England Scotland, Wales & N Ireland Other presentation The balloon phenomenon 
This feature, which takes a look behind the balloon phenomenon, was published in 'Radio Times' dated 16-22 December 2000. What's big, round, full of hot air and has made more appearances on BBC1 than Ross Kemp, Carol Smillie and Charlie Dimmock put together? No it's not Jim Royle from The Royle Family, it's the BBC1 balloon which made its maiden voyage on the channel in October 1997, and continues to precede programmes. Channel idents, the signatures by which we know which station we're watching, are as established as television itself. BBC TV chose, back in 1963, to emphasise its position as one of the world's prestigious broadcasting organisations with a globe. At first in black-and-white and then, from November 1969, in colour, the spinning globe has introduced all of BBC1's programmes ever since. But in 1996 that image was deemed to be in need of an overhaul, and design Martin Lambie-Nairn assumed control of the project with a clear view in mind. "The BBC has always been seen as slightly 'Aunty' and we wanted to get away from that. We wanted to be modern and confident, we wanted to talk about oneness of the nation and unity, but we decided we weren't going to chuck the globe out, but rather work with it." 
After four months of head-scratching, the idea of a balloon was born. Its virtues were obvious: the globe could be retained, it could be shot in locations throughout the UK and it could be big (they wanted it to be 100ft high, but had to settle for 60ft). "It added up to BBC1 bringing the world to every corner of the UK," says Lambie-Nairn. "It was one of those rare occasions when the client just says, 'Absolutely. Yes. Gotta have it.' In fact, the reaction was great from everyone." The operating difficulties of filming the balloon - which was made in the distinctive red and yellow colours because the more obvious blue and green would have merged with land and sea - soon became apparent. "The main difficulty was getting the thing to fly where we wanted, because it would only go where the wind takes it," explains Jason Keely, the man given responsibility for overseeing the organisation of the balloon's appearance and flights. His role proved to be particularly necessary when a shoot on Scotland's west coast ended with a mountain-side crash landing. It was at Eilean Donan, the castle-on-the-lake setting in Highland [above] which has proved the most popular location with viewers. "The cloud was coming in and they had gone up too high so they had to whack into the side of the mountain," says Keeley. "We got an emergency call and contacted the local mountain rescue services; they sent a helicopter and we went on foot. When we got there, the crew had big grins on their faces and were cooking emergency rations of bangers and beans on the balloon's burners." 
Since those early flights, BBC1 had amassed footage from nearly 30 locations. "The way it is shot is different from other channel identities," says Lambie-Nairn. "Other channels employ quick cuts and logos, and it's all very fast, but this is calm. It shows you can grab people's attention by being silent, just as you can by shouting at them." The BBC has had to cheat with some images. Those of the balloon over Edinburgh Castle [below], Blackpool Tower and the Needles, off the Isle of Wight, had to be digitally generated because of flight-restriction problems. With a nod towards a younger audience, the channel has deviated from the scenic strategy, adding a skateboarder, bungee jumper and dinosaur to the catalogue. And to mark the festive season, Santa makes an appearance. As for the future, the balloon looks safe, at least in the short term. Peter Robertson, chief assistant, broadcasting and presentation, has monitored the public's response. "It's been tremendously popular," he says. "We're happy to continue with it, but we're looking for witty, warmer ways of updating it." Copyright © BBC Worldwide Ltd 2000 
It was all the more poignant then, that just one month after this article was published, incoming BBC1 controller Lorraine Heggessey revealed in an interview how, in complete contradiction to the RT article, she disliked the balloons: "To be honest, the balloon to me feels very slow; it goes across this majestic landscape but doesn't feel in touch with the viewers." The idents' popularity with the viewers obviously counted for nothing, as Ms Heggessey finally got her way in March 2002 when the balloon was ditched and replaced by a bunch of dancers. The balloon itself made its final flight at the Bristol International Balloon Festival in August 2002, and is now in the care of the Balloon Preservation Group in Sussex. VIDEO CLIP: The balloon makes its final flight  (Six O'Clock News, 9th August 2002)
Inevitably, the Daily Mail were somewhat more critical about the launch of the BBC balloon... £5m COST OF INFLATION (Daily Mail, 4 October 1997)  "BBC bosses have sparked anger by spending more than £5.5million of licence payers' money on new logos and on-screen promotions. From 6.00 this morning, the corporation reveals a new look for BBC1 as the familiar globe is replaced by a balloon flying over Britain. Half a million pounds has been spent on the balloon promotion which shows a red and orange balloon rising above ten locations, including Canary Wharf, the Forth Bridge in Scotland and Snowdon in Wales.
The clips, created by 'brand identity expert' Martin Lambie-Nairn will appear on screen 10,000 times a year. BBC Director of Television, Alan Yentob, said the corporation needed a more 'flexible and appealing' identity. He added: 'The globe has always been associated with the flagship channel and the choice of a balloon seemed an imaginative way of emphasising the universal appeal of BBC1'. Other revamps include four new promotions for BBC2 and a series of cartoons for CBBC. There may also be changes to the opening credits to BBC news promotions. Thousands of pounds was spent four years ago by creating a virtual reality studio, but this look is now being reviewed. The changes have fuelled the row already going on about the BBC spending more than £5million on straightening the letters in its corporate logo. John Beyer of the National Viewers and Listeners Association said: 'I do not think this is a sensible way for the BBC to be spending its money'. MP Gerald Kaufman said: 'This confirms that, while the BBC is funded by the taxpayer and theoretically accountable, in fact it does what it wants to'. The BBC logo, adopted in 1986, is being changed because the corporation says the 17.5 degree slant on the letters makes it look odd on a computer screen and hampers its move into multimedia. The new version will straighten them and removes the blue, red and green dashes under the letters. It is similiar in style to the original logo produced in 1932. Although the changes are minimal, they are costly because the logo must be changed on all BBC vehicles and stationery. Thousands of signs at BBC buildings may also have to be changed. Corporation bosses say the cost of the revamp - £1.7million a year for three years - will be offset by savings of £750,000 a year produced by the simpler format." Copyright © Daily Mail 1997
England Scotland, Wales & N Ireland Other presentation The balloon phenomenon
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