Update history Site development Update history 2008 17 May: Major update to Radio Times Covers - reformatted pages have allowed for the addition of many more classic covers from the past 85 years. 21 April: BBC News has redesigned its graphics like it's 1999 - and BBC News 24 has lost the '24'! Various sections of our own BBC News pages have been updated with video clips and images of the new look. 1 March: TV & Radio Bits has changed to a layout designed for a screen size of 1024 pixels wide or more. However if you are using a resolution of 800x600, it is still possible to view the main content without having to continually scroll from side to side! To coincide, many of the images in BBC TV Idents have been enlarged and improved in quality. In other news, a page titled In Other News is added to the BBC News section, and the winner of Eurovision - Your Decision has been announced - but can they beat a singing turkey? Plus more details about the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest 2008 added. 12 February: The blobs are no more! BBC3 has relaunched - see images at BBC TV Idents. 20 January: A few changes to TV & Radio Bits, with the creation of a BBC News section. This incorporates the BBC News pages formerly found in BBC TV Idents, the Nationwide pages from Bits and Pieces, the BBC South East section, and a new section looking at 25 years of BBC Breakfast. 14 January: a rarely seen BBC1 globe from 1966 added to BBC TV Idents, along with new pages summarising BBC idents over the years. 1 January: Happy New Year from TV & Radio Bits! And BBC1 have marked the arrival of 2008 with a new ident - possibly the most elaborate yet? See it at BBC TV Idents.
2007
15 December: BBC1 and BBC2 Christmas idents added to BBC TV Idents. 21 November: Radio Times Covers updated with 2007 covers. 14 October: BBC Choice section renamed BBC Digital, with more details on the early plans for the BBC's digital channels, and minor additions to the BBC News page at BBC TV Idents. 13 October: Fancy a trip to the funfair with BBC1? 8 September: More jingles added to the BBC Radio Surrey page at Radioland. 3 September: The spirit of the Broom Cupboard has returned (well, sort of) with CBBC's revamp - see images of the impressive new identity at BBC TV Idents. 9 August: With the fourtieth anniversary of Radio 1 looming, BBC Radio has a new image - see the new logos, as well as lots of old ones, at at BBC Radio Logos. 16 June: See the two latest additions to BBC1's identity at BBC TV Idents. 13 May: It's all over! Go to the Eurovision section for all the results and gossip from the 2007 contest. 11 May: Eurovision 2007 updated with results of the semi-final 31 March: Various updates to BBC South East. 18 March: The UK has made its mind up, and selected this year's Eurovision entrant - we have the results right here. Also added are the full running order for 2007, and news that 2008 could bring us no fewer than three Eurovisions... 18 February: BBC2's famous 'Big 2' has entered its third phase - and BBC TV Idents now has as many of the new idents as I've been able to add! 1 January: We mark the start of 2007 with two new TV presentation-related bits - a gallery of ITV Idents from the days of regional television; and a look back at those BBC Schools diamonds and clocks of the 70s and 80s.
2006
16 December: 2006's BBC Christmas idents added to BBC TV Idents. 8 December: Improved clips of BBC Video idents added to BBC TV Idents. 3 December: Results of the Junior Eurovision added, along with details of the 2007 'proper' Eurovision Song Contest. Video clip of You and Me added to Eighties Zone. 29 November: In memory of the legendary Alan 'Fluff' Freeman, who has died at the age of 79, a few more clips of the man in action added to The UK Top 40. 26 November: The running order for this year's Junior Eurovision Song Contest (not to be broadcast in the UK!) added.  10 October: BBC1's long-awaited new 'circle' idents have been unveiled, and all eight are now available to view at BBC TV Idents.
