BBC One Christmas

Traditionally at Christmas, the BBC would throw out all their traditional presentation in favour of a short set of festive decorations. In more recent years the re-use of these over many years has become more common along with ever longer appearances (from a matter of days in the early 90s to the whole of December as of 2018), however the fun and some of the mystery of what will appear from the BBC on a yearly basis still remains. In more recent years the BBC has also seen a shift to producing 'John Lewis' style films for Christmas instead to try and attract eyes in a social media world, with other elements of the presentation usually being a more downplayed spinoff from this.

BBC1 (Promo) - Christmas 1988

BBC1's 1988 Christmas Presentation used animation based around the traditional song A Partridge in a Pear Tree. Although the ident only appeared from Christmas Eve, as was normal until the 2000s, trailers were using the design of this from the start of December. With apologies for some audio issues on this trailer.


BBC1 - Christmas 1989

The 1989 Christmas ident from the BBC. Proof that despite the computer generated COW globe having been in use for a few years by now, there was still some love for mechanical models left.


BBC1 (Promo) - Christmas 1989

An example of the BBC1 festive trailer style for Christmas 1989. With a large collection of toys all around the tree featuring that year. A trailer which also serves as a reminder on how many big names from the entertainment world are sadly no longer with us.


BBC1 (Closedown) - Christmas 1989

BBC1 closes down over a festive globe at the end of Boxing Day programming. The late Andy Cartledge provides continuity in the early hours of December 27th 1989.


BBC1 (Winter Promo) - 1989

As Christmas 1989 is nearly over once more, BBC1 takes a look ahead at what new shows are to come in the early months of 1990. Featuring a black silhouette animation style at the start and end.


BBC1 - Christmas 1990

The 1990 festive ident for BBC features the globe as an abstract image cast upon a moon in one corner.


BBC1 (Promo) - Christmas 1990

An example of the promo style for BBC1 for Christmas 1990. Topping and Tailing trailers, a stop motion wizard character dances up a staircase to reveal toys. Here promoting a special of Bergarac.


BBC1 - Christmas 1993

The BBC1 ident used for Christmas 1993 features a largely static wintery scene, apart from the gently animating night sky. Daytime and Evening variants existed for this ident.


BBC1 (Promo) - Christmas 1993

Although festive BBC One idents didn't appear until Christmas Eve throughout the 90s, the festive trailer style would get an earlier and longer outing. In 1993, different animated animals from the polar regions and a santa sleigh make up the style for the year (with a giant 1 always sat somewhere in the background). Here, Polar Bears feature in a trailer for what would be the premiere year of the One Foot In The Algarve special.


BBC1 (Promo) - Christmas 1993

Another animated sequence from the BBC One's Christmas 1993 package sees animated penguins sliding around past a giant 1. This time in a promo trailing the yearly outing of Noel's Christmas Presents.


BBC1 (Promo) - Christmas 1993

A mix of the various BBC1 Christmas 1993 graphics breaking up shows in this promo as they run down the full primetime schedule for Christmas Day on the channel. With a mix of comedy specials, EastEnders and the movie premiere of Ghost.


BBC1 (Promo) - Christmas 1996

The Christmas style for BBC1 in 1996 featured acrobatic toys, for want of a better way to describe them. Trailers also had a small additional bunch of presents added to the top right of the screen. This particular trailer promotes a Christmas Special of The Brittas Empire.


BBC1 (Promo) - Christmas 1996

Another trailer from Christmas 1996, this time with a rundown of several programmes before finishing with a festive endboard.


BBC1 (Sting) - Christmas 1996

Several toys using a BBC1 drum as a trampoline in a short sting for Christmas 1996. I hope you can buy one of those drums in the BBC giftshop!


BBC1 (Sting) - Christmas 1996

A 1 logo being repurposed as a see-saw in this sting. Just beware auntie - Using acrobats on BBC One idents will simply never catch on.


BBC One - Christmas 1997

For Christmas 1997, and the first under the new corporate BBC style, a huge set of idents were produced using pictures and music for different parts of the Carol 'The Twelve Days Of Christmas'. The picture in the middle was usually circular, designed to be a replacement for the globe (an approach which would be reused in the main 2006 rebrand). This is just one of the examples, using the line 'A Partridge in a Pear Tree'.


BBC One - Christmas 2000

From Christmas 2000. The Balloon was kept in this festive logo, only this time we actually see someone flying it!!


