blockbusters intro theme 1980's

[rorymsvideo]

What is the long sound at 0.15? The same sound is used in the incidental music of Ulysses 31.

[BuddyFantastic]

So long Bob, we will miss you, R.I.P.

[officialmashitup]

Can I have an RI-P please, Bob?

[jimmytic74]

R.I.P Bob greatly missed

[mypli]

It's like 3 Millenium Falcons flying through the set of Bladerunner

[ChrisDilke]

Question: What "L" describes Blockbusters host Bob Holness?

Answer: Legend.

RIP Bob, you shall be missed, and never forgotten.

[Uberdude25]

An absolute legend from my childhood... R.I.P Bob

[KeredDrahcir]

R. I. P. Game Show God.

[cmeonthemove]

RIP Bob. Thanks for the happy childhood memories of getting home from school to watch this at teatime!

[scandura]

Farewell & RIP Bob Holness

[ShyGuy19898]

I'm 23, been watching Blockbusters every night for the past 5 months as a new viewer and I love the show so much and now im gutted to hear he has died :( R.I.P Bob - always missed never forgotten.

[craigybus1]

As a kid who grew up in the 80s, this was essential viewing. RIP Bob. You were a TV legend.

[NorthernStar1982]

can i have a L E G E N D please bob

RIP BOB

[MegaSpliffster2]

I'll have an RIP please Bob.

[Mikel0re]

RIP Bob

[PopArt23]

Bob Holness (1928-2012) R.I.P.

You will be missed. :'(

[anthonyheaney2008]

Blockbusters presenter passes away peacefully in his sleep, RIP

[cameronm896]

Goodnight sweet prince

[cameronm896]

RIP Bob we will miss you

[Daveh01]

Can I get an R, an I and a P please, Bob. Don't make 'em like this any more

[welshmatt]

RIP Bob

When I was a kid I always wanted to go on Blockbusters

[alanc71]

RIP Bob Holness, you were and always will be a legend in tv history.

Still raises a smile, at the imortal line 'i'll have a P please Bob'

[AntoG1986]

I'll have a P please Bob!

Don't remember too much of it as a kid, but surely EVERYONE knows this theme. I always thought the Jive thing was stupid though.

[ShitbagsGroup]

this is amazing and all, but it really doesn't suit a quiz show intro

[duannejacksonbox]

great theme!!!!!!

[SpicyDragonWings]

I'll have a T please Bob, closely followed by a P.

[Max404s]

This reminds me of loading of the days when I started loading a game from tape on my Commodore 64 while I watched Blockbusters, before switching the aerial cable when it was finished.

[ELCNUmorFnaMehT]

Blade Runner wishes it looked and sounded as good as the Blockbusters intro

[ROTSSisalive]

this show is being revived apparently

[sjsharp2007]

@ROTSSisalive yes it is by Challenge they'er looking for nwe contestants at the moment

[mocyoung]

@sjsharp2007 Contestant applications have finished and auditions will occur in the new year.

[MrPopquorn]

Absolute choon!

[Cohortrohoc]

What was the similar progamme on the other channel at the same time and presented by a woman?

[Modrophonic]

On Repeat. Forever. LOVE IT

[nedster01]

Bob's a Legend!

[M1K3YC]

can i have a P please bob

[cujo9]

remember this winter evenings..couple of hours after school sitting back with my egg chips and peas.

[TriathDreamer]

"Sodding bloody Blockbusters! Oh, isn't Grange Hill about to start?"

[cisco9x]

Where can I find the spoof version with the G'et up stand' up ch4 team?

[MerdogProductions]

"Please welcome the host of Blockbusters - Zeus." :-)

[DavesFoundYerScooer]

Can i have an E please Bob?

[mpw180]

when i wathced this on tv, i always thought the intro was very futuristic. lookin at the intro on here, im still thinkin the exact same thing

[joseph85delaney]

Fucking A!

[officialmashitup]

How the fuck did they do this with 1980's technology?! It's ludicrously good...

[79Digi7aL]

@officialmashitup i was thinking the exact same thing.

[mpw180]

brings back memories

[bedfordcrusader]

i'll have a P please Bob..perhaps a shit too

[TimothiusOdin]

I find the Funk guitar/Harpsichord section at 0:19 easy to chew vigorously to.

[harrycrumblebumble]

the best show ever now back on challenge!

[lgarvey]

I'll have a P please Bob

[cuntylishus]

I used to go fucking mental when this tune came on. I was a hyperactive child.

[cupcakefairy87]

Great intro. It looks like a scene from a science fiction or comic book film like Superman or the X-Men. Although this was the 1980s, this intro to Blockbusters was futuristic for the time.

[antster1983]

@cupcakefairy87 It starts off being all Blade Runner. Though what Blade Runner has to do with answering questions is beyond me ;o) Where's Harrison Ford when you need him?

