BBC One 'Oneness' idents
The BBC One 'Oneness' idents are a set of on-screen channel identities used on BBC One from 1 January 2017 to present. The idents feature groups of people doing activities in everyday life, with the aim of the showing them coming together in these various ways. The logo is now placed at the bottom of the screen instead of the middle for the first time since 2002.
![](../I/m/BBC_One_'Oneness'_Exercise_Class_Ident.jpg)
Launch
Street photographer Martin Parr was commissioned by BBC One to create the idents.[1] The 'Oneness' theme had first been exhibited the previous Christmas for the channel's identity, hence giving the impression that those idents ultimately served as a preview to the new look that made its full launch on New Year's Day 2017. Around 24 idents were filmed, and were introduced throughout the year.[2] More idents were introduced throughout 2018.
This is the first set of idents that have been produced with the input of BBC Creative, a new in house creative agency responsible for BBC presentation.
Components of look
Each ident begins with a tagline showing who the people are and what they are doing, and the location of where the ident is filmed. At the bottom of the screen, the word 'Oneness' is drawn up before fading into the BBC One logo. Programme trailers retain the same look and design of the previous 'Circle' era, except the endboards now consist of a plain red background as opposed to a one with a circular design as before. Some of the idents also seem to have been inspired/echo the themes of the past 'Rhythm and Movement' ones from before the 'Circle' Era. End credits promotional material is changed.
Idents
Title | Air dates | Description |
---|---|---|
Exercise Class, Avonmouth (2 versions)[3] | 1 January – 25 April 2017 | A group of people are performing a dance workout routine. Filmed in Avonmouth. This was the first ident of the new look to be used at 01:00 on 1 January 2017. Removed after a few months due to initial poor reception. |
Sea Swimmers, Clevedon (2 versions)[3] | 1 January – 2 July 2017 | A group of people are walking in and back out of the sea. Filmed in Clevedon. Initially used for the BBC News before the introduction of more suitable idents. Removed after a few months due to initial poor reception - however, version 2 of the ident appeared before Sunday Politics on 2 July 2017.[4] |
Mountain Rescue Volunteers, Brecon Beacons (2 versions) | 9 January 2017 – present | A mountain rescue team and their dog are walking down from a 4x4 emergency vehicle in a wintry forest. Filmed in the Brecon Beacons. Commonly used to introduce serious programming, along with the BBC News and overnight simulcasts of BBC News Channel |
Wheelchair Rugby Team, Llantrisant (3 versions) | 11 January 2017 – present | A team of wheelchair rugby players. Filmed in Llantrisant. Usually used to introduce sporting programmes. Also used in entertainment and comedy programmes, but nowadays used for serious programming and the BBC News. |
Forest | 15 January 2017 – present | A still forest with no people in sight. Used for BBC News and sombre/emergency situations. This ident lacks the 'oneness' animation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this ident has been used to introduce information and safety adverts from the government in between programmes. |
Skaters, Southwark | 11 March 2017 – present | A group of skaters skate around a dance hall. Filmed in Southwark. Often used to introduce daytime programmes, entertainment programmes and comedy programmes. |
Birdwatchers, Rainham Marshes (2 versions)[3] | 11 March 2017 – present | A group of birdwatchers stand in a field, looking at offscreen birds with their binoculars and commenting on them. Filmed in the Rainham Marshes. Primarily used for serious programming and the BBC News - both their main bulletins and overnight simulcasts. |
Cavers, Wemyss | 1 April 2017 – present | A group of modern cavers with headlamps are going underground inside the cave. Filmed in Wemyss. Often used to introduce the menagerie of drama based programmes, BBC Three programmes and serious shows. |
Bhangra, Edinburgh New Town | 3 April 2017 – present | A group of bhangra dancers dance to Indian music. Filmed in Edinburgh New Town. Primarily used for comedy programming, films and entertainment shows. |
Tandem Cyclists, Belfast | 10 May 2017 – present | A group of tandem cyclists look at the camera and then cycle off. Filmed in Belfast. Occasionally used to introduce a wide variety of programmes including the BBC News - both their main bulletins and overnight simulcasts. |
Night Kayakers, Killyleagh | 10 May 2017 – present | A group of kayakers paddle in the water during the nighttime. Filmed in Killyleagh. Often used for serious programming, programmes from BBC Three, drama shows and the BBC News - both their main bulletins and overnight simulcasts.