BBC One (Van) - Christmas 2001

There were three variations on the Christmas 2001 ident, to coincide with focus being placed on each of the three toys. The whole set was designed to promote shows on the channel, with the overall presence of the toys relating to the big premiere of Toy Story coming on the channel that year. And the Yellow 3-wheel Van toy symbolising a much heralded return of Only Fools and Horses to screens after 5 years. The main BBC balloon is relegated to only appearing in the background, in what was to be the final Christmas with the balloon idents.


BBC One (Dog) - Christmas 2001

In a second variant of the Christmas 2001 package, this time the focus is on the dog.


BBC One (Dinosaur) - Christmas 2001

In the third BBC One ident of the set for Christmas 2001, the dinosaur is the toy to take the centre stage.


BBC One (Sting) - Christmas 2001

One of several short stings based upon the toy theme to coincide with the main ident package. In this one, the dinosaur is blowing up one of the balloons they would float around on later... although not too successfully.


BBC One - Christmas 2002/2003

The first ident to come about after the 2002 rebrand featured children dancing as snowflakes. As a signal of the way things would go in coming years with the need to cut spending at the BBC, in 2003 for the first time in over 2 decades, the BBC snubbed any new Christmas presentation, and reused the 2002 one. The official defence of the decision at the time was stated as 'it was popular with the viewers'. No doubt this'll be those same magical viewers they always interview who say they find channel DOGs useful...


BBC One - Christmas 2004

Thankfully for Christmas 2004 a new ident was introduced to BBC1, with BBC2 being 'Scrooge' in terms of presentation for that year. Children and red skies remain, only this time Christmas pudding spacehoppers are the order of the day, with an accompanying bouncy rendition of the BBC1 signature tune. Though the ident officially launched on Saturday 18th (this clip being it's first proper outing), it had been shown first a day earlier on Blue Peter, due to the ident being the result of a competition ran on the programme.


BBC One (Bumper) - Christmas 2004

A shorter flash of the children on puddings and accompanying jingle, used inbetween programme promotions.


BBC One - Christmas 2005

Christmas 2005 saw another new ident. Somewhat more eery this time, children appear once again, with lots of floating baubles.


BBC One (Promo) - Christmas 2005

A promo from the 2005 package. Similar in style to 2004's promos, glitter sparkles over the usual BBC One logo, whilst the tagline 'The One for Christmas' has been adopted.


BBC One (Bumper) - Christmas 2005

The first of a series of short stings based upon the idents, designed to sandwich between junctions.


BBC One (Bumper) - Christmas 2005

A variant of the above, this time with the baubles floating off into the strange green sky. See what all that pollution does!


BBC One (Snowball) - Christmas 2006

The first year under the new 'circles' look introduced in late 2006 brought a brand new festive ident to the screens, with an oversized novelty snowball at the heart of it.


BBC One (Promo) - Christmas 2006

The promo style from BBC One's Christmas 2006 package featured some extra sparkles added to the usual promo endboards. Here seen promoting the pilot of The Sarah Jane Adventures, which would be followed up by several full series of the show for the CBBC Channel.


BBC One (Penguins) - Christmas 2007

First added for Christmas 2007, a collection of penguins invade an ice rink before skating around a tree in a circle. This was used into most shows, with the snowball from 2006 continuing to make an appearance as the 'news safe' ident. After being retired at the end of the festive season, this ident would continue to make intermittent appearances on BBC One usually during icy weather, albeit now edited to remove the Christmas tree.


BBC One (Penguins - Sting) - Christmas 2007

Penguins attempt to win more penguins with a grabber machine in one of the short stings produced for Christmas 2007.


BBC One (Penguins - Sting) - Christmas 2007

Another sting from Christmas 2007. This time two of the penguins meet under mistletoe.


BBC One (Ident) - Christmas 2008

A new ident from BBC One for 2008 (which shows how times have changed really when we had to herald this as a surprising thing!). A reappearance of Wallace and Gromit, last seen doing the ident rounds on BBC2 some years back, to promote the new short film out over the season. Presumably incase of any major disasters on the news that year, a more sombre version just featuring the end snow scene minus jolly characters on sled was also produced for before the news.


BBC One (Bumper) - Christmas 2008

In addition to the main ident, the usual series of short stings were produced for between trailers, once again featuring Wallace and Gromit.


BBC One (Promo) - Christmas 2008

A promo to highlight some of the festive treats on the BBC flagship channel for Christmas 2008. And the logo gets a little bit of a snowy makeover!


