BBC News through the ages

From the BBC website.
One of the viewers suggests that the BBC News opening titles at 0:33 actually started in September 1981, not in 1984.

[@beausexon435]

0:52 seconds - and absolute BANGER

[@l0u1x30]

Yes.

[@danielwilliamson6180]

2:13 the 1988 intro is pure epic.

[@donatist59]

It's like Oswald Mosley had taken over the BBC.

[@myristicina.]

They should of kept it honestly

[@XX-yz6hu]

It was pure dramatic!

[@dominewimbury2039]

It was horrible!

[@ayysavy892]

It was trash honestly

[@ewanodoherty2545]

Hard to believe that the current signature tune with the 'pips' has been in use since 1999(?!)

[@nicoladale1668]

Is the 2008 sequence still in use (as of 2018)?

[@theinterwebshobo]

@@nicoladale1668 Yep . 10 years. Probably due for an expensive revamp soon like bbc2.

[@JH-su9vl]

It still sounds great

[@MichaelOKeefe2009]

@@nicoladale1668 Yes, as of this comment.

[@Satters]

No innovation since the loss of Television Centre, and Pebble Mill, the BBC is not what it was

[@chazshier]

The scoring horns of the 1993 theme are by far the most evocative. That was the pinnacle of news themes for me

[@UncleGagag]

I remember how smooth Philip Hayton was reading the news. The way the camera zooms in, music still playing and he starts bang on cue. What a pro!

[@arwelp]

UncleGagag I’m old enough to remember Philip Hayton doing Look North from Leeds!

[@MarkPentler]

"Go zoom, animate Quantel!"

[@g4viscon]

Haha the bbc one o'clock news always reminds me of having a naughty day iff school pretending I was ill.

[@RexRobins-z6y]

ME TOO!! By one o'clock, the thrill of having a whole day off school was starting to wear off, and I would've been getting ready to feign sickness again in case my mum came home for lunch. I was fascinated by these graphics and the music, but I always felt that the bright jauntiness was telling me "naughty boy, there's nothing wrong with you, you should be at school"

[@AlisonBryen]

​@user-tv2bz2ci6b let's face it by the time Pebble Mill went off it was game over!

[@sidevans1]

strong "fake typing" intro there at 2:03

[@ridbensdale]

Maybe he was playing Zork?

[@sanchoodell6789]

Its what they do, or are trained to do as the BBC often insisted that all news casters attend 'Fake typing' courses. It makes the news caster look cool. Just when they use to do 'pointlessly' shuffle of their papers at the end of the broadcast. If they were co presenting they would turn to their colleague when the lights dimmed and pretend to start talking about something or or put their pen in the breast pocket of their suit jacket and look at the computer desk monitor and do 'fake typing'

[@CryOfTheCelts2]

@@sanchoodell6789 Funny, but true

[@MarkPentler]

@@sanchoodell6789 Can you actually prove this? Was this a thing that someone would be told "oh, before you go on air, you need to attend this course?" Who told you about this? Or is this just a thing you think happened?

[@ToonReel001]

They must have liked the 1984 6 o clock news intro, because I remember that lasting into the nineties.

[@AaronFromGuildford]

1984 - 1988 Intro's remind me of trouble's at football stadiums and Thatcher. 1999 onwards: Terrorism.

[@JH-su9vl]

ABfield 2016 onwards - brexit

[@tylermaverickyebra2258]

1984-1987 Boring

[@JohnDoe-vz7bn]

The ira?

[@tonyhaluradiv1445]

Plenty of Terrorism in the 70s

[@scsutton1]

2020 onwards: COVID and climate change.

[@pjw85]

don't think you can beat 1988

[@danielwilliamson6180]

The 1988 theme is epic.

[@mynahification]

Ewww 1988 was the worst

[@therealbettyswollocks]

Good old ‘beacon of truth’

[@lukeypie6943]

1988 was incredible

[@myristicina.]

The first 1984 one is awesome

[@eIucidate]

This video was uploaded 12 years ago but is still pretty much up-to-date. The current opening graphics are only slightly varied from how they were in 2008.

[@sanchoodell6789]

1:16 The 1985 one is without a doubt the best. A quiet start then space age 'Ulysses 31' style synths at the start. The build up of drama by way of trumpets and that crescendo of heavy punchy conclusive 3D drumming at the climax. Can't beat it.

[@caranhaes6496]

The 1985 intro is definitely one of the intros BBC introduced 😂

[@spannamatronic]

I love how in the 80's there were three different sets and idents for the different times of day. 1 o'clock news, I associate with having my marmite on toast lunch. 6 o'clock my dad would watch when he got in from work. 9 o'clock I'd sometimes hear from bed if I wasn't asleep yet.

