[Mike]

So that mens surly all 4 versions were made at same time and used for certain shows.

That bit I don't know - but I do know there were 4 variations of the ident plus a 30 second version, a 60 second version and a 3minute 45 second version of the ident track.

Plus 2 news titles, one with a vamp, one without, and 2 versions with added reverb, a 60 second version of the Thames News theme, 3 stings, a trailer and closing titles and 2 weather jingles.

All recorded on the same day, or at least sent to Thames on the same day - I assume to give creatives flexibility in what they used and when, all based around the same jingle (I actually prefer the melody from this to the classic 'Salute to Thames'). I don't think it was particularly linked to the loss of the franchise, more a coincidence - these tracks are dated June 1990 and were part of a wider rebrand of Thames TV as a company. I would suggest there were about 4/5 idents in circulation but viewers didn't necessarily pick up on the subtle variations, and lossy VHS recordings don't quite make out the differences.