BBC One Wales - Christmas 2009

On December 12th 2009, the annual Christmas presentation went to air on the BBC. Not a surprise to anyone this time round, given it had been heavily spoiled in the runup via Youtube, the main ident features the centrepiece of the schedule, Doctor Who, now with a festive slant. Shown here is the Welsh Variant, almost identical to the network, save for the obvious added word.


BBC One Wales (News) - Christmas 2009

Also from the Welsh variant, a second version of the ident was produced for usage before news, this time featuring only a calm shot of the sky. Many of the networks were caught out by the Tsunami disaster several years earlier, finding having only cheerful idents for use into serious news highly awkward.


BBC One Wales - Christmas 2009

As had become common with previous years of the BBC's christmas presentation, several short stings were introduced for usage between promos. This one features the breath of a reindeer forming the BBC One Wales logo.


BBC One Wales (Promo) - Christmas 2009

A festive trailer, tweaked for the Welsh presentation of BBC One. Seasonal trailers across all the BBC channels for Christmas 2009 shared the same 'floating cubes' forming the BBC logo, but with each channel stamping its own style on subsequently.


BBC One (Pudding) - Christmas 2016

Whilst BBC Two saw rehashes of previous years as expected, the idents for Christmas 2016 on BBC One were a bit of a mix and marked the end of the 'circles' package for the channel after 10 years. 4 main idents were introduced to air throughout December all with a loose circular object or theme, whilst on Christmas Day itself programmes were instead introduced by specially recorded groups of people to mark 'Oneness' - in a semi-preview of what was to follow for the whole of 2017. This particular main ident from December focusses on a Christmas Pudding.


BBC One (Washing Up) - Christmas 2017

The first Christmas ident transmitted on BBC One at 8.10pm on 2nd December featured a less-than-perfectly looped sequence from the overall promotion film for the festive season and some notes from the remixed version of the Symphony music. Providing a welcome break from the usual oneness groups of people staring gormlessly at a camera.


BBC One NI (Washing Up) - Christmas 2017

The first broadcast of the Washing Up Christmas ident as aired on BBC One Northern Ireland. Very similar to network, just with a different announcement.


BBC One (Shows Promo) - Christmas 2017

A festively adorned promotion for BBC One giving a rundown of all their major shows for Christmas 2017. Before finishing with their 'Coming Together' tagline.


BBC One (Programme Promo) - Christmas 2017


BBC One (Lights Sting) - Christmas 2017

A short sting featuring a shorter version of the Christmas Lights ident for BBC One, with larger centred text similar to the out of season Oneness stings from the rest of 2017.


BBC One (Lights) - Christmas 2017

The father and daughter team work together to try and get the Christmas lights working in this short ident.


BBC One NI (Lights) - Christmas 2017

The Northern Ireland first showing of the BBC One Lights ident, complete with different announcement to network.


BBC One (News) - Christmas 2017

Whilst Northern Ireland had music over their version of the news ident, Scotland, Wales and England all had a silent variant instead. Shown here from the Scotland feed.


BBC One NI (News) - Christmas 2017

The news ident for the 10pm bulletin in Northern Ireland on the first day of transmission of the Christmas 2017 package. And unlike network, the ident has music.


BBC One (Supermarket) - Christmas 2017

Another BBC One Christmas 2017 ident, this time with the father and daughter riding up and down a supermarket aisle.


BBC One NI (Supermarket) - Christmas 2017

The first airing of the Supermarket Christmas ident on BBC One Northern Ireland. With different announcement, and a slightly less glitchy start to the music than everywhere else.


BBC One (Kettle) - Christmas 2017

Not mentioning 'Oneness' or featuring the father/daughter combo this time round. A kettle boils away in the kitchen for this BBC One Christmas 2017 ident. For when you want to let viewers know the following show contains hot, steamy action? During launch night this ident was used leading into sports programming, however in regular use it is often used as a second news ident.


BBC One NI (Last 2017) - Christmas 2017

The last announcement for 2017 from the Northern Ireland team, before leading us into the New Year. Also signalling the end of the Christmas presentation for BBC One (one special airing post New Year excepted).


BBC One Scotland (Hogmanay Build Up) - Christmas 2017

Due to the greater significance of New Year in Scotland, BBC One Scotland airs a different schedule to the rest of the network to cover their Hogmanay celebrations. The build up continuity link from shortly before 10pm on the 31/12/2017.


BBC One Scotland (Last 2017) - Christmas 2017

The last continuity link from BBC One Scotland for 2017 from around 11.30pm, leading in to their Hogmanay show.


