Channel 5

Not to be confused with Channel 5 Video.

Credits

Descriptions by
Unnepad and AlmightyKingPrawn

Captures by
wolfie14 and Operaghost

Background

Channel 5 is a privately-owned TV channel from the UK, being considered the fifth terrestrial channel in the country. Through its years, it had different owners; in 2002, it was rebranded as "Five" once the RTL Group bought the channel; then reverted to its original name after it was taken over by the publishing house Northern & Shell. Its current owner, Paramount Global, bought the channel in 2014.

Channel 5 (first era)

Contents 1st Bumper (30 March 1997-September 1999) 2nd Bumper (September 1999-10 September 2000) 3rd Bumper (11 September 2000-4 March 2002) 4th Bumper (4 March-16 September 2002)

Five

Contents 1st Bumper (16 September 2002-31 October 2004) 2nd Bumper (16 September 2002-6 October 2008) 3rd Bumper (1 November 2004-22 January 2006) 4th Bumper (23 January 2006-6 October 2008) 5th Bumper (6 October 2008-2010) 6th Bumper (2010-14 February 2011)

Channel 5 (second era)

Contents 1st Bumper (14 February 2011-11 February 2016) 2nd Bumper (11 February 2016-26 February 2020) 3rd Bumper (26 February 2020-)

Channel 5 (first era)

1st Bumper (30 March 1997-September 1999)

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  Ident A

• 

  Ident B

• 

  Ident C

• 

  Ident D

• 

  Ident E

• 

  Ident F

• 

  Ident G

• 

  Ident H

• 

  Christmas Ident A

• 

  Christmas Ident B

Visuals: The idents center around complex neon (and sometimes flashing) images with the Channel 5 logo, which is a circle containing the number "5". No specific names were given, although they can still be described.

Variants:

• Christmas Idents:
  • Christmas 1997: Unknown.
  • Christmas 1998: Unknown.

Technique: A combination of live-action and computer animation, done by Silver Hammer in California.

Audio: Mostly varies between the idents.

2nd Bumper (September 1999-10 September 2000)

• 

• 

  Christmas Ident A

• 

  Christmas Ident B

• 

  Christmas Ident C

Visuals: The screen moves on a white background composed by several metal pieces. A hole is seen on the left side, in which some green and yellow pieces containing the Channel 5 logo are displaced to shown another complete piece, while 5 coloured lines (blue, orange, magenta, yellow, green) zoom out on the other side in sync with the music. Once everything is centred, the screen blurs and the Channel 5 logo seen in the green piece pops-up.

Variants:

• There is another ident in which the metal pieces from the background are replaced by filmstrips. This version was likely used before movies.
• Most of the idents usually centred around different scenarios with the same logo appearing on a hole (on different materials, such as paper). Various celebrities from the channel are shown doing different things in it, before the logo pops-up.
• Christmas Idents:
  • Christmas 1999: Unknown.

Technique: CGI by Silver Hammer. The celebrity idents feature live-action.

Audio: A calm 5-note synth tune.

3rd Bumper (11 September 2000-4 March 2002)

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  Pink

• 

  Orange

• 

  Green

• 

  Blue

• 

  Christmas Ident A

• 

  Christmas Ident B

• 

  Christmas Ident C

Visuals: Over a light green, blue, purple or orange background, the logo starts with one of the holes of paper seen in the previous ident. The Channel 5 logo appears on it while several light rays are flying in the hole, while the same lines from the previous ident flash in below.

Variants:

• Besides the aforementioned main colours, other idents feature different designs of the background.
• Like the previous graphic package, some idents featured different celebrities of the channel doing something, before the Channel 5 itself shows up.
• Christmas Idents:
  • Christmas 2000: Unknown
  • Christmas 2001: Unknown

Technique: CGI by Silver Hammer. The celebrity idents feature live-action.

Audio: A simplified version of the previous ident's tune.

4th Bumper (4 March-16 September 2002)

• 

  Dark blue

Visuals: On a varying coloured background of squares, 5 squares coloured blue, orange, magenta, yellow and green appear in succession. They disappear, then reappear as the line formation in the Channel 5 logo, over which the logo appears in a square, followed by numerous copies of it phasing in and out around the logo.

