| 60 Seconds | |
|---|---|
 60 Seconds logo used from 2008–2016 | |
| Created by | BBC News |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Broadcasting House,London |
| Running time | 1 minute |
| Original release | |
| Network |
|
| Release | 16 July 2001 (2001-07-16) – 16 February 2016 (2016-02-16) |
| Related | |
| The 7 O'Clock News | |
60 Seconds is a short-news programme which ran between shows onBBC Three (and before thatBBC Choice). It was broadcast under theBBC News format and branding. The presenters includedTasmin Lucia-Khan,Andy May,Matt Cooke,James Dagwell,Claudia-Liza Vanderpuije andSam Naz. The programme was similar to the now defunctBBC News Summary that aired onBBC One, also broadcast under the BBC News format.
The programme lasted for 60 seconds as the name suggests, during which time the presenter condensed some of the day's news, sport and entertainment stories into a 60-second bulletin. This made it similar toFYI Daily, a programme of the same length which airs onITV2,ITV3,ITV4 andITVBe.
60 Seconds ran from 7:00 pm to 12:15 am with a bulletin at the top of the hour or after a programme had ended, if more than an hour. Throughout the bulletin, a line gradually crossed the screen which effectively counted down the seconds. There were sets of pictures running simultaneously for each story. Five stories were featured in every bulletin.
During the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2014 Commonwealth Games, bulletins ran from 7:00 am to 12:15 am with a round-up of the day's other news stories.
60 Seconds was launched on 16 July 2001 onBBC Choice, the precursor toBBC Three, to appeal to those within the 18–34 age group;[1] BBC Three's target audience, and also the demographic with lowest news-watching[2] and voter turnout. When BBC Choice was replaced by BBC Three on 9 February 2003, the programme was kept[1][3] and thetitles updated to match the style ofThe 7 O'Clock News also on the channel.
There was a rebrand of BBC Three on 12 February 2008,[4] during which the identity of60 Seconds also changed to match the new colour scheme of the channel. The first broadcast of the revamped60seconds saw a new take on the news; the headlines ofnews channels across the world, such asAl Jazeera andCNN, are read as opposed to the original UK headline bulletins.[4] However, maintaining its original purpose, the UK's headlines are still included in the bulletin, as well as most of the original properties of60 Seconds, with the keeping of the two images–videos running parallel to each other.
On 18 March 2013,60 Seconds, along with the rest of BBC News, moved toBroadcasting House.[5]
This can be used as a stepping stone asJames Dagwell moved toBBC World News and the simulcast between BBC World News andBBC News Channel overnight as a presenter.Charlene White is now a regular onITV News.Tina Daheley now co-presents Freespeech, Susannah Streeter is another BBC World News presenter.
In October 2013 it was announced by Director-GeneralTony Hall that the programme would be rebranded to bring it under theNewsbeat banner of the BBC's youth radio station,Radio 1.[6]
In March 2014, it was announced that60 Seconds would be axed as well as its main channel, BBC Three in late 2015. All current programmes on BBC Three would be moved onto the BBC iPlayer website, but it was not revealed if 60 Seconds would be moved online too. However the final decision was announced in autumn 2015. It was now announced that the change would happen in February 2016 with 60 Seconds being axed.
The final 60 Seconds aired in the early hours of 16 February before theAmerican Dad! episode "Cock of the Sleepwalk", with the final words fromSam Naz saying: "Thank you for watching and for all of your lovely messages. Goodnight!"
60 Seconds did not return following the relaunch of the BBC Three channel in February 2022; it was instead succeeded byThe Catch Up.[7]