21 May: Images and results from the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest added. 2 May: A very small update to BBC TV Idents with images from today's relaunched BBC News. 27 March: Welcome to TV & Radio Bits - as featured on BBC Radio 2's Wake Up to Wogan no less... 19 March: Dick and Dom have left the Bungalow for the last time - images from the last series added to Bits and Pieces. 5 March: Results of this year's Eurovision Making Your Mind Up added. 12 February: There's a sense of deja vu on BBC2 - yes folks, the 2000 Christmas ident is back on air. Eh? See BBC TV Idents for more. And in other news, an audio clip of the classic 70s/80s cartoon Gideon has been added to the Eighties Zone 28 January: New image of the original BBC globe from 1963 added to BBC TV Idents.
2005
23 December: Details of the revamped BBC London News added to BBC South East, and more logos added to The Local Network. 17 December: 2005's Christmas idents added to BBC TV Idents. 27 November: Results of this year's Junior Eurovision added; and updates to Radio Times Covers and Noel's House Party. 10 September: BBC4 has launched new idents - see them at BBC TV Idents. Plus there's news that the unpopular BBC1 idents may at last be on the way out! 5 September: The autumn season on TV & Radio Bits brings updates to The Local Network and BBC TV Idents, including news that the unpopular BBC1 idents may at last be on the way out!  23 July: As the long hot summer continues, we launch an expanded BBC Weather section, charting the changing weather maps from crayon-drawn isobars in 1954 to blue splodges in 2005.
22 May: The Eurovision section is updated with all the results, images and shenanigans from the fiftieth song contest. 2 May: The latest BBC2 ident - Morris Dancers (!) - added to BBC TV Idents. 10 April: Footage of the latest News 24 countdown and the 1953 BBC symbol added to BBC TV Idents; Happy Families and London to Brighton updated in the Eighties Zone; and the 1000th number one Top 40 countdown added to Radioland. 25 March: TV & Radio Bits relaunched with a new look, with a brand new, lighter appearance. Aside from the new look, Audio Archive, The BBC Logo and The Local Network are all combined to form Radioland; 1991 joins Telly Years; Trevor and Simon join The Eighties Zone; Dick and Dom join Bits and Pieces; a page of Doctor Who covers added to Radio Times Covers; the Peter Kay Comic Relief ident added to BBC Television Idents; and we imagine what if the BBC1 balloon had survived? 18 March: Doctor Who isn't the only one undergoing a regeneration next week - the new-look TV & Radio Bits launches on Good Friday! 5 March: The results of the UK's Eurovision selection process are in - and it's a lucky escape... [from Jordan!]  12 February: It's that time of year when our thoughts here at TV & Radio Bits naturally turn towards, um, Christmas... Well anyway, Telly Years now has every BBC Christmas Day schedule from 1936 onwards!
5 February: The Nationwide section of Bits and Pieces has been revamped and expanded with a look at its successor, Sixty Minutes. 30 January: Good grief, TV & Radio Bits is five years old today! 15 January: Further clips of BBC1 balloons added. 8 January: Many new video clips added to BBC Television Idents - your chance to relive the balloons and 2s from the good old days! It is planned that further clips will be added. 4 January: Happy new year from TV & Radio Bits! To look forward to in 2005 there is of course the long-awaited new series of Doctor Who, but right now we have a new BBC1 ident - see for yourself at BBC Television Idents. Plus the 2004 BBC festive schedules are added to Telly Years.
2004
18 December: This year's Christmas BBC idents added to BBC Television Idents. 20 November: Results of this year's highly exciting Junior Eurovision added. 6 November: New section is added to BBC Television Idents looking back at fifty years of BBC news presentation. 17 October: The running order for this year's Junior Eurovision added.  22 August: We complete our update of the Eurovision section by looking back to 2001, the year Wogan upset the Danes with his continued mocking of the presenters, Dr Death and the Tooth Fairy!
