Welcome to my world. Yesterday afternoon, I went up to Broadcasting House to record a column (ie. authored piece that you read out) for the estimable Front Row on Radio 4. It compared the opening night of Channel 4 with the schedule of this week, in a light-hearted way. (They don’t usually ask me on for a non-light-hearted view – they have plenty of others for that type of thing.) It was fun to do, as it began with me musing on the fact that TV channels no longer have fanfares, as they all did when I was growing up. I was going to ask producer Laura to drop in clips of the fanfares for Thames, LWT, Anglia and early C4, which are all reassuringly available on YouTube, but we decided it would be more amusing if I sang them, as you might in a pub during a conversation about theme tunes. So I did. With the column recorded, I came home. Then, about an hour and a half later, I had a concerned call from Laura, who was mid-edit: it turns out I had erroneously sung the Thames theme for Anglia. Hey, you try remembering channel idents on the spot, in a BBC studio. They get mixed up. So, I travelled all the way back into Central London just to sing the Anglia TV ident. We found a studio, we set up, I put on my headphones, sang, “Bah bah bah ba-baaah ba-ba-da-ba-baaahh!” and then came home again. What professionalism, you’re thinking.
Anyway, it was worth it, I think, to lower the tone of Radio 4 for a few minutes on a Thursday evening. You can, if you wish, listen to the column (it’s the last item on the show, as my items always are!) and to Kirsty Lang back-announcing it with a jaunty laugh in her voice, possibly put on, possibly not. I don’t care! Look for Thursday night’s Front Row here.
(Of course, C4 dropped its fanfare in 1996 and went all esoteric. Nowadays you get an ambient “bed” over which the announcer can rabbit on, and the logo is constructed, mid-air, out of haystacks or bits of council estate.)
And if anybody needs to see or hear the old Anglia fanfare, here it is:
Never Knowingly Underwhelmed 
The great thing about the Anglia channel ident is that it hasn’t dated at all: it looked cheap, tacky and past-it even in the 70s.Got to love any channel that can launch it’s premier programme with “And now, live from Norwich…..”
The great thing about the Anglia channel ident is that it hasn’t dated at all: it looked cheap, tacky and past-it even in the 70s.Got to love any channel that can launch it’s premier programme with “And now, live from Norwich…..”
“Skedule”??There’ll be complaints, you know…
“Skedule”??There’ll be complaints, you know…
It’s a conundrum. I asked my producer if it was shedule or skedule, and she assured me that we say skedule in this country, so I said it. Was she wrong? (Not that I’m blaming her – I have trouble pronouncing quite a few words, and it’s usually those that could go either way. Iraq and Irarq, for instance. Good job I’m not on the radio that often any more!)
It’s a conundrum. I asked my producer if it was shedule or skedule, and she assured me that we say skedule in this country, so I said it. Was she wrong? (Not that I’m blaming her – I have trouble pronouncing quite a few words, and it’s usually those that could go either way. Iraq and Irarq, for instance. Good job I’m not on the radio that often any more!)
Channel 4 ident looks suspiciously like the North Peckham Estate – oh happy memories.
Channel 4 ident looks suspiciously like the North Peckham Estate – oh happy memories.
Andrew, this is going to bug me until I can go home and listen to it. I can see the Anglia horse going round, I can hear the opening strains of The Sullivans but can I remember the fanfare? Nope.I remember being confused on my first trip to London to see that St Paul’s, Tower Bridge etc are not all squashed up against each other like they were ‘on the telly’. That’s what happens when you take the girl out of Northampton.
Andrew, this is going to bug me until I can go home and listen to it. I can see the Anglia horse going round, I can hear the opening strains of The Sullivans but can I remember the fanfare? Nope.I remember being confused on my first trip to London to see that St Paul’s, Tower Bridge etc are not all squashed up against each other like they were ‘on the telly’. That’s what happens when you take the girl out of Northampton.
I’ve embedded the clip of the Anglia ident above. Enjoy.
I’ve embedded the clip of the Anglia ident above. Enjoy.
I remember when Eric and Ernie left the BBC in the 70’s and went to Thames. When the programme was shown, rather than the usual Thames tune, they played a version with the words (I may be paraphrasing slightly) “Now it’s time fopr Morecambe and Wise”, and the view of London was replaced by the letter M rising from the River, reflecting in the water to make a W. And of course, come early evening on a Friday, Thames would magically disappear, only to be replaced by London Weekend Television, with such high quality entertainment as Mind Your Language. I think my favourite old ITV region was Tyne Tees. And I’ve always hated STV.
I remember when Eric and Ernie left the BBC in the 70’s and went to Thames. When the programme was shown, rather than the usual Thames tune, they played a version with the words (I may be paraphrasing slightly) “Now it’s time fopr Morecambe and Wise”, and the view of London was replaced by the letter M rising from the River, reflecting in the water to make a W. And of course, come early evening on a Friday, Thames would magically disappear, only to be replaced by London Weekend Television, with such high quality entertainment as Mind Your Language. I think my favourite old ITV region was Tyne Tees. And I’ve always hated STV.
The British pronunciation is “shedule”. “Skedule” is the American. I rememebr it by the way that Variety talks about the “sked” – “Fall Sked Hits Laffer Low” meaning “Not many comedy shows on the autumn schedules.”
The British pronunciation is “shedule”. “Skedule” is the American. I rememebr it by the way that Variety talks about the “sked” – “Fall Sked Hits Laffer Low” meaning “Not many comedy shows on the autumn schedules.”
