Background[]
Channel Four (4) started staying up late in 1985, initially only on Friday & Saturday nights, and a special ident was briefly used. It was in early 1986 that the channel broadcast well into the early hours seven days a week offering an alternative to the programming on ITV as that network started extending broadcasting hours at around the same time, on a region-by-region basis, ahead of the entire ITV network being on air all night by autumn 1986.
Logo[]
(1986-2002): On a black background, grey water ripples are seen. Then, they connect to form the silver Channel Four logo and then 4 yellow corners fade in around it, and then it becomes 3D. There is the word "N I G H T I M E" that fades and flips in. At closedown, the finished product is seen, but the text turns into "GOODNIGHT".
Music/Sounds[]
A few eerie ascending synth sounds are heard; they culminate into a mysterious synth tune that plays on the menus. This is actually a portion of "Dreamtime" by David Vorhaus.
Music/Sounds Variant[]
At closedown, it becomes a rather omnious descending theme.
Scare Factor[]
It depends on the logo's variant:
- Low to nightmare for the regular/start-up variant. The dark atmosphere, slow motion, and overall scary and mysterious music will intimidate a lot. It's even worse that it shows at late night, but it is not a problem as the block only appears on Friday & Saturday nights.
- None to medium for the closedown variant, since the theme is less eerie and is more relaxing. However, if you are used to seeing this on the program itself, this isn't much of a problem.
Videos[]
