Purpose of BBC 2 Idents and Zoetrope

All of BBC 2s recent idents feature a numeral 2, with a view or scape behind it, as viewers look through the 2. The purpose of this is to illustrate how the channel is a portal to which the world is seen differently. There are a number of idents, ranging from a capuccino, to a tent unzipping, to a chase scene, reflecting the range and diversity of content on the channel. In each ident the camera zooms out to reveal that you are looking at the subject in an unexpected way through the figure 2, expressing their aim to inform and entertain.

They created the Zoetrope ident as the best of both worlds because it was the first lengthy modern ident, and it merges together the previous 2 cut out style window with a new animated aspect to create a similiar and up to date feel as previous ones. 

A futuristic city scape of flying cars and high glass buildings pans out to reveal it is a Zoetrope with 2's on the outside edge that you look through. The fact it includes both a zoetrope, which is an old device used to make still images look like they are moving and a space-like city with flying cars is a literal representation of their modernisation.

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