Question Time Fault at Start

A major cock-up at the start of Question Time tonight.

The balloon was as normal,

We then cut to a VT Clock ticking down, and to black, as they do in the final few seconds, all still with balloon music.

We then got 1 second of the QT titles 'diddle' was the only bit of the tune heard, then it sharply went to black

Then a trailer started and ran for 5 seconds

We then cut to the static 'South Downs' ident, the announcer apologised.

A bit of balloon music then faded up for a couple of seconds

Then some 'music' came on.

Half a minute later, the announcer said we could now join QT

QT started with the full titles and everything now went smoothly



First time I've ever seen the 'static ident' being used as a 'fault slide'

I shoved a tape in at the last minute as always! Not really worth it; wish they'd show proper fault captions.

Oops! Looks like someone didn't use their prep time!


Was probably a false start on the recording - just as they were going for the recording maybe something happened for them to have to start again, so when Pres cued up the VT it looked OK.

Don't know what happens with QT anymore, but when I did it, it was time delayed - we 'recorded' about an hour before transmission time. Quite often there would need to be an edit in the programme for whatever reason, so back at TVC an editor worked his craft on the first half while another tape was recording the second half.

Sometimes if the edits didn't go well, it was very tight getting the second tape ready to play off the back of the first one into network - many a sweaty director came out of Presentation jumping for joy that the tape arrived 5 seconds before it was on air!

Phew

And there was me, thinking Question Time was always live!

I feel cheated and betrayed! http://web.ukonline.co.uk/tv.home/forum/emoticons/biggrin.gif

It might well be live now, I don't know, but in the Good Old days it was recorded

When I was there just before Christmas they started filming at 19.30 for a 22.35 TX. There were no problems with the episode so no editing had to be done, bar removing a naughty word uttered from the bald git sitting two seats from me!!
This episode was filmed at TVC in TC4 but I don't know how it is got to TVC if say the programme was filmed in Cardiff.

I believe all the 'Ask the Leader' Question Times for the general election were live last year. The one from Newcastle with Charles Kennedy definetely was, as I was in the audience.

I noticed last night's QT was 4:3 which is strange as pretty much every other episode since October has been 16:9.

No - it was 4:3 for a considerable part of the programme, but after a while it flicked back into 16:9 (possibly part of the error at the beginning?). It was 4:3 on analogue

i love the question time theme tune. Has anyone got it on MP3?

That theme really wouldn't work in beep budumdum. Or would it...........................................NO.

Question Time was (up to Sept) live wasn't it? I thought they changed it to recorded though after the 'special' they had not long after the WTC attacks which caused an outcry as how they treated the American guest and literally said America brought it upon themselves.

I remember a BBC News report about it and Greg Dyke apologising and saying it will be pre-recorded from then on..

Question Time has always been recorded, apart from special occasions. It's mainly done for legal reasons, in case some member of the public libels someone. The one after September 11th was live, probably because of the late scheduling of the programme. After that experiance they may not repeat the idea in the near future.