Okay from Blade Runner we enter some corridor heading to a boss's office. Then we smash into the big game board and go into the studio. We fly over Bob Holness' head and stand face-to-face with Zeus.

Makes no sense whatsoever. But what a fuckin' badass title sequence! :oD

[francotron2000]

Its looks like some 80's Arnie movie.

[bertyUK]

UK TV used to be so good and THOUGHT PROVOKING.

That City in the opening credits looks fantastic.

[thepod96]

@bertyUK Because a cheap daytime gameshow on ITV was really thought provoking, unlike say, QI...

[bertyUK]

@thepod96

I'm talking ABOUT UK TELEVISION IN GENERAL.

It's appalling.

[Jarren202]

@bertyUK Prime time television has always been mediocre. How do you think it's supposed to appeal to a mass audience?

It's ridiculous to suggest that TV was any more "thought provoking" back in the 80's than it is now.

Sure, we've got a lot of crap on TV now, especially on a Saturday night.

But what about 3-2-1? What about Duty Free? What about Jim'll Fix It? Not exactly programs to provoke much thought, deep or otherwise.

[bertyUK]

@thepod96

Secondly, are you a NewLabour voter i wonder.

[thepod96]

@bertyUK What was the "firstly"? No I'm not a NewLabour voter, considering the fact that there is no such party as "NewLabour". I was just saying the obvious. Blockbusters was a good ITV daytime show but it was hardly thought provoking like, say, QI. How does that make me a "NewLabour" voter?

[CraneProductions27]

I love this show. It was brilliant and the Gold Run was an extra treat to watch. That theme tune is so catchy.

'Blockbusters' is being shown on Challenge at 4pm Mondays - Fridays and weekends at 5pm.

[joseph85delaney]

is he still alive?

[Matthewj4x]

@joseph85delaney Absolutely!

He has been since the 1920s!

[cjthomas89]

4 people don't even know how to do a Gold Run.

[cjthomas89]

Wow, I miss this. Blockbusters was one of my favorites when I was a kid. Everytime I even see a hexagon, it always reminds me of this show

[citizenjlk]

this always meant that the cartoon's were over :(

[citizenjlk]

scifi city, ufo's flying around, 3 old dudes in stone.... epic intro

[chrisjoyce87]

If this show comes back to Challenge next week , would be Epic!

[adz3141592654]

sounds like ur flying through space exploring other galaxies and shit star trek style

[jr2nd]

brilliant show, allways remember the clip when a student said orgasm instead of organism as an answer lol

[MrTeejaysingh]

i was never really interested in this, but then i forced my self to watch it because i knew the A-Team was on after, and didnt want to miss a second.. can i have an "E" please bob!!! lol

[AlannTH]

Im sure this version was early 90s?

[Cerebralator]

I used to watch this!

[19STU84]

4 people didn't make it to the gold run

[19STU84]

What a theme!!!!!!!!!!

[scorchx3000]

please welcome the host of blockbusters, Bob Holness....he sure looks like Zeux.....oh wait, that's not bob.

[Uberdude25]

Haven't heard this in years, give me goosebumps.

[semlohd]

@Uberdude25 Same here!

[FergusonGames]

Imagine they brought back this intro in 3D...

[DiscoJustice]

Also, the green hexagon seems to fly underneath the strip light in the studio shot at the end. That always bugged me. I always wondered why: surely that was more difficult than having it just fly over it? That doesn't detract from how much of a surreal masterpiece this is, though.

[brandybuck1984]

Weeknights...teatime...ladies and gentlemen it is 1989! And I think you'll find it's fish fingers and MASH for tea (WITH PEAS!)

[bjoevans]

In answer to Elberto - 'we' are... or were LEGS productions based in Manchester, we made the title sequence - not the music. No computer animation here - all the buildings and city were made from card and reflective / mirrored coatings , lights added inside and then we built a miniature version of the studio set. It was all shot with a motion control rig. A long time ago but happy days when stop frame was the norm.

[DiscoJustice]

@bjoevans Great info, thanks! Just curious about a couple of things: the glowing/flying hexagon spaceships thingies: were these not CG? Were they some kind of seperately filmed element that was overexposed (for the glow) and comped in to the other footage? Kudos on the studio miniature. I wouldn't have known! Oh, also, one other question: what was the thinking behing the title sequence? It's kind of insane. A Balderunner-esque dystopia ruled by hexagons. Earth consumed by a solar flare. Genius.

[ElBerto]

@bjoevans Thanks for that info mate, what can I say except I am really impressed and fascinated! I don't remember being particularly bothered at the time, but now as I'm a 35yo 80s child, I love it.

[crayzemotherfuker]

top tune thats why anyone got a xtended version

[ElBerto]

I love this. And I can't stop playing it. Any idea why? :)

[joannalexus1]

my mam is making us all nuggets again just as dad comes in from work!

