Hello Everyone!

I thought I'd pop in and solicit your collective help!

One of my first contributions to www.tiswasonline.co.uk is to be an
article/feature/section (depending on what I can put together) on the
various Opening Titles.

You might remember the discussion about 'Atomic Butterfly' here in
June... and my little page here:
http://www.geocities.com/leewcr/downloads/atomicbutterfly.html

I've written a first article and the idea is to feature
pictures/screengrabs of the titles. There'll be an image of each
separate clip from the titles alongside a description. It'll be
arranged like a kind of photo album and the idea is that you click
onto the next image. The logo will be special, as it was animated on
screen, I'll try and prepare an animated GIF to show how it worked!

So far I can cover the years 1979-80, 1980-81, 1981-82 completely
(including a number of variations within those years).

Plus, I'm fairly sure that the Music was:

1. Atomic Butterfly (ATV-only - 1974??)
2. 'The One With The Whistle' (1975-76 Series?? until 1977-78 Series)
3. 'Dixieland/Slapstick' Tune (1978-79 series until 1979-80 series)
4. Saturday Is Tiswas Day v1 (1980-1981 series only)
5. Saturday Is Tiswas Day v2 (1981-1982 final series)
(Thanks To David Savage & MarkMCM (TV-Ark) for help with these)

We have a logo from the early years, but precious little else.

So the question is, can you help fill in the gaps?
I'm going ahead with what I've got but obviously when more/better
information comes to light I'll amend as necessary. Obviously you
can't see what I've done until it's live on the site, but honestly
anything is welcome! Duplication can lead to confirmation! :o)

Reply here, email me through this group (look for the button), post
to the Tiswas Online forum, pigeon post, answers on a postcard to
Tiswas, ATV Land, Birmingham, B1 2JP (those last 2 won't work... I
wish they did!)

That is what they want... and it's real too!!

Happy Flans,

Lee B.

If you've ever wanted to know what Bob Carolgees is up to these
days, how to make custard pies, where to get a Tiswas t-shirt, or
almost anything else to do with Tiswas, you can see it at the Tiswas
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) pages that I've just installed over
at Tiswas Online...

http://www.tiswasonline.co.uk/faq.php
...all working fine at the time of writing this (though you never
know with my hosting provider's reputation).

In the past two weeks I've spent researching material, I've updated
the data in lots of places (the earliest version of the FAQ is in
the database of this yahoogroup).

Take a look and see what you think. Let me know if there's any
errors at all, or anything you could add.

Many thanks to Lee Bannister and Richard Bell for their work.

At 19:40 03/08/2004 +0000, you wrote:
>You're quite right - the tape was recorded with a mike off TV straight on
>to a cassette
>recorder.

I did the same with Get Fresh (another ITV Saturday morning show, one I
liked at the time), as we had no VCR until 1991! (Aargh, I shudder to think
about that now - and we went black-and-white from 1981 to 1986 "because the
license is cheaper".)

>  The sad thing is that I had a further hour of this show on the tape, but
> recorded
>over it some time in 1982!

I lost my Get Fresh tapes. Which is probably a good thing in retrospect :)

>Still, what remains is great nostalgic stuff.

Yes, as I say, anything is better than nothing.

>Once I get
>broadband (due here any time soon) I'll try to post a few extracts if
>anyone's interested.

I don't think you'd need broadband to do that. Unless you're putting in a
raw .WAV recording, which would be madness! Get an mp3-making program to
convert the recording into mp3! Just five minutes of stereo sound is
typically 5mb, less if it's mono (which it should be, Tiswas was pre-stereo).

IIRC, Yahoogroups don't allow files bigger than 4mb (or was it 5mb?), and
the space left in the files section isn't much, sadly.

>It's incredible that no 70s editions are known to exist on video.

I wouldn't say that. I definitely know there's clip material there, could
well be some episodes as well.

>  I guess there must be a
>few floating around (surely someone involved with the show kept copies on
>one of the
>early domestic VCRs?)

Yes, Chris Tarrant did! Some of his stuff formed those commercial
compilation releases.

>Given the show's influential status - with the BFI, among others - it
>must be worth including in one of those "Missing TV Episodes" initiatives.

I agree, but when you see a full episode of Tiswas from the angle of a TV
broadcaster or DVD producer, you'll be going "S--t! I'll have to clear the
copyright on that  movie clip there, that pop video there, no f--k it, I'll
edit it out, that cartoon will have to go, Warner Bros will want too much
money for it, another movie clip? That has to go! Disney can kiss mine!
That guest artist wants royalties? Oh no! Too expensive! Let's scrap this
whole project..."

Which probably explains why the Best Bits/More Of The.../Comedy Capers
videos do not have the same feel of a typical episode.

Come to think of it, it is very strange Carlton still haven't got round to
issuing them lot on DVD. They've produced/licensed out more obscure stuff,
like Timeslip, you'd think they'd cash in on the nostalgia trip. Pearson
must be making a mint from all the students picking up Rainbow, Danger
Mouse and Button Moon DVDs, imagine the market for Tiswas in HMV these days
- it'd be far more than the meagre amount who bought the VHS versions.

