[VMPhil]

Okay, one day late - but the TV channel Dave launched 15 years ago yesterday on 15th October 2007.

I only note this because this channel has had a slightly interesting history. It started out as UK Gold Classics in 1998, a channel so short-lived with such limited availability that there is no recorded footage of it anywhere on the internet AFAIK.

It was replaced with UK Gold 2, a curious channel, in that it simply repeated UK Gold's morning/daytime schedule but from 6pm in the evening, because UK Gold's daytime schedule (including soaps like Neighbours) appealed to a different audience.

Meanwhile, UKTV had another channel, UK Play (later Play UK), again a curious mix of music in the daytime and comedy in the evening - I believe this was down to limited space on ONdigital/ITV Digital where it had less competition than the number of music channels on Sky. As well as BBC repeats the channel also had some homegrown comedy with people who would go on to become household names - the likes of Lucas & Walliams, Mitchell & Webb, Russell Brand.

In 2002, after the closure of ITV Digital, Play UK closed too - but UKTV seem to have regretted this (I'm not sure where the likes of HIGNFY and Buzzcocks turned up on the UKTV network in the period after Play closed - UK Gold?) - as in 2003 they replaced UK Gold 2 with UK G2, pretty much the spiritual successor to Play UK's comedy side (even some Play original productions like Rock Profile turned up in the G2 launch schedule).

At some point the channel started broadcasting in the daytime too - beginning a tradition of Top Gear repeats, the programme that would become to define the channel really.

G2 suffered the worst in my opinion from UKTV's baffling decision in 2004 to change the prefix on all their channels from "UK" to "UKTV". UKTV G2 is not a snappy name.

The decision to relaunch the channel as Dave at the same seemed a little baffling, but of course in hindsight, was a genius decision. The unusual name, cleverly positioned branding and not forgetting a well publicised launch on Freeview pretty much made the renamed channel an instant success.

Branching into more original programming has also been a success for Dave - some shows even being successful enough to make the leap to mainstream television.

But of course the main reason we go to Dave is for comfort television - the likes of Top Gear, HIGNFY, QI, Would I Lie to You. Happy birthday Dave and long may you continue to be "the home of witty banter".