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TV Logos (12K)

Dave Jeffery's
Flash Files 3

Created  Fr 25-Apr-03
Updated  Sa 1-Feb-25

When ITV1 launched a new on-air look in October 2002 the Carlton and LWT names seen before programmes in London were abandoned in favour of a single brand, ITV1 London. LWT had been presenting weekend programmes for over thirty years, and staff didn't want to let the changeover happen without some sort of tribute. The archives would therefore have to be raided for some classic presentation.

But LWT wanted some of the clips to be in widescreen. So Dave Jeffery was called upon to re-create some of the logos and even invent some authentic-looking captions, using Flash.

To make the captions look as though they had come from a studio camera, they were passed on to Rory Clark who carefully applied some clever post processing effects and introduced some natural imperfections. The visuals were then edited together by Gareth Randall and the audio mixed by Graham Hix. The tribute wouldn't have been complete without the help of veteran announcers Trish Bertram and Glen Thompsett.

Below you can see some of the files (before any effects were added) that were made for the broadcast tribute, as well as some early drafts which didn't make it to the screen.

Please note: because browsers no longer support Adobe Flash, this site uses the open-source Ruffle Flash Player emulator, which allows Flash content to be displayed without the need for a plug-in and which also works on mobile phones and tablets. In this update Ruffle is running version 2025-02-01, which enables you to control the volume via the right-click / long-press pop-up menu.

Farewell to LWT

Transmitters in Service - first draft (5K)Transmitters in Service - broadcast version (6K)

Transmitters in Service
Transmitters in Service - Widescreen

LWT's last day began when it opted out of ITV1's night-time schedule early for a proper "start-up". Before 24-hour television, ITV companies would start their programmes with some captions and music to welcome viewers. Just before 5.30am we were taken back to those good old days. The first order of business would be an opening announcement over a caption listing the transmitters in service. For this occasion, Trish Bertram recorded the voiceover. Here we have the first draft of the re-created caption, which mimics the original format, listing the UHF and (now defunct) VHF transmitters. For legal reasons, the IBA logo from the Seventies original was replaced with an LWT logo. Next to it is the broadcast version, in widescreen, which recognises we now live in an age of digital broadcasting.


LWT static logo (4K)

Station Identification

Part-way through the start-up tune, A Well Swung Fanfare, and perfectly timed to a beat in the music, there would have been a cut to the LWT logo. This was all re-created for the last day's start-up, except that this time the music was in stereo.


LWT Programme Menu - test (7K)

Programme Menu - test

With the music finished, it would be time to look at the day's schedule. Dave Jeffery re-created an old programme menu, seen here, as a test. But there wasn't the time to complete it in time for the broadcast, so ultimately a less elaborate caption was created for the tribute...


London Weekend's last day of programmes - first draft (3K)London Weekend's last day of programmes - broadcast version (2K)

Programme Menu - serif
Programme Menu - sans serif

You can see that the first version of the simpler menu design used a serif font. Next to it is the final version, featuring a much clearer Antique Olive typeface. If you had never seen London Weekend's presentation in the Seventies, you'd be forgiven for thinking this slide is based on a real programme menu. But what appears to be a design from the era was created especially for this start-up sequence.


A widescreen London Weekend clock (4K)

Station Clock

Having taken us through the programme menu, announcer Glen Thompsett then introduced the ITV Morning News over a widescreen version of an old station clock.


A widescreen version of London Weekend's second river ident (5K)

London Weekend Television - Widescreen River

Viewers then had to wait until 11.15pm for their next slice of nostalgia, when The South Bank Show was preceded by this classic animated LWT ident. The logo remained on screen as the announcer invited us to stay tuned, for in an hour's time, we could see a short tribute to LWT. I wonder how many people realised they were not actually watching a film from the archive, but a perfect re-creation, adapted for widescreen? As always, the animation was accompanied by the Graham Hix re-mix of the Harry Rabinowitz original. Over twenty years after updating the jingle, Graham was still around to peform the audio mix on the last-day tribute sequences.


A widescreen version of the London Weekend oval ident (4K)

London Weekend - Widescreen Colour

With little space available in the schedules, the tribute programme had to be crammed into less than two minutes. It began with continuity legends Glen Thompsett and Trish Bertram explaining, in vision, that the LWT name was being laid to rest. Soon we were hurled into a montage of idents and other presentation from London Weekend's 34-year history. Here we see a re-creation of one of the early colour idents which didn't make it into the final broadcast. This time, the real film, complete with scratches, was used.


A widescreen version of the London Weekend river ident (4K)

London Weekend - Widescreen River

This reproduction of the classic first edition River ident, was used, and you'll see that in its new widescreen incarnation, the stripes extend even further east. The original was designed by Terry Griffiths and the accompanying jingle was composed by Harry Rabinowitz.


LWT 3D Animation (4K)

LWT - 3D

Finally, we have a re-created rotating 3D logo. It didn't end up in the final montage; the genuine article was used, instead.



Other Related Web Sites

  • All of the LWT last-day tribute sequences are available to watch on YouTube.
  • More information about the broadcast tributes can be found in an article at Transdiffusion by Gareth Randall, who put the sequences together.
  • Dave Jeffery has also written an article for Transdiffusion about how he found himself re-creating television logos for London Weekend.
  • Take a journey through 30 Years of LWT's on-air look at MHP's Ident Zone.