The New Avengers - ITV4

Johnny O · Post by **Johnny O** » Tue Feb 12, 2013 6:01 pm

Does anyone know the official reason why the original titles were removed from the first 6 TNA episodes and replaced with these horrendous montages? It's a shame we can't have the entire TNA series again in their original format. Or was it the other way round? Were these the original titles but they quickly replaced the first 6 with the animation before broadcast?

Frankymole · Post by **Frankymole** » Tue Feb 12, 2013 7:08 pm

I always though the animated ones came a bit later, and the first few had the live-action titles on broadcast.

Dandy Forsdyke · Post by **Dandy Forsdyke** » Tue Feb 12, 2013 7:46 pm

The original broadcast were the computer generated/animation ones. Those were the ones I remember seeing.

darren · Post by **darren** » Tue Feb 12, 2013 9:37 pm

The animated titles don't start until Faces.

Johnny O · Post by **Johnny O** » Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:00 pm

On the original broadcasts, the animated titles appeared on every episode. The film montages for episodes were added much later for repeats. I suspect they were considered more dramatic for the American market where the broadcasts started much later. The first time they were seen in the UK were on the 1985 ITV/Thames repeats. Before then, only the original animated titles were seen in the UK. Clearly the masters now only contain the montage openings as that's what's always repeated and what's on the DVDs.

Whiskers · Post by **Whiskers** » Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:15 pm

I wish I'd decided to record some of the episodes now they're looking so much better. Hope it stays that way and I'll juust record a few of my favourites. Of course, I'd buy the DVDs if the "sunnier" version was released.

Dandy Forsdyke · Post by **Dandy Forsdyke** » Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:32 pm

Johnny O wrote:On the original broadcasts, the animated titles appeared on every episode. The film montages for episodes were added much later for repeats. I suspect they were considered more dramatic for the American market where the broadcasts started much later. The first time they were seen in the UK were on the 1985 ITV/Thames repeats. Before then, only the original animated titles were seen in the UK. Clearly the masters now only contain the montage openings as that's what's always repeated and what's on the DVDs.

Thanks. That's how I remember it.

I remember being quite surprised when I saw the live action opening credits.

Timeless A-Peel · Post by **Timeless A-Peel** » Tue Feb 12, 2013 11:28 pm

Dandy Forsdyke wrote:
Johnny O wrote:On the original broadcasts, the animated titles appeared on every episode. The film montages for episodes were added much later for repeats. I suspect they were considered more dramatic for the American market where the broadcasts started much later. The first time they were seen in the UK were on the 1985 ITV/Thames repeats. Before then, only the original animated titles were seen in the UK. Clearly the masters now only contain the montage openings as that's what's always repeated and what's on the DVDs.
Thanks. That's how I remember it.

I remember being quite surprised when I saw the live action opening credits.

I had never heard this before. I'd always assumed that the live action titles were created as a placeholder for the first few episodes, until they could make the live-action ones. This is new!

Anyone ever happen to see those supposedly-filmed live action titles with Purdey, Gambit, and Steed walking around an empty landscape? They printed the script in The Avengers and Me and claimed it was filmed, but I've always wondered if it actually was.

Johnny O · Post by **Johnny O** » Wed Feb 13, 2013 4:17 am

As I wrote earlier, I'm wondering if the film montage titles were the originals and were intended to be the titles for the entire series, but somebody decided to change them into the graphic titles. This would have meant that the first 6 shows needed to be updated to include the animation, but the master tapes were retained. Or it's the other way round and the filmed titles were added later. Either way, they're rubbish!

I wish they'd ditch them and restore the animated titles for the entire run; as they were originally broadcast.

Alan · Post by **Alan** » Wed Feb 13, 2013 8:31 am

The film montage sequences were definitely produced before the animated ones. The clue is in the end title sequences, which were made to fit in with the opening sequence. The end titles on the early episodes are green, the later ones red (to fit in with the animated sequence). These were not changed when the animated sequence was grafted onto the episodes in question.

I don't think there's any argument that this was done prior to first broadcast.