No. 73: Opening Titles: 1983

[aodgabelogan]

All i can remember about this is some game they played where they had to make sandwiches.

[ukmotortalk]

Back in the days when everyone had either a Questech or Quantel box flying stuff all over the place - and then they discovered page turns..

Great vid - lovely to see it again.. :-)

[pufferfishish]

HEY YOU!!

:)

[abhard6]

Used to listen to the intro and even turn over to BBC1, found no73 crap if I'm honest

[MRDA2611]

Kim Goody was fit.

[supahdupahguy81]

& i'm pretty sure Neil Buchanan from Art Attack presented this at one time as well....

might be remembering it wrong tho..

[londonoverground]

@supahdupahguy81 i know you wrote this a while ago but I think you're thinking of motormouth

[supahdupahguy81]

when did the stop showing this???

coz i definitely remember watching this show....

not in 1983 tho obviously......i was like 1 then..

[RetroGirl1974]

WOAH... just opened the door to my past there!!! (no pun intended, lol)

[TheNimon1]

Hve you got the Opening titles to the last series when it was 7T3?

[ClubberLogan]

I was crushed as a kid when they took Tiswas off theair for this crap

[RetroGirl1974]

@ClubberLogan God it was crap wasn't it!!! ;)

[ossyrefugee]

Had a big job on to replace Tiswas. Never got within a million miles of achieving it.

[Emotion22]

I went to the studio in maidstone because my Dad was friends with the director...The door was amazing....lol and i met that bird with the red hair who was always on roller skates...bet she had a few accidents behind the scenes...The director was Mr Paul Cole :)

[Emotion22]

I went to the studio in maidstone because my Dad was friends with the director...The door was amazing....lol and i met that bird with the red hair who was always on roller skates...bet she had a few accidents behind the scenes...The director was Mr Paul Cole :)

[Scottishgal78]

Didn't Frank Sidebottom appear on this quite a few times? The guy that wore that papier-mache head died from cancer so I heard on Chris Moyles show this morning - how sad :(

[bigdave6777]

i want this series released on dvd

[morrisgal31]

@bigdave6777 hi so do i omg loved it x

[duncanparsons]

oh wow, now does that bring back memories or what! thx for posting :-)

[wpinklady]

anyone remember the Sandwich Quiz??

[hokey8dobbie]

everybody thought i made ths up fuck u gary bell

[s1977spw]

first few seasons of number 73 were good then in turned crap when it changed to 7T3 :)

[kabogga]

Apparently the filming schedule for this show was so gruelling that it turned Sandi (Ethel) Toksvig, lesbian. ;-)

[webbhead92]

This brings back memories. Of crap telly.

Get Fresh was better.

And Saturday Superstore.

An Tiswas.

An Live an Kicking. (bit after my time that one, actually).

An Going Live.

But it was better than Swap Shop.

[Scottishgal78]

Was Get Fresh that one that had Gilbert the Alien with the runny nose all the time lol (weird character!)

[webbhead92]

Yup. He's on here somewhere.

[eclectica1]

@Scottishgal78

Yes. Truly gross, that was!!!!!!!!!!!

[eclectica1]

@webbhead92

Don't say that!!!!!!!! This was good.

[radiodarkhorse]

Hearing and seeing the TVS logo again reminds me of watching CATS eyes.

Thanks for posting this though, havent seen it in a while

[ZZZapJohnnyII]

I know all the words to this -blush

[wendyjanuary]

awsome I remember the theme music. I didnt know it was TVS that the show was on. My aunt & Uncle used to live down the road from the studios!!

DOES ANYBODY REMEMBER THE SANDWICH QUIZ!!

[JAYROX1969]

YES!!!

[alexanderconnolly]

Ahh the Saturday mornings, way way back in the day..Thanks for posting this..No73 and swapshop were always what started off the weekend along with crackerjack (Stu Francis oo I coud crush a grape) on Fridays....

[Regalseven]

Where is ( or where was ) number73?. I suppose it has fallen victim to the same fate like so many other great televisual institutions from years passed, like as Fawltey Towers. It has been delolished to make way for bland office blocks or appartment buildings etc.

[AidanLunn]

I don't even think it was a real location - just a set in the Maidstone studios.

[eclectica1]

7T3 was shite...I've tried to erase that monstrosity from my memory in order to keep this in my head...

[dazloveskylie]

I was on this programme when I was younger - I loved it so much! I got something from 'the junk trunk' I got a mug and a badge because I painted my bedroom door the same as the No73 door.... and its still the same today as I reach 40! LOL! I still have the sound of my 'mention' as I recorded it on to cassette (long before the days of a video recorder in my house!) Made my day to see this!

[wendyjanuary]

you were on the show!! cool!!! I was on the 8:15 from Manchester on a phone in . I only did it because I fancied Ross King!!

[jackdanveggie]

i wrote into this show on two seperate occasions and the reply's they sent me was exactly the same .... i felt cheated , still loved the show though

[miraoister]

when did 73 stop being on TV?

[pipoo1]

Strictly speaking the last episode was 2nd Jan 1988, however in reality it became a new show (same cast,different set) 7T3 which ended April 1988.

No. 73 is one of those rare shows that became too big for its own good. TVS just didn't have the studio space to accommodate its increasingly huge set, which like any other drama was permanently standing. They tried to relocate it to a custom built outdoor lot (like Corrie),but they changed the format at the same time and the show was never the same.

[ian4kylieandlego]

hi, there 7T3 stopped in march 1988

[southamptongayguy]

i used to watch no 73 on saturday mornings,the childrens programs now are no where near as good as as then

[charlieboy7t5]

Was this the show that Neil Buchanan was on who then went on to make Art Attack

[SweetStevieAaron]

Yep.

[pinki4u]

I vaguely remember it.was it on Saturday mornings with rentaghost??

I know i loved it anyway x

[bobross95]

Rentaghost was BBC, No 73 was ITV.

[SweetStevieAaron]

TheMeakers... Wow. Incredible this footage you have!

I could barely remember this show at all (being under 5 when it first started) but I did remember the name of the show AND that red door and now, after all these years, I can prove that it DID exist! (Amazing what sticks with you!)

Didn't Frank Sidebottom appear on this once? I may be thinking of Motormouth or something. And do you have any footage from '7T3'?!

Hopefully it's not the end of Saturday kid's shows but it probably is.

[TheMeakers]

The front of the postcards were shot on a rostrum camera, and the film archive came from various sources. They were then dubbed on to a one inch VTR tape, along with the Maidstone studio shots of the door and letterbox opening.

This tape with all the components was sent to Visions who compiled the sequence using a DVE. By the late 80s, TVS had their own DVE and could have created the titles in-house!

I have the said tape somewhere!

[fraserkatie]

Cool! I love hearing stories like that! I know it's sad but I always wanted to be in that house when I was growing up! LOL!

[fraserkatie]

One question for you "The Meakers", how did Visions create the flying postcard on the front door sequence?

[TheMeakers]

Yes, and 85 and 86.

Series 2 had the Southampton door which was slightly different! (4 prongs on the fan-light)

[ChucklesWickedly]

One more question: who's performing it? I always thought Kim probably did the backup vocals.

[TheMeakers]

"Hey You", by Andy Wilson

[stuartshame]

@TheMeakers Oh my GOD!  How sad are you?!

[ChucklesWickedly]

Did they use these titles in 1984 as well? I know they had clips of the show on the postcards from 1985 on.