ITV talent from all genres including children's TV, news, drama and sport will appear in the idents in a bid to reflect the length and breadth of ITV's programming. Other names to feature in the idents include Caroline Quentin, Martin and Ross Kemp and Des Lynam.
ITV's rebrand comes as the main terrestrial broadcasters seek to build strong, empathic identities that stand out in the multi-channel world.
Earlier this year BBC One axed its balloon ident in favour of capoeira dancers and wheelchair basketball players. Two weeks ago Channel 5 announced it was rebadging as five, with idents featuring people playing with frisbees and doing press-ups.
The ITV1 idents have been filmed as if the stars were off camera, featuring them in informal settings. ITV marketing and commercial director Jim Hytner said: "We're going to present viewers with a far clearer image of ITV1 as a channel with a personality that is bursting from the seams."
Created by ITV's Network Promotions Unit, the idents aim to give ITV1 a single brand identity across the network. Hytner commissioned them following a trip to the US to see how networks such as NBC brand themselves.
They will replace the much-maligned heart logo from October and appear instead of ITV's regional identities for networked programmes. However, regional identities will still accompany local programming such as news.
The revised on-air look will be unveiled to advertisers and agencies as work in progress before it airs, in a series of presentations by Hytner and senior executives from Carlton and Granada over the next six weeks.
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