Did ITV's Catch Phrase use Amiga graphics for a few years?

[Foebane]

I used to watch this game show a lot, and I think they used Amigas for a long while in the early 1990s, as I recognised them immediately, with rushed DPaint jobs and lots of dithering in the shading (it was OCS/ECS). Then, in the late 1990s, they were replaced with PC VGA graphics with lots of shades in the graphics. They were really both recognisable.

It was also during the Amiga years that the show's most famous gaffe, Snake Charmer, occurred. Watch this Amiga comedy and laugh your socks off:

[ Show youtube player ]

[Higgy]

Ha ha.
I also thought this back in the day. Certainly had that AMIGA graphics vibe.

Ah good old Mr Chips. Simpler times.

[Keithmac]

Needed a good laugh today, thanks for that!.

Remember back in the day the graphics looked very Amiga-esque.

[jotd]

hilarious. Note that there's a censored version on YT where they seemed to have photoshopped the animation...

The "back & forth" effect can be found on "Son of Stag" series too

[stevelord]

I remember reading something about this not too long ago. As far as I remember they did use Amigas earlier on. I think I read it in one of the Amiga mags on Archive.org but I'm not sure.

[Amigajay]

https://archive.org/details/amiga-co...e+titles+amigaHere you go:

[Paul_s]

^ makes an appearance just after 2m and 4m10s mins below

The Amiga pointer was iconIC How cool would it be if someone redrew the icons from The Chart Show for MagicWB or something?

[ Show youtube player ]

[Foebane]

That Amiga magazine article mentioned another game show, Catchword, which I guess is this:

[ Show youtube player ]

Those could be Amiga graphics, but they look more high-end, as I think the magazine specifies.

[rabidgerry]

Always thought they looked like Amiga graphics also, but I would never have really known. Back when Saturday night TV was a highlight of the weekend! Those days are long gone now!

I believe Catchword was a daytime tv show, vaguely remember it.

Reading that article posted as well, did not realise the graphics in the kids show Knightmare were also Amiga! Loved that show a lot when I was a kid!

[rothers]

Originally Posted by rabidgerry

Reading that article posted as well, did not realise the graphics in the kids show Knightmare were also Amiga! Loved that show a lot when I was a kid!

I don't think Knightmare used an Amiga which does call in to question the rest of that article...

[Foebane]

Originally Posted by rothers

I don't think Knightmare used an Amiga which does call in to question the rest of that article...

There is NO f-ing way in f-ing HELL that Knightmare, particularly the first couple of seasons, used an Amiga for those shots of the dungeon rooms. Heck, from an article I read many years ago, it turns out that they weren't CGI of any kind, but PAINTINGS. Makes sense, since the company making the show were called THE TRAVELLING MATTE.

Knightmare was a massive disappointment in the fields of innovation in CGI, or total lack thereof. The last few seasons did away with any pretension of CGI at all and simply filmed live castles with a camera whose output was then pixellated to look like CGI - really, REALLY LAME.

[alexh]

Originally Posted by rothers

I don't think Knightmare used an Amiga which does call in to question the rest of that article...

They used an Amiga 2000 + Genlock to generate the OSD, NOT the 3D environment, just the Status bar.

https://www.knightmare.com/fanzone/m...-dominics.html

[Foebane]

Originally Posted by alexh

They used an Amiga 2000 + Genlock to generate the OSD, NOT the 3D environment, just the Status bar.

https://www.knightmare.com/fanzone/m...-dominics.html

I sincerely doubt the Amiga was used for the famous "health bar" animation which shows the avatar's helmet and then flesh peeling away in pieces until only a skull remains, all accompanied by a rising heartbeat.

[alexh]

Originally Posted by Foebane

I sincerely doubt the Amiga was used for the famous "health bar" animation which shows the avatar's helmet and then flesh peeling away in pieces until only a skull remains, all accompanied by a rising heartbeat.

I think it was, but I don't know. But 3 independent sources say they used an Amiga 2000 in production.

Plus stuff like this looks very Amiga like:

[Foebane]

Originally Posted by alexh

I think it was, but I don't know. But 3 independent sources say they used an Amiga 2000 in production.

Plus stuff like this looks very Amiga like:

The scroll on the top-left corner could easily be OCS/ECS graphics, but not the hexagonal grid the player is standing on. And that half-skeleton figure on the bottom-right is something I've never EVER seen on the show, and it is not what I was talking about concerning health.

[rothers]

One of the big retro Youtube channels did a video on this, it was not an Amiga, it was some insanely powerful custom build TV production machine.

If they had an Amiga in the office it was probably just for the genlock.

[rabidgerry]

Originally Posted by Foebane

The scroll on the top-left corner could easily be OCS/ECS graphics, but not the hexagonal grid the player is standing on. And that half-skeleton figure on the bottom-right is something I've never EVER seen on the show, and it is not what I was talking about concerning health.

The health bar changed in the later series, like the last two years I think. Before that it was a face.

So the consensus is that it's lies and the article is talking shit and also the https://www.knightmare.com/?

I find that a bit weird to be honest. I just dunno why they'd bother to provide disinformation/misinformation like that.

The website in particular where it say's -

We have had lots of letters asking what sort of computer we use to draw the status boards at the top of the screen. We use the Commodore Amiga 2000 - now you know! (What's a computer? - Ed.)

I'm definitely not saying I'm some kind of expert btw I just find it weird that there is some bullshit rumour that an Amiga 2000 was used on the kids TV show Knightmare

***edit***
Some more info regarding the backgrounds and imagery throughout (not the onscreen graphics)

https://www.knightmare.com/fanzone/c...mare-1987.html