>Your episode guide sounds great - I don't think there's anything out there
>that does the
>job right now,

I was on the phone to an archive librarian today, and they confirm I can
visit them on Saturday in Brum, to take notes. No photocopying allowed
sadly, but I respect that.

>and the bizarre, slow national roll-out of Tiswas is a fascinating
>reminder of
>the way the old ITV structure worked.

Yeah, especially as ITV these days is so similar in structure to other
national channels like BBC1. I'm dead against what ITV has turned into, and
I think the viewers agree with me, if you've seen the BARB year-by-year
decline.

Here's some more regional trivia. I've recently learnt (thanks to Lee
Bannister) that TSW never showed any Tiswas at all, preferring things like
the Incredible Hulk, and their own production, The Saturday Show (nothing
to do with Central's own 'successor' to Tiswas, or that current BBC1
thing). Lee's sent me a lot of region listings for 1982, thanks to a
collection of Look-Ins. If anyone else out there has stuff like this...

>As for Clive Webb at the Hippodrome Circus, Great Yarmouth, here's the link:
>http://www.hippodromecircus.co.uk/times/index.htm

Thanks! I've done a Tiswas news update on Tiswas Online right now with this
nugget of info!

  >Good luck with the new site.

I just hope the hosting providers don't screw up the server again. In the
first week of existence, the Tiswas Online site has gone down more times
than Monica Lewinsky!

---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.716 / Virus Database: 472 - Release Date: 05/07/2004

You're quite right - the tape was recorded with a mike off TV straight on to a
cassette
recorder.  The sad thing is that I had a further hour of this show on the tape,
but recorded
over it some time in 1982!  Still, what remains is great nostalgic stuff.  Once
I get
broadband (due here any time soon) I'll try to post a few extracts if anyone's
interested.
It's incredible that no 70s editions are known to exist on video.  I guess there
must be a
few floating around (surely someone involved with the show kept copies on one of
the
early domestic VCRs?)  Given the show's influential status - with the BFI, among
others - it
must be worth including in one of those "Missing TV Episodes" initiatives.

Your episode guide sounds great - I don't think there's anything out there that
does the
job right now, and the bizarre, slow national roll-out of Tiswas is a
fascinating reminder of
the way the old ITV structure worked.

As for Clive Webb at the Hippodrome Circus, Great Yarmouth, here's the link:

http://www.hippodromecircus.co.uk/times/index.htm

Good luck with the new site.

At 08:07 31/07/2004 +0000, you wrote:
>Greetings...
>Thought members might be interested to know that I've found an
>audio recording featuring parts of the final show from the 1977 /
>1978 season (TX 27/5/78).  Quality is pretty dodgy across the 18
>minutes I've retrieved, but generally at least listenable...
>there's plenty of Tarrant / Carson etc, and the closing sequence,
>culminating in Queen's We Are the Champions. Brilliant stuff.

Sounds like what I used to do in my pre-VCR days, stick a tape
recorder to the speaker, and make do with picture-less recordings!

>I wondered if this edition still existed on video tape - and also
>if anyone knows the exact series dates (start and finish) from 1974
>onwards, along with which regions took the show, and when.

Well, I am researching this next weekend for the Tiswas Online
website. I will aim to have the dates and times for every Tiswas
show broadcast in the ATV/Central region, and hopefully, if I have
the time, to make notes about neighbouring regions (Granada, Anglia,
HTV, Yorkshire, London, Southern, Westward), what they were showing.
(I already have some details about Granada's and LWT's Saturday
morning schedules).

The idea is for the user to click on the episode guide, pick a year
from 1974-82, and pick a region. Then it'll come down to a listing
like: (example using Central 1982)
      2 Jan 1982 10:30 Tiswas 12:15 next programme
      no details known
      9 Jan 1982 10:30 Tiswas 12:15 next programme
      (Jeremy Beadle; Rick Parfitt; John Lloyd (tennis))
      16 Jan 1982 10:30 Tiswas 12:15 next programme
      no details known
      23 Jan 1982 10:30 Tiswas 12:15 next programme
      no details known
      30 Jan 1982 10:30 Tiswas 12:15 next programme
      no details known
      6 Feb 1982 10:30 Tiswas 12:15 next programme
      no details known
      13 Feb 1982 10:30 Tiswas 12:15 next programme
      no details known
      20 Feb 1982 10:30 Tiswas 12:15 next programme
      no details known
      27 Feb 1982 10:30 Tiswas 12:15 next programme
      no details known
      6 Mar 1982 10:30 Tiswas 12:15 next programme
      no details known
      13 Mar 1982 10:30 Tiswas 12:15 next programme
      no details known
      20 Mar 1982 10:30 Tiswas 12:15 next programme
      no details known
      27 Mar 1982 10:30 Tiswas 12:15 next programme
      no details known
      3 Apr 1982 10:30 Tiswas 12:15 next programme
      Last ever Tiswas (Spike Milligan; Ted Moult; Dave Edmunds;
Frank Carson) "Spike on Mastermind"

Then they can click on one of the detailed Tiswas titles for a full
review of that programme. (See my synopsis for the 21st March 1981
episode in the FILES area of this yahoogroup for such an example)

A few Tiswas resources out there tell you that Tiswas started out in
the midlands, and within a few years, the other regions took it up
gradually until it was fully networked. Now, that's not lying, it's
truthful, but there are so many different things going on in Tiswas'
broadcast history that I have to cover each show individually! Like
the fact that the first six shows of 1982 were never shown on TVS
(replaced by the TVS-region-only first series of Number 73), the
fact that Channel Television never broadcast Tiswas at all, the mid-
70s airings of Tiswas on HTV were partial, etc, etc... I'm that
anorak-like!