BBC One Scotland (First 2018) - Christmas 2017

Due to their opted out schedule, BBC One Scotland had one additional airing of the Christmas ident into the 12.30am junction. However being their first link of the New Year, it was still used to wish everyone a Happy New Year 2018 from the Scottish team.


BBC One Wales (Last 2017) - Christmas 2017

The last link from BBC One Wales for 2017, aired around 11.20pm on New Years Eve, and also marking the last regular use of the Christmas idents. There would be no announcement from Wales post-midnight, with them airing a silent version of Drone Racers before crashing back into the network feed instead.


Christmas 2018


BBC One (Pier) - Christmas 2018

With the focus for BBC One's Christmas Campaigns now being on 'John Lewis' style films instead, the first ident broadcast at 8.10pm on December 1st was a much more muted affair. Lights come on along Cromer Pier, the setting of their film.


BBC One Scotland (Pier) - Christmas 2018

From the 8.10pm junction on December 1st, BBC One Scotland airs their first Christmas ident of 2018.


BBC One Wales (Pier) - Christmas 2018

The first airing of the Christmas 2018 ident on BBC One Wales, from the 8.10pm junction on December 1st.


BBC One NI (Pier) - Christmas 2018

The premiere of the first Christmas ident on BBC One Northern Ireland, shown in the same 8.10pm junction as all other nations.


BBC One (Tree) - Christmas 2018

For the second BBC One Christmas ident, everything is frozen in time except for the central 2 characters from the film, and the lights on the tree. Aired at 9pm on December 1st.


BBC One Scotland (Tree) - Christmas 2018

Scotland gets in on the tree 'action' as well, with their version of the BBC One Christmas 2018 ident.


BBC One Wales (Tree) - Christmas 2018

BBC One Wales' first showing of the tree ident, from the 9pm junction on December 1st.


BBC One NI (Tree) - Christmas 2018

BBC One Northern Ireland's version of the tree Christmas 2018 ident.


BBC One (Pier 2) - Christmas 2018

The initial Pier ident with a different soundtrack provided the 'serious' ident of the Christmas 2018 package, for leading into news.


BBC One Scotland (Pier 2) - Christmas 2018

Scotland's version of the 'serious' Pier ident.


BBC One Wales (Pier 2) - Christmas 2018

The serious version of the Pier ident, as seen on BBC One Wales.


BBC One NI (Pier 2) - Christmas 2018

Last but not least, Northern Ireland's version of the 'serious' ident.


BBC One (Dodgems) - Christmas 2018

The next BBC One Christmas ident to appear in the set features the two central characters on a dodgem ride, as everyone else around them remains frozen in a moment of time.


BBC One Scotland (Dodgems) - Christmas 2018

BBC One Scotland's version of the dodgems ident, shown in the 10.20pm junction on launch day alongside the other nations.


BBC One Wales (Dodgems) - Christmas 2018

The Dodgems Christmas ident, as seen on BBC One Wales.


BBC One NI (Dodgems) - Christmas 2018

BBC One Northern Ireland's variation of the Dodgems ident.


BBC One (ECP) - Christmas 2018

A slightly updated ECP style for the 2018 festive season.


BBC One (Season Promo) - Christmas 2018

A broader promo for the Christmas season from BBC One, this time focussing on their entertainment shows for 2018.


BBC One (Promo) - Christmas 2018

The regular show promo style for Christmas 2018 on BBC One. The endboard features a still from an amusement park ride. Still tying in to their film for that year, whilst giving us a break from that wideshot of Cromer Pier.


BBC One (Pier Daytime) - Christmas 2018

A daytime version of the BBC One Pier ident, first aired on December 2nd.


BBC One Scotland (Pier Daytime) - Christmas 2018

The BBC One Scotland version of the daytime Pier ident.


BBC One Wales (Pier Daytime) - Christmas 2018

The first BBC One Wales airing of the Daytime Pier ident from December 2nd.


BBC One NI (Pier Daytime) - Christmas 2018

Northern Ireland's version of the Christmas Daytime Pier ident.


BBC One (Pier Daytime 2) - Christmas 2018

Getting their money's worth out of that shot of Cromer Pier, a fourth ident featuring it for the Christmas 2018 package. It's the daytime one again, only this time with the muted 'serious' audio track, for use before news programmes.


BBC One Scotland (Pier Daytime 2) - Christmas 2018

BBC One Scotland's version of the 'serious' Daytime Pier ident.


BBC One Wales (Pier Daytime 2) - Christmas 2018

The serious audio track is applied to BBC One Wales' version of the Daytime Pier ident.


BBC One NI (Pier Daytime 2) - Christmas 2018

Northern Ireland shows us their copy of the 'serious' Daytime ident, leading into the news.


