I really do hope The Hairy Bikers get a third series, or would that be the fourth? Hmmm, not sure; the first series, which aired back in 2006, somehow became bisected by an Easter break. Still, I am moderately certain that it's one of my favourite jobs to work on having been on-board with the production from the beginning, save for the pilot episode in Portugal. Mooschool has created maps and menu graphics for Si King and Dave Myers' culinary travels in Africa, India, Mexico, Romania, Turkey, Argentina, Belgium, Morocco, Ireland and the Isle of Man! This time, for a Winter special, the Hairies are staying closer to home and exploring the North of England.Enough about them. Has anyone else noticed how many TV shows have copied the "handwritten, doodled, whoops I've spilt coffee all over my map again" style we (that's the Royal we) designed for the Hairy Bikers? No? The title sequence for "Jamie at Home" by Hello Charlie is the most recent one I've spotted. The maps in "Oz and James' Big Wine Adventure" seemed very familiar, except for the illegible medieval script font they'd used. Oh, there have been others, many others, nearly always food & drink shows and if I could remember them I'd proudly list every single one.
Anyway! Aside, from the usual maps and menus, I also updated the 'Come Home!' title graphics which time-travelled me back to my archives, software and kit of 2005 and the painful memory of the extra hours, days even, that I used to have to spend on jobs; time generally spent swearing at a CRT monitor the size of a mini-bar, waiting for renders to finish. So, if Big Bear Films are commissioned to produce another series I may have to persuade them it's time for a new title sequence. It'll be quicker than updating the old one and, you know, coffee-rings are so last year, baby.
Watch The Hairy Bikers Come Home! A Winter Special. Thursday 3rd January 8PM BBC2.
