70s and 80s UK TV Idents | Simplyeighties.com

Wow! I feel like I'm about eight years old again. These old British TV channel idents really bring back fond memories, that's for sure. I remember watching TVAM on ITV just before I had to go to school, and getting a right rollicking for being late! Breakfast telly had only just begun and was a real novelty in the early eighties.

The video playlist;

1. London Weekend Television (LWT) Ident which ran from 1978 until 1986.

2. Thames Television ident

3. ATV ident which ran from 1969 until 1981.

4. This Central TV ident from ITV regional TV is from around 1982 when Central took over from ATV, and is from a betamax recording. A what? Tee, hee!

5. Anglia knight ident - one of the dodgiest-looking idents from the era - a wobbly knight on a horse!

6. Yorkshire Television ident

7. BBC Schools and Colleges countdown from the 1970s.

Remember this from your school/college days? Yes, it was the 1970's one minute countdown that was used inbetween BBC Schools & Colleges programmes. This is where the whole classroom would be counting down at the top of their voices, much to the annoyance of the teacher. Although, if you had the crazy teacher (there's one in every school) then they would join in, too!

8. BBC1 Closedown ident from 1973

Featuring one of my favourite idents, this was how the BBC used to close down for the evening in 1973, by playing the National Anthem.

Yes, today's youth look truly gob-smacked when you explain to them that TV channels used to shut down for the night back in the seventies! That's nothing, though. Now tell them we only had three TV channels (in reality, there were only two and a half as BBC2 was showing pages from ceefax or the test card half the time) and they'll think you've really lost the plot!

9. BBC1 Wales ident from the late 1970s

10. BBC1 closedown ident in 1981

11. BBC2 closedown ident in 1987

Roger Maude gives us a quick New Year's Day weather summary before wishing us the first BBC 2 'Goodnight' of 1987.

12. The BBC2 test card with music

No doubt the geeks amongst you will listen to the full 9 minutes and 52 seconds of this video! The Test Card was often shown on BBC2 in the mornings back in the 70s and into the 80s. These days you get a mixture of kids' shows, including repeats of The Pink Panther Show.

13. Tyne Tees ident form the 1970s

14. Grampian Television ident from the 1970s which features heavenly harps!

15. HTV (Harlech Television) ident from the 1970s. This was an ITV franchise for Wales and the West Country.

BBC2 Colour logo from 1967

BBC1 Colour mirrored globe ident (1969 to 1974)

This BBC1 Colour mirrored globe ident was used between 1969 and 1974

BBC1 clock from the early 80s

The BBC1 clock used from 1985 until 1991

BBC2 clock from early 80s

BBC2 ident (1979 to 1986)

BBC2 clock in 1972

The first computer generated globe ident was used between 1985 and 1991

BBC Two clock in 1988

1980s BBC2 ident

BBC2 ident (1991 to 2001) featuring paint

The BBC2 ident used from 1991 to 2001 using paint

ATV (ITV regional) channel ident from the 1970s

Above are the start and end of the ATV ident animation. Associated Television stopped broadcasting on January 1st 1982 at exactly 00:32 and became Central Independent Television plc.