BBC Two of competition since ITV's launch in 1955, and both had aimed for a populist approach in response. The 1962 Pilkington Report on the future of broadcasting noticed this, and that ITV lacked any serious programming. It therefore decided that Britain's third television station should be awarded to the BBC. Prior to its launch, the new BBC2 was promoted on the BBC Television Service: the soon to be renamed BBC1. The animated adverts featured the campaign mascots "Hullabaloo", a mother kangaroo, and "Custard", her joey. Prior to, and several years after, the channel's formal launch, the channel broadcast "Trade Test Transmissions",
What Were You Hoping For? recorded basic tracks, and Hunt approached Peter Dyer to create a backing soundscape for the tracks. "What Were You Hoping For?" was later mixed by Melissa Mattey. Hunt has cited its minimalist recording process as his "most hands off approach ... thus far on an album", calling the approach "musically adept but also stringently unique. People might describe it as futuristic." Expanding on his previous work's blend of R&B and rock music forms, "What Were You Hoping For?" incorporates hard rock, lively funk, sparse ballads, and elements of soul, punk rock, and progressive rock. The music has a loose feel,