60 Seconds

An hourly news service ran throughout the evening on BBC Choice, and continues to do so on BBC3: 60 Seconds was launched on 16th July 2001. The set and presenter only appeared in vision briefly as most of the bulletin used the graphical layout.

60 Seconds received this rather stylish makeover to coincide with the launch of BBC3 on 9th February 2003. However this set only lasted as long as The News Show. Sevi Lawson, also seen on Click Online on BBC World and BBC News 24, anchors this bulletin.

Left: the somewhat darker 60 Seconds set introduced at the same time as The 7 O'Clock News. The BBC3 news service shared its studio - TC11 - with Liquid News. In the pre-digital era this studio was known as N2 and was used for the Nine O'Clock News. Right: later on, 60 Seconds moved out of TC11 and now had to make do with this CSO version of this backdrop. James Dagwell is the presenter here.

60 Seconds's next update did not occur until BBC3's own pink revamp on 12th February 2008, with snazzy new graphics, new presenters and new bulletins dedicated to looking at coverage of events from news channels around the world - just as The News Show used to do (below).

The News Show/The 7 O'Clock News

In addition to the 60 Seconds and the well-established Liquid News, the start of BBC3 in February 2003 also saw the start of its own nightly news show, called, um, The News Show.

But just five months after launch, the programme moved from its 7.45 timeslot and was thankfully given a better name. Now known as The 7 O'Clock News, as a nod towards the long-running BBC1 bulletins, Ben McCarthy, Sangita Myska and Tazeen Ahmed presented a pacey, and perhaps rushed, round-up of the day's news.

In May 2004 it was relaunched once again as a more substantial half hour programme presented by Eddie Mair, taking part of the budget of the recently deceased Liquid News.

Following government criticism of BBC3's news service for having miniscule viewing figures, 2005 saw The 7 O'Clock News become a more relaxed, chatty, discussion-based programme - almost a lightweight version of Newsnight! Paddy O'Connell and Sevi Lawson presented on the sofas - were we drifting back towards Liquid News?!

But this latest change wasn't enough. The same fate befell The 7 O'Clock News as its entertainment-based predecessor, and the final programme aired on 2nd December 2005. That Paddy O'Connell doesn't have much luck, does he?

BBC Four News/The World

BBC4's news bulletin was originally broadcast at 8.00 each evening from its launch night, 2nd March 2002. Produced by, and simulcast on, BBC World, the programme took a look at the news from an international perspective. It was initially fronted by George Alagiah, but when he moved to the Six O'Clock News his place was taken by Kirsty Lang; however some more well-known BBC correspondents such as Brian Hanrahan could also be seen on presenting duties now and again.

The programme relaunched at the start of 2004, and was now known as The World. The titles remained much the same, except that they turned a strange shade of green, to match the new set.

It changed name again in May 2007 to World News Tonight, moving to the earlier time of 7.00pm.

Newsround

John Craven's Newsround was the world's first news programme aimed specifically at children. It began on 4 April 1972, broadcasting twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. John was the first newsreader to sit on a desk, rather than behind one, and he also claims that it was he, rather than News at Ten, that invented the light-hearted 'And Finally' story.

In September 1974 the programme was extended to four days a week - a fifth edition on Fridays would not be added until twelve years later.

A new logo was introduced in 1982 (left), but amazingly it took until 1987 for John Craven's Newsround to receive its first major update. A new signature tune replaced the famous plinkety plonkety theme, 'Johnny One Note' by the Ted Heath Orchestra, while a new title sequence showed yellow blocks crashing together to form the new logo (middle, right). By now, John shared presenting duties with Roger Finn and Helen Rollason; John's final edition aired in 1989. For more on this era of Newsround, visit our Eighties Zone.

Various spin-offs over the years have included Newsround Extra, Newsround Weekly, Newsround Investigates, Sportsround and even Newsround 24, a weekly half-hour segment which aired on BBC News 24 for a few years following its launch in 1997.

Fast forward to 2002, and Newsround received a revamp to coincide with the launch of the CBBC Channel, which introduced regular updates throughout the day in addition to the existing bulletin on BBC1. This had moved from its traditional 5.00 slot to 5.25 in 2001.

There was also the entertainment round-up, Newsround Lite, which aired every weekday evening on the digital channel. Becky Jago presents the first ever edition here, on 11 February 2002.

Newsround Lite later became Newsround Showbiz, before being relegated to weekends only and then disappearing altogether in 2005. Rachel Gibson is the presenter here.

Following a review of CBBC's target audience, Newsround is now aimed at a younger age group of 6-12 year-olds. Since May 2006 the programme has used the same 'flexible' set in studio TC7 also used by Working Lunch and Newsnight and, since January 2008, Breakfast and the Six O'Clock News. In February 2008 it reverted to its old slot of 5.00 on BBC1.

Jake Humphrey, who presents a wide range of CBBC programmes, is shown here filling in for Ellie Crisell. Presumably Lizo wasn't chosen to present that day because there were no stories on Harry Potter or Doctor Who.