BBC News Channel
The BBC launched their UK rolling news channel, shortly before the advent of Digital, although it was planned primarily as a Digital channel. Initially launched in 1997 as BBC News 24, it was later renamed as the somewhat more mundane 'BBC News Channel' (although the word channel rarely appears on air). The channel often appears on the main terrestrial channels as filler material in late hours, or even as mainstream material during breaking news. Over the years the look of the channel has closely followed that of BBC World, their slightly older counterpart news channel for an international audience. At launch, both channels had a look very distinct from the news on the rest of the BBC based on a flag motif, however from late 1999 onwards they have all followed a very similar corporate look.
BBC News 24 (10/1999-9/12/2003)
BBC News 24 - Main Titles (4:3) - 2002
BBC News 24 - Main Titles (16:9) - 2002
BBC News 24 Countdown 2002
BBC News 24 Countdown 2002 (Longer Version)
BBC News 24 Countdown 2002 (16:9)
BBC News 24 Promo - 2002
BBC News 24 - Breakfast - 2002
BBC News 24 Countdown 2003
The January 2003, several new countdown sequences were introduced on News 24. It had the same music, however the visuals now featured that thing that branding people love so much - people! Lots of shots of people, possibly filmed by somebody who just realised how to use time-lapse cameras! This version starts at 35 seconds.
BBC News 24 Countdown 2003 (16:9)
BBC News 24 - Iraq War Titles 2003
BBC News 24 (9/12/2003 - April 2008)
BBC News 24 Opening - December 2003
After several weeks in a virtual studio (and one pushed back launchdate), BBC News 24 finally unveiled a brand new set and graphics package on the 8th December 2003. This file features the end of one of the new countdowns, building upon the existing style, a run down of the headlines, then into the new opening titles. Whatever the current top headline is, its animated into the opening sequence. In this case, it's the Rugby World Cup celebrations.
BBC News 24 Countdown - December 2003
BBC News 24 Countdown - 2005
BBC News 24 Countdown - 2005
BBC News 24 Countdown - 2005
BBC News Channel (April 2008 - March 2013)
BBC News Channel (Countdown) - 2009
In April 2008, BBC News 24 was renamed. Generally referred to onscreen as just 'BBC News' from this point, although verbally the term 'BBC News Channel' has often popped up to distinguish which part of BBC News is being referred to. The channel countdown sequences continued in a similar style, albeit now branded up as 'BBC News'. Somewhat annoyingly, the music was also initially offset by a few seconds so that it could sync up with the end of an animated BBC News logo, resulting in a countdown starting at 57 seconds, the 10 second part of the music coming in at 7 seconds, and the whole sequence not actually ending at 0. Thankfully this decision would eventually be reversed!
BBC News Channel (Countdown) - 2009
BBC News Channel (Intro) - 2009
BBC News Channel (New Broadcasting House Move) - 18/3/2013
BBC News Channel (Last TVC) - 2013
On 18/3/2013, the BBC moved broadcasting of the News Channel, and BBC One bulletins from Television Centre, to their New Broadcasting House studios (by now only referred to officially as 'Broadcasting House'). The last broadcast from Television Centre was for the 12pm-1pm news hour. In the final ten minutes, presenters Simon McCoy and Sophie Long lead into a pre-recorded interview with Esther Rantzen from the reception area of TVC as they reminisce over times in the building.
BBC News Channel (TVC Close) - 2013
After a short interlude for the last weather report from Television Centre (which can be found on the BBC Weather page), Simon and Sophie return to close off the final hour from TVC. The lights dim down on the old studio, before cutting to an exterior shot of Television Centre with a rarely seen copyright caption.
BBC News Channel (First NBH News at 1) - 2013
BBC News Channel (Move Report) - 2013
BBC News Channel (First NBH) - 2013
BBC News Channel (Move Report - Business) - 2013
BBC News Channel (Move Report - Weather) - 2013
Nick Higham drops in on the Weather Centre, meeting up with John Hammond to discuss how things are changing with the move to New Broadcasting House from a weather presentation point of view. Although you can change the technology and the studios all you like, but you cannot change the British weather itself.
BBC News Channel (Move Report - Newsroom) - 2013
BBC News Channel (Move Report - Andy Griffee) - 2013
BBC News Channel (March 2013 Onwards)
BBC News Channel (Countdown - First NBH) - 2013
In March 2013 the countdown was revised for the move of the BBC News operations from Television Centre to New Broadcasting House in London. The general style of showing 'the news being made' with red lines flying through has been retained, albeit now with lots of smaller white lines spurring off to show their additional mobile reach now. As well as updated footage being used throughout, the finishing shots now focus on the new building at NBH. Additionally music timing has been restored back to the original 'finishes on zero'. This is a long playout of the channel countdown, used to fill the junction between the last TVC report and the first NBH report at 1pm on 18/3/2013.
BBC News Channel (Countdown) - 2013
BBC News Channel (Countdown) - 2013
BBC News Channel (Titles) - 2013
BBC News Channel (Coming Up) - 2013
BBC News Channel (Sportsday) - 2013
BBC News Channel (Countdown) - 2017
Although the location shots with the lines flying through them don't change very often, the inbetween news shots are frequently swapped out or reordered over time to keep them current. The countdown sequence from 2017 here still following the same style, and finishing on New Broadcasting House this time as it's getting darker in the day.
BBC News Channel (Countdown + Breakfast) - 2017
BBC News (Countdown - Royal Wedding) - 2018
BBC Breakfast - 2018
BBC News Channel (20th Anniversary) - 9/11/2017
BBC News Channel (Birthday Launch) - 1997/2017
BBC News Channel (Birthday Countdown) - 1999/2017
BBC News Channel (Birthday Countdown) - 2003/2017
BBC News Channel (Birthday Countdown) - 1997/2017
BBC News Channel (July 2019 Refresh)
BBC News Channel (Countdown) - 2019
15th July 2019 saw the long anticipated rollout of the new BBC Reith font across the BBC's news service, bringing with it refreshed graphics. Countdown sequences on the News Channel were also updated to take advantage of the new font, with the first playout at 9am giving a chance to see a long version of the countdown.
BBC News Channel (Headlines) - 2019
BBC News Channel (Coming Up) - 2019
BBC Breakfast (Opening) - 2019
BBC News Channel (Countdown) - 2020
A number-free version of the BBC News countdown. Featuring all the same footage just usually played out in a longer sequence and without the numerical countdown, this usually appears as a holding device to fill gaps where the news may not hit an exact top of the hour. Most commonly this is the case during specials simulcast with BBC One/Two. Here Simon McCoy introduces a special update on Coronavirus in March 2020.
BBC News Channel (Countdown) - 2020
To mark the Thursday 8pm Clap For Our Carers across the UK, which started during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to give thanks to Key Workers, the BBC replaced the regular countdown with footage cut together of people clapping throughout the country. This was refreshed and changed each week, as well as giving it a long and extended playout in the junction.
BBC News (Filler Loop) - 2020
For BBC News Channel junctions which cannot be timed to fill with trailers and the regular countdown, or which sit off the top of the hour (both of these often the case with short notice simulcasts joining BBC One) a version of the 'countdown' without any actual count overlaid exists. The footage and music in this can be looped for extended periods of time and just faded out when needed, allowing them to fill any length of gap until they can join a bulletin. Here being used for nearly 2 minutes ahead of a news special on October 31st 2020.