>Grateful for any help.

Well, with the official archives rumoured to stretch to only 14 full
episodes (and they're mostly the 1981-82 series), you will find it
hard to get video recordings from the 70s. I'm not saying "none
exist", but it will be like searching for rocking horse droppings.
You may well have the only type of recordings of those programmes,
and although you say the quality is dodgy, I can tell you that
Tiswas fans would be very grateful for such an offering!

>Finally, one-time Tiswas wizard Clive Webb is starring in the
>Circus at the Hippodrome, Great Yarmouth, this year, along with his
>son, Danny Adams.  Worth a look if you're in the
>area...

Got any dates? I'll include it on the news page at Tiswas Online.

Might be looking too deep into this,i dont think the people involved
in making the show back in 1974 would have thought we'd be talking
about it 30 years on.I'm sure everyone is right as to who played the
role of the "FLINGER",its the timeing thats the problem as the show
was not fully networked untill years later,personally my favorites
were the Tarrant/Tomlinson/East series which seemed more instant and
unrehearsed,it was only when other regions started to air the show it
had to become more "professional".Am i right in thinking Jim Davidson
was on the ATV talent show "NEW FACES"? if so could he not have been
involved in the Sat' morning fun as the flinger before/after Helen?
       Have you tried to contact Mr Tarrant in any way at all?I ask
this because i did join "The Prisoner"fan club once and it couldn't
be more difficult to find a more private,reclusive man than its star
McGoohan,but at least he took the role of honorary president of the
society,perhaps Tarrant would do the same.

Greetings...

Thought members might be interested to know that I've found an audio recording
featuring parts of the final show from the 1977 / 1978 season (TX 27/5/78). 
Quality is
pretty dodgy across the 18 minutes I've retrieved, but generally at least
listenable... there's
plenty of Tarrant / Carson etc, and the closing sequence, culminating in Queen's
We Are
the Champions. Brilliant stuff.

I wondered if this edition still existed on video tape - and also if anyone
knows the exact
series dates (start and finish) from 1974 onwards, along with which regions took
the
show, and when.

Grateful for any help.

Finally, one-time Tiswas wizard Clive Webb is starring in the Circus at the
Hippodrome,
Great Yarmouth, this year, along with his son, Danny Adams.  Worth a look if
you're in the
area...

Jim Davidson has written in today's Daily Mail (well, Thursday's
Daily Mail) on the subject of the Phantom Flan Flinger's identity.

He acknowledges Benny Mills as the longest serving Phantom, but does
make a dubious claim that he himself was the first ever Phantom,
contradicting Benny's remarks about Helen Piddock somewhat.

I've transcribed the letter from Jim Davidson (OBE, don'tcha know?)
over at
http://www.tiswasonline.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4
I'll get a scan done in the morning, and the article will eventually
be archived properly online on TISWAS ONLINE's Articles pages.

As you may notice, Lee Bannister and staplingmachine have joined the
Tiswas Online forum, and have come up with some great questions to
ask Tom Bright.

Also, can I say a big hello (blimey, this is just like being a kid
in the Tiswas audience) to Rob Matheson, who's an old drinking buddy
of mine? Saw him in the members list of this yahoogroup months ago,
showing what a small world it is, and bumped into him a week ago,
and had a conversation about this list! (Never knew he was into
Tiswas!)

Right, after waiting over the usual 24 hours for the domain name
to "propagate DNS settings" (techy talk for "existing on the web"),
I can confirm http://www.tiswasonline.co.uk is now live!

But don't get too excited. The website is not officially launched.
I'm still gathering up material for it, and what's up there now is a
webforum for anyone involved (or who wants to be involved) with the
website's creation and/or maintenance. Basically, it's open to all
you guys! (I'll promote Matthew Butler, Lee Bannister, Andrew
Wooding, Jason Robertson and others here to moderators if they want.)

I'm basically busy job-hunting and socializing a lot this week, but
yesterday I did tonnes of research and contacting, from the folks at
TV Cream, to midlanders Lee Bannister and Richard Muttley (who know
the show inside out!), and sending e-mails to former crew members
Chris Wroe (Tiswas' designer) and Tom Bright (the writer and
performer of the famous Tiswas theme tune).

Good news so far is that Tom has responded and said he would be
pleased to do an interview. I'll be sending an e-mail off tomorrow
with the preliminary questions, so if you guys have any questions
for the composer of that great pub-rock theme, let's hear them!

The TV Cream guys have told me exactly where to look up information
on practically every episode of Tiswas ever, which means a trip to
Birmingham for me the first Saturday in August.

All good stuff, and I'm writing bits here and there to get the pages
ready as soon as possible!

