Wife Swap

Name: Wife Swap
Genre: Documentary

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Two households exchanged for a fortnight, in ten seconds of titles that give away the whole premise.

Wife Swap opens with a main title sequence of 10 seconds.

At 10 seconds, it opens well under the 37-second median for documentary sequences in this catalogue.

It arrived on Channel 4 in 2003, when Brookside, Time Team and Peep Show were also on the network.

The opening titles

10s

Fan upload dated 2003, the launch year.

2005–ABCDocumentary

The American Strictly, which runs two seasons a year and rebuilds its titles for most of them.

2000–CBSDocumentary

The competition format that rebuilt American primetime, and rebuilds its titles for every location.

2005–FoxDocumentary

Flames, a skull made of a chef's hat, and Gordon Ramsay shouting — the titles tell you exactly what the hour is.

2009–Logo / VH1 / MTVDocumentary

Eighteen seconds that get remade every season — new logo treatment, new track, new set of queens.

2002–Fox / ABCDocumentary

The talent format that ran American primetime for a decade, opening on a spotlight and a logo that spins.

2002–BBC TwoDocumentary

Twenty-one seconds of engine noise and a rock riff — a motoring programme that opens like a trailer for itself.