Points of View (2004)

Concept and creative process

The popular, long-running viewer feedback programme, ‘Points of View’ has been an almost uninterrupted feature of the BBC output since its launch in 1961, apart from an 8-year hiatus in the early 1970s. It has evolved over the years from viewers sending in hand-written letters or typescripts, to recorded phone calls on a dedicated phone line in 1991 and the now ubiquitous email, introduced in 1994. The purpose has remained the same, namely, to give the viewers a voice and a direct line to the producers of programmes and Channel Controllers to express an opinion, complimentary or otherwise, about what they had recently seen. Over the years the show has had many presenters often for extended periods, such as Robert Robinson, Barry Took, Anne Robinson and latterly Jeremy Vine. Terry Wogan hosted the show in his own inimitable style from 1999 to 2007. The title sequence provided a recurring challenge to designers to come up with a concept that was new and original and of its time. In this version from 2004, the viewers, represented by actors of all ages, were filmed in a studio, expressing emotions through their body language. These shots were edited and combined in post-production into a multi-layered montage of letters, texts, screenshots of programme clips and past presenters of the show, together with the BBC channel logos and a new ‘Points of View’ logo emanating flashes of coloured light. Feedback welcome!