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Challenge TV launched on Freeview!

(February 2011)

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LL
Larry the Loafer
David posted:
With Challenge going back to it's roots and showing interesting programmes again, I wonder if there is any chance they would return to live and in-vision continuity. What is Andy Crane doing nowadays?

Michael Underwood was one of the children in tonights Crystal Maze.


I think Challenge returning to in-vision CAs would be a long shot, albeit a very welcome one. I've hated the blatant automatic playout set-up, as I do with all the other channels that do so. It's like listening to the radio is more comforting with a DJ keeping you company and pressing all the buttons rather than a CD or iPod where it's just a piece of tech doing it's own thing.
AN
Andrew Founding member
David posted:
Westy2 posted:
By the way, why remove the clue reading, if it was relavant to the show?

Couldn't it be cut cleanly, or slap a caption over it ?


I guessing it was done for time. The two other episodes I've watched (I've not seen todays yet) had the viewers question edited out in typical Challenge butchery style but the rest of the programme looked intact.

I'm not even sure why they find it necessary to remove the viewers competition anyway, as this was before the days of telephone entry so there is no harm in leaving it in. It would be interesting to see the prize, the entry method (was it just send a postcard to Yorkshire Television?) and just generally how viewer competitions were handled in the mid 80s.


They should leave it in, but they'd have to superimpose a caption 'Competition is now closed' or else you'd get people sending a postcard to YTV and complaining to the Daily Mail. Challenge would then have to refund the cost of people's stamps!
DA
David
The episode of The Crystal Maze on at the moment has a sign language guy in the corner. I wonder why this has suddenly happened. There is no mention of the sign lanuage guy on the EPG.

Which reminds me, I was going to mention the lack of subtitles on Challenge recently. I'm sure many of the programmes such as Bullseye, Family Fortunes and Catchphrase had subtitles when Virgin Media had the channel. Now it seems that next to nothing (or maybe even nothing) is subtitled. I guess it is to do with moving all the programmes from Redbee's playout system to Sky's.

What percentage of programmes have to be subtitled on a Freeview channel?
WP
WillPS
Interesting to see Challenge don't seem so bothered with meeting every top of the hour junction now.
NG
noggin Founding member
David posted:

What percentage of programmes have to be subtitled on a Freeview channel?


Depends on the audience levels of the channel I believe.
WP
WillPS
A thought occurred to me yesterday - this must be the first time Central's Blockbusters has been shown on terrestrial at the same time nationwide (with the exception of the first series which strangely had a run on Channel 4).
IM
IM
WillPS posted:
A thought occurred to me yesterday - this must be the first time Central's Blockbusters has been shown on terrestrial at the same time nationwide (with the exception of the first series which strangely had a run on Channel 4).


Technically it is not true Terrestrial, it is Digital Terrestrial.
RO
rob Founding member
Just something I noticed... Watching the second episode of Blockbusters this afternoon, and the board for the final game in the set of three had 2 N's on it. Was this a mistake or intentional?
JO
Jon
Invent Meridian posted:
WillPS posted:
A thought occurred to me yesterday - this must be the first time Central's Blockbusters has been shown on terrestrial at the same time nationwide (with the exception of the first series which strangely had a run on Channel 4).


Technically it is not true Terrestrial, it is Digital Terrestrial.


Which is a form of terrestrial in the same way as analogue terrestrial is, as far as my limited knowledge goes one isn't more terrestrial that the other.
DA
David
rob posted:
Just something I noticed... Watching the second episode of Blockbusters this afternoon, and the board for the final game in the set of three had 2 N's on it. Was this a mistake or intentional?


The contestant referred to "the N on the right" rather than saying "By Jove. There are two Ns on the jolly old board" so I imagine it wasn't completely unusual to see two of the same letters.

Do you think those two contestants were really as posh as they made out or were they putting on an act?
RO
rob Founding member
David posted:
rob posted:
Just something I noticed... Watching the second episode of Blockbusters this afternoon, and the board for the final game in the set of three had 2 N's on it. Was this a mistake or intentional?


The contestant referred to "the N on the right" rather than saying "By Jove. There are two Ns on the jolly old board" so I imagine it wasn't completely unusual to see two of the same letters.


Oh right... I had the volume muted, so didn't hear him say that!
LL
Larry the Loafer
Is anybody starting to get annoyed with the pre-recorded CA coming in too early and then restarting?

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