[@danielwilliamson6180]

2:13 "By the Power of Greyskull.. I HAVE THE POWER!!!"

[@Timewyrm1989]

1988: ITS THE FUCKING NEWS GET HYPED

[@elbecko7969]

It's such an impressive burst of music that is in sync with the graphics. The way the instruments swell into near-cachophony as the sparks intensify then shoots out the transmission rays. I think it's also a homage to the very early BBC news intro visual. Very understated formal typeface followed by the very serious-looking Michael Burke.

[@alanthomas123]

1984 intro was the best by far. It brings the hairs up on the back of your neck..

[@angelacooper2661]

I was fourteen and remember that tune well!

[@thomasevans9279]

Yes, it’s called a mullet!

[@caranhaes6496]

The 1984 intro was definitely one of the intros BBC used. 😂

[@seigneurdemerde1935]

Pretty sure that hearing the dramatic 1988 theme every night as a baby and toddler explains my anxiety disorders and mental illness

[@mr-wx3lv]

1993 was even more dramatic

[@ivandinsmore6217]

The Six of Clock News from.1984 was the best news production the BBC ever had.

[@Sorter_123]

2:14 now that is what i would dare to call a news intro , so serious yet so nostalgic 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@alanlittle4589]

Yep... Very impactful

[@StuartVallantine]

Every time I see the 1988 titles, I always think of the night when Margaret Thatcher resigned!

[@bentattersfield7987]

Same

[@AlisonBryen]

​@@bentattersfield7987I remember that night. I was a kid. My entire family celebrated!

[@mango4606]

2:13 This is what I call an epic BBC News intro.

[@DatShepTho]

They nailed it by 1999

[@betaman7988]

I hate the pips, it feels dull and meaningless like it's just been churned out after 5 minutes work. And it's been in place for 18 years! Why?

[@NSR95]

Betaman I think it really represents news especially in its long version. This tone is perfect for news and i get a feeling of some sort of sequence and anticipation when i hear it and that what sets you in the mood for the coming news after this music

[@donatist59]

@@NSR95 Not only that but it manages to call back to the original BBC pips from the earliest days of broadcasting. A brilliant piece of music that just shouts "BBC".

[@PeterCamberwick]

Yup. That one continuous beep beep on one note, over two chords and a drum and bass pattern which was probably knocked up on pro tools in five minutes, sure beats all those beautifully orchestrated epics that went before in to a cocked hat! Lol

[@AlisonBryen]

Born in 1984...definitely remember those 1984 6 o'clock news titles and the 1986 1 o'clock news ones from my early childhood

[@leightongrimes1912]

The one o’clock news has to be the best ever theme. Always when I seemed to be off school and followed by Going for Gold!

[@HughMiller98]

It feels like throughout the 80s and early 90s with news programmes everywhere, not just the UK, everyone was trying to use as much computer generated content as possible with all the animations.

[@bentattersfield887]

ah memories!! 1988s version was indeed glorious

[@KeredDrahcir]

I remember loving the opening to the Six o'clock News. I also remember in 1993 being so disappointed that they changed it. I was not impressed with what replaced it.

[@dominewimbury2039]

Me too

[@JMac7991]

I actually really liked the 2007 titles and accompanying graphics package. Why was is so short lived and then replace it with the blandest of graphics that we have today.

[@cumbriaavgeek]

@2:15 remember this so clearly - about the first "late" news I was able to stay up and watch (on the weekends) and the theme always sent shivers down the spine.

[@awooly77]

Now in 2022 and it's still beep beep beep!!...

[@justinspencer4472]

1:42 reminds me being off school ill and my dad popping home on his lunch break to make himself sardines on toast - one of the few things he could cook at the time;)

[@capitalonecard]

The BBC...always classy. The late 80s ones were among the best.

[@XX-yz6hu]

Its amazing what nostalgia these tunes stir!

[@flegmegmegtennismeg]

I don't know. Being a German, I wonder why other countries don't seem to have that sense of tradition when it comes to themes. Our flagship news programme, ARD's "Tagesschau," has kept its theme for ages now, introducing only modest modifications with each re-design. So it's nice to see that BBC News has found its very own theme to stick to. After all, it still is unique, one-of-a-kind, and very BBC-like, despite all the copycats (e.g. Denmark).

[@shedkennel7916]

Though the current one has been used since 1999

[@Bertie_Ahern]

UK Channel 4 has kept its very distinctive news theme for 40 years

[@Sorter_123]

The beauty of it is in the change and the variety of ones that bring so many good memories .

