Challenge TV launched on Freeview!

Well, the policy under VMTV was that they were focussing on shows from the last 10-15 years. Blockbusters as an acquisition and the reshowing of 3-2-1 (after a 2+ year gap) clearly show a diversion from this.

It's important to remember that was was considered old and new in 1997 has changed completely in the decade-and-a-half since. Shows which were relatively current then (such as Catch Phrase and Family Fortunes) are really quite elderly now.

I'd like them to show old Treasure Hunt and Challenge Anneka episodes - there's one particular episode of Challenge Anneka I've never seen that I'm quite interested in as it involves a charity I used to be part of.

80s episodes of Bullseye are still shown. The oldest I've seen since Challenge went on Freeview is Bullseye 1987.
Bullseye 1984 has been shown at some point in the past as well, but you can tell these episodes a mile off.

There are Takeshi's Castle episodes from 1986. That must be the oldest show on Challenge, yet (apart from some of the haircuts and clothes) it doesn't really look that old at all!

That's because it's been completely retooled in the last 15 years for Challenge.

The footage hasn't though. It's probably because it was never meant to be high-tech or big budget in the first place that means it has stood the test of time. The games could have easily have been built yesterday for a show with the same sort of budget or theme. Basically, there's nothing to it that particularly ties it to the 80s, where as regular gameshow sets are designed to be modern for the era they were made in so end up looking dated these days.

Yet some still don't look dated ie blockbusters or catchphrase.

The area where the contestants sat on Bullseye last saturday screamed 80's

I think the last series of 3-2-1 looked dated simply because they used the newest technology available to them. The 3D graphics of the opening titles look very 80s because 3D graphics have moved on so much. The animated titles of earlier series don't really look that dated simply because 2D animation wouldn't look that different if it was done today. 2D animation was already a mature art form in the late 70s. The video effects used in 1987 were very much of their time too and were really over used. I guess someone in the gallery had a new toy and they were going to use it for everything.

As for Takeshi's Castle, I'm sure the fact that all the commentary, presentation and graphic elements are from recent years and the average viewers lack of knowledge of Japanese fashion and culture of the 1980s helps it remain timeless. The contestants clothes and haircuts might look as out of place in 21st century Japan as shellsuits and mullets would in the UK for all I know. If you have a look at an original Japanese episode, you can see the same use of video effects that infected episodes of 3-2-1 from around the same time. The graphics are done in an 80s style too (we get to see very few of the original graphics in the UK).

I think every programme made by Yorkshire Television suffered this look during late 1980's (except The New Statesman and Emmerdale Farm) from Calendar to Countdown and all they all had glossy computer generated shiny metal 3D looks to them, even promos didn't escape, there's plenty of proof on TV Ark and YouTube.

I blame Channel 4.

Yet Channel 4's 1982 ident(s) still look fantastic today in high quality:



I remember watching a clip on YouTube from BBC2's Late Show about TV idents, with a remark that whilst Channel 4's ident was meaningful in that the individual blocks represented the fact all of Channel 4's programming was outsourced, other companies just wanted to copy the trick. "Flying blocks in space? How do they do that!"

Challenge have currently got the text "WIN OR LOSE?" below their dog. What is this for? Challenge+1 do not have the extra text. I don't know if it has been like this all day or just for the current programme, Classic Who Wants to be a Millionaire?