Written and Compiled by James Fabiano, Jlgarfield, and Shadeed A. Kelly
Images by Shadeed A. Kelly, V of Doom and others
Editions by Shadeed A. Kelly, V of Doom and Brendan Richards


1st Logo
(1968-1969)

Nickname: "Rising Building"

Logo: In an oval frame, a group of buildings meant to represent London quickly rises up from the middle of the screen. In the bottom half, another set of buildings rise upside down, giving the effect of a reflection. The word "THAMES" appears in both images, then disappears from the reflection, leaving the right side up word. This logo was in black and white. At first, only London got this logo. Everyone else got a plain black screen with the words "FROM THAMES."

FX: The right-side-up and upside-down buildings rising together.

Music: A loud 8-note horn fanfare, known as the 'Salute to Thames', composed by Johnny Hawksworth. The final four notes would either be played on a trumpet or a French horn.

Availability: Extinct. This was a placeholder logo made weeks before the station signed on. This was also used to plaster over the Rediffusion logo on some of the predecessor company's programs that were still reaired on ITV into the early 1970s.

Scare Factor: Low to medium due to the loud fanfare, and the scratchy-looking prints.



2nd Logo
(1969-1989)

Nicknames: "Rising Building," "Building Out of the Water," "The Benny Hill Logo"

Logo: A color version of Logo #1, now has a sky background and looks more like a reflection in the water. Slight changes in definition of the image and such were made over the years, but this is basically how the logo went.

Variants: There have been a few variations on this logo.

• The bottom reflection was distorted for a brief period of time.
• There were the closing versions, which would be the usual logo with a phrase such as "From Thames" or "From Thames in Colour." In 1973 the closing message was changed to "Thames Colour Production"
• In 1980 there was a "nighttime" version of the logo, with darkened buildings and a night sky.
• Another was a Christmas version from Teddington in Middlesex, where Thames studios were in use. It read "Merry Christmas - THAMES - Teddington."
• "The Kenny Everett Video Show" had a funny variation, as Kenny would actually burst through a large-scale version of the logo, which ripped like paper. Kenny was also responsible for an "adult" version of the logo, which replaced the buildings with women's breasts.
• In 1982 Thames added a new closing logo withouth the reflections for its Channel Four programs. Against a black background was a box with a blue/white outline of the buildings and the word "THAMES" in that. Underneath were the words "A Thames Television Production for Channel Four."
• A version with an acapella rearragement of the jingle was also used.

FX: The right-side-up and upside-down buildings rising together.

Cheesy Factor: It looked like someone was holding the picture against a mirror and sliding it up. Actually this wasn't far from the truth, according to the Thames Logo Parade website: The animated ident was created just as you would imagine. The top half of the image was laid flat and filmed from above. A sheet of foil was used to provide the reflection and was at a slight angle from the perpendicular (hence the tall vertical structures bend in towards St. Paul's dome in the reflection for a more realistic effect). Using stop-frame animation a la Wallace & Gromit, produces the appearance of movement. The skyline image didn't have the letters on it. The letters were filmed separately using the same process and then the negatives from both films were married together to produce the final effect. Treating the letters separately allowed for the reflected letters to be faded out. The Thames skyline ident was designed by Minale Tattersfield.

Music: Same as 1st logo. Time after, it was re-arranged. On the closing variant, it used the closing theme or was silent.

Music Variant: On The Kenny Everett Video Show the tune was extended slightly; there are at least two different endings that were used on the show.

Availability: Rare, at least in America. This would probably appear most often on syndicated reruns of The Benny Hill Show (or at least, though on BBC America, which hasn't reaired the show in a couple of years). It is retained on DVD releases of The Benny Hill Show, Rumpole of the Bailey, Danger Mouse, Count Duckula and the original 1970s version of The Tomorrow People to name a few.

Scare Factor: Low; the loud horn fanfare could scare some, but it's mostly harmless, being a popular logo.



3rd Logo
(1989-1992)



Nickname: "CGI Rising Building"

Logo: Against a black background a triangular shape rises from the middle of the screen. As it reveals itself, it looks kind of like an upside down Christmas tree shape (2 triangles joined together), and the upper triangle has an abstract version of the Thames waterfront scenery against a blue skyline. The lower one is gold color and contains the words "THAMES XXI." As the logo rises, it too has a reflection, though it doesn't last when it's completely formed. The Thames XXI name was for the company's 21st Anniversary (having signed on in 1968).

FX: Very good computer animation, modernizing Tattersall's "Rising Buildings" design.

Music: An orchestra version of the Thames fanfare, with a new ending. Sometimes, an announcer would say "This is Thames from London".

Availability: Extinct. Only seen in Britain as this was a special ident for Thames' 20th anniversary.

Scare Factor: Low; the new theme is a very nice update to the famous tune.