[@cleanthessamouilides4441]

The Greek public broadcaster has kept the same news theme since 1984-1986 or so. The country's major private tv channel, Mega channel, has kept the same news theme since 1989.

[@MarkPentler]

Tagesschau is fairly epic as themes go, and Heute had the same theme for ages also until they went all beepy boopy too

[@xxGraham1969xx]

Love that news theme composed by David Lowe around the Greenwich Time signal, did not know they had been using it for about 15 years now. Good idea to have stayed with the white and red colour pallette for the graphics

[@eIucidate]

+Graham Spilsted I read an article once where it was explained that the red and black combination was abandoned because the two colours denote negativity. The article praised ITV News's former black and yellow look because the yellow is positive against a backdrop of darkness. It was a very interesting article but I can't find it :(

[@Glenn1967ful]

The BBC abandoned the Nine O Clock News in 2001 so they could compete more effectively with ITV, and also as News At Ten was being moved around the schedule. I think the eighties news opening titles are the best.

[@eamonnca1]

+Glenn Cumbria The mid 1980s openings all had a different brand, look and feel for the three main bulletins at 1pm, 6pm and 9pm. Later they brought it together with a single look with the blue backdrop and the CGI studio with the transparent BBC logo. I remember there being a bit of controversy about them bringing a unified brand together after having spent so much money producing separate brands. I even remember the reporters signing off at the end of their reports saying "This is John Simpson, reporting for the 6 O'Clock news, Washington." If you watched the later bulletin he'd say "This is John Simpson, reporting for the 9 O'Clock news, Washington." You could always spot the edit where they had to fix the audio for the 3 different takes.

[@XmorganlamiaX]

2:27 is the one closest to my heart. I wonder how many times I saw that as a kid?

[@XX-yz6hu]

Same here!

[@jameshammett8422]

I only remember this and the 1984 version

[@nicolasmattis5454]

Ditto! 1993-1997 were my teenage years so I remember thinking how authoritative BBC News was given the graphics and music. Bring it back I say! I would have loved to have seen behind the scenes of BBC News in those days!

[@Cam.Rubstein]

I never though I’d be watching this in an English lesson

[@WarrenFullerSMF64]

2007's theme was also used in 2008 and still used to this day with a few changes

[@mrdoofa9357]

1984 and 1988 are the best, especially 1988, when you hear that you know it’s not going to be followed by good news!!!

[@adrianrose5655]

Much better than itv news always thought that no ads and better commentary

[@hazelanderson1479]

0.49 The gorgeous Richard Whitmore. Thank you for sharing!

[@baz_astra]

2:15 that panic-inducing moment on Sunday night when you realize it's now your bedtime and you have school tomorrow.

[@johnpat3622]

I think that viewer is right, because i remember those titles from when i visited Britain in the summer of 1983.

[@kevinlongman007]

The best intros were all from the 1980's!

[@vaughanolley1988]

1984 is brilliant

[@kaiyan246]

Even though i was born in the late 90's I just love the 1988 opening quite badly in a good way

[@MrHuismeester]

1988, 1999 and 2004 are my favorites !

[@vincent_8373]

I think 1988 is the best , you can sense the seriousness of what news should be like .

[@Al.Diamond]

They reverted to the 1988 theme at some point. I remeber this theme with the 1993 set in the mid-late 90s when Michael Buerk and Peter Sissons were the principle newscasters on the 9 o'clock news. That theme was used right up until the first drums and beeps theme came in, which was shortly before the 9pm bulletin changed to 10 o'clock.

[@nihalrg]

I love the 1988 news sooooo much

[@johnking5174]

Nihal Ahamed I do too. I was 3 when it launched, and it lasted until 1993. I remember it very well because in the early 1990s on Mondays to Thursdays it would signify that it was my bedtime. It used to scare me as a child the lightening bolts and thumping bombastic music. Wish they something like that now.

[@gezatherton1071]

John King You're not the only person it terrified. As a child I used to run away from the noise!

[@nihalrg]

Heh, but i still love it!

[@Glenn1967ful]

+[YT] Nihal Gaming (Sonic The King Taco Chill) The BBC News idents from the eighties looked so much classier with better music than the boring and uninspiring idents they've used since the mid nineties. I really do like the one they used for the Nine with the radio waves.

[@nihalrg]

***** bruh

[@BenjyDale]

I never realised that we've had the dance / trancey music theme since 1999. That's nearly 25 years now!

[@jonprice3342]

0:52 I strictly remember that being around when I was a kid sometime after 1986 which was the year I was born. Somehow the tune and the horizontal lines got stuck in my head.

