Who did the theme tunes for series 4 and 6?
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I adore the original 1987 theme tune, composed by the brilliant Ed Welch (Blockbusters, Catchphrase etc.). For me, this was the best and definitive version of the tune, and one of the things that made Knightmare so special.
In series 4, the theme tune was updated (this was many people's favourite version), and then updated again for series 6. But who was responsible for the updated themes?
I used to assume that Ed himself was behind all 3 versions, but now that I'm more familiar with his work, I don't think the later versions sound like his style. Plus, Ed's name is not in the credits from series 4 onwards. In fact, no credit is given for music.
Does anyone know?
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Welcome back, GrandDizzy. Since you last posted here, Hordriss has appeared in a Dizzy fangame and the Oliver Twins have played Knightmare Live!
You ask a good question which sadly we don't know the answer to. A shame The Quest didn't have an article about the 1992 theme tune remix as that might have given us the name(s).
I seem to recall that when Catchphrase returned a few years ago, the first new series didn't credit Ed Welch as the theme tune composer. He's now credited alongside the other composers/remixers.
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Hey, thanks for the reply and warm welcome, Drassil
This forum seems to have gone quiet over the past couple of years. That's a shame! My heart beats just as strongly for Knightmare as it did 30 years ago, perhaps even stronger.
I guess those ever-elusive Knightmare DVDs are looking pretty unlikely now. Though at least we now live in an age where people can see episodes and documentaries on YouTube, if nothing else. I still have a few recordings from Challenge too.
I didn't know about Hordriss appearing in the Dizzy game! That's cool (The game is "Dizzy and Seymour - Kingdom Gems", apparently.)
I wasn't sure if anyone would recognise my username here, but I should have known this was exactly the place for it to be recognised! Knightmare… Dizzy… Catchphrase All beloved to computer lovers who grew up in the 80s LOL
As a musician myself, Ed Welch is such a hero to me. I actually hate all the subsequent re-arrangements of the Catchphrase theme tune! I also love all the short background tunes he made for the show. They were all so good.
I love Hordriss / Clifford Norgate. In particular, I love evil Hordriss, as I'm primarily a series 3 fan. I wish series 3 had ran for 8 series!
If we Knightmare fans are allowed to say "kids TV isn't as good as it used to be" then I should be fully entitled to say "Knightmare series 4–8 isn't as good as it used to be" LOL
There was so much good stuff in the later series, but the big thing for me is I didn't like the move away from hand-drawn illustrations. David Rowe's illustrations had a beauty that was lost with the switch to photography and CGI.
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I didn't know about Hordriss appearing in the Dizzy game! That's cool (The game is "Dizzy and Seymour - Kingdom Gems", apparently.)
Yes. After playing it, I pointed out to Yolkfolk.com that Hordriss hadn't been credited. They should now have rectified that. I then learned that Treguard appeared in Dizzy fangames too: Magic Maniax 6 and Christmas Chaos Dizzy. Not forgetting the superb Knightmare Dizzy, which you already know about.
I wish series 3 had ran for 8 series!
If it had, we may not have been able to appreciate it so much, at the time or nostalgically. Tim Child's view (expressed in his History of Knightmare) that Series 3 marked 'the limit of what could be achieved either with computer or paintbrush' helps to explain why he took such a different approach for Series 4. If he wasn't an innovator, he wouldn't have created Knightmare in the first place.
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I'm all for innovation, and I applaud Tim Child for his convention-defying vision and bold ideas.
Don't get me wrong, I really did like series 4 onwards, and thought there were some great ideas. Really, it was just the visuals which I think let it down. Not only the move away from hand-illustration, but also the quality of the photo retouching. It looked so gritty, grainy, posterised, and sometimes had an unfortunate "freeze-frame" video look.
Another issue was the digital lighting. In the early series, I thought the digital lighting was excellent, making great use of light and shade, reminiscent of theatrical stage lighting. But in series 4 onwards, the lighting started to look "flat", as though it was a different guy doing the digital lighting.
Actually, perhaps you can answer another question I have… I swear I remember seeing a CITV documentary in the late 80s about digital effects, which (briefly) showed how they did the digital lighting on Knightmare. I'm sure it was hosted by Rolf Harris, though I could have got that wrong.
No matter how hard I search, I just can't find any trace of this documentary. This isn't helped by the Rolf Harris criminal scandal, which has consumed the search results.
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Could it be Kellyvision from 1988?
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Could it be Kellyvision from 1988? https://www.knightmare.com/articles/unseen/641-knightmare-on-kellyvision
Ah, yes! I'm pretty sure that was what I remembered! Thanks.
No idea where I got Rolf Harris from, although the computer graphics artist in the video is Robert Harris… so maybe that name lodged into my brain!? LOL
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Then of course we have Harris aka Lord Fear dressed as Hordriss dressed as a beggar in series 6! That also sticks in the mind somewhat!
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