Hey all..Just a quickie to say SORRY for the delay for processing the
messages but I have been offline for a couple of week gettinh
Broadband sorted out!!!!
    Tiswas Website sounds BRILL!!!Just let me know if you need info
etc.....

All the best......

This is what they want..............


Matt

A few folks have been wondering where I've got to, having planned
Tiswas DVDs and a website, and saying I'd have something ready a few
weeks back, on the basis of my income...

Well, due to unacceptable conditions in my day-job, I've decided to
leave and not return until things are sorted out - that's if they
ever get sorted out, I don't have any plans right now to return,
so...

1) I'm currently unemployed, with a few spots of part-time web-
design/programming work here and there.

2) I'm being far more frugal with what remains of my bank balance.
Tsk.

I couldn't go and register my Tiswas site domain name back in early
July due to the lack of cash coming in, so I decided to concentrate
my efforts on maintaining one of my existing websites, and learning
more about things such as PHP and mySQL, to boost my existing
portfolio for forthcoming job interviews.

Now, having written a sh-t-load of material for the Tiswas site, I'm
anxious to get it displayed to the nation, and having second
thoughts, I think it's best I register the domain name and book the
webspace anyway - it'll be another bow to my arrows for web-design
jobs. I just have to sort out my Inland Revenue worries (Tax Returns
are a bitch) and then I'll sort out a Tiswas site, as promised.

Sorry if I've spent too much time waffling on about myself, just
that I've been asked where I've got to. This past week I've spent
writing a synopsis of the Best Of The Best Bits video, which I
reckon 99% of you lot have, but I'm sticking on the site for any
Tiswas-virgins out there.

And yes, I plan to have a trading circle forum on the site, as well
as all the synopsises (synopsii?) and FAQs and all that. It will
happen.

I'm preparing legal action against my former employer, which I'm
preparing the paperwork for this week and next, so I'll be a bit
quiet over then, although I'll be writing some Tiswas memories on
and off for the site.

Speaking of which, the excellent Creamguide has this to say on the
subject of appearing in the audience for TV shows, specifically this
Tiswas one...

"*** I was a competition winner on TISWAS, an experience that I will
never forget and am very proud of. It should be noted that the
esteemed Mr Tarrant was highly hungover and, although he was a
perfectly nice fella, seemed decidedly under par. I remember his
dismay at having to sit through The Doolies' new single Love Patrol,
a fact that he made no attempt to hide. Sally James' child handling
skills were questionable - whilst delivering the latest music news
she dealt with an unruly and overly talkative child, who was
standing behind her, by giving them a sneaky and sharp elbow
straight in the ribs. It was a unique experience, if not a little
strange.
- Actionfish"

That can be found on...
http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/creamup/message/56

If anyone wants a website done for them, or even a web-based forum
on their existing website, give me a bell please, I could do with
the work! :D

Not quite the full website of course, but I am now the owner of 1gig
of webspace and the domain name tiswasonline.co.uk !

I just registered it a few hours ago, and it's going to take 24
hours before I'm allowed to start uploading material. I think I
better keep working on the design, so there's something to look at
by the end of the week!

I'll keep you folks updated on the progress of Tiswas Online. I have
Sally James' e-mail address, and will be looking to do an interview
with her next week - fingers crossed.

And yes, I haven't forgotten about the DVDs!

It's official. Tiswas is one of the 50 most influential British
programmes of all time, and one of only 4 children's programmes
mentioned in the list compiled by Broadcast magazine:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3919275.stm#list

Andrew

I seem to remember that before "Atomic Butterfly" & "Saturday Is
Tiswas Day" there was another theme tune during the early years of it
being nationally networked, one that consisted of trumpets playing
interspaced with a whistle being blown.

Can anyone elaborate on this?

On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 12:52:10 -0000
"Lee Bannister" <tiswas@...> wrote:

>
> > There was also a theme that was very Dixieland jazz,
> >
> > Jase
>
> Would that be the other one I've uploaded here? (this address also
> on 'links' page):
> http://www.geocities.com/leewcr/downloads/atomicbutterfly.html
>
> Although I described it as 'slapstick', I suppose it does have a
> dixieland feel about it...

That's the one!

Jase

--
Jason Robertson <jase@...>

> There was also a theme that was very Dixieland jazz,
>
> Jase

Would that be the other one I've uploaded here? (this address also
on 'links' page):
http://www.geocities.com/leewcr/downloads/atomicbutterfly.html

Although I described it as 'slapstick', I suppose it does have a
dixieland feel about it...

This is probably old news now, but I thought I'd share it with the
group...

Lenny Henry plays the character of 'Shrunken Head' at the beginning
of the latest Harry Potter film. It's a voice-over part, and the
voice is exactly the same as our beloved Algernon Winston Spencer
Churchill Razzamatazz. Nice to see a Tiswas reference in such a
popular film.

For what it's worth, his wife, Dawn French, also turns up in the film
as a painting.

Andrew

On Thu, 17 Jun 2004 12:46:37 -0000
"Lee Bannister" <tiswas@...> wrote:

> So if we can assume 'Atomic Butterfly' came first, and 'Saturday is
> Tiswas Day' was last, perhaps that one I mentioned above (Paul
> Hardin, CT's head, etc..) was inbetween (any more?). Again I'll try
> and record a copy of it and upload it.