[@MichaelPower_]

It was the 1997 refresh the BBC showed. The 1993 version had the old BBC logo.

[@robintyson591]

Love 1986. Very Michael Tippett scoring - love the harps, love the monochrome graphics with shadows, love the triplet theme and the off-beat emphasis, love the theme moving from instrument to instrument, love the modulation in the keys, then continuing (with those lovely harps) under the introductory voice. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWrMkI2aj8Z9osk

[@--Fish]

They didn't have that BBC logo in 1993

[@ectopudding]

2:13 was the “go to bed” tune in our house. A step up from 1:19 - the “you should already be in bed” tune!

[@gammock4026]

The intro example here from 1967 that everyone of a certain age remembers was actually a replacement of similar but less dramatic intro around in the early sixties but no-one seems to include it. Does anyone else remember it?

[@robtaylor5310]

News After Noon began in September 1981, but the clip at 0:33 has a blue background on the open titles, which dates it to either 1985 or 1986. Originally the background was a deep red colour

[@dangerouslytalented]

and the graphics got more and more sophisticated....

[@DFWM091]

Yes those opening titles are definitely from the late 70's early 80's because they have that kinda style and the BBC used similar titles for other news programmes around that time period.

[@matt7777uk]

I remember everything from 1984 onwards. The 1988 'tower of power' style with the electrical lightning bolts and radio waves at 2:14 was a personal favourite but it didn't last long. The One O'Clock news always seemed softer than the Six, which seemed more informative and in-depth. The Nine O'Clock news never seemed to compete well with the then heavyweight ITN 'News At Ten', how things have changed! With the advent of 24 hour news and WWW television news isn't one of my primary sources for keeping up to date, like the radio used to be before it. I prefer the BBC 10pm news to the ITV/ITN news. I can't stand Sky News and BBC News 24 is often a bit wishy-washy. Thank goodness for the likes of Paxman or Wark on Newsnight and John Humphries and co on Radio Four. The Channel Four evening news with Peter Snow is quite frankly excellent and I always try to catch it. I used to have BBC Breakfast on in the morning with Bill Turnbull and Sian Williams but it's not gelled with me since they moved it all around, so it's R4 Today Programme now, which segues nicely into Start the Week, Mid-Week, The Life Scientific, In Our World, Desert Island Discs, etc. afterwards.

[@matt7777uk]

I just realised I replied to myself! lol

[@zetametallic]

We've all done it 😊

[@Omnicient.]

the 'tower power' came in in 1985 not 1988 and the 1984 titles are really 1980; they had the pink version and BBC 2 had the blue though sometimes the blue played on BBC1 and that may have been influenced by weekends being diff to weekdays.

[@angelacooper2661]

The pre-1984 tunes weren't shown, and I am old enough to remember some of them, as I am now almost fifty two!

[@robalexander8065]

The style of presentation at 0.33 began in 1981 but the colour scheme changed from pink to blue around 1985

[@markwrenn8569]

Re. Koulla Theoharous' question: the newsreader in 2006 at 3:30 was Darren Jordon, who now presents for Al-Jazeera English.

[@DanBmthUK]

I thought the flags concept for BBC World Service TV which they also used on BBC News 24 @2:40 was visually pretty effective.

[@nicoladale1668]

Since this video was uploaded that has been one more version of the news intros but it's not that different from the 2008 version.

[@finnswebsite]

2:14 The absolute best. Never bettered.

[@mrraoulandtheking11]

bbc news 1993 but the bbc ident was first used in 1997 the bbc ident in 1993 had coloured lines under each of the letters

[@lennyboi2283]

martyn bardwell agreed

[@endrightwinglunacy]

How dare you fade out the fantastic ending of the '85 9pm news lol ;). Love and remember all of the 80s themes and titles. Absolute favourite has to be 9pm from 1993, which you sadly don't have here, cos it's the bestest one!

[@johnking5174]

endrightwinglunacy The 1993 Nine O'Clock News was fantastic. I loved how it showed so much of the "virtual" set, and the colours was excellent. The music was great, a big orchestral version of the 1988 theme. I remember seeing a programme about how they created the set and that at 9.30pm every weeknight they would take down the three panels which showed the globe of the earth, and replace them with the Breakfast News coloured panels.

[@noviarahmawati5787]

1988 its Epic BBC intro 😃

[@jonescrusher1]

Got to be 1993 for me, moves from gravitas to sheer terror.

[@ace_reject]

1:17 that 1985 one is like something straight out of Star Wars or Doctor Who. 😂 The mid 90s ones with the horns are the best in my opinion. So much depth and gravitas. I do love the pips though, I have to say.

[@dominewimbury2039]

Michael Aspel on 1967?