[bjoevans]

We made this at Legs productions in Manchester 1987!

[ElBerto]

@bjoevans Who's 'we'?

[thefranksterboy]

What was it with the stonemen in the studio background, just wondering?

[thefranksterboy]

You can't beat Classic British TV

[keshihead07]

4 people want a 'P' please, Bob :D

[wwe697]

classic quiz show

[freeridesyndicate123]

oh my god its high quality

[wwe697]

after school is no fun without blockbusters

[brandybuck1984]

Brings back memories of childhood teatimes! Fish fingers, mash and peas!

[jongredic]

Didn't they do a Champion Blockbusters version where the contestants' faces appeared in the hexagons or am I totally wrong about that? I miss this show so much. There's a definite link between Blockbusters ending and the planet officially going down the pan.

[tyrerman]

can I have a P please Bob

[capokhatpin]

this theme would not look ou of place in todays tv.....it was way ahead of its time

[falkerhard]

@capokhatpin and still funky. I hear they will re-release this on mp3 from an itunes near you.

[chriseurosong]

Right guys. It's official. TV in the 1980s was better than it is in the 2010s. We all need to switch off, and deman that we won't watch again until TV is restored to its former glory!

[BuddyFantastic]

@chriseurosong Funnily enough i agree........telly is going down the pan.

[Scrabbler27]

Nothing can beat ALL the originals and even the music, hosts and everything that comes with it!

[Glenn1967ful]

This was actually repeated on Border a few years after it finished and was still worth watching.

[FHachicho123]

Bring back Blockbusters with Bob Holness because he is a better host than Liza Tarbuck

[FHachicho123]

Bring back Blockbusters with Bob Holness because he is a better host than Liza Tarbuck

[RTWUROTTS]

My Dad and i used to see who could answer !

[Eddie0912]

It is one of the classics from the 1980's - no doubt about it! How do I know - I was on it in 1985 with a girl from our school.

[earthsunlover]

my favorite... thanks

[culttelevision]

The statues were designed to represent 'Great Thinkers'. It was part of the original set. You can see Zeus, Beethoven and other icons of intelligence.

[culttelevision]

This is the original and best version of the theme. The reason there might be similarities in sounds and writing style to Knightmare is that the same composer wrote both tracks - Ed Welch. Also around the same time. (Blockbusters in 1983, Knightmare in 1987)

[Cathain78]

Bob and Blockbusters were absolute legends of 80's tv.

[gaypanda]

This so takes me back to my childhood, quite literally I was only 5 when this first dissappeared from the air and back then I was hooked, running from nursery/school to watch Blockbusters on Central!

Happy Days - it was the first gameshow I got hooked on.

[aQSteve]

They just don't make TV like this anymore. Bring it back and DON'T Change it at all.

[sjsharp2007]

@aQSteve I know they don't and yeah ITV should bring this back don't think they will though as for host though I doubt Bob would come back but there are one or 2 people who I think could do a decent job if they were given the chance. I certainly could see Des Lynamo r somebody like that presenting a new version of the show but keep the theme music and look

[Eddie0912]

@aQSteve you're right it IS one of the best telly shows ever - I was on it in 1985

[AidanLunn]

I can still remember hearing this in NICAM stereo in the early 90s - I'm sure they added "whoosing" effects to this sequence when the hexagons flew past, so you'd actually hear them pass from one speaker to the other or from one speaker to both (if they then flew straight in front of the camera). It sounded brilliant!

[theasdaprice]

This was a brilliant intro for Blockbusters and was proberbly the most advanced intro sequence of it's time. Fron what I read, the intro was based on Bladerunner, as I have seen comments about it below. They should bring back Bob, the brilliant intro and best of all the hand jive at the end!

[28cuteguy]

this was when tv theme music was good. to match 80's music not the crap we have now.

[RideableLlama]

Reminds me of Blade Runner every time I see this, and that's a good thing

[TorchwoodUK]

@RideableLlama I know what you mean, the shapes (forgot the name) flying though the city, suggest some sort of future city, just need to come up with a storyline

[sjsharp2007]

@TorchwoodUK Hexagons I believe and yeah this was TV at it's best modern TV programmers should be taking note about TV programs this is how I think it should be done not silly soaps all the time

[AidanLunn]

@TorchwoodUK they are hexagons because they have six sides. "hex" = six.

pentagon = 5 sides, hexagon = 6, septagon (or heptagon) = 7, octagon = 8, nonagon - 9, decagon = 10.

[TorchwoodUK]

@AidanLunn thanks

[sjsharp2007]

@AidanLunn yep that's right

[MidlandNinja]

this was used from 1987 to the end

[eagledean]

this has got to b the best game show intro ever!,the music is the tits!,im proud to remember this.

[petemacarthur]

What were those weird, statue-type carvings on the wall of the set all about, I wonder?

