We posted last month on a sneak preview given to Barcamp attendees of a forthcoming BBC homepage redesign. Now the BBC’s Ryan Morrison has sneaked out the above shot, which he says will go live this month as a preview before the current homepage is switched off for good in January. The redesign was led by user experience and design head Richard Titus, who said the redesign would take place ”in a few weeks”.

Currently password-protected, the new look aligns with recent new licks of paint given to the likes of BBC Music and includes a customisation option that “allows you to drop or add a selection of pre-made BBC widgets”. It drops the old “bbc.co.uk” branding as well as the portal-wide nav bar from the top. The so-called “BBC 2.0” plan first mooted in a speech back in March 2006 to reintroduce personalisation, add peer recommendation and enhanced meta data across the website. Future media and technology director Ashley Highfield in September told paidContent:UK the new site would “really take us a step forward with the look and feel and simplicity and ease of use of our offering”.

• Interview: Ashley Highfield, Director, BBC Future Media & Technology: Trust Takes Too Long