BBC Video/Warning Screens

1st Warning (1980-1981)
Warning: On a black background are the words "THIS VIDEO CASSETTE MAY NOT BE PEFORMED IN PUBLIC BROADCAST, HIRED, LOANED, COPIED OR REPRODUCED IN ANY WAY" in Futura.

FX/SFX: Just the simple fade-in and fade-out.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Ultra rare. Seen on BBC Video's earliest tapes.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Warning (1981-1984)
Warning: On a black background are the words: "THE RECORDING, COPYING, LOAN, UNAUTHORISED HIRE, PUBLIC SHOWING OR BROADCASTING OF THIS BBC VIDEOGRAM, IS PROHIBITED."

Variant: On the children's video BeebTots, the background is green.

FX/SFX: Just the simple fade-in and fade-out.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extremely rare. Seen on BBC Video's earliest tapes.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Warning (1984)
Warning: On a black background are the words:

'The recording, copying, loan, unauthorised hire, public showing or broadcasting of this BBC Videogram is prohibited.

This videogram was produced on behalf of BBC Enterprises Ltd.'

FX/SFX: Just the simple fade-in and fade-out.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Even rarer than the last warning. Seen on early 1984 BBC Video tapes, including the original pre-cert release of Doctor Who: The Brain of Morbius and Abigail's Party.

Editor's Note: None.

4th Warning (1984-1988)
Warning: On a black background, the following text types in:

'The recording, copying, loan, unauthorised hire, public showing or broadcasting of this BBC Videogram is prohibited.

This videogram was produced on behalf of BBC Enterprises Ltd.'

Variants:
 * The closing variant just has the warning fading in and out.
 * An extremely rare closing variant has the opening variant playing in reverse. This appears on the 1985 release of Doctor Who: The Five Doctors.
 * On Children's Favourites (a video produced in conjunction by Marks & Spencer), the text is thinner, is all yellow, and the bottom section was altered to credit Marks & Spencer.

FX/SFX: The words typing in.

Music/Sounds: None. On some tapes however, if you listen really closely, you can hear the 1984 version of the BBC Video logo music playing over it.

Availability: Rare. Seen on BBC Video tapes until 1988.

Editor's Note: None.

5th Warning (1988-1991)
Top: Normal variant Bottom: WHSmith Video variants

Warning: On a black background, we see the words "Times New Roman" flying in. After several seconds, it flies out, segueing into the BBC Video "COW Globe" logo.

Variants:
 * On a Rupert the Bear VHS by WHSmith Video, the warning takes place on a white-black gradient, with the words in black. At the end of the tape, it takes place on a red gradient, with the words in white.
 * On a Postman Pat VHS by WHSmith Video, the BBC Enterprises reference is removed.

FX/SFX: The flying effects.

Music/Sounds: None, but at the end, a low humming sound that segues into the BBC Video "COW Globe" music.

Availability: Seen on BBC Video tapes using the "COW Globe" logo.

Editor's Note: None.

6th Warning (1990-)
Warning: On a black background, white text scrolls up and stops at the center. It reads "THE RECORDING, COPYING, LOAN, UNAUTHORISED HIRE, PUBLIC SHOWING OR BROADCASTING OF THIS BBC ENTERPRISES VIDEOGRAM, IS PROHIBITED."

Variants:
 * From 1995 onward, the words "BBC ENTERPRISES" were replaced with "BBC WORLDWIDE"
 * At the end of BBC videotapes, the warning fades in and fades out. This does not happen on post-1997 videotapes.
 * From 1997 onward, the font in the text is changed to Gill Sans.
 * On DVD releases, the word "VIDEOGRAM" was replaced by "DVD-VIDEO"
 * On some 2000s BBC videotapes, The Tracking Control Screen and the Warning Screen's Aspect Ratio is set to widescreen.
 * On the BBC Active DVDs, "BBC WORLDWIDE" is replaced with "BBC ACTIVE".

FX/SFX: The scrolling.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on BBC Video releases from the era, including all three Wallace and Gromit shorts. Also seen on American BBC releases by CBS-Fox Video/20th Century Fox Home Enterainment (until 2000, including Blackadder's Christmas Carol) and Warner Home Video (starting in 2000).

Editor's Note: None.