Technique: CGI by Silver Hammer.

Audio: Another remix of the previous idents' tunes.

Five

1st Bumper (16 September 2002-31 October 2004)

• 

Visuals: The idents now center around live-action footage of different scenarios or activities. Then, a new Channel 5 logo (simply consisting of the lowercase word "five" in Helvetica) appears on a side of the screen with a blur effect while moving slightly.

Idents:

• Out Driving - Three variants exist, each featuring similar footage.
  • Driving A - There is footage of a car with a woman driving from the front view as the world passes by.
  • Driving B - Same as before, but with different footage.
  • Driving C - The woman is nowhere to be found.
• At the Pool - Two variants exist:
  • Swim Off - A man swims off in a public pool.
  • Whistle Blow - The same man from before swims off once the whistle blows.
• In the Garden - Three variants exist:
  • Spraying - A man pumps and sprays bushes with water.
  • Pruning - The same man prunes some plants.
  • Grass - There is the lawn of the man's Garden.
• At the Park - A woman sits on a park bench with her dog.
• Hugs - Two variants exist with different footage.
  • Welcome Hug - A woman hugs another woman.
  • Excited Hug - A couple hugs each other excitingly.
• Trying on Shoes - A woman tries on various pairs of shoes.
• Frisbee - A man plays with a frisbee in the park.
• Push-Ups - A Man is seen exercising and doing push-ups.
• Opening a Box - A man opens a box and he takes something out of it.
• Video Game - Two people play a video game.
• Getting Undressed - A woman undresses herself. Two variants exist.
• Beach - Three variants exist with different footage.
  • Beach Huts - A couple walks by a set of yellow beach huts on a beach.
  • Beach Paddling - The same couple play in the waves on the beach.
  • Beach Fishing - A man fishes on a pier.
• Crazy Golf - There is an unseen person playing on a Crazy Golf course.
• Air Hockey - There is two unseen people playing a round of Air Hockey at an arcade.
• Reflections - Reflections of skateboarders are seen.
• Painting Nails - An unseen woman is painting another woman's nails with red polish.
• Escalators - There is a man going up a set of Escalators.
• Café - Two people have a laugh at a Café.
• Waiting with Flowers - A man sits on a bench with a set of red flowers.
• Golf Practice - An unseen person practises hitting a golf ball.
• Kite Flying - People fly kites on the hills while it begins to go dark.
• Plants - A woman weeds plants in a garden.
• Climbing - A man is seen climbing up a climbing wall.
• At the Barbers - An unseen hairdresser gives a man a hair cut.
• Up Steps - A couple takes a pushchair up a set of steps.
• Rowing Machine - There is some people exercising on a set of rowing machines.
• Golf Tractor - A golf tractor drives by a golf grounds - covered in golf balls.
• Five and Chips - A set of people wait for a chip shop to open. The "Five" logo is grey this time round, because the window reveals itself to say "and Chips" in the same font as the logo, hence the name.
• Diner - A man waits for a woman in a diner shop.
• Cyclists - A set of cyclists cycle up a hill.
• Machine - Some sort of machine rattles, with the Five logo rattling as well.
• Out Walking - Three variants exist, each with different footage:
  • Walking the Dog - A family is seen walking their dog in a forest.
  • Road Sign - The same family reaches a sign, and make a decision on where Rothersay is.
  • Standing Stones - The family finds some Standing Stones.
• Microlight - A microlight falls down. Unlike the other idents, the Five logo falls down with the Microlight.

