming back camera as the door closes and the two swoop down into the screen next to the 2 when it closes the door (depends on the zooming screen), there where two variations in this ident: Cold for suspenseful music and Warm for omnibus music, and that's a total of five. First aired 1993 and usually used as a closing ident in late 1993.
Newton's Cradle A 2 ball is seen in a Newton's Cradle type of toy against a black background. First aired 1994 (currently used today, but only in Northern Ireland since 2015).
Modern Art Gallery A multi-coloured 2 in the artroom splits into 4 different perspectives blocks; Blue sky, Cobalt plastic, Teal stone & Red bricks, by reverting and forth à la Channel 4's 3D idents from a right slanted camera zooming an angle. There were two versions in this one. First aired 1993.
Dancing A 2 does a dance on TV by another 2 in a hot red room. First aired 1993.
Cuckoo Clock A naughty cuckoo 2 leaps out of a clock, and tries to hits the camera as they zoom back before goes back to a clock again. There were three cuckoo sounds that used in random with this one. First aired 1993 (currently used today since 2015).
Milk A Milk-shaped 2 becomes fat in a fridge-freezer after drinking too much juice and falls down due to its weight. First aired 1995 (currently used today since 2015).
Shoal Lots of fishes form a 2 before swimming off. First aired 1994 (currently used today, but only in Northern Ireland since 2015).
Woodpecker The shorter version of its own ident. This sting depicts one metal pole, of varying distance, against an orange background instead of five, three viridian 2s flickers one at a time by drilling like mechanical woodpeckers. First aired 2000 (currently used today since 2014).
Bowling Alley A bowling game, showing a 2 as the only pin not knocked down. A ball is rolled to try to knock the 2 over, but the 2 jumps into the air, making the ball fall down. First aired 1994 (currently used today, but only in Northern Ireland since 2015).
Lurve A 2 jumps to a TV and kisses the screen, then let go to stand and watch. First aired 1993.
Periscope A giant 2 gets smaller one at top which that one gets a 2 which gets a 2 with a robotic camera. There were two sounds that used in random with this one. First aired 1993 (currently used today, but only in Northern Ireland since 2015).
Trailblazer A silver 2 walks down a road then speeds off with a trail of blaze. First aired 1994.
Seeing Stars A white 2 in a colourful padded cube jumps around and crashes into the screen and gets dizzy. First aired 1995 (currently and rarely used today, but only in Northern Ireland since 2015).
Vacuum Pack Also known as 'Tin Foil'. Layers of tin foil looks like vacuum pack overlap and a forth and final one create a 2 shape which causes the machine producing the tin foil to malfunction. First aired 1995.
Velcro Also known as 'Sticky Pad'. An orange 2 made out of Velcro in a viridian room tries to get out. First aired 1993.
Whirlwind A 2 spins around the glass objects, stops then hits a glass object to making it spin again. First aired 1996 (currently used today, but only in Northern Ireland since 2015).
Behind the Telly A 2 is kissing on the TV, then jumps out of a pile of videos, as another 2 plays hide and seek, then a 2 running and pants around the TV and jumps up to give it a squeak and down again. First aired 1993.
Spinning Plates A group of plates spinning in a 2 shape while a man tries to balance them. First aired 1996 (currently used today, but only in Northern Ireland since 2015).
(Springwatch) Butterfly A butterfly emerges from its cocoon, then flutters around the tree as the butterfly sprouts it's 2-shaped wings, then lands carefully on the perch of the tree. First aired 2015.
(Springwatch) Caterpillar A green caterpillar-shaped 2 on the log stands beside a flower that sneezes, then it feels runny from its nose (due to its natural allergic to hay fever). First aired 2015.
(Autumnwatch) Flock of Birds Lots of flying birds outside the cliffs of Scotland that forms a 2 before flies off. First aired 2015.

On 19 August 2014, BBC Two Northern Ireland began airing a selection of stings from the original set.[39] Three days after, Network followed suit.[60] Surprisingly, only ones related to idents were initially shown; with the roster consisting of Sub, Jaws and Ducks, Swan Change Mind and Woodpecker. Swan Change Mind became the opening sting on all BBC Two programmes on BBC iPlayer on 13 November 2014;[61] it was replaced by a snippet of the Car ident on 30 July 2015,[62] and later replaced by a snippet of the Autumnwatch sting on 4 November 2015.[63] However, on 13 January 2015,[64] other stings from the 1990s that were not related to the idents were brought back into rotation, including Newton's Cradle, Bowling Alley, Shoal, Slinky, Seeing Stars, Spinning Plates, Loudspeaker, Magnet, Wacky, Whirlwind, Periscope, Spider's Web (currently in Northern Ireland only), Pounce, Milk, Stay-Puft, Cuckoo Clock, Harley's Bike, Ballet and Pump (currently across the Network).

