For many Britons who owned a television set in the 1990s, the 2s from the BBC Two idents and stings were a familiar sight on their screens.
From 1991 to 2001, the sans-serif 2’s made of various materials, and in different settings, helped shape the branding and identity of the U.K.‘s biggest television channel before they disappeared from the screens about 15 years ago.
There was the cactus 2, the slinky 2, and the the Stay-Puft 2, among others. The identity of the channel very much revolved around these characters—and still does to some extent, even though they haven’t been seen for many years.
“They are somewhere deeply lodged in the British consciousness,” said Jim De Zoete, creative director at Red Bee Media.
So to celebrate the channel’s 50th anniversary on April 20, and remind viewers what they loved about BBC Two, Red Bee decided to create a series of new idents and stings that centered around a birthday party that invited back some of the favorite 2’s from days gone by.
The spots, which began airing on Sunday, feature a fluffy white 2 celebrating with other BBC Two alums, eating cake, and singing karaoke, while surrounded by photos from favorite BBC Two programs, like “Absolutely Fabulous,” “Fawlty Towers,” and “The Office.”
“We wanted to remind the nation about how much they loved the content on BBC Two over the past fifty years,” said Mark Tierney, the channel’s head of marketing.
The series of five spots will run for at least the next six weeks.
In one, the 2’s are gathered around a cake made by Mary Berry, the star of the fan favorite cooking show “The Great British Bake-Off"—another wink to BBC Two content—before the 2 buries its head in the icing.
Another recalls the later hours of any good party, with a 2 singing karaoke to “It Takes Two” (what else?) Another version features Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.”
And yet another spot has a birthday balloon floating down from the ceiling before popping on the Cactus 2 from a previous decade.
“It’s hard to explain how much the 2 is part of people’s memories,” De Zoete told Brief. “It’s somewhere deeply lodged.”
Credits:
BBC Two
Mark Tierney – Head of Marketing
Nick Rogers – Marketing Manager
Red Bee Media
Charlie Mawer – Executive Creative Director
Jim De Zoete – Creative Director
Alex Norris – Director and Creative
Simon Matthews – Creative
Louise Jones – Producer
Victoria Mortell – Production Manager
Elinor Jones – Business Director
Anita Burnett – Account Director
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