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There were a lot more tattoos than I remember.
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Only just caught up on iplayer, have to say I really enjoyed it, as some said there were some bits that lacked but overall so true to the original, yeah the titles did lack from the old titles and did seem dragged out, was looking forward to all the Gladiators rushing out at the start, but as they were all new and it was the first show, I guess that may change in other episodes.
I found some of the editing a bit odd in places for example when they were talking to the contestants after the games, some they would take ages to talk to and im sure in one of they games they didnt even talk to the female contestants just went into the next game,
Apart from that well done for a great revival and staying true to the orginal UK version,sadly I had to sit through the reboot of WoF with family which i really not liking, if WoF gets another series, they really need to take note, get the orginal UK theme back and choose some better questions as some are just so odd, as mentioned before.
BBC Gladiators - 8/10
ITV Wheel of Fortune - 4/10
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(14-01-2024, 12:23 AM)Larry the Loafer Wrote: If I'm to nitpick, I'd say the title sequence felt a lot longer than it probably was (and somehow looked less impressive than what the early 90s could generate),
The title sequence WAS longer than the LWT versions, the entire theme song played in it - in the LWT version the song was still playing when the logo appeared over a studio shot, segueing to the presenter intros.
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The original version - complete with Tiger and Wolf.
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I'd actually forgotten the full theme but refreshing to see it revivied - I fully expected them to just use a sting similar to the promos.
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The promos used an instrumental version of the theme (no doubt so that the guy talking wasn't drowned out by the lyrics), not just a sting. In fact the old five note sting has gone unused due to lack of commercial breaks.
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Almost perfect.
Commentary felt just a little bit bare to me, I hope he warms up a little as the series progresses. The same too for Walsh Jr, but I think the dynamic between him and his Dad was cute enough that he gets a pass for now.
Incidental music also felt a bit generic, it feels like almost everything else about the look and feel of the series is picking up where LWT left off. I'd love to see them go a bit closer to their roots on this aspect as it was a real strength before.
I'm not keen on the parallax-style video effects used for the contender/Gladiator intros, or the artificial camera shaking. Also the font used on the credits is terrible.
But I'm nitpicking - 9/10, will definitely continue watching.
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(This post was last modified: 14-01-2024, 02:48 AM by
WillPS.)
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(14-01-2024, 12:49 AM)TJTSW Wrote: I found some of the editing a bit odd in places for example when they were talking to the contestants after the games, some they would take ages to talk to and im sure in one of they games they didnt even talk to the female contestants just went into the next game,
This happened a lot in the original series too, there was no pattern to what gets trimmed out or not, and I suppose if somebody hadn't knackered their knee the interview of which you speak would have replaced it. Probably.
Though of course this show being on the BBC we get a full hour of programme (well, 59 minutes), whereas back in the 90s it was probably closer to something like 52/53mins. So there was already a need to pad it out a little bit.
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Agree with what everyone else has been saying really, a few things to nitpick about but compared to the revival on the other side, that's how to do it properly. Really good fun and the Gladiators' personalities are already identifiable after one episode.
Main thing is, my kids loved it the same way I did 30-odd years ago.
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Excellent revival! I thought to myself, surely, I shouldn't like this as much as I did when I was back in school in the 90's - but I loved it!! Only things being the lack of the original key background music during the games was disappointing. (Or, would it feel too samey/dated if they stuck with the exact incidental music used before?) Also, I thought some time was wasted introducing the Gladiators as they ran out of the doors & into the arena and did all their poses and whatnot. Whereas in the old version, they'd already be in place on the apparatus ready to go. They originally managed to fit 6 events + the Eliminator in the classic LWT series (later changed to 5) so I thought, with it being on the BBC and the extra running time, they'd have space for all 6. But no. This is only a minor niggle though.
Other than that, truly magical! They even took the effort to find a referee with the same sounding voice as John Anderson! I thought it WAS John Anderson a few pages back on this thread! In your face WoF!
(This post was last modified: 14-01-2024, 10:59 AM by
Juicy Joe.)
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(14-01-2024, 09:20 AM)Neil Jones Wrote: Though of course this show being on the BBC we get a full hour of programme (well, 59 minutes), whereas back in the 90s it was probably closer to something like 52/53mins. So there was already a need to pad it out a little bit.
I guess this is why if revived on ITV1 now it wouldn't work in an hour time slot. If I recall correctly back then there was only 2 advert breaks. Whereas now it would have a third break, which would be almost 15 minutes of adverts in an hour.
Looking at ITV guidelines this would be 46 minutes of editorial running time for an hour slot. By contrast the BBC guidelines for an hour appears to be 58 minutes.
Formerly 'Charlie Wells' of TV Forum.