25 July: Eurovision 2000 updated. 4 July: Marking the 50th anniversary of BBC TV News in our own highly tenuous way, April 1993 has been added to Telly Years, marking the day the news was revamped with the 'virtual' look. Plus 1999 is reached in our continuing update of Eurovision. 27 June: Eurovision 1998 updated. 20 June: 1997 section of Eurovision updated, plus more 1950s/60s images added to BBC Television Idents, along with a few new BBC3 idents and updates to BBC 2W and UKTV. 5 June: Radio Times Covers updated. 29 May: TV & Radio Bits has now moved to a bright shiny new server at www.tvradiobits.co.uk!  6 March: Two new sections added - Opening Night, part of Telly Years, looks at launch day schedules from various radio and television channels; while Audio Archive brings together the existing BBC Radio Jingles, UK's Best DJs and Steve Wright in the Afternoon sections, along with a brand new page of Mark and Lard audio. Meanwhile, more information and pictures of Gideon added to The Eighties Zone.
28 February: Results of the Eurovision Making Your Mind Up are now available. 14 February: 1955 and 1959 join Telly Years, plus there are more Radio Times Covers from the 1950s and other years. Updates to this section are presently ongoing. 4 February: Big update to Telly Years - we now have all BBC Christmas Day schedules from 1960-2003; plus 1961, 1971 and 1988 have been added, along with new images on other pages. 24 January: More 1970s and 80s images added to BBC Television Idents, Telly Years and the Nationwide section of Bits and Pieces. 17 January: Several new video clips added to BBC Television Idents, while Christmas Day 1977 is now available in Telly Years. 10 January: Updates to BBC Television Idents and Bits and Pieces. 7 January: Radio Times Covers expanded once again with many more covers added; and several new links added to, erm, Links 3 January: The first update of 2004 sees Christmas Day schedules from 1978-80 added to Telly Years. Plus a new version of the BBC1 ident video added to BBC Television Ident.
2003
24 December: 1946, 1965 and 1987 added to Telly Years.  21 December: BBC Radio Jingles revamped with some new clips; and a brand new page featuring clips from Steve Wright in the Afternoon added to Bits and Pieces. Plus more Christmas Day schedules from the 1980s and 90s have been added to Telly Years, along with October 1976.
2 December: The Eighties Zone updated with a look back at Grange Hill, plus catch up with details of the latest BBC power cut at Bits and Pieces. 20 November: Some more up-to-date images have been added to the UKTV section
of BBC Television Idents. 16 November: In a major development, a new facility has been added which allows you to search the entire site - you can find the search box on the menu bar on every page. As far as new content goes, two BBC1 idents from the 1960s have been added to BBC Television Idents. And despite my having some difficulty drumming up much enthusiasm for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, the Eurovision section now has the results of last night's event. There are also several other minor changes across the site - but you'll just have to seek them out! 1 November: The Eurovision section has been updated with the entrants for the forthcoming Junior Eurovision, which takes place on 15 November. You have been warned... Plus Radio Times Covers has been updated with more covers from the 1970s. 6 September: The latest BBC1 ident, Skateboarders, added to BBC Television Idents. 9 August: More logos added to The Local Network, which is now accessible from the front page. Incorporated within this section is a revamped Radio Surrey page. 2 August: TV & Radio Bits gets a more regional flavour with two new pages added to Bits and Pieces, marking the 20th anniversary of the last Nationwide on 5th August; and The Local Network looking at BBC Local Radio with jingles and logos. Plus a new section added to Eurovision looking at the contest's past. 26 July: The first update in ages to Telly Years with the additions of 1966, 1985 and 1986, and Radio 2 listings for all years. Plus Radio Times Covers, Eurovision and BBC Idents have all been expanded.  19 July: A new page looking back at Noel's House Party has been added to Bits and Pieces.