Since March 8, 2004, these sets of idents were replaced with a new set, which were:

• Funfair
  • Candy Floss - A boy waits for some Candy Floss (Cotton Candy) to be made.
  • Teacup Ride - An elderly man and a little girl eat some Candy Floss on a Teacup ride.
  • Lorry - Someone wins a Panda Toy at a fair game, and then the lorry's engine starts. An extended version featuring a man getting his bag also exists.
  • Skyfire - There is someone riding a ride at the fair from a sky view.
• Car Boot Sale
  • Dog - Someone with their Dog is looking at items, but the Dog steals a doll.
  • Robot - Someone's hand picks up a toy robot, but they put it back down again. An extended version of this ident also exists.
  • Table - There is a table full of things for sale. Someone puts down a can of cola, and looks through cassette tapes. An insect then appears on the can.
• Car Wash - There is a woman brushing her hair while waiting for her car to be washed. The Five logo rises from the top.

Idents (Christmas)

• 2002:
  • School Play - Four variants exist:
    • Children - There is a floor view of the School Play.
    • Seats - There is the back rows of seats in the theatre.
    • Costume - There is the top of a performer's costume.
    • Christmas Tree - There is a floor view of a Christmas Tree during the play.
  • In the Snow - Five variants exist:
    • Snowball Fight - Someone throws a snowball at an unseen person.
    • Snowy Branches - There is a view of a Christmas Tree, covered in snow.
    • Rising - There is near the top of the same Christmas Tree, with another one nearby.
    • Car - There is the inside of a car on a dark night, with a Christmas Tree in the windows.
    • Coat - There is a woman in a coat walking.
  • By the Fire - Two variants exist.
    • Close-up - There is a close-up of the fire burning.
    • Slippers - There is someone wearing slippers warming up near the fire.
• 2003 - The theme for Christmas 2003 was "Peace and Goodwill", with most of the idents taken from the one-minute promo video of the same name used to promote the channel's Christmas schedule, which featured a couple named Rudy and Deer driving a red car.

These idents were taken from the promo:

• Deer Sign - The red car drives past a deer sign.
• Loading Trees - The red car drives past a lorry that is loading a set of Christmas Trees.
• Shepherd - A shepherd with a sheep waves at the car.
• In the Car - There is the journey in the car itself, as it passes the lorry and the Shephard.
• Bethlehem Sign - The car passes by a sign for Bethlehem. For unknown reasons, the Five logo is red this time round.

The next set was used after Christmas:

• Snowy Scene - There is a snowy scene with trees and a horse cart passing by.
• Skaters - Some people are seen skating.
  • Skating Trees - The same ident, but with some Christmas Trees on the left and right.

Idents (Special)

• America's Finest - A special set of idents that were used before CSI and Law and Order, and were used in December 2003:
  • Donuts - There is a NYPD car covered in snow, with "Donuts" written in it.
  • Police Car - There is a first-person view in a police car, where another police car is behind it.
  • Traffic Lights - There is a set of Traffic Lights.
  • Bags - A policeman puts in what appears to be bags of alcoholic beverages and puts them in a Police Car.
  • Policeman - There is the backs of some Policeman.
• Generic - There is the Five logo moving around on a plain background. Normally used for warnings or serious information.
• Five Arts - There is the camera rotating through a room with a white wall and a wooden floor. The text "watch this space" appears before the Five logo animates as normal, with "arts" in purple next to it.
• Five Science - A set of three idents made exclusively for the channel's "Science Season" in January 2004.
• Back to Reality - A set of idents made to promote the reality show of the same name, and were used in February 2004.
  • Manor Door - The camera zooms into the door of the manor.
  • Bike - A cyclist rides on a bike on a road.
  • Horses - A set of horses walk past the manor.
  • Children - A group of children walk past the manor.
  • Bus Stop - A group of people wait for a bus, to which a bus then comes by.
  • Flickering Light - A technician fixes a broken light.
• The Matrix - A clip of the film is featured as the Five logo appears letter-by-letter. It was used as part of "Matrix Night".
• Retro Day - The Five logo (in a different font) comes alive as it begins to drive Starsky and Hutch's famous Ford Torino away. This ident was only used on March 21, 2004, which was to coincide with the UK theatrical release of the Starsky and Hutch movie.
• Survival Sunday - There is the Five logo set within a 3D representation of New York City. This ident was only used on May 23, 2004, which was to coincide with the UK theatrical release of The Day After Tomorrow.
• Cosmetic Surgery Live - There is some people getting plastic surgery, while the Five logo is formed. These were used for two weeks in September 2004 to promote the show of the same name.

