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It was certainly quite difficult to keep up with the ever-changing title sequences in the 1970s. Here is another sequence which utilitises the 'Good Word' theme tune. Watch these opening titles

In 1975 Sue Lawley left to join Denis Tuohy and Donald MacCormack on Tonight (what an original name!), BBC1's more serious late night current affairs programme, the successor to 24 Hours and Midweek. So back at teatime more new names climbed aboard, like John Stapleton (above left) and Michael Barrett's wife Dilys Morgan. Val Singleton (above middle) was promoted to become a main presenter, and Richard Stilgoe moved to the Monday night Pigeonhole letters slot. By now Nationwide's popularity had reached such heights that a board game was released (above right) - but it wasn't a success!

In the mid-70s the show introduced annual events, like the Christmas Carol competition, and it would also spend weeks away at regional studios across the UK. Meanwhile memorable reports came from the likes of James Hogg who, 27 years before I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, spent 14 days on a remote Scottish island (left), and Pattie Coldwell who was given some slightly less enduring assignments (middle and right).

Nationwide held a 'stop smoking' campaign, but that didn't have much effect on Bob Wellings, who was caught on camera with a cigarette; Dilys Morgan duly exposed him to the nation (above). Watch a clip

In September 1976 Nationwide's start time was moved from 6.00 to the slightly odd time of 5.55. The following year saw the departure of the show's original presenter, Michael Barrett. After anchoring the programme's Silver Jubilee coverage, he spent his final week touring the regions in a special Nationwide-branded train (above left, middle). However, all was not lost as Sue Lawley returned to the show; meanwhile the late Glyn Worsnip took Richard Stilgoe's place on Pigeonhole (above right), and Des Lynam arrived on Sportswide.

By autumn 1978 the cartwheeling logo had been ditched, and a new theme tune was introduced (and a memorable one as far as I'm concerned as it's stuck in my mind since I was about 3 or 4 years old!). A new opening sequence harked back to the 1969 practice of listing the name of each regional news magazine - except for the South East. This is because the South East was, bizzarely, not considered to be a region by the BBC, and therefore did not receive any regional programming. The only exception was a round-up of the South East's news brought to us by the Nationwide team, while the other regions broke away for their own local news.

As Nationwide moved into the 1980s, Bob Wellings (above left, apparently defying gravity in his series Peaks of Britain!), John Stapleton (above right, in party mood) and Val Singleton all departed. They were replaced by Richard Kershaw, Sue Cook (below left) and Hugh Scully (below middle). Hugh also presented the first incarnation of Watchdog on the Monday editions. A new team was developing for the new decade, but there was plenty of meddling to come, and relaunches became ever more frequent.

First, a new title sequence debuted around the start of 1981 (below), along with a nasty rearrangement of the theme tune. This would now be played at 6.20, as the regional news was beginning to be separated from the national programme, and each regional magazine was now using its own opening titles and music, although some just adopted the Nationwide music.

One of the best remembered features from this era was when Tony Wilkinson spent a month 'Down and Out', in an attempt to discover what life was like for the homeless. In sharp contrast, in the very same month, February 1981, Nationwide could be seen hosting the British Rock and Pop awards (what we now know as The Brit Awards), co-hosted by Sue Lawley and Dave Lee Travis.

The following September, thanks to an extended Evening News, the start time of the regional news magazines moved back to 6.00, and Nationwide to 6.25.

Then at the start of January 1982 came a major relaunch, which also saw at last the introduction of a separately branded programme for the South East, South East at Six. There was a completely new, and more modern-sounding, theme tun , a new title sequence (above right) and a new set. But most significantly was the installation of David Dimbleby as chief presenter, billed above stalwarts Frank (above left) and Sue.

Dimbers arrived criticising Nationwide for its 'narrow vision, and failure to cover international events'. This was clearly a sign that Nationwide wanted to shake off its 'skateboarding duck' image and become a more serious current affairs programme. But viewers complained that it had become nothing more than a 'diluted Panorama'. Dimbleby's reign lasted no more than four months.

By now, the end was nigh for Nationwide. At the end of 1982 Frank Bough departed for Breakfast Time, and there was one more change of titles (above), and a few final bloopers, such as Sue Lawley finding herself presenting in the dark (watch a clip ), and having the set moved about behind her (below), before the axe finally fell. Despite a complaint to the BBC from Yours Truly, begging for it not to end, Nationwide Final Edition aired on Friday 5th August 1983, with a reunion of past presenters.

The ending of Nationwide after 14 years left a gaping hole in the early evening schedule, so how would the BBC fill it? Temporarily by Doctor Who repeats and Kick Start - but in the autumn a more permanent replacement was introduced. Well, it had been intended to be permanent, anyway... Click onto the next page for a look at Sixty Minutes.

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