Fun fact: the mirror globe was actually filmed in black-and-white. The colour was added in electronically.

The "BBC1" text beneath the COW globe has a name - "Prospero". It was specially designed for the ident by BBC Graphic Designer Alan Jeapes, who also designed the opening titles for "Secret Army". The typeface was expanded to a full character set (by Alan) and used on the BBC's annual review programme, "See for Yourself".

The mirrored globe idents were a bit before my time but I've always thought they were very cleverly made! Simple concept but effective, I'd say my least favourite has to be the 1981 variant just because I was never keen on that lime green colour! The one I grew up with though was the 1991 ident, although the globe aspect of it was barely recognisable, the stylized '1' made it a classic!😁

Variant 1 is still my favorite. You just knew you were in for a good episode of Monty Python when that started playing.

Hi Adam, great content as always. Just one small point - the 1972 version of the mechanical globe saw more than just the word "COLOUR" being italicised. The BBC Corporate logo was refreshed in 1971 and the three blocks featured rounded corners creating a kind of button like graphic. It's a subtle change but this version of the corporate logo endured until 1988 (and later still at the end of programmes next to the roman numerals), so worth pointing out.

Oh that 80s and 90s logos were so full of nostalgia for me. I too think the 80s logo happens to be the best and strangely synonymous with my own child like sense of wonder at the world. Perhaps the first globe I ever saw. I'm immediately took back in time with COW associated with my childhood and The Virtual Globe associated with my teens!

Since the recent Olympics drone globe, I would love to see something like that be made for BBC One idents. Could you imagine drones creating a globe, hovering over the Thames?

I was born in 2004, but I watch a lot of 90s sitcoms, so the virtual globe ident from 1991 is what I think of when I think about BBC 1.

The 1985 COW was my favourite perhaps because it represented a major shake up of the schedule. At the time it felt like a real refresh for the channel.

Thanks for giving me a bit of entertainment whilst I'm in self-isolation, Adam!

Thanks for these idents Adam.....brings back a lot of happy Childhood memories! I was born in 1971 in Southwest England, so just about remember Westward Television. Keep up the good work mate. :)

This was fab! I feel like of all idents you've reviewed, these were like the Adam idents, you know? ❤

I worked in BBC Tv Network in the late 1970's and actually had to do maintenance on 'Noddy' the camera looking at the symbol (and would nod to the clock and other breakdown captions). The camera was still B&W and put through a colour sythesiser. There were 2 of them, one each for BBC 1 & 2. Another part of my duties as a trainee engineer or T.A. (Technical Assistant), was to vision and audio switch programmes to air in both BBC 1 & 2 Network Control rooms. One of the hated jobs was having to answer viewer questions like ' what was the music played with the BBC 2 testcard at xxxxx on xxxxxxx?. We had to log every tape (1/4") we used and work it out! Happy Days!

I challenge you to review all the old Central TV “cake” idents… in one video! 😁

Great video, been looking forward to the globe idents and can't wait to see the next set from BBC1

3:48 We start with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and end with the Pink Panther. That is quite the change in subject if you ask me!

Another great video Adam.

I'd love to see the globe return, for I was a child in the 70's and miss seeing it. Though this time round, make it look more realistic, with stars and the moon in the background. The BBC 1 logo could be on an orbiting satellite.

Great ident review as always, Adam! Oh my God! Where do we ever begin? These BBC 1 idents are great for the time, especially the "Mirror Globe" ident and the "COW Globe" ident! I even can't pick a favourite ident out of these, but I guess my favourite ident from BBC 1 would be the "Mirror Globe" ident, dating from the 1960s to the late 1970s!

Very colorful, so much detail.

Great video

My favourite ident is the first of the ones after this retrospective, those balloon ones, I loved those so much, still miss them.

At least these idents were more colourful than the first 2021 ITV sombre ident.

On the day of the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 15, what better way to celebrate than with a new video from Adam Martyn! Really love this video, these idents get better every time!

Great video thank you

you know as a kid in the 90s I never even realised that the BBC1 logo was supposed to be a globe! I always thought it was a crystal ball or something

Well done Adam 👏👏 love your content

Great video.