There was also a theme that was very Dixieland jazz,

Jase

--
Jason Robertson <jase@...>

On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 13:02:55 -0000
"pete_from_the_shoe" <pete@...> wrote:

> Of course, ATV afficionados know that the company produced in
> Birmingham and London, and there's a theory going round that idents
> that started off in bright blue were Birmingham productions, whereas
> the London (Elstree) ones were light grey. I see this is noted on
> your site, and asserted by Transdiffusion. If it's true (and I'll
> check my cleaner recording - the 9th Sept 81 episode), I'll be doing
> some work to tint it to the correct colour! I'm so pedantic when it
> comes to television idents!

I don't think it was, I thinkthe background colour just depended on the
telecine equipment used.

Jase

--
Jason Robertson <jase@...>

Just a quick note to say I've uploaded 'Atomic Butterfly' (sorry to
keep harping on about it!!).

The 'Tiswas edit' is in the 'files' section - big 'Cheers' to Jason
Robertson for posting the original, which I used as a guide.

The full track I had to put on my own webspace (not much space left
here on the group), check the link in... er... 'links'.

... I've also got that slapstick theme ready to upload, so I'll
probably move all 3 onto my webspace later (it's Geocities for the
moment, so don't all rush at once otherwise it'll fall over - you
know what Geocities is like!!).

Get down with that funky-spitting-punk-song (!!)
This is the stuff!

> Hello to you all....Just wanted to post a quick message to say how
> great it is to see the interest in this group!!!

It's certainly a small world when I look through the members list,
and see a guy I drink with in my local pub! (Hiya Rob!)

>    Maybe we should organise some kind of TISWAS convention???This
> might be an idea to show a few old episodes etc etc....Well maybe
>in the future!!

Hmm... that'd require a suitable venue. I don't know too much about
the west midlands these days, which of course is the area a Tiswas
convention would get most press - and would be superb to be close to
ATV Land! My girlfriend frequently visits Coventry and occasionally
Birmingham, maybe I'll have to ask her! I'm off to Brum in August
for an internet meet[1], so I'll keep 'em peeled as Shaw Taylor
would say.

I'm not for organising meets and/or conventions, I've already got my
hands full with two jobs, websites to maintain and DVDs to make
(both professionally and at home!). I'm happy to come along and help
out, probably could get my showbiz contacts to get John Gorman, Bob
Carolgees and Sally James along? Maybe even a flan fight at the end
if we're prepared for it! (Anything but mushy peas!)

>    Anyway......Keep posting on the site and remember......THIS IS
> WHAT THEY WANT!!!

"No wonder Noel Edmonds is out of work..."

[1] A meeting with various comp.sys.sinclair subscribers - a
newsgroup dedicated to the ZX Spectrum. That's another cool
childhood thing from the 1980s!

Here's a photo of me at a previous CSS meet, I'm the one in the
Tiswas t-shirt!
http://rivet.50megs.com/meet4/group2.html

----- Original Message -----

From: Matthew Butler

To: matthewbutlerstiswasgroup@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Friday, June 18, 2004 4:34 PM

Subject: [matthewbutlerstiswasgroup] Hello all!!!!!

Hello to you all....Just wanted to post a quick message to say how
great it is to see the interest in this group!!!
   It goes to show what a lasting effect TISWAS has had on our
lives!!!I have got about six or more full and part episodes on vcr
myself all from around 1980-81....These are mostly from the last CT
series of the show....
   I will try to get them dated and guest listed...But I am very busy
at the moment so you will have to wait a while!!
   Maybe we should organise some kind of TISWAS convention???This
might be an idea to show a few old episodes etc etc....Well maybe in
the future!!
   Anyway......Keep posting on the site and remember......THIS IS
WHAT THEY WANT!!!

Matt

 

hello all from me. New to this NG but have been a tiswas fam since childhood where i was lucky to be a regular viewer on Saturday mornings !!!!!!    I'm well pleased to see all these archives being looked into ' cause i need to enjoy the show again.  I 've come in mid conversation tho.  Appologies if this seems a bit dense but with several posts about DVD's, is there one in the making that will be available ?

     I was wondering if nyone has the clips when Motorhead and Iron maiden guested on the show. I can vaguely remember them and would love to see it all again

 

regards

Simon

 

  

Hello to you all....Just wanted to post a quick message to say how
great it is to see the interest in this group!!!
    It goes to show what a lasting effect TISWAS has had on our
lives!!!I have got about six or more full and part episodes on vcr
myself all from around 1980-81....These are mostly from the last CT
series of the show....
    I will try to get them dated and guest listed...But I am very busy
at the moment so you will have to wait a while!!
    Maybe we should organise some kind of TISWAS convention???This
might be an idea to show a few old episodes etc etc....Well maybe in
the future!!
    Anyway......Keep posting on the site and remember......THIS IS
WHAT THEY WANT!!!