12 July: New section looking back at the highs and lows of BBC Choice, and updated The Eighties Zone. 14 June: More programmes and theme tunes inducted into to The Eighties Zone and more Radio 1 jingles added BBC Radio Jingles; plus the Wogan page at Cult TV has been updated. 11 June: A clip of the Top 40 countdown from 1990 added to BBC Radio Jingles. 31 May: More Eurovision updates - you can now view the recap of all of this year's 26 songs in just 7 minutes! Plus The Eighties Zone is updated with the addition of Look and Read. 25 May: A particularly memorable Eurovision this year - and the results table, review, images and scoreboard are all available. Plus more images from the past few years have been added. 24 May: A new page has added to Cult TV looking at a shambolic new satellite channel, Friendly TV. 29 March: Audio and video updates: BBC Television Idents has the launch of BBC3 and the new BBC News 24 countdown, while you can hear Radio 1 newcomer Wes Butters count down the Top 40 at BBC Radio Jingles. 2 March: Eurovision fever is here again! Results of the 2003 Song for Europe contest are now available. 15 February: Further BBC3 updates. 11 February: BBC3 is now on air, and a selection of images of the channel's presentation so far is now available at BBC Television Idents.  25 January: We have the first sighting of an ident for the soon-to-be-launched BBC3 at BBC Television Idents, along with the latest idents from BBC1, BBC Choice and BBC News 24's new countdown. On a nostalgia tip, Breakfast Time and The Box of Delights have been inducted into The Eighties Zone.
2002
21 December: Christmas offerings are now available at BBC Television Idents - not just BBC1 and BBC2, but BBC Choice have also joined in for the first time. Plus more images from Christmasses past have also been added. Moving away from Christmas, and audio clips of the launch of BBC 7, and Mark Radcliffe introducing Radio 1's Top 40 are now available at BBC Radio Jingles. 26 November: Radio Times Covers updated, plus minor updates to BBC Television Idents. 12 October: TV & Radio Bits has hit the 20,000 mark! So the mark the occasion, a (very minor) revamp to the site, including a slightly new look homepage and an update to The Eighties Zone; plus the BBC Choice section is updated and rebranded as Cult TV. 5 October: Thought BBC1's dancing idents couldn't get any worse? See BBC Television Idents for images of 'Music Video'. Plus clips of Radio 1's closedown on AM added to BBC Radio Jingles. 30 September: Logo and brief details of new radio station BBC 7 added to BBC Radio Logos, amongst other minor changes. No record of updates - if there were any! - between May and September 2002 26 May: Review, results, images and the complete scoreboard from last night's Eurovision Song Contest are all now available. 25 May: In the run-up to tonight's song contest, the Eurovision section has been updated with images of some performers from the past four years. 22 May: BBC Television Idents updated with the two BBC2 idents exclusive to Northern Ireland, and two of E4's spoof BBC1 idents. 12 May: Another new BBC2 ident has been introduced, called Invisible Walls - see images of it at BBC Television Idents. 9 May: BBC Television Idents updated with some early News 24 images, featuring Christopher Price on his entertainment news show, Zero 30. Also, more BBC4 idents have been added, and the BBC2 current page has been updated.  No record of updates between February and May 2002 - but they included audio of the launch of BBC 6 Music on 11 March, video and images of BBC4 idents, which launched on 2 March, and the introduction of the infamous BBC1 dancer idents on 29 March. In April, TV & Radio Bits itself received a new look, plus news of the sad death of Liquid News presenter Christopher Price
2 February: New page added to BBC Television Idents looking behind the scenes of the BBC1 balloon. 30 January: It's happy birthday to TV & Radio Bits - we're two years old today! Celebratory updates have been made to BBC Television Idents with more images from BBCs Choice & Knowledge (now on their own page), the new version of BBC2's Fish ident, CBBC idents, more wallpaper, plus a brief look ahead to BBC3 and BBC4. Christmas idents are no longer available - sorry, you'll have to wait till December!
2001
15 December: minor additions and revisions to the Other BBC section of BBC Television Idents, and The BBC Logo section has been revised and expanded. 1 December: Christmas idents added to BBC Television Idents (this page will only be available this month!) [What a Scrooge!] 29 November: BBC Television Idents updated: BBC2 current page updated with three images of BBC 2W; minor revisions and additions to BBC1 current pages. 27 November: Radio Times Covers revamped and enlarged with bigger, better quality images. BBC Television Idents reorganised with hopefully, a more logical layout.  19 November: All four of the first batch of new BBC2 idents have now been revealed - get up to date with the latest news and images at BBC Television Idents. You can also pay your last respects to the old BBC2 idents, with a tribute compilation available for a limited period only! [Limited period only?! Over five years later it's still here!]
