Guess so. Analogue and digital use the same idents, though digital often uses the widescreen version. Digital also uses different continuity announcers to analogue so they can add the words "in widescreen" every so often, but every word of their carefully written ad-libs is otherwise identical.

>Is someone actually paid to decide which ident to use before every programme?

What to say is actually put on the BBC Intranet so it can be accessed by continuity directors around the country. The BBC TWO symbols are usually the same on digital and across the analogue regions (unless there are regional trailers during a junction in which case they may be different).

BBC ONE symbols are usually different between analogue, digital and across the regions.

Apparently Scotland often use Scottish idents and rarely use English ones.

Aye, true sin, ken whit I mean?

It's the same in Northern Ireland...
The BBC1 balloon seems to hang round Belfast a lot...

I always thought it was the director chooses a suitable ident (and schedules it in at an earlier time) and the announcer writes thier own script. I guess that's changed now at BBC 2. It still works like that at Channel 4.

Hate to burst your bubble David, but *none* of the BBC One idents were filmed in Belfast.

In fact very few of the balloons currently in use originate from NI. As you probably know, most of the dreary ones over rivers and fields were shot around Strangford Lough, and the old ruin is in Greyabbey (apart from the other old ruin which is Dunluce Castle), but that's about it.

Most of the urban shots (including the one of "Belfast" City Hall) are actually Cardiff.