Happy Birthday BBC TWO! | 60 Years

The second offering from the Beeb, BBC TWO, launched 60 YEARS AGO TODAY, on the 20th April 1964, with the all too famous 'false start'. Since then though, it would continue to grow from strength to strength over the following decades. Debuting many iconic programmes, and being at the forefront of some major technological advances, namely the introduction of COLOUR TV to the UK!

So how was its 60th birthday celebrated? And what can we expect from BBC Two in the future...?

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#bbctwo #60thanniversary #1964

[BrandonGiesing]

They actually did something! Re-aired old idents and programing plus a 60 years music special, first the original Black & White ident before The Likely Lads, then the 90s Paint before Open All Hours, then the Computer Generated 2 before Butterflies, then another 90s one Copper Sparks before Miranda, and lastly a repeat of the B&W ident before the 60 Songs: BBC Two at 60 special.

I love that they didn't JUST do the 90s 2s like usual but I do with they didn't just do two of them and repeat the first one again. They easily could've made the last two something else to cover more eras like the Personality, Window, TWO, Cube, etc. eras.

Of course like always, Northern Ireland went above and beyond. Not only did they do exactly that, also showing Personality and Window 2s, they also remade the B&W ident from scratch while network just aired it awkwardly zoomed to fill widescreen 🤣

[QueenLucita]

This channel is the reason that a lot of classics (like Threads) exist. Happy Birthday BBC 2, the Beeb’s second prize.

[Jaketherobonrd]

Happy 60th BBC TWO! Growing up in the 90s and 2000s i use to love watching shows on BBC Two like Simpsons, Robot Wars, Fresh Prince Bel air Captain Scarlet Farscape, the list goes on. I know you covered them on the channel loads of times but 90s TWOs always have a place in my heart. Some of the idents did scare me a tiny bit but there some I liked too and every now and then i go back and rewatch some of idents

[stephenhall]

My late parents finally got a UHF Set in the early 1970s. My earliest memories of BBC 2 were the Trade Test Colour films during the day and Test Card F. BBC 2 programmes were only on the air in the evenings in those days.

[kerryjwilliams]

Happy Birthday BBC 2 🎉 you have Give me my favourite comedy programme Red Dwarf. A Bit of Fry and Laurie also Miranda these programs started careers.
With BBC 2 it is like channel 4 as it has shown Documentaries or Films with subjects we never seen.

[thisislucalox]

Happy birthday BBC 2! Thanks for all the idents and services you made.

[rogerdarthwell]

There was something missing to this birthday celebration, an Adam Martyn video of course! Now today's birthday is complete, thank you! Also Happy Birthday BBC Two, and I hope it gets a better on screen logo soon

[ireallydidntwanttomakeanac]

The Newsnight montage of shows is probably my favourite thing so far to come from the 60th celebrations (probably in part to seeing a clip from a programme that hasn't been repeated since 2014, I'm definitely bias in that regard), it is so expertly edited and that final section where The Young Ones end credits theme played, all the clips work so rhythmically and on the beat. Props to whoever edited that sequence on Newsnight, and a Happy Birthday to BBC Two.

[Nostalgics-ndqb]

Here’s to BBC Two:
Thank you for serving us great programming and creating memorable idents that will live in an infinite legacy and holding the honour for the first European TV channel to launch a colour service. Here’s to another 60 years for BBC Two. Thanks for celebrating Adam.🥳

[KRPTV]

Wow, that's amazing, I remember it's 40th anniversary back in 2004, the cover on the Radio Times had the '2' logo on it as it's main feature! Think I've still got a copy of it somewhere!🙂🙂🙂

[Chris_Elliot]

An excellent tribute Adam. So many big BBC2 memories. A lot of them have been from comedies like Red Dwarf, Shooting Stars, League Of Gentleman and The Fast Show. Also a lot of the sport over the years, Sunday Grandstand was always a big part of my weekends growing up as well as the snooker and Wimbledon (before the BBC put it everywhere across their schedule like they do now).

[IainDavies-zl]

I can always remember the messing about at my uncles house to watch BBC2 he had a twin line set but for some season only one down lead from his attic to his lounge, so when they wanted to watch BBC1/ITV on VHF or BBC2 on UHF he had to go up unto the attic and change the aerials over. In the end it was too much bother to watch BBC2, so they never did.

[arandomcollectionofstuff.]

With regard to BBC2 not making it to 70 years, the only response that comes to mind is to quote Battery Sergeant Major Williams from 'It ain't half hot Mum!' and say
"Oh dear!

How sad!

Never mind!"

[ferguscarey]

My favourite shows on BBC TWO are University Challenge and Newsnight!

[antonymay]

Thank you Adam, for these wonderful videos

[Schming]

as an 80s/90s kid - Red Dwarf, Robot Wars, League of Gentlemen, Never mind the Buzzcocks, Shooting Stars (and all the reeves and mortimer stuff that preceded it), TOTP2 hungover on a Sunday during my uni years. But also Fresh Prince, The Simpsons, Farscape and LOTS of Star Trek.

[VermyScrubs]

Watching the live right now. While it was nice to see the old idents (So far it’s 1964 > Paint 91 > 1979 > Copper 91 > 1964) it’s still a bit disappointing to see a simple celebration. I was expecting something more like classic idents from Startup to closedown. Still it is a special weekend for us fanatics of this great pioneer. Thank you for all the great shows and idents and Happy Birthday BBC Two!

[Mchannnel]

Happy Birthday BBC2!
You’ve been always iconic outside of the UK ;)

[Wenlocktvdx]

We were in Aylesford when BBC 2 launched, so we didn’t see it. When we moved back to London we brought a pour Bush TV125/U dual standard TV with us and began viewing. Fave shows were Alias Smith and Jones and Call My Bluff, Pot Black. I would sit and watch the colour test films, like Birth of a Rainbow, It’s the Tube That Makes the Colour, The Colour Receiver Installation Film. Testcard and music was entertaining too. The rotating 2 seems to have been the basis for the similar rotating 4 on the Australian ABCs 4 Corners current affairs show

[johndenby]

There was a lot to recommend listening to 440Hz tone as I walked around the transmitter hall.
Single man, safety blip the 22Khz pilot tone every half hour.