Copyright (c) 1999 British Broadcasting Corporation
The music for the ident and for the whole of BBC News was composed by David Lowe and incorporated elements such as the BBC Pips, used on BBC Radio to mark the hour. This version was used during the countdown sequence shown on BBC News 24 (now known as the BBC News channel), just before the top of the hour news bulletin.
Various images, originally ivory numbers fully animated against a deep red background, were designed to fit the pace of the channel, and the music soon gained notoriety, and was often satirised and parodied in popular culture, perhaps most famously by comic Bill Bailey who likened the theme music to an "apocalyptic rave".
It was still used as of this day, with the music itself being revamped a few times, most recently in 2013, to coincide with the move of BBC News to Broadcasting House.