A version was aired before the Doctor Who tenth series finale, The Doctor Falls, with a Cyberman interrupting the continuity announcer, upgrading him and taking over to read the announcement. |
Allotment Holders, Smethwick | 7 June 2017 – present | A group of allotment holders tend to the ground and then pose to the camera. FIlmed in Smethwick. Used for a wide variety of programmes, along with overnight simulcasts of the BBC News Channel. |
Bog Snorkellers, Llanwrtyd Wells (2 versions) | 7 June 2017 – present | Five Bog Snorkellers in various costumes. In one ident there are preparing to enter the bog, while in the other they emerge. Filmed in Llanwrtyd Wells. Used for the likes of entertainment, comedy and live shows. |
Boxers, Digbeth | 7 June 2017 – present | A group of boxers pose for the camera and then start an exercise session. Filmed in Digbeth. Occasionally used for a range of programmes, as well as sport programming. |
Banger Racers, St Brides | 7 June 2017 – present | A group of racers pose through the open windows of their cars, while a race takes place in the background. Filmed in St Brides. Often used to introduce drama shows, sport programmes and primetime shows. |
Ten Pin Bowlers, Hockley | 22 July 2017 – present | A group of ten pin bowlers are ready and waiting to knock down some skittles by using a ten pin bowl. Filmed in Hockley. Frequently used for entertainment, comedy shows and live shows. |
Fell Runners, Mourne Mountains | 4 August 2017 – present | A group of runners come to a stop at a group of rocks, and decide where to go next. Filmed in the Mourne Mountains. Used for the likes of daytime, primetime programmes, drama shows and fairly serious programmes. |
Llama Trekkers, Armagh | 4 August 2017 – present | A group of young people walk through a gate with three llamas. Filmed in Armagh. Often used to introduce a wide array of daily based programmes, along with overnight simulcasts of the BBC News Channel. |
Drone Racers, Nottingham | 1 January 2018 – present | A group of young people play around with their drones. Filmed in Nottingham. Frequently used to introduce entertainment, reality and comedy programmes. Originally filmed in August 2017, but was held back from being shown until the New Year. |
Wild Campers, Glencoe | 1 January 2018 – present | A group of young people come out of their tents. Filmed in Glencoe. Used for the likes of drama, serious programmes and everyday programmes. Originally filmed in August 2017, but was held back from being shown until the New Year.[5] |
Under 7 Footballers, Barnet (2 versions) | 15 June 2018 – present | A team of under 7 footballers participate in a training session. Filmed in Barnet. First shown to tie in with the start of BBC's coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but usually used for sporting programmes. |
Sausage Dog Walkers, Newcastle upon Tyne | 14 July 2018 – present | A group of people with sausage dogs are walking in the seaside park outside the bridge in the background, whilst sausage dogs are barking and yapping to help them to fetch some food. Filmed in Newcastle upon Tyne. Often used to introduce a wide array of programmes, along with BBC News. |
Cheerleaders, Manchester | 14 July 2018 – present | A group of cheerleaders (9 women and 1 man) dance to hip hop/electropop music. Filmed in Manchester. Used for a menagerie of programmes, as well as entertainment programming. |
Taekwondo Club, Trafford | 14 July 2018 – present | A group of 9 children performs taekwondo martial arts movements during the training session with 2 supporters (mum and dad) watch and learn. Filmed in Trafford. Frequently used for sporting programmes, primetime shows and entertainment programmes, along with BBC News. |
Swing Dancers, County Durham | 14 July 2018 – present | A group of 12 swing dancers dancing in a variety of styles. Filmed in Crook, County Durham. Primarily used for a wide range of programmes, also introduced to coincide the seventeenth series of Strictly Come Dancing. |
Volunteer Lifeguards, Exmouth (2 versions) | 6 August 2018 – present | Nine lifeguards in different surf rescue coats. In one ident there are using surfboards to go back into the sea for surfing, while in the other carry an Inflatable Rescue Boat for the rescue sea mission. Filmed in Exmouth. Often used to introduce a whole number of programmes, along with overnight simulcasts of the BBC News Channel (version 1 only) |
Steel Pan Band, Plymouth | 8 August 2018 – present | A group of 12 people in red T-shirts performing Calypso music with steel pan drums. Filmed in Plymouth. Usually used for a selection of all round programmes. |
Special idents
Title | Air dates | Description |
---|---|---|
Let it Shine[6] | 7 January – 25 February 2017 | Used to promote Let it Shine, the ident features: Graham Norton, Mel Giedroyc, Dannii Minogue, Martin Kemp and Gary Barlow.