[@ChrisATV301]

That's Leonard Parkin in 1967 just before he moved to ITN to present news at ten then he retired in September 1987 co presenting news at one with John Suchet..

[@mikemorgan7893]

no it was michael aspel

[@Deadingsmac]

Still very fresh, DO NOT CHANGE it BBC

[@AmericanDream1776]

I feel like I'm strapped to hospital equipment with the last few theme tunes. So horrid!

[@Phippsta]

They really need to change the current theme soon...

[@Lordminecraft2]

love the 2007 one

[@G6JPG]

I hadn't noticed before that in 1994, it was B.B.C., not BBC!

[@davidjeffreys9063]

Could never understand why when the newsreader comes on, they are tapping around on the keyboard to their computers. I reckon it's not even connected and possibly made of cardboard just for show

[@sanchoodell6789]

Yes definitely. Its probably some spare PC they borrowed from an upstairs office and shoved it in there or effect or set dressing.. Just makes them look good. Its kind of like a ritual when they use to shuffle their papers at the end of the news broadcast!

[@StephenHP62]

I remember the intro. from the late 1960s when Robert Dougall read the news.

[@nicoladale1668]

Re your comment about the titles at 0.33 in the video, the 6pm and 9pm versions started in 1981 but I don't think that afternoon news actually started until 1984 (I'm just guessing since it was before I was born).

[@garryhumphreys3054]

Yes, but not much of a retrospective that doesn't include Richard Baker, Bob Dougall or Kenneth Kendall! I also remember when readers were seconded from BBC sound radio and survived (just) into the period when newsreaders were in vision, with Frank Phillips, Bill Greenslade and John Snagge actually appearing onscreen (also Colin Doran and Alvar Lidell, apparently, though I don't personally remember those two onscreen, though Colin Doran and Jack de Manio announced 'In Town Tonight' on television for a while). (Of course Baker, Dougall and Kendall were originally radio announcers but moved over entirely to television.) I also clearly recall a period, probably after the arrival of ITN, when readers whose names I do not recall were brought in to ape ITN and gabble or shout the news - it was dreadful, and they soon disappeared. I'd love to know more about this phenomenon - who were they? (Readers were still anonymous at that time.)

[@paianis]

The one at 3:16 is actually from 2006. They had a different one from 2004-06.

[@kieranward5772]

1989 for me. Everyone in the house had to be deadly silent because the news was on, and the BBC threw in the orchestra 🤣

[@Krakachan]

Who thinks the '92 theme was awesome? Or who at least grew up with that? :D

[@nicolasmattis5454]

Yes absolutely my favourite cut glass virtual studio era was the best. My teenage years! Always caught my attention as authoritative and commanding!

[@baguioro9]

it is the new 1997 logo. so you must type 1997 world, because it is in BBC World. The 1997 is the News 24.

[@Sazzyw75]

Just realised that Nicholas Witchell looked a bit like Data out of Star Trek TNG lol

[@robalexander8065]

News Afternoon began in 1981.

[@catholicwood]

@MrHammadmossop1988 I'm not British, and I never had a chance to watch the BBC news at that time, but my guess would be that this person sitting near John Humphrys was Jill Dando.

[@daveboy1247]

0.33s BBC News Afternoon is not 1984, that did start in September 1981 and here is news proof, remember the old president of Egypt was assassinated in 1981, here is the BBC News from 1981 kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5SZeJJqn8aketE

[@Joyousmicor]

Blue intro was since 1985, Purple intro 1981-1985

[@taydrabrookshire347]

1:54 is from 1986!?!?? Dayum!!!!

[@flipprportal]

1993 is so "Rocky training montage" type ❤️

[@user-ht8pn6dv9j]

0:25 As a foreigner; I regret not being given of childhood chance to study English - to speak like Michael Aspel, from the start.

[@darren2514fv]

0:33 started from 1981 but the version on here was from 1984 and was used until 1988 but the 1985/88 use of the 1981 Music and titles was on weekends, bank holidays and the main holidays of Christmas and Easter the 1984 change was to the background colour the titles and music was the same

[@robalexander8065]

The Ten O'Clock News which began in October 2000 isn't mentioned?

[@cleanthessamouilides4441]

Who is the gentleman calling the names of the newsreaders in the 1980s?

[@Freethinkingtheist77]

1997 was when it started to go down hill.

[@Greenpoloboy3]

Seriously love this music and the effects of these 2 2:15 2:28

[@fabulousmyriad267]

Aaahhh nostalgia..I liked the flags motif in the 90's though any idea why the theme colours changed dramatically from blue in the 80's to the present red?