Hi Adam do you remember the CIC video logo used for paramount VHS releases . BTW really appreciate your videos and the research you do for them. Keep up the good work.

I remember the blue one from Monty Python.

exactly 14k views rn!

The balloon needs to be Episode 100. Then we’ll have the entirety of BBC1’s globe lineage.

Do E4 2013 idents next.

Have you done retro mtv indents from the years when it was still a music channel there where a lot of brilliant ones over its history

I do find it weird that the BBC introduced the 1974-81 Ident just after Christmas 1974 when they could have waited until New Years Day 1975 when they could have intorduced it as part of a new ident for a new year.

The virtual globe was the one I remember from childhood. 😀

Anyone know what the copy-write would be on old idents like this? I have a project and i need to use a couple of idents but no idea how to find out.

The 1985 one was my favourite by far. Should have kept it for longer. The 1974 - 1981 one was the best one in the 70's.

Just curious, was there a change in the 1972 variant to have the line underneath the globe go edge to edge, or was that just a luma key adjustment? All the 1972 clips I've seen show this, instead of tapering off as in the 69 version.

Actually the COW globe was semi-retired until late 1993 or early 1994. As the BBC WSTV (World Service Television) used it from their launch with tweaks.

The 1981 version is my favourite!

Actually the reason for BBC1's first color ident only being in blue instead of black was because this was very common for the time as can be seen with ITV idents of the time such as Border, Granada, HTV and Ulster among others.

Magnificent my favourite bbc 1 ident is the virtual globe

hi adam can you do the fx uk 2009 idents if you take requests thanks

Can we have an episode about the bbc2 idents next focusing on 1964-1986?

With the Virtual Globe Going Live did a mock opening it was on TVARK but it's not there now

I know the next one is going to be the balloon for

1:45 Always thought that looked like someone on horseback 😁

5:33 another logo like CNN, SEGA and Sears :)

Only Adam can answer this... Which one was your favourite?

might be a stretch when it comes to doing the bbc one balloon, how will you over those

Great I dents

For me, variant 3 and COW are the best and most distinctive and memorable. They were simple, clearcut, and sent the messages that the BBC brings you the world, that it is at the centre of the world, and is world class. For me, the worst most pointless and empty-headed idents were the ones post 1997. All they conveyed was that the BBC had lots money to waste on endlessly shooting on silly constantly changing images, and lots of staff with too much time on their hands designed them. Variant 3 and COW were by far the most superior in my lifetime. I didn't think much of the final virtual globe with the 1 in it. That virtual globe seemed a lot too busy and cluttered, more a case of showing off new technology than it having a point. I also hated the '1'. It broke the link with BBC1 to focus simply on the number - even if BBC was in smaller lettering below. '1' on itself was meaningless. It could be any station. The virtual globe reminded of Top of the Pops in the 1970s, when they were so busy showing off what they could do that it what was done contributed nothing other than distracting attention from the bands and their music. Sometimes the urge to show off actually backfired as the quality and simplicity of the message was lost. When CGI came into film, it often went so overboard that the quality of writing, acting film making deteriorated. People instead were fixated on showing off what they could do rather than only using it when needed by the story. "Hey. let's explode the White House again" no matter how pointless it is to the meat of the story. The best idents were simple, clear and straightforward and they became memorable: the ABC ident that came together to form a triangle, ATV, Thames, BBC1 variant 3, COW.. They stuck in your mind, and were instantly recognisable.

Have you got an idea for your next episode of The Ident Review? I might give you some.

Your 1974 variant is actually a revision from 1978, with a slightly flatter, higher mirror (which is why the reflected land masses look flatter than they did in the 1969, 1972 and the correct 1974 globes). If you want the actual 1974 version, look for the continuity Easter egg on the Doctor Who Robot DVD.

Ah the colored globe.. if the BBC rebranded from their current idents they should revert back to this but make it more modern.

Poor Ident Review! No episode since February.

When the globe went the BBC s output went down hill the identity we got today is crap and the channels out out is weak not worth watching at all