Other Bits

Started in 1983, Highway remained ITV's flagship religious programme until the mid 90s, presented by the late Sir Harry Secombe. Officially it was produced as a co-production between several smaller regions, however as Tyne Tees were the main force behind it, it's regarded by most as being their programme. Indeed, the very first edition came from the centre of TTTV-land, Newcastle. This opening, from 1986, sees the programme return to Tyneside once again for the Tall-Ships race.

Produced by Thames Television and aired from 1984 until 2010, The Bill followed the happenings of a police station in an area of London called Sun Hill, and was one of the mainstay programmes which helped Thames stay afloat as a company when it was cast out of the network and onto the independent producer pile after the highly controversial 1991 Franchise Renewal round. Featured here are the opening titles from the very first episode of series 1. A slightly different version of the familiar Overkill music features, mixed with scenes of police officers walking on the beat and the most 80s sets of photographs you could ever imagine.

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The 1992 opening titles to The Bill, now featuring the more familiar mix of the Overkill theme tune.

In with a new set of titles for 1998, now featuring a new remix of the theme music and a lot more computer rendered graphics. At the same time as the introduction of this set of titles, a new logo for The Bill was brought in which would remain on future title sets until the last series.

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2001, and the programme had certainly changed quite a bit from The Bill most people know, in an attempt to appear trendier and more modern. Now up to an hour, and the storylines had begun to spread over several episodes frequently.

Skip on another 2 years, and things with The Bill have changed even more. By 2003 it had started being defined by ITV themselves as a soap rather than drama, with the usual 'love' plots included, and storylines which run for weeks. Unlike most of their soaps, however, The Bill had no permanent home, jumping about the schedules from week to week. In February 2003, this brand new set of titles was introduced to the programme. They're nice, and dont suffer the same problem as the last set; namely having to be updated frequently whenever the characters change. Although it does sound like someone accidentally forgot to play some notes in the new mix mind...

For the final series of The Bill, the Overkill theme was completely dropped with more moody music scored by Simba Studios and changes to filming style brought in as a last ditch attempt to reinvent the show as a grittier police drama and save it from the axe. Unfortunately as with most overhauls, it wasn't enough to save the series, and it was cancelled in 2010. As a tribute over the end credits to the last ever episode, a message dedicating the show to the real life officers of the Met was made, with a special remix of the music including a throwback to what had been their famous theme for so many years.

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A bit of an odd choice for the site you may think. I partly agree, its just that I had such an old recording of the BBC's Points of View, featuring Anne Robinson with a BIG hairstyle, that I couldn't let it go to waste.

Gamesmaster was a Channel 4 programme which ran throughout the mid 90's as one of the first shows dedicated to computer games. Hosted for most of its run by Dominik Diamond, it involved contestants pitting their gaming skills against each other under the watchful eye of the Gamesmaster (a large digitally altered head, played by the late Patrick Moore). This is the opening to the first ever episode of the programme in 1992.

Heartbeat was a programme set in Rural Yorkshire in the 60's. Produced by Yorkshire Television, it ran right through until 2010, lasting considerably more than the 10 years of the 60s, before being axed as part of cutbacks by ITV at the Leeds studio complex. This shows the opening to the Christmas Special for 1994, during what some people argue was the show's glory days with Nick Berry and Niamh Cusack.

In Summer 2001 Channel 4 broadcast a special of a program called Brass Eye. It was intended to be a satire about Media and Public attitudes towards paedophilia (according to the blurb), but ended up sparking a national outcry. This file is an apology, which was shown several weeks later, after an investigation by the ITC.

Featuring the late magician Paul Daniels, the show was one of the highlights of the BBC's saturday entertainment schedule throughout the 80s and into the 90s, before it was finally axed. This set of titles dates from 1986.

A Sky one ident from 1993.

A big and long file from Sky in 1993, introducing the launch of Sky's New Multichannel package. A collection of new channels, launching in September of that year. Ah for those olden days before we had 300 channels, most of them with tiny viewing figures.

Another, this time shorter, promotion for Sky Multichannels.

A promo, spoofing BBC1's 'The One' promos, originally produced for the launch of Sky One Mix on Sky, then kept to promote its availability on other platforms later.

In Christmas 2006, after a break of over 10 years, Anneka Rice finally reprised her role in a shortlived revival of her popular 90s programme Challenge Anneka. New technology and new graphics, but the same classic music remained - oh and a move from BBC One to ITV.

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In Bed With Medinner was a late night show produced by LWT throughout the 90s. Hosted by Bob Mills, it featured the comedian taking an irreverent look at television and other things in life. The opening title sequence, and the studio set, were designed as a parody of The Prisoner series from the 60s.

The opening to coverage of the 2010 general election but from a Welsh perspective, as shown on the Welsh language channel S4C.

Produced by Granada Television and shown by most of the ITV overnight services from 1988 through to 1992, The Hitman & Her featured Pete Waterman and Michaela Strachan touring nightclubs of the UK to stick a camera in front of people there. In this edition from 1991 they return to Mr Smiths in Warrington, which had also been the location for the very first edition in 1988.

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Fulfilling a public service role in the 90s for Tyne Tees and Yorkshire, but tucked away in the graveyard hours where it wouldn't affect revenue was Jobfinder. Introduced here by a very low budget set of titles possibly rejected from The Bill.

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Originally produced in 1997, the Perfect Day film was put together to celebrate the diverse range of music produced by the BBC under their licence fee charter. A whole host of musical personalities appeared for only a minimal fee to take turns covering Lou Reed's song. The film was so popular that is resulted in a charity release for Children In Need, and continued to be shown for a considerable time afterwards - this slightly wintery version airing coming in during Christmas 1998. Several of those featured have passed away in the years since, including Lou Reed himself, however to this day the film remains one of the corporation's better remembered short pieces.

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Denis Norden looks back at comedy in one of several special programmes produced by LWT to mark their 21st Birthday, aired over the last weekend of July 1989. With a title sequence featuring a string of light entertainers sadly no longer with us.

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The ITV Sport Channel looks ahead to an exciting 2002 in a promo from near the end of 2001. This same channel would be closed completely by the May, after the collapse of ITV Digital. With the final nail in the coffin infamously being brought about by their overbidding on the rights to matches from the Football League.

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