Kate Ritchie’s looking great for someone over 100.
There’s also closing titles Seven produced (matching their network presentation/continuous flow layout and font albeit in a H&A style) for international broadcasters, incl 2003 production ender which ran a long time.
But not aired in Australia IIRC and that was since around the time the company shake-up happened with Leckie taking over as CEO and setting the tone we still see to this day. They of course started opting for split-screens with smaller and fast closing credits at the bottom and network promos to the top, which they still do and slightly different on Thursdays.
Interestingly, these international versions are their master tapes uploaded to 7Plus, not as-broadcast.
Unlike say Blue Heelers which are the as-broadcast ones and the end credits for 2004, 2005 and 2006 are blank at the top and in those network pres styles. Yet H&A is internally produced, but Heelers was external via Southern Star, so you’d expect to see the opposite. Heelers’ official tapes from the production company (Banijay previously Endemol and the original Southern Star) for overseas broadcasters, DVD and streamers such as Prime don’t contain the Seven enders but a generic proper closing titles matching the opening titles.
Same with Alf who would be over 150, probably nearing 200 at this point
From memory the reasoning behind them ditching the opening titles was to allow more time for the show itself. I’m certain that former executive producer Cameron Welsh was the one who decided to remove them.
I am stunned that one was ever was put to air when the awful over enunciation of some words.
"Eeuuw nah we behlohg ta geth ahhhh…"
The current theme song makes me wanna gauge my eyes out. I really wish it would go back to the original roots. (The actual storylines) . I do watch it but not a much as I do when I’m sitting on the toilet.
That version has some really weird vowel sounds. Were they trying to sing parts of it in an American accent and failing badly?
Sounds like: “you and I forava and ava” “don’t lat me go”
That new one really is dreadful, both neighbours and Home and Away have really not been able to get their themes sung well for years.
It is astonishing how arguably both shows’ best came in the exact same era, the mid-2000s.
Neighbours’ (Janine Maunder in 2002), used until mid-2007, across three different intro styles:
and the Robertson Brothers on H&A.
I don’t know if that’s the best Neighbours theme but I do know that both Neighbours and Home & Away currently have the worst ever theme songs.
I wonder if Amy Shark would record the Home and Away theme. She already adapted one of her songs as a promo for this year. Maybe the producers can throw some coin at her and maybe get Sam Fischer to sing it too. They did a duet together.
Could be good to go back to a male and female singing the theme again.
Ah yes I redmeber the uproar of this around the time. “The Evahhhhhh” and the “Let me Gewwwww” The title production for the time itself was good, it was just the theme.
They then replaced it with this theme
I actually still think the below as a good evolution albeit shortened in length minus characters. They should go with this type of theme again and ditch the idea of having a folksy male do it.
This was 2009:
Nothing will surpass the production values of this one though, this is when TV had money and there was no actual “budget restraints”
Ah yes, that bottom video, that was after all the Sutherland family had departed (who went back to 2000), would’ve been mid-late 2005.
Henry Hunter had also departed.
And the character developments and opening titles all became confusing, there were many cast changes over that past year.
Such as Rhys Sutherland who was with Beth Hunter and the families combined, ended up all being separated again. This included Kirsty, Dani, Jade and Max. Plus Matilda Hunter and Henry. Can’t recall where Scott Hunter (who was with Hayley), Robbie Hunter (who became attached with Tasha) and Kit Hunter were living from memory at this point, as they’d all joined the cast prior to this happening in 2004.
Beth would of course then marry Tony Holden and their families combined. Including Jack and Lucas. Matilda was also there.
If opening titles don’t include character and performer names, they’re literally a waste of screen time. Simply value add nothing. And, worst, these ones have been compiled from already-produced promo shoots. They are beyond terrible.
Good credits - although I’m not sure they would have cost that much?
When “Hayley” had just been replaced, following newly married Mrs Hewitt (neé Cartwright)…
Which Seven over that early-mid 2000s period had heavily leant into along with the rest of the media frenzy, one a star of one of their dramas and the other a star of one of their sports.
Back then they would have. If you compare today’s with that back then there was actually a production budget alloyed for it. Now it’s all done only if it doesn’t take up resources.
The above titles required CGI of the surroundings. The new ones are just a point and shoot with some filters overlayed