Granada Video

Background

Granada Video was the home video imprint of Granada Television. Originally self-distributing their releases, the company later began releasing their products through PolyGram Video and by the 1990s, Granada Video became a joint-venture between the Granada Media Group (formerly Granada-LWT International) and Video Collection International.

In July 2004, following the merger of Granada Media and Carlton Communications in February, ITV plc ended their existing contract with VCI, with Granada Video folding into Carlton's home video unit and rebranding as Granada Ventures.

1st Logo (1983-1990)

Logo: Same as the Granada Television ident of that time, except the G-Arrow is moved to the top and below it was the word "GRANADA VIDEO" in the same font as the TV logo.

Variant: At the end of the tapes, a copyright notice is shown below the logo.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen at the beginning of older Granada VHS releases in the UK.

2nd Logo (1997-1999)

Logo: On the same background of the 1995 Granada Television ident featuring a transparent of the word "GRANADA" in its corporate font, three copies of "GRANADA" appear rotating and merging to form one "GRANADA". Meanwhile, two copies of "VIDEO" in the same font slide through each other and make one "VIDEO" fade in under "GRANADA".

Variant: On Yorkshire's programmes, the text "A YORKSHIRE TELEVISION PRODUCTION" fades in below the logo.

Technique: The words appearing.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen at the beginning of VCI-distributed Granada VHS releases in the UK from the time, such as Helpful Titch, The Tyne Tees TV Time Capsule, and Emmerdale: Revenge, respectively, among others.

3rd Logo (1999-2001)

Logo: On a black background, we see blue lights dimming toward the logo. Then it lights up, and we see an abstract "G" appear in blue, along with the white word "GRANADA" and the blue word "MEDIA", both in 3D below. Then the logo shines and the lights dim out, and we see a white flash shine appear, moving and causing it to disappear. The animation then reverses. There is no video indicator whatsoever.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: An ascending synth theme.

Music/Sounds Variant: None or the end theme of the show for the variant.

Availability: Common. This was merely a de-facto home video logo.

Appears on releases such as Stars in Their Eyes, The Royale Family: The Complete Series 1, various An Audience With... releases, The Official Granada Television Time Capsule, Emmerdale - Don't Look Now! The Dingles in Venice, and Coronation Street: The Rover Returns, among others.
It also appears on early Cold Feet and some Pariot releases from the time.
It also appears on children's releases such as Sooty & Co., Tom & Vicky, among others.
Early releases that use this logo on the VHS label or back may have the previous logo, or no logo at all.
Surprisingly, this also appears in place of the third logo (featured on the disc labels, spine and back) of the DVD version of Jeeves and Wooster: The Complete Series 1, presumably due to the discs having been authorised and prepared for an earlier release before they were delayed a little bit for unknown reasons.

3rd Logo (2001-November 30, 2004)

Logo: Same as the 2001 Granada logo. Once again, there is no video indicator.

Variants:

A 4:3 version of this logo also exists.
On DVD releases of Poirot episodes from the show's ninth season, it is stretched into widescreen.

Technique: Same as the Granada Media logo.

Music/Sounds: Same as the Granada Media logo.

Availability: Common.

Like the previous logo, this was a de-facto home video logo.
Releases with this logo are easy to spot, look for the then-current Granada logo on the spine.
VHS and DVD releases that include this logo include The Forsyte Saga, The Attic, I'm a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here!, Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, Brideshead Revisited: The Complete Series, various Arsenal and Liverpool FC releases, later Cold Feet, The Royale Family, and Poirot releases, among others.
Children's releases that feature this logo include early Engie Benjy releases, Preston Pig: Goal and Other Stories, and various releases from the Granada Kid's Club range such as Oakie Doke, Rocky and the Dodos, The Animal Shelf, The Fox-Busters, Fantomcat, and Fetch the Vet, among others.