Yesterday (TV channel)

Yesterday
Launched	30 October 2002
Owned by	UKTV (BBC Worldwide/Scripps Networks Interactive)
Picture format	16:9, 576i (SDTV)
Audience share	0.7% 0.0% (+1) (June 2011, BARB)
Slogan	"Where the past is always present"
Country	United Kingdom Republic of Ireland
Formerly called	UK History (2002-2004) UKTV History (2004-2009)
Replaced	Play UK
Sister channel(s)	Alibi Blighty Dave Eden GOLD Good Food Home Really Watch
Timeshift service	Yesterday +1
Website	visityesterday.co.uk
Availability
Terrestrial
Freeview	Channel 12
Satellite
Sky	Channel 537 Channel 538 (+1)
Cable
Virgin Media	Channel 203 Channel 204 (+1)
Smallworld Cable	Channel 537
IPTV
TalkTalk TV	Channel 115
Internet television
TVCatchup	Watch live (UK only)

Yesterday is a television channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom as part of the UKTV network of channels. The channel originally launched on 30 October 2002 and relaunched in its current format on 2 March 2009. The channel is available on satellite through Sky, cable services primarily through Virgin Media, through TalkTalk TV and the digital terrestrial provider Freeview. The channel is available through subscription on the two former services, but is available as standard on the latter two platforms. Hours on Freeview had previously been cut, with transmissions finishing at 18:00, but were restored on 1 June 2010.

History

The channel originally launched on 30 October 2002 as UK History, a channel for the networks historic documentaries. These were previously found on the channel UK Horizons, however the launch of UK History allowed the channel to broadcast more programmes in their schedule. The majority of programming on the channel is sourced from the BBC programme archive, through the part ownership of the channel by BBC Worldwide. The launch of the channel also co-incided with the launch of the new digital terrestrial provider Freeview, following the collapse of the former provider ITV Digital. The service remained unchanged until 8 March 2004, when the channel changed its name in line with the rest of the UKTV network to UKTV History.

The channel was available full time on all platforms until 15 October 2007 when the hours were reduced on the Freeview platform, resulting in the channel stopping broadcasting at 6pm each day. This was a result of the launch of Dave in the channels EPG slot and the resultant move of the channel to the former UKTV Bright Ideas timeshare slot. This move resulted in a ratings drop of 0.2% in the space of a year, due to the channels inability to broadcast in prime time on Freeview. This restriction remained until 1 June 2010, when broadcast time was extended until 1am each day, following the closure of the Virgin1 +1 channel on Freeview. As a result, the channel can now broadcast fully from 6am to 1am daily.

As part of a network wide programme of relaunching all the UKTV channels under unique names and brands, the channel was renamed as Yesterday on 2 March 2009. The new channel also took on extra programming including fictional historic series and programmes previously broadcast on UKTV Documentary concerning the natural history of the British Isles.

Timeshift

The channel also operates a time shift channel called Yesterday +1, and UKTV History +1 before it, that is available on Sky and Virgin Media. The channel broadcasts the UK History schedule one hour later than the main channel, but contains no special programming or branding, with the occasional exception of a different Digital on-screen graphic (DOG).

Identity

UKTV History logo used between 2004 and 2009

When UK History originally launched, the channel used a simple name logo, stylised to appear as ^UK History, over an ident featuring the flicking pages of a book with images from history appearing on the outside edges of the pages. This ident featured numerous periods of history and numerous colours and was reused following the channels name change to UKTV History. Following the name change, the new two line logo was alligned to the left of the screen, replacing the old logo. The station also adopted a colour, in line with the remaining UKTV channels, for use in promotions on the channel and across the UKTV network. UKTV History's chosen colour was a green of a similar shade to olive drab, and would appear in three different shades at the end of promotions.

The new idents for Yesterday feature footage, overlaid with different audio from a different period, followed by a version of the Yesterday logo flipping over from the middle of the screen before the green and white Yesterday logo flips over. The video/audio is such arranged that an authentic vintage video is accompanied by modern music and vice versa, with a connection made between the first end caption and the music and the general theme of the music. For example, a video of a hooded gang is accompanied by medieval monks singing and a medieval style end caption, or a video of the first flying machines is overlaid with audio from the space missions and heralded by a computer style caption.

Programming

The majority of the channels programmes are sourced from the BBC programme archives; however, some are bought in from other terrestrial stations and some productions are commissioned by UKTV themselves. Programmes previously shown on terrestrial channels are usually edited for timing, to accommodate the current three commercial breaks within each hour-long programme. The most obvious example of this is for programmes originally broadcast on the BBC, as material lasting 58 minutes will be edited down to 42 minutes when shown on Yesterday. Some of Yesterday's notable programmes include:

• 20th Century Battlefields
• The 60's: The Beatles' Decade
• The Alan Clark Diaries
• All Creatures Great and Small
• Andrew Marr's the Making of Modern Britain
• Antiques Roadshow
• Auschwitz: The Nazis and the 'Final Solution'
• Baddiel and the Missing Nazi Millions
• Battlefield Britain
• The Beatles: From Liverpool to San Francisco
• Bomber Command
• The Channel Islands at War
• Churchill's Bodyguard
• Coast
• Colditz (1970s)
• D-Day to Berlin
• Elton John: Someone Like Me
• Fighting the Blue
• Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain (2002)
• Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain (2005)
• Great SAS Missions
• Heir Hunters
• Heroes of Biggin Hill
• Hitler's Bodyguard (Yesterday commission)
• House of Cards
• The House of Elliot
• I Hate the 60's
• Infamous Assassinations (Yesterday Commission)
• International Terrorism Since 1945
• Inventions That Changed the World
• Island at War
• James May's 20th Century
• Lipstick on Your Collar
• Metropolis: The Power of Cities
• My Family at War
• Museum Secrets
• Nazi Collaborators
• The Onedin Line
• Pop Go the Sixties
• Pornography: The Secret History or Civilisation
• The Rolling Stones: Truth and Lies
• Secrets of World War II
• Seven Ages of Britain
• Seven Ages of Rock
• Seven Wonders of the Industrial World
• Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll: The 60's
• Sharpe
• Shipwreck Detectives
• Simon Schama's A History of Britain
• Summer of Love
• Tales from the Green Valley
• Tank Overhaul
• Terry Jones' Barbarians
• Their Finest Hour
• The Thirties in Colour
• Time Shift
• Top of the Pops 2
• The War
• The World at War
• World War II Behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis and the West
• Victoria's Empire
• Victorian Farm
• Voyages of Discovery
• When Britain Went Bananas
• When the Boat Comes In

See also

• UKTV
• Television in the United Kingdom

External links

• Yesterday
• Yesterday on Facebook
• UK History at TVARK
• Yesterday at TVARK
• UKTV at The TV Room