Matt

At 12:46 17/06/2004 +0000, you wrote:
>> The final series was the original performers doing the song again
>> but to a slower tempo, with a few tweaks here and there.
>Indeed it was! Tom & Suzy (Suzy Breeze - Bright & Breeze - get
it!!)
>harmonized a lot more on the last chorus.

Yeah. The on-screen animation being, um, not too good (IMO!).

>> Sounds like it's the 80-81 titles, Matthew (in rabbit mode,
against
>> a blue-screen effect) was in there right up to the last episode
of
>> that series.
>Actually I didn't describe it very well. Matt is in the show - but
he
>closes the show with 'Bright Eyes'. The music on the titles for
that
>show is the same as the Paul Hardin-drumming-on CT's head sequence.
>This show is from early 1980 - before 'Saturday is Tiswas Day' was
used.

Hmm... now that seems to suggest the 1979-80 series. It's not usual
for a series to change theme tune halfway through. Well, that's my
theory. I know the Paul-Hardin-drumming music well from the Best
Bits video, I just don't recall it being used on the titles. Your
memories are better than mine!

>> You could ask Tom Bright, the writer/composer of the 80-82 era
>> theme. I've been meaning to contact him (but not until I get a
>> Tiswas site ready). You can contact him at www.tombright.com
>> He's seen on-screen on the last 80-81 episode, invited by Chris
>> Tarrant to perform the song live instead of the usual titles.
>Yeah, I've seen that - and I remember watching it at the time.
>Strangely enough I've actually contacted Tom Bright already and
>waiting to hear from him.

Excellent. Does he know about this list?

>> > I've also heard that an earlier version (maybe used on the 1st
>> series in 1974?) called 'Atomic Butterfly' was TV/Radio
Production
music
>> > from the Hudson Library. I work at a radio station (opposite
end
>> of Broad St, B'ham from the ATV Centre!), and so I've found this
>> track - but I don't recognise it... was it really used? (I'll try
and post
>> it here if I can).
>Jason Robertson has hit the nail on the head with his upload -
that's
>Atomic Butterfly! Nice one Jase!
>I've taken my copy of the full track and mixed it to that
arrangement
>(some odd edits on the original!)

It's a funky little number, isn't it? Plenty of hallmarks of it
being library music.

> including ATV in reverse!

Did the ATV ident also play backwards on screen, or was it only the
music?

>I'll try and upload it later today along with the full version.

>> I do know that in the late 70s, there was a totally different
>> opening titles sequence with totally different music. It featured
>> the cartoon bird (as seen on one of the early annuals) flying
around
>> over the Tiswas logo, and the music was, IIRC, very up-tempo
reggae
>> or something. It was quite Jamaican sounding, whatever it was,
and
>> lots of whistles were used.
>I always wondered what that bird was for... The titles I describe
>above don't feature it, but they do include loads of film clips,
far
>more than the titles of the 80-81 series,

Sounds like TV Cream's description of the titles in the early series
(a lot of Star Wars).

>plus the Tiswas
>logo 'bubbles' into view behind 'zigzagged globes', then at the end
>of the titles it spins into view over a voiceover screaming 'oh no,
>please, I can't take anymore...' (very funny!)
>So if we can assume 'Atomic Butterfly' came first, and 'Saturday is
>Tiswas Day' was last, perhaps that one I mentioned above (Paul
>Hardin, CT's head, etc..) was inbetween (any more?). Again I'll try
>and record a copy of it and upload it.

That's fantastic you have a copy! I'm so used to Tiswas being in the
80-81 era, where just about all the "Best Bits" come from and every
archive clip show seems to take its cue from.

The Greatest 100 Kids TV Shows on Channel 4 a few years back did at
least acknowledge moments outside of the "Best Bits". They showed
bits of the cartoon-bird-with-reggae-esque-music opening titles.

>> Teamwork works best!
>You bet - how about those of us who have any episodes, go into the
>database of this group, and add their details to the 'Member's
>Episodes' database I've created? Would be useful to keep track of
>what's out there - and what date they come from?

I've added all the episodes I currently own (not many, sadly).

I've also written a very very lengthy description of the 21st March
1981 show, which you'll see in the FILES section of this group,
along with a clip. (28th March 1981 is next!)

>Perhaps we could also start a database of the 'Family Fun Book'
>& 'Tiswas Magazine' stuff we all have as well (plus the other books
>like Silly Superstitions, Ghost Stories, '82 Yearbook, The Tiswas
>File etc...). All these would be useful to choose from to scan and
>include on the DVDs? Maybe in a DVD-ROM section, including PDFs
>etc... It'd be great to include as much as is possible to fit on
>them...

I was originally going to put the annual scans as a slideshow
accessable from the DVD menus, but having realised the difficulties
with:
1) data capacity of a DVD
2) the 'portrait' shape of a scanned page versus the 'landscape'
shape of a TV screen
3) how awful tiny text is to read on a TV screen
...I've decided to make it DVD-Rom content as a folder of JPEGs. (I
don't have PDF-creating facilities, although I supsect a PDF
conversion would just make the scans bloated in filesize)

>> Good luck with your broadcasting career, it's gone a lot further
>> than mine did!
>What did you do then?

Video-editing for obscure satellite channels, research for some
slightly more famous ones (taking weird calls at a certain music
channel amused me no end).