18 November: Minor updates to The Eighties Zone. 15 November: Due to bandwidth issues, Audiovisual Delights - which was hosted on a different server to the rest of the site - has now been replaced by a cut down BBC Radio Jingles section. 28 October: minor updates made to various pages, including BBC2 Idents, BBC News 24 and Wallpaper. 23 October: Audiovisual Delights appears to up and running again after some technical problems - but do be wary for erratic behaviour from this page, which is hosted on a different server to the rest of the site. 11 October: new page with key broadcasting dates added to Telly Years, and more wallpaper added to BBC Television Idents.  6 October: due to popular demand, video clips of Phillip Schofield's last day on Children's BBC added to The Eighties Zone.
2 October: BBC South East page updated with details of BBC London News. Eurovision has been given a new look and will now be developed as a section in its own right. 23 September: two extra pages added to BBC TV Idents with the 1991 BBC1 globe and BBC2 idents. 8 September: TV & Radio Bits officially relaunched [one day early!] 5 September: This site will be totally relaunched on Sunday 9th September. The biggest change will be an all-new, expanded four-page BBC Television idents section complete with screenshots, some of which will be available as wallpaper. Audio Delights is intended to be replaced by Audiovisual Delights, with the addition of a few video clips. There will also be several new audio clips throughout the site, and many existing clips are being re-recorded at better quality. Telly Talk will replaced by a page about BBC Choice's The RDA. There will be improved coverage of the BBC power cuts of 2000 and 2001; other additions include full-size images of Radio Times covers, the arrival of 1957, 1975, 1977, 1982 and 1989 to Telly Years, and the launch of a new page about the BBC in the South East, with Newsroom South East information and screenshots. As part of the site reorganisation, there will be a better navigation system, and vastly improved headings and graphics - the difference will be quite striking! 23 June: BBC corporate logos added to BBC Radio Logos; small update to the Eighties Zone. 6 June: Brand new section added, a gallery of past BBC Radio Logos. 3 June: Three new Radio 2 jingles added to Audio Delights.  25 May: Telly Talk updated with a new review of The RDA with John Gordillo.
19 May: Site relaunched with a brand new colour scheme, plus an update to the Eighties Zone, with Think Again theme added amongst other additions. 13 May: I know it has only a tenuous connection with television (and an even more tenuous connection with music) but this year's Eurovision Song Contest scoreboard and review are now available. 16 April: Find your way round the website with the brand new Site Map. 25 February: Even more updates to Telly Years with the additions of 1967 and 1970; plus 1981 is added to Christmas Years. 7 February: Widescreen Education page added. 4 February: New look to Radio Times Covers. 30 January: We're one year old today!! Visit the new, improved Telly Years which has been updated with a new look, greater focus on the schedule of the day and Radio Times, and the additions of 1936, 1962, 1973, 1979, 1984, 1992 and 1995. More Radio 1 jingles in Audio Delights, and additions made to Save Our Balloon!  24 January: Celebrities featured on this site have been making personal appearances recently - see the Guestbook for more! Updates made to Telly Talk, and a new page, Save Our Balloon! added.
2000
10 December: Major update to Christmas Years with 1984, 1990 and 1999 added, as well as BBC2 and Radio 1 schedules. 17 November: BBC Radio Surrey page added, revisions made to Telly Talk, BBC TV Idents and Radio Times Covers. 15 November: Radio 2 jingle from 1990 added to Audio Files, and September 1960 and September 1972 arrive at Telly Years. No record of updates earlier than November 2000
Site development  January 2000
TV & Radio Bits was launched on an unsuspecting world on Sunday 30th January 2000 at the snappy web address of www.users.nascr.net/~rgwill/tvradio.htm. It was barely three months since I had become acquainted with the internet in the first place - what with having virtually zero knowledge of web design, the first incarnation of the site was extremely basic. The original front page contained no graphics whatsoever - it was merely a list of text links, and even a text-only heading - all in the Gill Sans font. As no record of the original site exists, the image here is a recreation indicating roughly how it appeared.