4th Logo
(1989-1992)

Nickname: "ITV Generic"

See ITV for description.



5th Logo
(1989-1992)

Nickname: "CGI Thames Triangle"

Logo: The camera goes through a three-dimensional image of London. As it pans away, one of the buildings "fades" into the ID which is now on top of a blue triangular logo. On the triangle part are the words "THAMES TELEVISION." The background is still a skyline.

SFX: Nothing really cheesy.

Music: An updated orchestral score.

Availability: This was sadly a also London-only station ID, due to the reason covered for Logo #4.

Scare Factor: Low. Negilgible due to the cross-fade from the live action to the Thames Triangle.



6th Logo
(1989-1997)

Nickname: "Thames Triangle"

Logo: Against a solid blue background is a blue and gold version of the triangular Thames logo. Below that in an italic font reads "Thames Television Production For" with the ITV logo under it. Prior to 1993, this was a still version of Logo #5 with only the "Thames Television Production" message under the Triangle.

Notes:

• In 1996, then-parent company Pearson remastered the 1973-75 documentary series The World At War with the following plastered over the original "From THAMES" and "THAMES Colour Production" cards: Following a quick montage of black and white photographs, the Thames Triangle ident (with the color removed) on a black background appears on the screen with the copyright date under it. These prints have recently been aired on BBC2; no word yet if this version has been seen in North America.
• Variations of this logo for Thames Video, Euston Films and Cosgrove-Hall Animation are still in use today.

Byline: From 1996-1997, the byline "A Pearson Television Company" was added below the triangle.

SFX: None-this is a static image.

Music: Theme music's end or silence.

Availability: Uncommon; seen on Executive Stress, the latter French Fields (2nd season onward) and Rumple of the Bailey episodes and the first five seasons of The Bill. The first version survives on current public TV rerun prints of the Mr. Bean Christmas episode.

Scare Factor: None.



7th Logo
(1992-1997)

Nickname: "Thames Video Wall"

Logo: A background consisting of various program scenes configuring themselves into a "video wall appear on the screen. As the "wall" goes out of focus, a blue and gold Thames triangle fades onto the center of the screen. This was the last Thames logo and was used on its final broadcast on December 31, 1992.

Note: After Thames lost its broadcast license to Carlton in late 1992, it refocused itself into the production company it still is today-an active part of FremantleMedia (formerly Pearson Television).

SFX: Program clips forming a video wall and then going out of focus as the Thames Triangle logo is faded in.

Music: A synthesized moderate-tempo brass and string fanfare.

Availability: Extinct. Was a London-aea only ident. Was seen on the series The Bill and This is Your Life.

Scare Factor: Low for the "video wall" formation and the screen going out of focus.



8th Logo
(1997-2002)

Nickname: "The (Pearson) Tower"

Logo: Against a black background is a tall blue box with a whitish outline of a tower. Under that are the words "THAMES" in Cooperplate Gothic Bold font and the byline "A Pearson Television Company" (later "A FremantleMedia Company" as Pearson was sold and changed its name in 2000). On coproductions, the name of the station (e.g. "For Channel Four") would be seen under the byline.

Note: Pearson Television bought Thames in 1996 after a vicious bidding war between Carlton and two investor groups.

Bylines:

• 1997-2001: A Pearson Television Company
• 2001-2002: A FremantleMedia Company

SFX: None, this is a still image.

Music: Theme music's end or silence.

Availability: Plastered over older Thames logos (primarily on British cable TV) Otherwise Uncommon in America, as recent Thames productions have rarely aired on PBS. Was also seen on The Bill among other series.

Scare Factor: Low; the tower design is quite ugly.



9th Logo
(2002-2003)

Nickname: "River Waves"

Logo: As we see waves on the surface of a river, the THAMES name in white sans-serif font is seen in the center of the screen. Like the Rising Buildings, there is a reflection given to the Thames name (in a sky-bluish shade). The byline "A FremantleMedia Company" is under this.

SFX: A still image renedered in modern CGI.

Music: Same as its predecessor-silence or the theme song's end.

Variation: On co-productions with the BBC (such as the long-running British edition of This Is Your Life), the Thames logo is seen on a black background with the BBC logo under it. Copyright notices for both are seen under the BBC Squares logo.

Availability: Not sure. Was seen on Pop Idol, The Bill, and Play Your Cards Right among others that used this logo.

Scare Factor: None.



10th Logo
(2003-2006)

Note: This logo was used during the talkbackTHAMES era before the company had it's own logo in 2006.

Logo: TBA

Variation: This logo was shared with the 19 Entertainment logo.

FX: None, it's a still logo.

Music: Just the end title from any show.

Availability: Was seen on Pop Idol, The Bill, Play Your Cards Right, Idols!, and Hardware, among others.

Scare Factor: None.