Christmas 2019


BBC One (Cat) - Christmas 2019

Launching at 8pm on 1st December, BBC One's Christmas Presentation for 2019 features scenes with the tagline 'XmasLife'. Here a cat rides around on a Roomba.


BBC One Wales (Cat) - Christmas 2019

BBC One Wales launches their 2019 festive presentation with the 'Cat on Roomba' ident.


BBC One NI (Cat) - Christmas 2019

Northern Ireland's variant of the 'Cat on Roomba' ident, launching the 2019 Christmas presentation for BBC One.


BBC One Scotland (Cat) - Christmas 2019

Like the other nations, BBC One Scotland launched their 2019 Christmas presentation with the 'Cat on Roomba' ident at 8pm on December 1st.


BBC One (Cuckoo) - Christmas 2019

Within a few minutes, the second ident for Christmas 2019 on the BBC aired. Another snippet from the extended 'XmasLife' film, this time round the ident shows variously dressed cuckoos coming out of a clock.


BBC One Wales (Cuckoo) - Christmas 2019

The Welsh variant of the Cuckoo ident, used here to lead into 'His Dark Materials' on December 1st with quite a different announcement script to the other nations.


BBC One NI (Cuckoo) - Christmas 2019

BBC One Northern Ireland's airs its premiere of the Cuckoo ident on December 1st.


BBC One Scotland (Cuckoo) - Christmas 2019

BBC One Scotland's version of the 'cuckoo clock' Christmas 2019 ident.


BBC One (Snowball Fight) - Christmas 2019

The next Christmas 2019 ident to air on BBC One was into the 9pm junction on 1st December. Featuring snowmen on wrapping paper throwing snowballs at each other.


BBC One Wales (Snowball Fight) - Christmas 2019

BBC One Wales' first showing of the snowball fight ident, into the 9pm junction on December 1st 2019.


BBC One NI (Snowball Fight) - Christmas 2019

The snowball fight ident as seen on its first airing on BBC One Northern Ireland.


BBC One Scotland (Snowball Fight) - Christmas 2019

BBC One Scotland shows its variant of the 'snowball fight' ident at the same time as the other nations.


BBC One (Wrapping) - Christmas 2019

Because you can never risk having anything too fun in front of the news, 10pm saw the first official showing of the 'News Safe' ident. The same wrapping paper as in the snowball fight ident appears, just without any snowmen.


BBC One Wales (Wrapping) - Christmas 2019

The 'News Safe' ident, as aired at 10pm on December 1st in Wales.


BBC One NI (Wrapping) - Christmas 2019

BBC One Northern Ireland's variant of the 'News Safe' ident for Christmas 2019, here from its first airing on launch day.


BBC One Scotland (Wrapping) - Christmas 2019

The Scottish variant of the 'News Safe' ident for Christmas 2019, featuring only wrapping paper and nothing too cheerful.


BBC One (Lie-in) - Christmas 2019

The next Christmas 2019 ident to be aired on BBC One was at 00.15am on Monday morning, just before the channel closed dow... sorry 'handed over to BBC News' for the night. Or at least on Network, Wales and Northern Ireland as Scotland had an extra opted out programme that night. This time round, a woman (Rochelle Humes, if that's important to you) sleeps in a bed with animated animals all around.


BBC One Wales (Lie-in) - Christmas 2019

BBC One Wales' first showing of the 'lie-in' ident, at 00.15 on Monday 2nd December.


BBC One NI (Lie-in) - Christmas 2019

The Northern Ireland variant of the BBC One Christmas 2019 Lie-in ident, first aired 00.15 on 2nd December. Scotland did not have a junction at the same time as the other nations this night.


BBC One Scotland (Lie-in) - Christmas 2019

A slightly later showing from BBC One Scotland of the Lie-in ident, as it was also used to open up BBC Breakfast at 6am on December 2nd.


BBC One (Promo) - Christmas 2019

The 2019 festive trailer style for BBC One looks very similar to normal, just with the addition of the snowballs being thrown at the BBC One logo at the beginning and end. Broader trailers for things like seasonal movies also introduce elements of the wrapping ident.


BBC One (Sting) - Christmas 2019

Stings for Christmas 2019 took a little longer to appear, but when they finally did consist of more shots from the extended trailer for that year, complete with their 'XmasLife' hashtag on the end.


BBC One (ECP) - Christmas 2019

An updated ECP style for Christmas 2019 on BBC One, bringing the wrapping paper background in to use.


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