The Bottle and The Tune

Discover more about the iconic opening titles of the BBC's art strand, Arena

The Arena Bottle
A short history of the floating bottle and how its enduring image has remained a landmark in British television since 1979
What's The Theme Tune?
For over 20 years, Arena viewers have written in to the BBC all asking the same question. Here we share a selection of these letters as the BBC's Television Centre closes its doors for good.
How The Bottle Came Into Being
Following Arena's documentary 'Luck and Flaw', the creators of 'Spitting Image' made this alternative title sequence for Arena back in 1989