It was “Here They Are Now… Morecombe and Wise”!
It was “Here They Are Now… Morecombe and Wise”!
Ahh, I love the old ident tunes! The ATV one was the best, and it had groovy animation as well.Baa-baa-baa! Dum-dum-dum…bing-bang-bong-daah-dah-DAAAAH!The Anglia one was good as well, of course, and in my mind is immediately followed by the words “From Norwich, it’s the quiz of the week!” – this must have been one of Anglia’s few networked shows.
Ahh, I love the old ident tunes! The ATV one was the best, and it had groovy animation as well.Baa-baa-baa! Dum-dum-dum…bing-bang-bong-daah-dah-DAAAAH!The Anglia one was good as well, of course, and in my mind is immediately followed by the words “From Norwich, it’s the quiz of the week!” – this must have been one of Anglia’s few networked shows.
Ah, thank you bingethink. My memory told me as much, but for some reason I didn’t believe myself. Pathetic really. But at least I didn’t imagine it.
Ah, thank you bingethink. My memory told me as much, but for some reason I didn’t believe myself. Pathetic really. But at least I didn’t imagine it.
My favourite TV ident was the old London Weekend Television one – the one I heard described as looking like a student scarf forming the letters LWT accompanied by vibraphone music. It always heralded the beginning of the weekend (yipee!) as Thames TV gave way to LWT every Friday evening. I seem to remember the evening kicked off with Hawaii Five O. Happy days, eh?!
My favourite TV ident was the old London Weekend Television one – the one I heard described as looking like a student scarf forming the letters LWT accompanied by vibraphone music. It always heralded the beginning of the weekend (yipee!) as Thames TV gave way to LWT every Friday evening. I seem to remember the evening kicked off with Hawaii Five O. Happy days, eh?!
I could not remember the theme till I actually heard it either then like everybody else hear I expect to hear. From Norwich its the quiz of the week.I actually have an East Anglians Tourettes type syndrome. I simply cannot hear East Anglia, Norfolk or Norwich without giggling uncontrollably. Very embarassing in meetings.
I could not remember the theme till I actually heard it either then like everybody else hear I expect to hear. From Norwich its the quiz of the week.I actually have an East Anglians Tourettes type syndrome. I simply cannot hear East Anglia, Norfolk or Norwich without giggling uncontrollably. Very embarassing in meetings.
Sorry to be back so quickly but please take the time to look at this clip which was promoted under Andrew’s clip. I defy you to watch it without smiling.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYnda1gj4M8
Sorry to be back so quickly but please take the time to look at this clip which was promoted under Andrew’s clip. I defy you to watch it without smiling.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYnda1gj4M8
Can I be the umpteenth person to say…”Live from Norwich, it’s Sale Of The Century!”.Thanks! Anyone seen my coat?
Can I be the umpteenth person to say…”Live from Norwich, it’s Sale Of The Century!”.Thanks! Anyone seen my coat?
Thames TV’s fanfare Salute To Thames and its accompanying ident is an all-time classic.It’s hard to listen to without half expecting to hear the opening tune for either Man About The House, Rainbow, The Sweeney or Magpie chiming in at the end of it.Ah… them were the days.
Thames TV’s fanfare Salute To Thames and its accompanying ident is an all-time classic.It’s hard to listen to without half expecting to hear the opening tune for either Man About The House, Rainbow, The Sweeney or Magpie chiming in at the end of it.Ah… them were the days.
Damn you, Collins! I’ve now lost a good half-hour to trolling round YouTube looking at old ITV jingles.The ATV one is still my favourite — reminds me of THe Muppet Show and Tiswas.
Damn you, Collins! I’ve now lost a good half-hour to trolling round YouTube looking at old ITV jingles.The ATV one is still my favourite — reminds me of THe Muppet Show and Tiswas.
I listened to your ‘column’ in the car and made myself late for barbershop rehearsal as a consequence. It was one of those moments where you’re sitting in the car and other people are walking by clearly wondering “Why’s that man laughing to himself?”You can’t beat a bit of Andrew Collins in light-hearted mode. Cheers.
I listened to your ‘column’ in the car and made myself late for barbershop rehearsal as a consequence. It was one of those moments where you’re sitting in the car and other people are walking by clearly wondering “Why’s that man laughing to himself?”You can’t beat a bit of Andrew Collins in light-hearted mode. Cheers.
So you were cutting it fine for the barbershop rehearsal then?(Thanks, by the way.)
So you were cutting it fine for the barbershop rehearsal then?(Thanks, by the way.)
I just listened to this on t’internt and was most impressed by your likening of to Collins and Carr to Glazer and McClean. Genius.By the way: Kirsty’s laugh. Defineatley false.
I just listened to this on t’internt and was most impressed by your likening of to Collins and Carr to Glazer and McClean. Genius.By the way: Kirsty’s laugh. Defineatley false.
I was always bothered by what looks like a baby doll’s face under the letter M on the old Thames ident. If Kirsty Lang’s laugh was put on she’s good. Sounded genuine to me. Noticed David Quantick got a slightly bigger laugh on Friday.
I was always bothered by what looks like a baby doll’s face under the letter M on the old Thames ident. If Kirsty Lang’s laugh was put on she’s good. Sounded genuine to me. Noticed David Quantick got a slightly bigger laugh on Friday.
Well if you want to revel in all those lost mispent days of tv, head over to TV Ark they have em all there…and your fave kids shows etc… PS The Best ident was Central, by a country mile…the Yorkshire TV ident used to scare me…big feckin chevron