 Mid-2000
The design of TV & Radio Bits, and particularly the front page, was continually evolving throughout the year 2000. No record of this has survived, meaning that the image here is my best guess at the site's appearance around the middle of the year. However it wasn't long before the text-only homepage had been enhanced by simple graphic buttons, initially arranged down the page, and then moved into a table format. The site received its first logo, which featured glowing lettering in the Gill Sans font with three coloured bars underneath. This red/blue/green theme has continued ever since. As far as content goes, new sections were being added all the time. BBC Television Idents (drawings only), Radio Times Covers, Audio Delights and the long-gone Telly Talk were joined by Telly Years, The Eighties Zone and The UK's Best DJs , while a Eurovision page was added following the May contest.
 November 2000
A revamp in November, largely aimed at making the site easier to navigate, also saw the introduction of new, larger, headings with a transition between the three colours. Various new single-page sections were launched during this period, including Widescreen Education, BBC Radio Surrey and a fruitless campaign to save the BBC balloon!
 May 2001
By the spring of 2001 I had decided that the overly black scheme of the site was rather oppressive and uninviting - and so TV & Radio Bits entered its blue phase. With a greater use of different colours, the site now had a much brighter appearance. However this facelift was merely a precursor to a total relaunch that was just four months away...
 September 2001
On 8th September 2001 TV & Radio Bits was given its biggest ever single revamp. Now with its own domain name - www.tvradiobits.co.uk - screenshots and video clips were added throughout the site. The homepage design was tidied up, all headings and graphics throughout the site were redone, and the menu bar introduced down the side of each page. Telly Talk was ditched and one completely new section, BBC South East, was introduced, while all of the existing sections were reorganised and expanded. The overall look, however, was largely carried over from the previous incarnation, as was the logo, albeit with the addition of a dramatic light effect. However it wasn't long before I decided I was not happy with the redesign of the front page - quite frankly, it just looked boring...
 October 2001
...and so the buttons, which harked back too much to the 'old-style' TV & Radio Bits anyway, were replaced by small pictures to represent the various sections to give a much more appealing look.
 April 2002
Seven months after the relaunch, TV & Radio Bits underwent a cosmetic facelift, intended to give the site a fresher, more modern appearance. The blue was gone,
and the background reverted to black. The Gill Sans font of the headings used since
the start was dropped, and replaced by Swiss, although the red/blue/green theme
was retained.
 August 2003
In August 2003 several of the smaller (including some single page) sections were combined, which necessitated a redesigned homepage. The introduction of larger images gave the front page a bolder appearance.
 November 2003
At the end of November 2003 TV & Radio Bits underwent a minor facelift. New
designs for the website were considered, but in the end I felt none of them improved
on the existing layout. So the resulting revamp went little further than new headings with a smoother
transition through the colours. The logo was made bolder and more imposing with
the Futura font replacing Swiss, and a 'smoked glass' effect added to the lettering.
 May 2004
A move to a new dedicated server at the end of May 2004 meant a thorough reorganisation of the site's behind-the-scenes architecture, and gave more
opportunity for further expansion. To the user, the only immediate change was to the homepage: the updates box
was moved higher up the page, with images to indicate the most recent changes,
in order to give a greater variation in the website's appearance.
 March 2005
Good Friday 2005 saw the launch of an all-new design for TV & Radio Bits, which
brought a lighter, classier appearance.
 March 2008
The same design - but wider! After three years, the layout of TV & Radio Bits was
changed to suit screens set at a resolution of 1024x768. The front page was
redesigned to take account of this, however the overall design theme of the 2005
revamp was retained.
Update history Site development
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