>As CT often said to Sal "Keep Broadcasting" :o)

These days I work on DVDs, as my boss reckons "there's no future in
television", pessimistically.

> > [1] I'm restoring an ATV ident (seamlessly) and trying to cut
down
> > on video 'noise'.
> No need Pete, I've already done it at
> http://www.sub-tv.co.uk/atvzooms.asp and have DVD quality ones on
the
> way.

Thanks for you help, but as there's a video wipe in use on the two
Tarrant episodes I have[1], and using any ident that's 'too' cleaned
up would mean it mismatches.

I've already grabbed a DVD-quality ATV ident from one of Carlton's
Special Editions of the Carry On films[2] (most of these come with a
half-hour "Carry On..." TV programme as a bonus extra, complete with
ATV ident/endcap). Took me a while to do it[3], but it's in my
computer now.

This proper 'official' ident has a navy blue background, notably
different to the partial one on my tape - presumably recorded with
different colour levels. I've done the necessary jiggery-pokery to
make it seamless.

Of course, ATV afficionados know that the company produced in
Birmingham and London, and there's a theory going round that idents
that started off in bright blue were Birmingham productions, whereas
the London (Elstree) ones were light grey. I see this is noted on
your site, and asserted by Transdiffusion. If it's true (and I'll
check my cleaner recording - the 9th Sept 81 episode), I'll be doing
some work to tint it to the correct colour! I'm so pedantic when it
comes to television idents!

[1] And in the Astley one, they do a blue-screen trick where they
burst through the logo, (a la Kenny Everett and Thames) thanks to
the wonders of blue paper :)[4]

[2] I'd have copied off my box set of the Best Of The Muppet Show,
especially as there's a superb Beaker clip I want to send as an mpg
to my friends. But Jim Henson's company has stripped all the ATV
idents away. :-(

[3] The boring details: Had to disable Macrovision and CSS copy
protection from Carlton's DVD, which I achieved by copying the DVD
with AnyDVD (slysoft.com) active. Then my DV recorder accepted it.
Then dumped my DV recording down via firewire into Adobe Premiere.

[4] They did this all the time in the last series. At the start of
the first ever Central Tiswas, Sally pretended to be confused
by "this new symbol".

Some folks who have been reading the Frequently Asked Questions
guide (
http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/matthewbutlerstiswasgroup/database )
  have asked me how I know that Carlton have about 14 episodes left.

Well, it's due to me talking with a Carlton worker on usenet in 1998.

Here's the actual message in context...
http://tinyurl.com/3f6vg

...where you'll see why Carlton have so few, what they were usually
stored on, and more stuff about the rights. Oh, and what appears to
be the news that Carlton are going to wipe a lot of the episodes
anyway (made even more stupid by the fact they're holding on to
7,500 episodes of the abysmal Crossroads!).

> The final series was the original performers doing the song again
> but to a slower tempo, with a few tweaks here and there.

Indeed it was! Tom & Suzy (Suzy Breeze - Bright & Breeze - get it!!)
harmonized a lot more on the last chorus.

> Sounds like it's the 80-81 titles, Matthew (in rabbit mode, against
> a blue-screen effect) was in there right up to the last episode of
> that series.

Actually I didn't describe it very well. Matt is in the show - but he
closes the show with 'Bright Eyes'. The music on the titles for that
show is the same as the Paul Hardin-drumming-on CT's head sequence.
This show is from early 1980 - before 'Saturday is Tiswas Day' was
used.

> You could ask Tom Bright, the writer/composer of the 80-82 era
> theme. I've been meaning to contact him (but not until I get a
> Tiswas site ready). You can contact him at www.tombright.com
>
> He's seen on-screen on the last 80-81 episode, invited by Chris
> Tarrant to perform the song live instead of the usual titles.

Yeah, I've seen that - and I remember watching it at the time.
Strangely enough I've actually contacted Tom Bright already and
waiting to hear from him.

> > I've also heard that an earlier version (maybe used on the 1st
> series in 1974?) called 'Atomic Butterfly' was TV/Radio Production
music
> > from the Hudson Library. I work at a radio station (opposite end
> of Broad St, B'ham from the ATV Centre!), and so I've found this
> track - but I don't recognise it... was it really used? (I'll try
and post
> it here if I can).

Jason Robertson has hit the nail on the head with his upload - that's
Atomic Butterfly! Nice one Jase!
I've taken my copy of the full track and mixed it to that arrangement
(some odd edits on the original!) including ATV in reverse!
I'll try and upload it later today along with the full version.

> I do know that in the late 70s, there was a totally different
> opening titles sequence with totally different music. It featured
> the cartoon bird (as seen on one of the early annuals) flying
around
> over the Tiswas logo, and the music was, IIRC, very up-tempo reggae
> or something. It was quite Jamaican sounding, whatever it was, and
> lots of whistles were used.

I always wondered what that bird was for... The titles I describe
above don't feature it, but they do include loads of film clips, far
more than the titles of the 80-81 series, plus the Tiswas
logo 'bubbles' into view behind 'zigzagged globes', then at the end
of the titles it spins into view over a voiceover screaming 'oh no,
please, I can't take anymore...' (very funny!)

