| Product: |
TV Programs in General |
| Date: |
07/12/00 (143 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: its a national celebrity
Disadvantages: its full of hot air
I appear to have become obsessed with the BBC balloon. Dooyoo know the one I mean? The balloon is very round and looks like a miniture world, complete with whispy clouds printed on it. It floats all over Great Britain in between programmes, turning up and posing at all the most famous landmarks.
So far it has floated over the tops of bridges, cliff tops, the Houses of Parliament and even done a rather excellent "balloon glow" by Blackpool Tower.
I am not to sure when it first started appearing on our screens, but it really is a firm favourite now with the "between programme schedule clip" schedulers. The question everyone will have to ask soon is will it even out run the famous girl with the chalkboard screen from the sixties and seventies, and the series of clips with the big metal no. 2 used by BBC2 ?
Not surprisingly, the balloon seems to be a symbol of the BBC weather service. The only reference to it on the BBC website is about a mass balloon run in which it took part, in July 2000 at Bristol (plus a few photos of it being inflated).
I guess I will have to continue to frantically scan the horizon to keep on the look out for this beauty. If you have seen it for real, maybe you could comment where and when. Perhaps it would be possible to set up a "BBC balloon watch" campaign.
Well done the BBC - another winner!
Summary:
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Last comments:
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- 09/06/03 The BBC balloon was of course real.
The only locations as far as I know where the balloon was superimposed onto a landscape were the Severn bridge, Edinburgh, Blackpool tower, Millenium Dome and skateboarders.
T he balloon was introduced on BBC One in October 1997, and was replaced in March 2002 - ending 39 years of the globe symbol used on BBC One.
Since March 2002, BBC One now uses a rhythm and dance theme. I much prefered the balloon though - these dancers make me cringe.
You may like to visit www.tvhome.co.uk for downloadable video clips of the balloon in action! |
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- 21/03/02 Right - as an official sad anorak, let me clear a few things up.
The balloon is real, of course, and most of the original scenes (or idents) featuring it are also real. There were a few problems in some areas, such as London, where it would have been hard to get permission to fly it, so it has been edited in a few cases.
The most recent set of idents, featuring people (Bungee, Skateboard, Carnival and Market) feature a computer generated ident, as do some of the more recent idents used since then.
Make the most of the balloon, though, as it looks like disappearing from our screens when a new look launches on BBC One this Easter. :( |
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- 11/03/01 I am so disappointed - you have shattered it for me! It is computer made? I have deflated! |
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