[allypuss]

people of some note or intelligence I should think. They look like greek gods. Great times.

[cbraxxas]

Indeed. Of the ones I remember were Isaac Newton and Winston Churchill among others. The centrepiece figure was Zeus though, obviously. I read they were made from polystyrene and modelled with a hot wire. Must have taken some skill.

[Scrabbler27]

When I was 8 in 1988, i used to watch this after school with my older brother. I luv this music and hoppy memories back. I used to watch KNIGHTMARE, BLUEPETER & TEABAG too in that era

[Mapantz1]

You've practically written everything i would of said, even being born in 1980 :O

[Akademmy]

Yeah. This has got to be one of the all time best theme tunes ever - Definitely of a game show.

[MrArnold1972]

did we all know that dear old bob holness was also the first james bond.on radio of course.

[97channel]

True story, Bob Holness is dyslexic. So to avoid the problems which his condition may have caused during Blockbusters, he would memorise every single question in every single show, beforehand.

No bull, I promise.

[djnemesisuk]

for being such a old geeky show, the graphics and music at the start were well ahead of its time lol Quality tune!

[jasbk]

even today you'd be hard pressed to find a better into sequence.

[oiluvit]

childhood mem alert!

[bryemycaz]

Schools finished. Its Fish Fingers and Chips for Tea

[matt9741399]

@bryemycaz I hope not, I might have to through a tantrum! (as was my usual response to Fish Fingers back in the day)

[cheekyleopard]

@bryemycaz

Artic roll for pudding? Maybe some soda-stream pop before bed?!

[bryemycaz]

@cheekyleopard of couse except after a Soda Stream sleep was out of the question due to the sugar rushes :D

[cheekyleopard]

@bryemycaz

lol. Then i would turn on my pac-man video game and play that!

[85hellopeople]

@bryemycaz that's just scary, reminds me of the same thing :-)

[twocvbloke]

This version of the blockbusters theme is the best version ever, you can't beat it!!! :D

[disneydanny2]

@twocvbloke yeah. it's even better than the theme for the U.S. version

[RiFFxxx]

Always reminds me of rainy November evenings, getting home from school soaked and starving for your dinner.

[rollingcube]

I love a P Bob

[huggy176]

does anyone have the full version without the talking so i can use it as my ring tone?

[tosspot86]

i have to say the graphics on the intro are way ahead of its time

[bastardtubeuser]

it all used to be like that, stunning stuff.

[Infiltrator666]

looks like the capital of planet Krypton or somethin!

[SegaMegadriveMic]

I call it the City of Hectar lol

[Delta10666]

@Infiltrator I think it was supposed to suggest the game was out of this world or something.

TBH the game itself was incredibly boring but I always tuned in just to see this beginning bit as the graphics and music were legendary.

[boffindude]

lol i can just imagine........muse-the resistance :P im feelin the blockbusters vibe on the new album cover

[LollieSmith]

P PLS

[Kel09LFC]

the theme tune in history of television!!!

[tosspot86]

awesome theme song awesome show, fuck liza tarbuck and her version, crappy theme crappy show, bob holness owns this show

[ScrewAttackEurope]

This theme was done by the same guy who did the theme to Knightmare did ye know?

[highsco]

He also did the themes for Catchphrase & All clued up..

[jazzx251]

@ScrewAttackEurope

Hmm - yess - they do sound sort of similar in terms of the sounds and chords used.

Although this is in 4/4 while Knightmare was in 6/8. Knightmare reminds me of Airwolf for that reason I think (both in 6/8).

[AllowExpression]

Do you know how difficult it is to make something this cool? : p

Awesome tune, awesome imagery. Thumbs up, A++++++++++++++++++++

[gullivera]

ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY HEXAGONS!

[thecrazyanto]

awesome,best theme song ever!

[bally28]

yeah but dare you to blast it out of your 80's car ghetto blaster while your kerb crawling.

[welshfilmbuff]

This intro looks really big budget by 80's standards!

[neildKoR]

Ah, just one of many great game shows that was slightly less epic than the intro would have us believe.

[MadHobbit]

Can I have a P please bob (entire studio starts laughing)

[4564987]

this intro makes me spaz out in a moronic rave.

[welshman16]

hahaha! i agree with you there bud, blankety blank and this are such comical intros!

[essexbred1986]

Does anybody got any idea of what that glowing planet is at the beginning?

[AidanLunn]

Earth including all the clouds.

[mwiafe]

errm earth maybe

[ScrewAttackEurope]

It's third-earth from ThunderCats.

[filtermadg]

reminds me of the film Tron

[ph1980]

What is with Challenge these days?

Endless repeats of the Price is Right and Who wants to be a millionaire, and obscure American game shows I'm not certain will have got that much of an audience in the US.

We need more of these classics on there.