Technique: Live-action footage, and the Five logo appearing. These were designed by Spin.

Audio: Depends on the variant, sometimes with a music loop.

2nd Bumper (16 September 2002-6 October 2008)

• 

Visuals: Over a black background, the Five print logo wipes in and out while sliding slightly to the right.

Variant: The logo can be in different colours.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: None.

Availability: This was used for break bumpers.

3rd Bumper (1 November 2004-22 January 2006)

• 

Unknown. These were designed by Devilfish, better known for the 2011 StudioCanal logo.

Variants:

• Ants - On a tree stump in a forest, Several ants hold up leaves shaped like the Five logo, and soon carry it off.
• Anteater - Same as the Ants ident, but this time, an anteater eats the ant holding the "e".
• Midges - In a forest, there is a swarm of midges form up the Five logo and soon swarm away.
• Fireflies - Similar to the "Midges" ident, but is set at night.
• Midges Closeup - Same as the standard "Midges" ident, but other insects come close to the camers.
• Puddle Reflection - There is the Five logos reflected in a puddle, people walk through the puddle causing the logo to ripple. Two variants exist in red or blue.
• Glider - There is the view from a glider that someone flies around, while the Five logo is reflected in the light. Two variants exist, with another one featuring the Five logo forming like the previous ident package, only being used on the first night (likely a prototype variant).
• Scan - In a hospital is the Five logo revealed in a ultrasound scanner.
• Shark - A series of idents featuring the Five logo made out of meat and a shark trying to eat it.
  • Back Lit - The Five logo lightly bobs up and down in the sea, without any shark.
  • In Front - The shark swims near the logo.
  • From Deep - The Shark appears from the bottom of the sea and is about to eat the bottom of the "e".
  • Push Forward - The shark pushes the logo forward. We already see that it has eaten the bottom of the "e", with only the metal frame remaining.
  • Massive Attack - The Shark attacks the logo with its tail.
  • Swim Off - The Shark rips a huge chunk off the logo.
• Christmas - The Christmas set for 2004 focused on an ice sculpture shaped like the Five logo. It was used again in 2005.
  • Sculpting - There is a stop-frame construction of the Ice Sculpture, and when it's completed, fireworks from the nearby city are set off.
  • Sparklers - There is groups of people playing with Sparklers around the Ice Sculpture.
  • Roman Candle - A roman candle is lit on the Ice Sculpture.

4th Bumper (23 January 2006-6 October 2008)

• 

  Five

• 

  Free

• 

  Life

Visuals: Depends on the ident, but they all involve a 4-letter word in the same style as the Five logo.

Later Variant: In January 2007, select idents were amended to have the Five logo itself in place of the random words.

Variants: Original set:

• Fast: - There is some grayhound dogs chasing after the word "Fast" on a track.
• Fear: - Someone opens a door which has a long corridor drowning forward. The word "Fear" is formed by the spirits.
• Free: - In the blue sky, several white balloons are released, some of them forming the word "Free".
• Hope: - At a Casino, someone throws two dice onto the board, passing by and landing at the word "Hope". Casino Chips are placed down.
• Life: - We are rising the horizon, and as the lights switch on, the word "Life" is formed through them. This ident was retired once Five's sister channel Five Life (5Star) launched in October 2006.
• Live - On a rainy day, lightning strikes up in the sky, with the word "Live" being formed in the lightning.
• Love - A sperm divides itself to form the word "Love".
• Rush - A skydiver launches himself down from a plane, falling down near a field spelling the word "Rush".

May 2006 additions:

• Easy - The logo zooms out of a ladybird to see a park scene where people are relaxing, and forming the word easy.
• Feel - In a car, there is a family taking a drive down the countryside. One of the woman opens out their window to see the sky with the word "Feel" formed in the clouds.
• Play - Someone dives into a pool and rise out of it as someone pushes another person off an inflatable with the word "Play" printed onto it.
• Risk - A person riding a horse bucks around the dirt, forming the word "Risk".

