Game Show graphics

I've enjoyed watching behind the scenes videos of television lately and reading about how things are done now, and how they were done in the past. As an engineer, I find the technology behind it, and how it evolved over the years, fascinating.

One video that I have come across is "How Graphics were Created for BBC TV Programmes in the 90s" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exW-LbLRJV0. It features an Acorn computer being used for the National Lottery graphics and explains how all the software was written from scratch. It also shows the screen that an operator would have controlled in the gallery to select the numbers to be shown on the screen during the draw.

Unfortunately, I've haven't found any videos showing something from more recent times, and a search of these forums has led me to nothing thus far either. Presumably game shows and other programmes where questions are answered, clocks need to be set and reset and scores kept etc. require the use of something similar? Do they use Windows PC's or Macs these days or an industry specific server type machine? I guess it's still produced specially to some extent given the specific nature of gameshows and the requirement for graphics to be selected dependent upon gameplay etc.

Something else to add that comes to mind. Many TV programmes now have multiple screens, such as a large video wall in the background, smaller screens in front of the contestants etc. in addition to the graphic overlays used for the viewer. Would they all be sourced from a separate PC linked to a master machine that's controlling everything or would they use a single machine with multiple video outputs?

No answers to your Qs, but just to say I was shocked when I realised most screens are added post-filming as they wouldn’t be sharp enough filmed from the screen.

You can see it on House of Games when they zoom in and out between rounds.

I sometimes wonder what Catchphrase looks like from a contestants point of view, as the screen looks to be a funny angle to them, that’s if the screen is actually real at all

Depends, there's some behind the scenes footage from the TVS era which seems to suggest the big screen did have show the video footage of the catchphrases- albeit not in very great quality. Does look like the Carlton era was just a big Catchphrase logo though.

From about 1995 the reflection of the screen can be seen in the studio floor, which is extremely impressively done if it's a special effect but it doesn't appear in earlier episodes.

The screen must be real otherwise the audience wouldn’t be laughing at some of the slightly dubious catchphrases.

There'll be other video screens off camera in the studio showing them.

It's a static camera shot, so doing a faux-reflection won't be too difficult. If it was moving on the other hand, especially with 1995 technology.

This video from I think 2012 or 2013 suggests the screen is real:

There's little doubt that the screens on Catchphrase were real, otherwise that shot where the set revolves wouldn't have been possible in 1986.

I'm referring to Carlton era Roy Walker Catchphrase, not modern Catchphrase. It's quite clear on there the "screens" are just a large Catchphrase logo. Does look like they were real in the TVS era (albeit not very good quality, good enough for us to see the diamond animation, but not the Catchphrases themselves). Can't speak for the Wier/Curry era though, but that looks like it might have been fake too- looks like it could have been a backlit perspex logo, though big screen technology had improved by then. Until the late 90s the only way to get a really big screen was either to make a video wall from several CRTs, or projection, either rear or front, which often didn't look too good (the TVS era Catchphrase looks like it was the latter), or something like the first Les Dennis Family Fortunes series had- which was also pretty terrible.

Obviously there's little problem getting huge, high quality video screens these days.

It looks a bit bigger and more impressive than that on screen. ITV regional news has bigger screens!