[Neil Jones]

According to a Digital Spy post, "The 'ident' is where the audio track would contain a short passage describing what's about to appear - there is no set convention for what you say during that period but it should tie up with other information on the clock such as programme title (part number - don't forget many progs are divided into several parts), Production number etc."

See from nine seconds in here:
www.youtube.com 

[Si-Co]

Thanks Neil. Come to think of it, I’ve heard this many times but never put two and two together.

[Steve in Pudsey]

Something just came to mind. Did either BBC channel ever remind viewers to turn off their sets? If not, why was it only an ITV thing?

I mentioned it in passing earlier in the thread, but yes - the regional announcers sometimes would.  Here's Alistair Yates in the Midlands, for example

www.youtube.com 

John Mundy in the North West

www.youtube.com 

There's a Paul Harris BBC South one out there, but it was websnatched from TV Ark so can't be posted here.

These sequences were largely intended to mimic ITV so perhaps not surprising that the practice continued.

[Si-Co]

A very moving final closedown from John Mundy there. I have very vague memories of seeing the BBC One North East globe between programmes at home, and when visiting the Channel Islands in 1979, seeing the South West variant.