October 2007 additions:

• Bike -
• Flash -
• Wave -

Idents (Christmas)

• 2006 - Five urged viewers to "Give" to help support five charities - Shelter, Crisis, Centrepoint, Nightstop UK and Emmaus UK. There was a single ident, but the first two screens were different. Either a scarecrow and some bikes or a pine tree and a postbox are lit up with Christmas lights. This soon cuts to a boat which lights to to reveal the word "give" on it. Then, the scene transitions to a train bridge lighting up, and as the train rolls by, the "five" logo is formed in lights in the night sky.
• 2007 - A single ident was used for 2007. The Five logo is formed through snowflakes, sparkles, lights, and candles respectively.

Trivia: This was designed by BB/Saunders.

Technique: Unknown.

Audio: Depends on the ident.

5th Bumper (6 October 2008-2010)

• 

Visuals: On a brown background, there is another new Five logo (a circle with the word "FIVE" inside) in the centre of the screen. Some blue/purple auroras appear around the circle.

Variants:

• Another version of the main ident features a more complete animation.
• There was a series of idents that featured a random live-action or animated scene. The Five logo appears at the beginning, animated as usual, before fading out.

Technique: CGI, with live action in the variants. These were designed by DixonBaxi.

Audio: Unknown.

6th Bumper (2010-14 February 2011)

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Visuals: On a dark green background, several auroras move in circles on the top-right corner of the screen, until the same Five logo from the previous ident (now red and glossy) is revealed. Some ripples emit from it, while the auroras still move.

Technique: CGI by ManvsMachine.

Audio: A disco-type theme based on Five's 2009 idents at the time.

Channel 5 (second era)

1st Bumper (14 February 2011-11 February 2016)

Visuals: On what looks like the inside of a studio, there is a screen showing the new Channel 5 logo (a red circle with the number "5" inside) animated by a series of ripples, on a maroon background.

Technique: 2D CGI in a live-action environment. The idents were produced by Earth in London, and filmed at Studio Barrandov in the Czech Republic.

Audio: Depends on the ident.

Availability: The idents have been archived on websites like This Is Five.

2nd Bumper (11 February 2016-26 February 2020)

• 

  Dogs

• 

  Rainbows

Visuals: The idents show a certain live-action scene, that ends with a person looking at a group of 5 objects/people/animals. The actual Channel 5 logo (the number "5" divided into 5 stylised pieces) is nowhere to be found.

Variants: Some of these idents include:

• Dogs: A man is driving a truck through a dry landscape. He looks at his mirror. There is a shot of the back of truck where there at first seems to be 3 dogs riding: a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, a brown shaggy one, and a bulldog. A 4th dog, a Jack Russell terrier, soon joins them, and a 5th dog, a little shih tzu, pops up in the middle with only its head visible.
• Rainbows: A car drives through a mountainous terrain. There is a bored child sitting inside and looking out the window, smiling as he sees 5 rainbows on the horizon.
• Birds: There is a shot of a city skyline with birds flying. A woman is doing things in her kitchen when she looks outside. 5 blue-fronted Amazon parrots are perched on her balcony.
• Whales: There is a boat sailing the ocean. Many people are looking out to sea with binoculars, possible whale watching. A woman looks out to part of the sea where no one else is looking and sees 5 humpback whales breaching at the same time.
• Skating: A woman is driving through a dry landscape. She looks outside and sees a family of five roller skating.

Technique: A combination of live-action scenes and CGI.

Audio:

• Skating: A modern rock theme with power pop and trip hop elements.

3rd Bumper (26 February 2020-)

• 

Visuals: Over a single-coloured background, the logo starts with different views of the pieces of the Channel 5 logo (the number "5" divided into 5 stylised pieces) ascending and descending. Light appears inside the gaps on the logo parts. Eventually, a centred and full view of the logo is shown at the end.

Variant: The idents feature one of the following colours: dark blue, dark green, pink, light blue, light green, orange and black.

Technique: CGI by 5 Creative and Gretel.

Audio: Unknown.