So if we can assume 'Atomic Butterfly' came first, and 'Saturday is
Tiswas Day' was last, perhaps that one I mentioned above (Paul
Hardin, CT's head, etc..) was inbetween (any more?). Again I'll try
and record a copy of it and upload it.

> Teamwork works best!

You bet - how about those of us who have any episodes, go into the
database of this group, and add their details to the 'Member's
Episodes' database I've created? Would be useful to keep track of
what's out there - and what date they come from?

Perhaps we could also start a database of the 'Family Fun Book'
& 'Tiswas Magazine' stuff we all have as well (plus the other books
like Silly Superstitions, Ghost Stories, '82 Yearbook, The Tiswas
File etc...). All these would be useful to choose from to scan and
include on the DVDs? Maybe in a DVD-ROM section, including PDFs
etc... It'd be great to include as much as is possible to fit on
them...

> Good luck with your broadcasting career, it's gone a lot further
> than mine did!

What did you do then?
As CT often said to Sal "Keep Broadcasting" :o)

On Mon, 14 Jun 2004 21:33:47 -0000
"pete_from_the_shoe" <pete@...> wrote:


> [1] I'm restoring an ATV ident (seamlessly) and trying to cut down
> on video 'noise'.

No need Pete, I've already done it at
http://www.sub-tv.co.uk/atvzooms.asp and have DVD quality ones on the
way.

Jase

--
Jason Robertson <jase@...>

I've just added an early Tiswas theme to the group files:

<http://f5.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/ECvPQKIaMKIH9ONFPEFGdsA-cRMX3UfVsj0svpom_idiLnPvYd\
tY-BD9IivHc9QFSMP4j8j1AhlyF3Zje44eb6aI1PrzjsYa/TiswasOriginal.mp3>

I'm not convinced that that link will work; if not, go here:

http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/matthewbutlerstiswasgroup/files/

and the file's called TiswasOriginal.mp3

Jase

--
Jason Robertson <jase@...>

> 'Allo All!
> Does anyone know anything about the older versions of the Tiswas
> theme? Obviously we know that 'Saturday is Tiswas Day' ran on the
80-
> 81, and (slightly remixed) 81-82 final series...

The final series was the original performers doing the song again
but to a slower tempo, with a few tweaks here and there.

> but what about those that went before?
> I've seen some titles from early 1980 (featuring our very own
>Matt!),

Sounds like it's the 80-81 titles, Matthew (in rabbit mode, against
a blue-screen effect) was in there right up to the last episode of
that series.

> which have a very slapstick tune on them... it's actually featured
> on 'The Best of the Best Bits' video when Paul Hardin runs around
the
> studio with his drum sticks - bashing CT on the bonce!

Yeah, the compilation videos' titles are strongly based on the 80-81
titles, only with the clips of films (like Star Wars, Disney stuff,
etc) replaced by even more Tiswas clips, because Polygram knew
they'd face a huge copyright clearance bill if they left it all
intact! (Also explains why only one pop record is there intact -
Jonathan King's cover of One For Me One For You.)

> Yeah - it's *that* tune, but what is it?

You could ask Tom Bright, the writer/composer of the 80-82 era
theme. I've been meaning to contact him (but not until I get a
Tiswas site ready). You can contact him at www.tombright.com

He's seen on-screen on the last 80-81 episode, invited by Chris
Tarrant to perform the song live instead of the usual titles.

> I've also heard that an earlier version (maybe used on the 1st
series
> in 1974?) called 'Atomic Butterfly' was TV/Radio Production music
> from the Hudson Library. I work at a radio station (opposite end
of
> Broad St, B'ham from the ATV Centre!), and so I've found this
track -
> but I don't recognise it... was it really used? (I'll try and post
it
> here if I can).

That'd be interesting.

I do know that in the late 70s, there was a totally different
opening titles sequence with totally different music. It featured
the cartoon bird (as seen on one of the early annuals) flying around
over the Tiswas logo, and the music was, IIRC, very up-tempo reggae
or something. It was quite Jamaican sounding, whatever it was, and
lots of whistles were used.

> Hey a bit of shared research and we could come up trumps!

Teamwork works best!

> PS Love the idea about the DVD! Got a couple of shows myself,
would
> be great to see some more!

Well, I'll give out free DVDs (when they are ready) to those who
help me acquire more full episodes, so that I can convert them to
DVD!

At the moment, the Tiswas video material I have is:
21st March 1981 [Westward recording] (The team go to France)
28th March 1981 [Westward recording] (Tarrant's last ever Tiswas)
9th Sept 1981 [LWT recording] (Phantom Flan Flinger strike)

And of course, the three compilation videos.

I am definitely on the look-out for ANY episodes I don't have, but
I'm still in the middle of finishing off the first DVD (should be
easy when I get that out of the way!).

> PPS I do a radio show on Saturday Mornings (upandhappy.com) and
I've
> always used 'Saturday is Tiswas Day' to open it... well you've got
to
> haven't you!

I had the theme played for me in the pub on my birthday!

Good luck with your broadcasting career, it's gone a lot further
than mine did!