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BBC idents

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BBC Christmas

BBC idents, primarily related to the series of Wallace & Gromit, have appeared on both BBC One and BBC Two.

A Close Shave idents (BBC Two, 1995)[]

To celebrate the television premiere of A Close Shave on Christmas Eve 1995, BBC Two's Christmas 1995 season featured short idents and channel identifiers starring Wallace and Gromit alongside a rare crossover character of the Two mascot. These short animated bumpers have been included as a bonus feature on several DVD releases of the original three Wallace & Gromit films, although not on more modern releases.

DVDs[]

  • Wallace & Gromit: The First Three Adventures (1999; Region 1) (as a reel with additional "BBC1 AND BBC2 CHRISTMAS 1995" end card)
  • 3 Cracking Adventures! (2000; Region 2/4) (without "Christmas Ident" no SFX)
  • The Incredible Adventures of Wallace & Gromit (2001; Region 1) (without "Kiss" and "Christmas Ident" no SFX)

The main channel identifier involves Wallace and Gromit sitting through about 35 seconds of Two wrapped up in Christmas lights flashing after Gromit pulls the lever, having settled down to have a Christmas meal. BBC Two's theme tune of the time played during the ident as the announcer would talk over it.

Idents[]

Order from Wallace & Gromit: The First Three Adventures DVD and names from 3 Cracking Adventures! DVD.

  • "Slipper"
  • "Twang"
  • "Mince Pies"
  • "Skating"
  • "Party Poppers"
  • "Mistletoe Kiss"
  • "Kiss" ("Mistletoe Kiss" without overlaid mistletoe)
  • "Christmas Ident"
  • "Christmas Ident" (no SFX)

A Matter of Loaf and Death idents (BBC One, 2008)[]

Another series of short idents was aired to coincide with the premiere of A Matter of Loaf and Death on BBC One. These featured Wallace and Gromit in the snow, doing seasonal activities like snowboarding on a snow-made valley to make the circular BBC One ident look, as the main channel identifier. In which, Ben Whitehead seems to voice Wallace outside of the line "We're on BBC One!" which seems to come from Peter Sallis. It can also be seen that the sled has "Rosebud" on it as a reference to Citizen Kane, a similar reference also being made in A Grand Day Out with a red sled with "Rose bud" on it that is seen in the background of the basement.

A making-of the idents was featured in an episode of Blue Peter,[1] in which Merlin Crossingham is referred to as the chief animator with the assistant Will Becher.

Idents[]

Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention idents (BBC One, 2010)[]

A few BBC One idents were made that coincided with Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention. These are the only idents that have nothing to do with Christmas. Similar to the 2008 idents, these all feature Wallace and Gromit around the BBC One logo in some fashion and are very short. The "Steam Chair" ident, at least, was directed by Merlin Crossingham.

Idents[]

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl idents (BBC One, 2024)[]

To coincide with Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, BBC One has begun airing idents through December 2024 that feature Wallace, Gromit and Norbot doing Christmas activities.[4] Cameos of Feathers McGraw also appear in the idents alongside the train from The Wrong Trousers in "Christmas Jumpers". A fourth ident not shown on the BBC's news article simply showcases a look at Wallace and Gromit's Christmas-decorated living room without any characters appearing. Oddly, "Ice Sculpture", at least, reuses audio of Peter Sallis's Wallace from the Cracking Contraptions episode "The Soccamatic" instead of Ben Whitehead's current portrayal.

Idents[]

References[]

  1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdd0NRcXCGA
  2. ↑ Referred to here as "Steam Powered Wheel Chair".
  3. ↑ Referred to here as "Steam Chair".
  4. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/wallace-and-gromit-bbc-christmas-idents-2024
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