This logo is placed at the middle of the screen instead of the bottom, like the 2006 idents. |
One Love Manchester[6] | 4 June 2017 | Used to introduce the One Love Manchester benefit concert, the ident features the BBC One logo in the middle of the screen on a splash of black background over the top of the usual red one, with a single bee flying over it. The 'O' in the logo is shaped like a heart. |
Generic | 14 June 2017 – present | Used to introduce the BBC News at Six a day after the Grenfell Tower fire, which happened on the evening of Tuesday 13 June 2017. Similar to the One Love Manchester ident, the BBC One logo silently appears on a dark red background. It was used first in BBC One Northern Ireland 14 June 2017 and was later used on BBC One to introduce DEC Indonesian Tsunami Appeal on 4 October the next year. |
Pitch Battle[6] | 16 – 17 June 2017 | Used to promote Pitch Battle. The ident featured various choirs from the show singing the theme tunes of The One Show, EastEnders, The Graham Norton Show, Doctor Who and Casualty before they aired over the weekend. An ident featuring all of the choirs was used to introduce Pitch Battle itself. |
Strictly Come Dancing | 9 September – 25 December 2017 | Used to introduce Strictly Come Dancing. This ident features couples waltzing around in a circle, a nod to the previous incarnation of BBC One idents from 2006, whilst people are heard humming the first few bars of the Strictly theme tune. Like the Let It Shine variant, the BBC One logo is in middle of the screen instead of the bottom, similar to the 2006 idents. |
Wedding Guests, London (Comic Relief 2019) | 7 – 15 March 2019 | This ident features the cast of Four Weddings and a Reunion. Used to promote programs leading to the Comic Relief. There were 3 versions of the ident being used. |
Donna and the Dynamos, Greece (Comic Relief 2019) | 15 March 2019 | This ident features the cast of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Yet Again. Used to promote programs leading to the Comic Relief. |
BBC Threetime (BBC Three on BBC One) | 4 March 2019 – present | It marks the airing of the pre–2016 length of BBC News at Ten and at the same time the official return of BBC Three on TV, after it was closed down in 2016. It was used to introduce BBC Three programs on certain weekdays. |
Laurence Lyle, A Golf Course | 16 July 2019 | Only used in BBC One Northern Ireland to promote The Open 2019 in Royal Portrush. |
Hoopers of Hulme (Children in Need 2019) | 13 – 15 November 2019 | Aired before programming related to Children in Need. |
Night Kayakers, Trollesund | 23 November 2019 – Unknown | Used to promote His Dark Materials, but it was strangely shown before Michael McIntyre's Big Show. Same as the 'Night Kayakers, Killyleagh' ident, except the Northern Lights and flying ships from the show are shown. Killyleagh is replaced with Trollesund, which is a real-life place in the His Dark Materials universe. |
2020 UK lockdown idents
On 23 March 2020, the UK was placed into lockdown to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic. Following complaints from viewers on social media that the current set of BBC One idents were not good examples of social distancing, BBC One temporarily suspended their normal idents on 1 May 2020 in favour of a special set of idents that adhere towards the current social distancing guidelines.[7] They are expected to remain in use until the UK lockdown is lifted.
Title | Air dates | Description |
---|---|---|
Tea breaks, Across the UK | 30 April 2020 – present | Cups of tea are being made at various kitchens. |
Teammates, Training at Home | 1 May 2020 – present | People kicking a football to one other across different gardens. |
Isolation Disco, Neighbours | 1 May 2020 – present | People dancing around to music in their own living rooms. |
In Bloom, Across the UK | 2 May 2020 – present | Flowers blooming all at once. Mainly used to introduce the news. |
Capoeira Group Practise, At Home | 13 May 2020 – present | Originally Capoeira Group Practice, at Home. People dancing in a Capoeira style, inspired by 2002 Capoeira ident from the 2002 'Rhythm & Movement' set. On the evening of Monday 22nd June, the caption was changed to Capoeira Group Practise, at Home. |
Cabaret Cooking, At Home | 13 May 2020 – present | People cooking and eating their Cabaret food. |
Knit Club, At Home | 20 May 2020 – present | People are doing knitting in their own dining rooms. |
Choir Rehearsal, Across the UK | 20 May 2020 – present | People singing and choirs in a style of melodies. |
Christmas idents
Title | Air dates | Description |
---|---|---|
The Supporting Act | 2 – 31 December 2017 | First launched at 20:10 on 2 December 2017 before Michael McIntyre's Big Show. The idents revolve around a young schoolgirl attempting to capture her father's attention by practicing a dance routine for an upcoming school talent show for Christmas. The song "Symphony" by Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson is used within the package.[8] Like the previous year, the 'BBC One' and 'Oneness' logos feature added Christmas decorations and sparkly effects on these idents.
