[WillPS]

There's a Crystal Maze FAST channel on Pluto TV now, seemingly showing the 2017 series on a loop.

I'm currently watching a Christmas Special which I'm not sure ever got a C4/E4 airing, featuring Scarlett Moffatt (she did an earlier non-Christmas celebrity edition, but this is not that one).

EDIT: it's now looped around to the first edition in the rebooted series, so I presume that Christmas special was the last produced. It had a 2019 copyright.

[Brekkie]

I do remember Scarlett appearing twice.

[RyoG]

I tend to think Bullseye got a little caught out by the split towards the end of its original run - and this was apart from moving it to Saturdays, which felt like an early sign that the game was nearly up.

Up to that point, Jim had occasionally addressed the decline in TV tournament coverage during the Bronze Bully feature.

AFAIK, the split itself was never addressed on the show but in hindsight, one could sense that as the game's main TV platform away from Lakeside, it was under pressure to take sides (though am sure some of the breakaway players still appeared on the last couple of series)

And there was one quite telling episode - the 1992 Christmas special - with Olly Croft (BDO founder) appearing rather uncomfortably in the same studio as Phil Taylor and Rod Harrington (two of the 'rebels' who had founded the World Darts Council, forerunner to the PDC, earlier that year)

I've always suspected that's why they changed the intro sequence to the one with Bully in the studio - All but one (Dave Whitcombe, later two with Mike Gregory) of the darts players you see on the bus were part of the WDC rebels and Tony Green (who I believe was an in-law of Olly Croft) was very much on the BDO side of things.

Had a quick check and although some of the rebels appeared in the 1994 series, it could have been filmed before all the legal stuff started. Although in saying that, apparently Rod Harrington was on a 1995 episode and he was pretty much leading the WDC case at that point.

[agemame]

Yes, Tony Green married Olly's daughter and so was Olly's son-in-law, and given how things had slightly soured between him and Sid Waddell anyway at that point, matters got ever more awkward, particularly given Sid was at that stage doing a lot to establish WDC events for ITV and Tyne Tees in particular.

[JAS84]

I've always suspected that's why they changed the intro sequence to the one with Bully in the studio - All but one (Dave Whitcombe, later two with Mike Gregory) of the darts players you see on the bus were part of the WDC rebels and Tony Green (who I believe was an in-law of Olly Croft) was very much on the BDO side of things.

Had a quick check and although some of the rebels appeared in the 1994 series, it could have been filmed before all the legal stuff started. Although in saying that, apparently Rod Harrington was on a 1995 episode and he was pretty much leading the WDC case at that point.

Those caricatures may well have been outdated by then anyway, it had been what, six years since that opening's introduction? Even something as simple as a long haired player getting a short haircut, or someone going grey, would render that animation obsolete. I'd be surprised if all the darts players still looked like their cartoon versions when they dropped that version of the titles.

[Neil Jones]

Those caricatures may well have been outdated by then anyway, it had been what, six years since that opening's introduction? Even something as simple as a long haired player getting a short haircut, or someone going grey, would render that animation obsolete. I'd be surprised if all the darts players still looked like their cartoon versions when they dropped that version of the titles.

Those titles for Bullseye were introduced in 1986, and lasted until 1993 (just about), as the show was moved two ways from 1994: a) to Saturdays, and b) to the late spring/early summer. Previously the show ran September to March.

Of course out of date looks in opening titles wouldn't be a new thing, one show on the other side changed their opening titles in 1989 and were still using them 20 years later...

[James2001]

Of course out of date looks in opening titles wouldn't be a new thing, one show on the other side changed their opening titles in 1989 and were still using them 20 years later...

Chucklevision?

Homes Under The Hammer still using their original titles from 2003 as well. Which features money designs that have changed twice since then (and about to change for a third time).

[tellyblues]

If it's Chucklevision being referred to, only the bottom part of the titles stayed the same. The clips from the show above changed and the theme was updated a few times. That the Chuckle brothers didn't change much in appearance over 20 years probably didn't warrant a massive overhaul.

[James2001]

Though Barry did shave off his moustache and they stopped wearing those dungarees. I would argue the effects with the lettering looked dated within a few years as well, but it did become pretty iconic anyway.

Can't think of any other BBC show which used the same titles (or elements of) for 20 years from 1989. Or indeed many shows which used the same titles for 20 years full stop.

[RhysJR]

That would maybe one revival too far

x.com