[bilky asko]

Yeah. When Les Dennis was host, Family Fortunes had several different logos, changing every few years. But when they revived it, Vernon Kay kept the same logo throughout his tenure, they only changed it when he was replaced as host by Gino DeCampo, after the show had been off air again (in new episodes anyway) for a few years.

Wipeout was consistent with it's branding, one logo used in the Paul Daniels era and a different one when Bob Monkhouse hosted, and that was in the 90s, so they were kind of a trendsetter!

Though the set's colour scheme changed with Bob Monkhouse's version of Wipeout, from orange and purple to cyan.

[Neil Jones]

Not recent but the final series of Telly Addicts takes some beating for a revamp.

So did The Krypton Factor in 1994/5:
www.youtube.com 

There's probably a difference between a revamp made by the producers and a revamp ordered by the network.
The latter is what happened with Krypton Factor.

Serious changes were also requested for Bullseye (by the network/ITV) but IIRC it was Andrew Wood who told them exactly what they could do with those proposals and so the show ended.

[tellyblues]

My original point was that gameshows that are around now, don’t tend to make any major cosmetic changes, as opposed to things like Family Fortunes or Countdown in their 80s and 90s heyday which you could bank on getting a big refresh every few series.

I think that's mostly to do with how trends came and went during those times and the tools programme makers had at their disposal. The last twenty years or so hasn't really seen any changes in fashion. Technology has progressed but what can a title sequence do nowadays that couldn't be done in 2003?

[James2001]

Actually, the current 'Down titles were introduced at the beginning of 2012.

Even then, that's 11 years without a change, which is a very long time in TV terms.

The soaps haven't been much different though, with EastEnders introducing their current titles in 2009, Corrie in 2010 and Emmerdale in 2011. Corrie did alter a couple of shots when they moved to the current set, and EastEnders added the Olympic park at the start of 2012, but still very long times with few to no changes.

Admittedly not quite the longest, yet, as Corrie and Emmerdale (Farm, as it was then) both had titles that lasted 14 years (again, with a change to the end shot on Corrie when they moved outdoor sets in 1982), but I can see both soaps current sets outlasting them.

[all new phil]

Actually, the current 'Down titles were introduced at the beginning of 2012.

Even then, that's 11 years without a change, which is a very long time in TV terms.

The soaps haven't been much different though, with EastEnders introducing their current titles in 2009, Corrie in 2010 and Emmerdale in 2011. Corrie did alter a couple of shots when they moved to the current set, and EastEnders added the Olympic park at the start of 2012, but still very long times with few to no changes.

Admittedly not quite the longest, yet, as Corrie and Emmerdale (Farm, as it was then) both had titles that lasted 14 years (again, with a change to the end shot on Corrie when they moved outdoor sets in 1982), but I can see both soaps current sets outlasting them.

We’re massively going off on a tangent here… but I’ve thought for a while now that Eastenders could do with a bit of a revamp of its theme and titles. As someone who doesn’t watch it, it seems very dated to me.

[DTV]

I think that's mostly to do with how trends came and went during those times and the tools programme makers had at their disposal. The last twenty years or so hasn't really seen any changes in fashion. Technology has progressed but what can a title sequence do nowadays that couldn't be done in 2003?

I think that it's the technology changes that are perhaps the biggest player. From the 1980s to the mid-2000s, the capabilities of computer graphics were constantly improving and, therefore, the graphics themselves were ageing quickly, creating a need for them to be constantly replaced to avoid looking outdated. A good example is to look at the evolution of the BBC News clamshell within the short space of 2003 and 2007 - just a totally different capability. But, as you suggest, graphics reached a point about 10-15 years ago where the pace of improvement began to slow down as there was fairly little that could be done better. Things date less quickly and so there is no pressing need to change them as frequently.

[Jon]

That all makes sense and I guess there is a Millionaire factor as well where the look and branding is probably the most important factor in the first place. Which prior to Millionaire it was probably more of an after thought.

[DE88]

Millionaire did change its titles every three years during its original run: evolution in 2001, revolution in 2004 (taking away the people), revolution again in 2007 (adding imagery of the game), and evolution in 2010 (adding the clock at the end).

This thread *was* intended to be about UC, so I'll point out that since its 1994 return it's had three changes of title sequence, in 2000, 2004 and 2013 respectively. The set changed each time, too, while 2000 also saw the introduction of the Balanescu Quartet's version of the theme tune and 2013 marked the move from the old Granada Studios to Dock10.

Of course, a change in host doesn't necessarily mean changes in anything else, be it theme tune, title sequence, format, set or filming location - as demonstrated by Countdown several times now, and also by Mastermind when Clive Myrie took over. But UC *has* had almost the exact same look for a decade now - so with *its* change in host, might ITV Studios/Lifted decide that now is the time to change the titles and set?

And on another subject, will UC bring back a studio audience - or is the canned applause expected to be permanent now, just as it's expected to be permanent on the regular 'Down?

[Brekkie]

I suspect quite a few shows which ditched their audience during covid won't get them back, especially with the added cost pressures at the moment.

In terms of the look of University Challenge arguably the set itself isn't that noticed - it's the split screen effect which they dare not change.

[DE88]

In terms of the look of University Challenge arguably the set itself isn't that noticed - it's the split screen effect which they dare not change.

They wouldn't change it now - but in 1986 they actually did have the teams seated one above the other.