BBC One "Balloon" idents
The famous BBC balloon launched at 7.05am on Saturday, October 4 1997. It replaced the computer generated spinning globe which was used as the main ident on BBC One since 1991.
The balloon idea was designed by the Lambie-Nairn design agency based in London. The original idents were filmed over 6 weeks in the summer of 1997 at various UK locations such as Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland, Swinside Stone Circle in Cumbria and the rooftops of Cardiff.
To begin with, there were an unprecedented 47 ident sequences featuring the balloon floating serenely over stunning British landscapes.
A year after it launched in 1998, a few more idents were added to the collection. This time featuring the balloon floating over The Needles on the Isle of Wight, The second severn bridge and St. Michaels Mount in Cornwall (the balloon was added digitally by computer, so in other words the balloon didn't fly over those locations).
In 2000, the BBC wanted the balloon idents to become more inclusive, so they introduced the 'lifestyle' idents. These featured skateboarders, a busy market scene, bungee jumper and a carnival.
In 2002, and after much speculation, the BBC One balloon was replaced as the icon of the BBC's main television channel with a set of idents with the theme of 'Rhythm & Movement'. These new idents were much disliked by critics of the BBC and television presentation fans, and accused the corporation of 'dumbing down' and becoming 'overly politically correct' for featuring idents with wheelchairs users and ethnic minorities.
The BBC balloon hasn't taken to the skies since the summer of 2003 when it took part in the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. It is now wrapped up and held in a museum by a preservation society.