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The Big Breakfast

Where life used to start at 7. (January 2014)

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BU
buster
Steve Williams posted:
I did watch it when Vaughan did it, and enjoyed it, but it was never a big rater, and in a way he probably turned off as many people as he attracted. Certainly towards the end of his spell it was absolutely rammed with in-jokes, it was totally self-indulgent. That was alright if you watched it every day and bought into it, as people did, but for casual viewers great swathes of it was totally impenetrable. Look at the Wikipedia page for an example, endless paragraphs of intricate detail about Wonga and the like.


The 2000 Artful Dodger titles are a good example of this, what on earth do they mean to anyone tuning in for the first time, especially when you compare then to the simplicity of everything that came before.
Last edited by buster on 24 June 2020 11:27am
AN
Andrew Founding member
buster posted:
Steve Williams posted:
I did watch it when Vaughan did it, and enjoyed it, but it was never a big rater, and in a way he probably turned off as many people as he attracted. Certainly towards the end of his spell it was absolutely rammed with in-jokes, it was totally self-indulgent. That was alright if you watched it every day and bought into it, as people did, but for casual viewers great swathes of it was totally impenetrable. Look at the Wikipedia page for an example, endless paragraphs of intricate detail about Wonga and the like.


The 2000 Artful Dodger titles are a good example of this, what on earth do they meant to anyone tuning in for the first time, especially when you compare then to the simplicity of everything that came before.

Yes I've always thought those titles were very indulgent, and was part of the reason why it was so hard to move on after JV left. The whole show had been taken over by JV's in-jokes
BA
Bananas
The previous titles were the best version by far. Subsequent versions didn't measure up to them.
FA
fanoftv
Bananas posted:
The previous titles were the best version by far. Subsequent versions didn't measure up to them.


I agree; they were bright, fun, had a lovely sunny landscape, contained breakfast imagery and most importantly they were incredibly quick and energetic accelerating you in the show.



There was something similarly speedy and energetic about the 2001 relaunch 8am titles IMO:
FL
Flux
fanoftv posted:
Bananas posted:
The previous titles were the best version by far. Subsequent versions didn't measure up to them.


I agree; they were bright, fun, had a lovely sunny landscape, contained breakfast imagery and most importantly they were incredibly quick and energetic accelerating you in the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYqEAbcFwsI

There was something similarly speedy and energetic about the 2001 relaunch 8am titles IMO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnqkdWq7aq4


I really liked the music in those 2001 relaunch titles, and the visuals are mainly great. But I never understood why they ended on someone in the bath! It’s potentially the least relevant shot in the sequence, and a very weird image to use as a lead into the show.
BR
Brekkie
Think you've answered your own question there - no weirder than Elvis and a bulldog.
BA
Bananas
The Artful Dodger remix of the theme wasn't a patch on the 1997 - 2000 version either.
BR
Brekkie
It seemed an odd revamp too considering they must have known by then Johnny was likely leaving at the end of the year. In hindsight it is surprising how many times the show revamp it's look in it's final years considering they barely touched it in the first few years, even with the 1996 revamp.
FL
Flux
Brekkie posted:
Think you've answered your own question there - no weirder than Elvis and a bulldog.


But they were at least relevant to the show at that point - no matter how "in" those jokes were, they were all relevant to what was included in the show. All previous "title" shots had shown a breakfast table or the house itself, but in the 2001 revamp they chose to end on... a man turning into a woman in a bath. Just weird.
FA
fanoftv
Flux posted:
But I never understood why they ended on someone in the bath! It’s potentially the least relevant shot in the sequence, and a very weird image to use as a lead into the show.


You make a very good observation. I had a short period where I lived in a house with no shower so had to have a bath in the morning, but ultimately I’d associate a bath with relaxing in the evening; strange choice but it provided a lovely animation for the logo.
BA
Bananas
Brekkie posted:
It seemed an odd revamp too considering they must have known by then Johnny was likely leaving at the end of the year. In hindsight it is surprising how many times the show revamp it's look in it's final years considering they barely touched it in the first few years, even with the 1996 revamp.


There's a good podcast, "Broadcast Talking TV 101 - How The Big Breakfast Was Made", in which some former BB execs talk about the show. Apparently, Johnny only left because Channel 4 were being difficult during contract negotiations and wouldn't give him a small raise. So maybe when the Artful Dodger titles were commissioned, his departure wasn't on the cards.
BR
Brekkie
Will dig that out.

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