Five different idents are used as part of the package, in the kitchen doing the washing up, in the living room setting up Christmas lights and running around in a supermarket.[9] The other two variants do not feature the characters or music, and are primarily used to introduce the news, one features a view from the kitchen window and the other is a nighttime snowy landscape view of the city. These two variants also lack the 'Oneness' theme. BBC One Northern Ireland aired a version of the city ident, but with a few notes from 'Symphony'. Regular use of the idents and presentation ended at 23:20 on 31 December 2017. The regular idents and presentation were restored immediately afterwards, however a single use of the package occurred on 1 January 2018 at 1:15pm - introducing a rerun of A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, which later in the show uses parts of the package during a mock introduction. |
Wonderland | 1 – 31 December 2018 | First launched at 20:10 on 1 December 2018 after Strictly Come Dancing. Filmed in Cromer, Norfolk including the Cromer Pier. A short fantasy, it depicts the distant personal relationship between a busy mother's lifestyle working with IT crossed-over to her son's video-game-driven lifestyle, causing the screens of both to display distorted fragments of each other's content and everyone else's real-time frame to freeze, allowing mother and son to enjoy unique quality time together.[10] The musical theme is Emmy the Great’s Lost in You.[11][12] Two versions were made in this Pier ident, one in day-time and one in night-time.
Regular use of the idents and presentation was last used at 23:35 on 31 December 2018. The regular idents and presentation were restored immediately afterwards. |
#XmasLife | 1 – 31 December 2019 | First launched at 20:00 on 1 December 2019 after Strictly Come Dancing. Encouraging people to "live their best Xmas life", the short film includes a cuckoo popping out of a clock with a Santa hat, a cat riding a Roomba, people watching TV in their pyjamas, and a mother and daughter re-uniting. There are cameos by Graham Norton and Rochelle Humes, who also appears in one of the short idents. The music is a re-imagining of "Feel Good Inc" by Gorillaz, performed by London choir, Some Voices. [13] The idents were Rochelle Humes sleeping while surrounded by animals, mistletoe on wrapping paper [used for serious programmes like news], snowmen fighting on other wrapping paper, the cuckoo clock and the cat going back and forth on the Roomba. [14]
Regular use of the idents and presentation was last used at 23:25 on 31 December 2019. The regular idents and presentation were restored immediately afterwards. |
Stings
Title | Air dates | Description |
---|---|---|
Let's Sing and Dance for Comic Relief[6] | 4 – 25 March 2017 | This special sting is used to promote Let's Sing and Dance for Comic Relief, the promo features: Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins wearing Red Noses on their noses.
The logo is placed at the middle of the screen instead of the bottom. |
All Round to Mrs. Brown's[6] | 25 March 2017 – present | Another special sting is used to promote All Round to Mrs. Brown's The promo features Agnes Brown (Brendan O'Carroll) from Mrs. Brown's Boys.
The logo is placed at the middle of the screen instead of the bottom. |
Eurovision Song Contest 2017[6] | 1 – 13 May 2017 | This special sting is used to promote the 2017 grand final of Eurovision Song Contest, in a cloudy-starry purple background, a heart symbol zooms in as the text name in the middle of the screen EUROVISion forms in, after the text disappears except for the heart to form the "BBC One" text, then the "BBC One" at the end. Graham Norton announces "We Love Eurovision". |
FA Cup Final 2017 | 26 – 27 May 2017 | This special sting is used to promote the BBC's live coverage of the FA Cup final. |
Big Day | 19 May 2018 | This special sting is used to promote BBC One's programmes on 19 May 2018, including the Royal Wedding and the FA Cup Final 2018. |
Semi Finals here we come | 7 – 10 July 2018 | This special sting is used to celebrate England's entry for the World Cup semi finals. |
See also
References
- Brooks, Richard (1 January 2017). "A new look as bathers oust hippos at the BBC". The Times. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
- "BBC One circle-themed idents replaced by new campaign". BBC News. 2 January 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- "BBC ONE : 2017 Idents". The Ident Gallery. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- "BBC One-ness - Jan 2017 onwards: A whole new set of crapness revealed on Friday 13th - Page 224 - TV Forum". Tvforum.uk.
- "BBC Creative - BBC One - Oneness". BBC Creative.
- "BBC ONE : 2017 Special Presentation". The Ident Gallery. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- Staff (4 May 2020). "BBC One launches new (socially-distanced) idents". BBC. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PstSiTCk74
- https://theident.gallery/bbc1-2017-xmas.php
- BBC's Christmas ad freezes time for one magical day by the seaside Campaign Live, 1 December 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018
- Seaside town is 'star' of Christmas TV BBC News Retrieved 6 December 2018
- BBC One launches Christmas film about cherishing time with loved ones BBC Media Centre, 1 December 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACjdP_Pxf40&t
- https://theident.gallery/bbc1-2019-xmas.php
Preceded by Circle |
BBC television idents 1 January 2017–present |
Succeeded by Present |