This is an alternate universe where the 2004 idents were never changed in 2015. The Blocks: 2 November 1982 – 10 October 1996
Channel 4 Blocks Ident
The Channel 4 Ident, as it appeared in 1982
The original idents for Channel 4 launched on 2 November 1982, and were designed by Martin Lambie-Nairn and his partner Colin Robinson, in association with Bo Gehring Aviation of Los Angeles.[2] While not the first computer generated idents on British Television (With BBC 2's Striped 2 being introduced in 1979) They were the first UK channel idents made using advanced computer generation with abstract chapes forming up in multiple ways to create the numeral 4. The Blocks were also the first UK Television ident package, with multiple form ups for the logo.[3] Prior to Channel 4, virtually all television stations in the United Kingdom used a single ident to identify the channel.

The music accompanying the ident was called "Fourscore" and was composed by David Dundas; it was later released as a single alongside a B-side, "Fourscore Two", although neither reached the UK charts.[4] On 2 November 1992, "Fourscore" was replaced by new music.

Title	Airdates	Description
Implosion	2 November 1982–10 October 1996	The 9 blocks fly and rotate from off screen, twirling towards the centre of the image to create the numeral '4'
Explosion	The 9 blocks fly and rotate away from the centre of the image, flying off screen. Usually used at closedown by the channel.
Round and Back	The Numeral 4 comes apart and rotates 360 degrees
Space Trip	The blocks dissolve into pieces, flying off the screen, before flying back from the top of the screen to reform the logo.
Space Squad	Pieces of the blocks fly from the top left of the screen, forming up the numeral 4, usually ending with a drum beat
Interlock	The blocks form the numeral 4 in layers.
The Circles: 11 October 1996–1 April 1999

An example of one of the many "Circles" idents used
On 11 October 1996, Channel 4 commissioned Tomato Films to revamp the "4", which resulted in the "Circles" idents showing four white circles forming up transparently over various scenes, with the "4" logo depicted in white in one of the circles, which formed up with a ripple effect, distorting the film. Creation of the idents by Tomato Films are rumoured to have been so difficult, that both Channel 4 and Tomato Films ended the collaboration with only the initial idea of a refreshed logo.[3]

The idents were refreshed on 16 October 1998, with the 4 in a single circle, and the blur effect being simplified, although this was too similar to the look of Channel 5 at the time.[3]

The Squares: 2 April 1999–30 December 2004
On 2 April 1999, Spin redesigned the logo to feature in a single square which sat on the right-hand side of the screen, whilst various stripes would move along from left to right, often lighting the squared “4” up. Like the previous “Circles” idents from 1996 (which was made by Tomato Films), the initial idents introduced with the stripes would be interspersed with various scenes potentially related to the upcoming programme. A later variation of the package used more abstract interpretations of the initial striped look which launched on 1 January 2002.

The Ambient Blocks era: 31 December 2004-present
The logo was made three-dimensional again on 31 December 2004 when it was depicted in filmed scenes that show the blocks forming the “4” logo for less than a second before the action moves away again. The Channel 4 logo was altered, with it appearing in trailer stings as being formed in negative space. Write a forum convo in may 2024 where several promos are ending with a endtag showing a pink rabbit playing in a abstract background, 4 logo falls down, a user wonders if the AB era is ending