Some of the special idents used in 2015 were adapted into stings or, alternatively, had stings accompanying them. After Springwatch commenced airing in May 2015, two special trails - featuring either a 2-shaped butterfly or caterpillar - which were created to promote the series premiere,[65][66] became stings and were regularly used after the year's series finale.[67] On 25 August 2015, a special sting, which was basically a short snippet of the accompanying ident, was created to promote the BBC's 'India Season'.[68] This special ident, like Springwatch, was adapted into sting or, alternatively, had this sting to accompanying them. After Autumnwatch commenced airing in October 2015, one special trail - featuring a flock of birds forms a 2 before flies off - which watch created to promote the series premiere,[69] became a sting and was regularly used after the year's series finale.[63]

Further references

References

  1. 1 2 3 "BBC Two | 1991 Idents". TVARK. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  2. 1 2 Lambie-Nairn, Martin (1997). Brand Identity for Television: With Knobs On. Phaidon. p. 129. ISBN 9780714834474.
  3. ↑ "BBC Two 50th Year Presentation: 90s idents return! Split from BBC Two Rebrand and Onwards - Page 37 - Post 932267". TV Forum. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2015. In response RT quoted a "BBC spokesman" as saying "I'm pleased to let you know that the plan is to keep these retro idents on air for the foreseeable future and into 2015".
  4. ↑ Lambie-Nairn, Martin (1997). Brand Identity for Television with knobs on. London: Phaidon. p. 122. ISBN 9780714834474.
  5. 1 2 3 tvlivevideo. "BBC2 1991-2001 Idents / How Do They Do That?". YouTube. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  6. ↑ Lambie-Nairn, Martin (1997). Brand Identity for Television with knobs on. London: Phaidon. p. 112. ISBN 9780714834474.
  7. ↑ "How Do They Do That? (extract)". BBC. 1995. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "Our Work Archive". Lambie-Nairn.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 12 September 2007.
  9. ↑ http://media.wix.com/ugd/59903a_552673b758144784ae4ae092518271f0.pdf
  10. ↑ "BBC Two 50th Year Presentation: 90s idents return! Split from BBC Two Rebrand and Onwards - Page 19 - Post 927018". TV Forum. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014. Also its seems Paint has been used by NI today.
  11. ↑ alwardemshire (20 April 1991). "How did they did the BBC2 1991-2001 Idents 1". Youtube.com. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 LP401C (23 June 2014). "BBC TWO - 90s Night - Network & Nations Presentation 21/06/2014". Youtube. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  13. ↑ http://theident.gallery/player.php?id=BBC2NI-2016-ID-PAINTGREEN-1
  14. ↑ "BBC Two 50th Year Presentation: 90s idents return! Split from BBC Two Rebrand and Onwards - Page 22 - Post 927402". TV Forum. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014. Note the blue logo, rather than white or black.
  15. ↑ "BBC Two 50th Year Presentation: 90s idents return! Split from BBC Two Rebrand and Onwards - Page 23 - Post 927473". TV Forum. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014. Blade shown on NI, before Saints and Scroungers.
  16. ↑ "BBC Two 50th Year Presentation: 90s idents return! Split from BBC Two Rebrand and Onwards - Page 23 - Post 927464". TV Forum. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  17. ↑ alwardemshire (20 April 1991). "How did they did the BBC2 1991-2001 Idents 2". Youtube.com. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  18. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post936486#post-936486
  19. ↑ PresIdents1970 (27 August 2012). "BBC Two Northern Ireland - Titanic". YouTube. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  20. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post964063#post-964063
  21. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/tvhome/bbc-two-2015-90s-idents-40542/page-30#post-954168
  22. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post927533#post-927533
  23. ↑ "BBC Two 50th Year Presentation: 90s idents return! Split from BBC Two Rebrand and Onwards - Page 22 - Post 927367". TV Forum. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014. Powder shown on NI, before Bargain Hunt.
  24. ↑ "BBC Two 50th Year Presentation: 90s idents return! Split from BBC Two Rebrand and Onwards - Page 14 - Post 926447". TV Forum. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014. BBC2 NI used Optics and it looked great.
