The coat of arms of the BBC was adopted in March 1927 to represent the purpose and values of the corporation. It is seldom used nowadays except for ceremonial purposes.
Elements
The various elements of the coat of arms were chosen to provide a
heraldic
Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...
translation of the qualities of the BBC.
*Lion — the
crest
Crest or CREST may refer to:
Buildings
*The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York
*"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York
*Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...
of the coat of arms has a lion above the helmet. The lion is the
national animal
This is a list of countries that have officially designated one or more animals as their national animals.
National animal
{, class="wikitable sortable"
! Country
! Name of animal
! Scientific name (Latin name)
! class="unsortable", Picture
...
of the UK and indicates the BBC's British identity.
*Thunderbolt — The lion grasps a thunderbolt in its outstretched paw, this to represent broadcasting itself (transmission).
*Eagles — In heraldic language the two eagles which grasp the shield are "
supporters". Eagles were chosen to depict the inherent speed of broadcasting. Both eagles have bugles suspended from their collars, representing "proclamation", i.e. the public service element of broadcasting.
*Motto — The coat of arms features the BBC
motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
, ''"Nation shall speak peace unto Nation"''
*
Shield
A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...
**Globe — the globe in the shield of the coat of arms represents the scope and breadth of the BBC's operations
**
Estoile
In heraldry, the term star may refer to any star-shaped charge with any number of rays, which may appear straight or wavy, and may or may not be pierced. While there has been much confusion between the two due to their similar shape, a star with ...
s — Around the globe are seven estoiles, heraldic symbols for divine goodness and nobility. Their place in the shield increase the representation of the scope and breadth of the corporation. They also symbolise the seven planets in the Solar System other than the Earth. (The arms were granted prior to the discovery of Pluto in 1930, which was classified as a planet from that time until 2006.)
[
The background of the shield, the mantling (drapery depicted tied to the helmet above the shield) and the collars of the eagles are blue ( azure in heraldry).][
The style of the coat of arms has changed considerably over time; from the style of the motto, the formality of the lion and eagles, the alignment of the shield (it was tilted in early versions, and is now perfectly straight) and the addition of a ]compartment
Compartment may refer to:
Biology
* Compartment (anatomy), a space of connective tissue between muscles
* Compartment (chemistry), in which different parts of the same protein serves different functions
* Compartment (development), fields of cells ...
(the design placed under the shield, a grassy mound in the BBC coat of arms).[
]
Motto
The idealistic BBC motto is most likely based on biblical verses from the Book of Micah
The Book of Micah is the sixth of the Twelve Minor Prophets, twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible. Ostensibly, it records the sayings of Micah (prophet), Micah, whose name is ''Mikayahu'' ( he, מִיכָיָ֫הוּ), meaning "Who is like Y ...
and the Book of Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah ( he, ספר ישעיהו, ) is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible and the first of the Major Prophets in the Christian Old Testament. It is identified by a superscription as the words of the 8th-century BC ...
: ''"Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.''[
]
In 1934 the motto was changed to ''"Quaecunque",'' meaning ''"Whatsoever"''. This was inspired by St Paul's Epistle to the Philippians 4:8:
This inspired the dedication that appears in the entrance hall of Broadcasting House
Broadcasting House is the headquarters of the BBC, in Portland Place and Langham Place, London. The first radio broadcast from the building was made on 15 March 1932, and the building was officially opened two months later, on 15 May. The main ...
:
In 1948 the motto reverted to the original.
Usage
Prior to 1986, the logo was used on a few sources, mainly BBC documentation and stationery, or for some uses around studios. In these instances, the coat of arms would not be used directly, but used subtly on other furniture, such as the bollards outside New Broadcasting House, Manchester
New Broadcasting House (NBH) was the BBC's North West England headquarters on Oxford Road in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester. The studios housed BBC Manchester, BBC North West, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Religion and Ethics de ...
.[
Following the redesign in 1986, the coat of arms was used more frequently alongside the main logo. Some examples include:
*In the BBC's "virtual" news set, used between 1993 and 1999, much of what was seen was computer generated using ]Silicon Graphics
Silicon Graphics, Inc. (stylized as SiliconGraphics before 1999, later rebranded SGI, historically known as Silicon Graphics Computer Systems or SGCS) was an American high-performance computing manufacturer, producing computer hardware and soft ...
systems. The titles opened to the BBC News logo overlaid on the spinning globe. The shot widened to include the whole coat of arms and finally the whole set, of which only the newsreaders and parts of the desk were real; the coat of arms, studio lights, floor and the majority of the desk were all computer generated.[Hayden Walker]
BBC Corporate Logo
, retrieved 20 November 2010
*The generic BBC News titles prior to 1993 used a transmitter as its icon, similar to that used on the coat of arms.[
*The coat of arms featured on flags from BBC studios, and on signage for the studios themselves.]
– Features image of BBC Cymru Wales
BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Wales.
It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, BBC Cymru Wales is b ...
studio signage from prior to BBC blocks.
*The BBC outtakes programme ''Auntie's Bloomers
''Auntie's Bloomers'' is a blooper show hosted by Terry Wogan that ran from 29 December 1991 to 29 December 2001 and aired on BBC One. Most bloopers consisted of homegrown BBC programmes including soaps, sitcoms, dramas and news.
The programm ...
'' featured a set of large shelves with tape records, dusty corners and industrial lift shafts, meant to represent the BBC Archives. The centre of this set is Terry Wogan
Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekd ...
's desk where he provides his commentary. The floor in this central section features a large version of the coat of arms.
*The coat of arms featured in publications, including back covers and on the spines of books.
The coat of arms has since largely been superseded by the BBC blocks logo from 1997.[ It has not been abandoned by the corporation, but no longer appears on programmes or prominently in BBC publications, buildings or other locations.
]
Badge
The BBC was also granted a heraldic badge
A heraldic badge, emblem, impresa, device, or personal device worn as a badge indicates allegiance to, or the property of, an individual, family or corporate body. Medieval forms are usually called a livery badge, and also a cognizance. They are ...
of: ''A Thunderbolt proper thereon a Pellet inscribed with the letters BBC Or''.[Briggs, Geoffrey. ''Civic and Corporate Heraldry'' (1971), p76.]
See also
*Logo of the BBC
The logo of the BBC has been a brand identity for the corporation and its work since the 1950s in a variety of designs. Until the introduction of a logo in 1958, the corporation had relied on its coat of arms for official documentation and corr ...
References
External links
BBC Corporate logo
at TVARK: The Online Television Museum.
*
{{BBC
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
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