BBC2W

When does BBC2W close - is it 2009? I see there are very few differences programming wise between BBC2 Wales and BBC2W over the coming weeks.

One other question is continuity live all day on BBC1 Wales and BBC 2 Wales? Do they ever take network continuity?

I noticed all promos are branded as 'Wales' unlike BBC Scotland which is a bit of a mess promo branding wise.

Well I understand 2W ends as a full shift between Christmas and the New Year - I daresay Tuesday or Wednesday.

Continuity is virtually always Wales branded [and therefore live] -- apart from the odd occasion with network for the Sign Zone [after the first junction] for Wales on 1, and sometimes after midnight on 2.

As demonstrated the other month, if Wales can't get to air, another nation is preferred, rather than London.

BBC2W was taking network this morning as Peter Offer was the announcer into 'The Life of Mammals'.

I've seen them do this before, usually on Sunday mornings when there are no deviations from the network schedule.

BBC 1 almost always has Welsh branding, with the exception of the Sign Zone and, ISTR, there was one 5:45am Sunday morning link into MotoGP in the summer when they took network as well.

Any network trailers with pre-recorded voiceovers seem to have the Wales tag burned over the top on BBC 1 Wales - on Two, endboards for most programmes have both BBC 2 Wales and BBC 2W boxes side-by-side. For a long time they carried on with the original practice of having the box throughout the trailer, alternating between logos, but this is no longer the case.

At the moment, digital follows analogue BBC 2 Wales continuity in the daytime, and 2W in the evening (even when the programmes are the same on both). If 2W is finishing as a shift in itself soon, it will be interesting to see if the 2W branding is still used on any individual variations up until DSO, or whether it is abandoned completely and a reference to 'digital' used instead.

I doubt we'll get an answer from the Llandaffia today, of all days.

They'll all be too busy at somebody's birthday party.

Not all, surely?

I assumed the end of "2W" meant the end of different programming on analogue and digital.

BBC 2W appears to have no variations from network BBC 2 during primetime after this programme:

ENTERTAINMENT: Arts and Entertainment Review of the Year Wales 2008
On: BBC 2W (Digital) (991)
Date: Friday 2nd January 2009 (starting in 3 days)
Time: 22:00 to 22:30 (30 minutes long) VideoPlus: 48294

A look back at Welsh entertainment and the arts in 2008, including Diversions Dance at 25, Rebecca Evans and her Grammy, the Book of the Year Award and the Dylan Thomas Prize.
(Stereo, Widescreen)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from http://www.getdigiguide.com/?p=1&r=7646

Copyright (c) GipsyMedia Limited.

You would have thought so - but of course until switchover starts, the odd variation here or there (for an individual programme) is still possible.

I assumed the imminent ending of the 2W 'shift' referred to the full evening's worth of separate continuity on analogue and digital on weekdays, regardless of programming, and that teal BBC 2 Wales branding would be used across all services. But in the event of the occasional digital opt-out, how would any distinction be made (eg. by the announcer during the ident and/or in any trailers beforehand), if at all?


Analogue BBC 2 Wales is not network BBC 2 of course - there are a few variations, eg. Scrum V rugby on Fridays. I think the original aim of 2W was to provide something along the lines of an English-language S4C during primetime, aside from the standard national opt-outs.

I understand the last 2W shift will be tonight, with the aforementioned programme being the last variation from Two Wales analogue.

As to live continuity from Llandaff, when they're not taking network, it's all done live.

And there it was, gone.

Hope you all recorded it.

Damn missed it - anyone grab it?

I'd have preferred them to keep the 2W brand for BBC2 in Wales - sounds better than "BBC Two Wales".

What was the idea with 2W anyway - I know they started out with local programmes on BBC Choice, but surely with BBC 2W they always knew that ultimately they'd come a point where it would have to become BBC 2 Wales again.