  25. ↑ "BBC Two | 2001 Idents". TVARK. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  26. ↑ "BBC Two Rebrand and Onwards". TV Forum. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  27. 1 2 3 4 "BBC TWO NI - Fiftieth Anniversary '90's 2s' Symbols - 22/7/14". ThePresentationAnorak. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  28. ↑ "BBC Two Rebrand and Onwards". TV Forum. 23 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  29. 1 2 3 "BBC Two Rebrand And Onwards". TV Forum. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  30. ↑ "BBC Two Rebrand and Onwards". TV Forum. 23 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  31. ↑ alwardemshire (20 April 1991). "How did they did the BBC2 1991-2001 Idents 3". Youtube.com. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  32. ↑ alwardemshire (20 April 1991). "How did they did the BBC2 1991-2001 Idents 4". Youtube.com. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  33. ↑ "BBC Two Rebrand And Onwards". TV Forum. 23 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  34. ↑ "BBC Two Rebrand And Onwards". TV Forum. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  35. 1 2 "BBC Two 50th Year Presentation: 90s idents return! Split from BBC Two Rebrand and Onwards - Page 17 - Post 926793". TV Forum. 26 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014. Duck shown on Network, before The Saint Meets The Tiger. (... and Zapper shown last night on NI, before In The Electric Mist)
  36. ↑ "BBC Two 50th Year Presentation: 90s idents return! Split from BBC Two Rebrand and Onwards - Page 18 - Post 926927". TV Forum. 27 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014. Paint Pot shown on Network, before The Gay Falcon.
  37. ↑ Jimwoodward1212 (16 April 1999). "BBC 2 Paint-Pot Ident". YouTube. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  38. 1 2 3 "BBC Two Rebrand And Onwards". TV Forum. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  39. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post928368#post-928368
  40. 1 2 3 The Ident Gallery (12 July 2014). "BBC TWO Special Presentation (7)". The Ident Gallery. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  41. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post929638#post-929638
  42. 1 2 "BBC Two 50th Year Presentation: 90s idents return! Split from BBC Two Rebrand and Onwards - Page 22 - Post 927380". TV Forum. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014. NI showed Excalibur before Flog It, and Catalyst before Pointless. Edit: Water on NI, before Pembrokeshire: Coastal Lives.
  43. ↑ "BBC Two Rebrand and Onwards". TV Forum. 23 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  44. ↑ "BBC Two 50th Year Presentation: 90s idents return! Split from BBC Two Rebrand and Onwards - Page 17 - Post 927022". TV Forum. 27 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014. This is a surprise. Kebab came back yesterday!
  45. ↑ "BBC Two | 2001 Idents". TV Forum. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  46. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV05moi3wB4
  47. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post928810#post-928810
  48. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/tvhome/bbc-two-2015-90s-idents-40542/page-42?msg=102#post-959063
  49. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/tvhome/bbc-two-2015-90s-idents-40542/page-43#post-964015
  50. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post979659#post-979659
  51. ↑ "BBC Two 2015 with 90s idents: Split from BBC Two 50th Year Presentation - Page 61- Post 979772". TV Forum. 31 October 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  52. ↑ http://tvforum.uk/tvhome/new-bbc-two-ident-40674/
  53. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/tvhome/bbc-two-2015-90s-idents-40542/page-44#post-964131
  54. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post964131#post-964131
  55. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post967336#post-967336
  56. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyHDC9ZfTGI
  57. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post971119#post-971119
  58. ↑ http://w11.zetaboards.com/The_TV_Lounge/single/?p=8201174&t=10461891
  59. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post929905#post-929905
  60. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post938757#post-938757
  61. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post968240#post-968240
  62. 1 2 http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post980798#post-980798
  63. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post944913#post-944913
  64. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post957398#post-957398
  65. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post958569#post-958569
  66. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post962648#post-962648
  67. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post971200#post-971200
  68. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post977259#post-977259
  69. ↑ http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post927767#post-927767
  70. ↑ The Ident Gallery (3 April 2014). "BBC TWO Special Presentation (7)". The Ident Gallery. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  71. ↑ Hill, Jane (13–19 September 2014). ""Your RT: Feedback"". Twice as Nice. Radio Times: Media Company London Ltd. p. 167.

External links

Preceded by
TWO		 BBC television idents (first run)
16 February 1991–19 November 2001 		Succeeded by
Personality 2s
Preceded by
Window on the World		 BBC television idents (second run)
9 July 2014–present 		Succeeded by
Present
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