Zeppotron

Credits

Background

Zeppotron is a television production company founded in 2000 by Charlie Brooker that usually produces non-scripted comedic programmes, game shows, and sometimes drama shows. In 2002, Endemol purchased the company.

1st Logo (November 1, 2001-January 2002)

• 
• 
• 

Logo: Essentially, the logo consists of the stylized white text "zeppotron.com" in between a red and a blue bar.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme of the programme.

Availability: Extinct, it had a very short lifespan and was only seen on two shows: Unnovations and TV Go Home. Neither programmes are available on home media and are gone from television.

2nd Logo (2002-February 9, 2018)

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Logo: On a black background, a vertical blue object appears by a slash effect, flattening and transforming into a disc. It wobbles, flipping upwards and spinning rapidly, eventually unveiling a 2D eye and forming the same design used by the Endemol logo at the time. When the eyes appear, it not only flickers a blue glow, but the text "zeppotron" whooshes and flies underneath it at a fast pace.

Bylines:

• 2002-March 31, 2016: an endemol company
• August 5, 2016-February 9, 2018: part of EndemolShineGroup

Variants:

• The font may slightly vary on some shows.
• Sometimes, a copyright notice containing the company name is included, either reading "Zeppotron Limited", "Zeppotron Ltd" or just "Zeppotron".
• On 8 Out of 10 Cats, the text has a thick black shadow.
• On early episodes of 8 Out of 10 Cats, the logo is flat and the disc has a white border.

FX/SFX: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: A ringing sound when the disc appears, followed by a wobbly whoosh sound and then a streak-like sound when the disc spins.

Availability: Common. Seen on many programmes from this period, most of which are usually produced for the BBC or Channel 4. It debuted on a 2002 Channel 4 rerun of TV Go Home, plastering the previous logo, and was later seen on 8 Out of 10 Cats until series 20 as well as 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown until series 15 (which would be the logo's last appearance), the first two series of Black Mirror, Would I Lie To You? until series 10, among many others. DVD and streaming prints of these shows have this logo intact.

3rd Logo (November 20, 2017-)

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Logo: Within a box cut-out, two diagonal, turquoise lines emerge, growing in thickness and intersecting. After that, another bar forms, sliding downwards and eventually stopping alongside the other lines, creating a striped, transparent box. Before completing their sequence, the text "zeppotron" fades and slides in from the left, tilted 90 degrees clockwise.

Bylines:

• November 20, 2017-October 28, 2021: part of EndemolShineGroup
• December 24, 2020-April 18, 2021: A Banijay company, with the Banijay logo to the left of the Zeppotron logo.
• September 2, 2021: We are Banijay, with the Banijay logo to the left of the byline.

Variants:

• Sometimes, the logo is bylineless.
• On Late Night Mash, the logo is shown within the UKTV Original Production logo and has both the Endemol Shine Group and current Banijay bylines underneath.
• Programmes co-produced with Channel 4 has the logo on top of a thin white bar.

FX/SFX: The bars moving and the text sliding in; 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme of the programme.

Availability: Current. Debuted on series 11 of Would I Lie To You? and was seen on recent series of 8 Out of 10 Cats and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, beginning with series 21 and 16 respectively. The byline with the Banijay logo next to Zeppotron's was only seen on series 14 of Would I Lie To You?.