[2k9david2k10]

ewwwwwwwww cheap but iam liking seeing the pussy back

[Jords]

I like it, but I think its a bit over-done, but woop for the ginger cat!

[Scarlett.]

[Mrluvaluva]

The titles seem to have a misty renaissance over them. Looks very nostalgiac. I actually like the pigeons and the obligatory cat. Would not be the same without them.

[Scarlett.]

I really like them now, they fit the show better than classic titles

[Callum]

I like the new font that Coronation Street is in

[Scarlett.]

Me too, I love the title card as a whole xD the roofs of Corrie are iconic

[Scarlett.]

I wonder if the tram will be a new staple of the opening titles?

[Shaun]

I'm sure in the old one the cat used to meow

[Scarlett.]

Originally Posted by Shaun

I'm sure in the old one the cat used to meow

It did I think xD I didnt like how non-diagetic (background) sounds were included in the opening it made the theme tune sound weird

[ILoveTRW]

they were just on granada reports, pretty **** tbh

[Scarlett.]

Bigger screenshots

[Scarlett.]

From Ian Wylies' blog

"With yet more variations for ad breaks etc – some at night, some depicting different weather and seasons – also being filmed. "

[Scarlett.]

The funniest thing is some people are going mental over the small change to the theme with posts like "IT'S BEEN THE SAME FOR 50 YEARS" ...no it hasnt :s

[Ruth*Star]

They're nice. I love the Ginger Cat, Adorable.

[Scarlett.]

Apparently this ones name is Charlie

[hotleggs]

its better like that , but i will miss the two cats lol

[Mrluvaluva]

We've come to expect the licensee of the Rovers Return to be brassy blonde or brunette.

But when it came to tests for Coronation Street's transformation into a thoroughly modern High Definition soap, it turned out that Liz McDonald's neckline was perhaps a little too plunging for modern technology.

“Lots of our characters wear lots of bling and Liz McDonald is one of them,” explains the soap's head of production, Clare Winnick with a smile. “Liz was wearing a necklace and our eyes were constantly being drawn down to her cleavage!

“That wouldn't have been a good thing, so it was just one of the many things that we had to think about changing.”

Clare is giving me a whistle-stop tour of Weatherfield ahead of the soap's debut tonight as a fully-fledged High Definition serial drama.

What it will mean for viewers with a HD telly tuned into the ITV1 HD channel is a far clearer and more vibrant view of life in and around the Rovers.

For the team making the programme, however, it presented the challenge of bringing the soap's 28-year-old set up to scratch.

“With traditional television, the picture on the screen wouldn't have been clear enough to show that some parts of the set weren't quite what they seemed,” Clare adds.

“HD changes that – the pictures are so much clearer that we have to take care that viewers will still be convinced by what we see on screen.”

Clare starts out by taking me into alley way which runs at the rear of Coronation Street.

New removable “brick walls” made out of fibre glass have been built between the back yards to replace less convincing plastic predecessors.

We leave the alley way and emerge through an entry at the side of the Rovers Return, where grey plastic bricks have been replaced by the real thing.

Up above us an “iron bridge”, which looks totally real on a standard definition screen, is clearly made out painted wood when seen by the naked eye and is on the list of items which will also be changed.

Perhaps most iconic of all, the chimney stacks lined up along the roof of the Coronation Street terrace have all had to be rebuilt using the same fibre glass as was used to make the garden walls.

“The originaly chimneys just didn't look right at all in HD,” adds Clare, pointing towards one of the world's most famous rooftops. “They stood out like a sore thumb.”

Just around the corner, opposite Elliot and Son's butchers shop in Victoria Street, builder Paul Farrell is hard at work on another part of the set.

It's a little surreal to see an actual builder at work on constructing a fake TV builder's yard, but Claire explains that Paul's work is another necessary part of the transformation towards HD.

“It was made from plastic bricks before and it didn't look right,” Clare adds. “It will be much more convincing now.”

As well as the range of small construction projects in and around Coronation Street, the soap's technical team has also been applying new coats of paint here and there to freshen up the set.

But it hasn't just been the set itself which has left the Coronation Street cast and crew scratching their heads – the soap's props, make-up and costume people have also had to adapt to the changes too.

Test footage was shot to ensure that all of the actors were comfortable were happy with the way they would look in HD.

“In some cases we discovered that cast members actually needed less make-up,” Clare adds. “We now also have to far more conscious of things like a little bit of dandruff, which would show up on screen.

“Many of our characters are quite 'bling' and we're had to be careful that the clothes and jewellery they wear aren't too distracting.

“The point is that people should be able to concentrate on what the character is saying and the emotions that they are portraying. We don't want their eyes to be drawn to an item of clothing or jewellery.”

Coronation Street's props people now have an entirely new set of challenges too.

Some of the food being served up in Roy's Rolls was clearly made of plastic when seen in HD and has had to be replaced with real food while better quality alternatives can be found.

“You can guess what happens to it when the filming is completed,” Clare adds. “Yes, that's right, the crew eat it!”

The same goes for produce in the Coronation Street shops.

The better quality pictures also mean that the soap has to be careful about the magazines and newspapers which Weatherfield's residents keep on their coffee tables.

For obvious reasons, the soap's makers now have to be even more careful about the words and pictures which are seen on screen. They even go to the extent of producing their own gossip magazine, Chit-Chat.

Not only does Coronation Street usher in a new era tonight, but viewers wil also see the show's brand new HD title sequence for the first time.

They even went to the trouble of finding a replacement ginger cat which would look good on screen.

And just as the proof of Betty's Hot Pot is in the eating, Clare says that cast and crew were excited to sit down and see a preview screening of tonight's episode, particularly as it marks the beginning of the big factory seige storyline.

“Going HD was a huge thing for us because the soap is such a juggernaut,” Clare adds.

“Everyone was absolutely delighted, including Helen Worth, who plays Gail, and was there for the screening. It really is an exciting time for Coronation Street.

“But people shouldn't be worried about the soap suddenly looking all glitzy, it's not that kind of show. It should hopefully look even more real than it already did.”


MEN

Will be interesting to watch it in HD tonight.

[Smithy]

Boo, I don't have ITV HD D;

Does ITV plater go HD tonight too? Because If it does Ill watch it online in HD

[Kerry]

Hate the new titles. Looks like someone on the ales took the camera

[Scarlett.]

Originally Posted by Chewy

I wonder if the tram will be a new staple of the opening titles?

Not bloody likely!

CARTOON DEIDRE TIEM!

[Scarlett.]

Originally Posted by Smithy

OMG

These can't become out dated quickly either, because it doesn't focus on specific houses!

Except they have, only four months later...that makes them out of date by October!

[Smithy]

Booooo

[Scarlett.]

I think we will get a new set by next year at least, I wouldn't be too surprised if they went back to the old Corrie theme either xD

[Smithy]

I think these were done to sorta make it seem new, but cheaply because they knew about the tram crash, so when they create new ones they can create decent ones