Planet Skaro's Favourite TV Themes

[Pip Madeley]

Listening to the Doctor Who Children In Need concert has made me think about TV music, and all those famous theme tunes... so what I'd like to know is, what are your favourite television theme tunes? Nobody say Doctor Who, cause that's obvious.

Do you enjoy theme tunes you can sing along to?
Or do you prefer instrumentals you can hum?

My favourite themes include:

Red Dwarf - love the rocking guitar version used from series 3 onwards, but also love the theme song, which I sing along to now and then... "fun fun fun, in the sun sun sun"...

Man About The House - the funkiest TV theme tune of the 70s, I own the full 100 second version, and it's super

On The Buses - a cheerful upbeat theme tune, I remember Wayne & I humming it together in the pub last week If we get the PS Band together, this should be our opening intro.

George & Mildred - [HIGH] do-de-do-de-doo.... [LOW] doo-de-doo-de-doo... it's twee, but pleasant

'Allo 'Allo! - it's just nice! I can get tired of it after a few listens though, especially as the menus on the Playback all use the theme as background audio, so navigating through it is no fun when you hear the same intro a million times...

The A-Team - instantly recognisable, it's just classic, something everyone knows!

The Professionals - for a comedy sketch in school, I once dived round to this, smashing into cardboard boxes holding a toy gun... made everyone laugh... it got a single release a few years ago, I recall...

Black Beauty - Alan Partridge likes it so much that he cleans up his room whilst listening to it

I'm sure there's loads more, so come on!

[Milky Tears]

Tickle On The Tum cannot be topped!


You can sing along to any theme tune. Murder She Wrote is my current favourite.

#They call it Murder
It's Murder She Wrote...

[Wayne]

On The Buses - a cheerful upbeat theme tune, I remember Wayne & I humming it together in the pub last week If we get the PS Band together, this should be our opening intro.

Did we? There's obviously things i've forgotten about last Saturday!

Good thread. I'll answer properly tomorrow, But for now i'll just say that U.F.O. is the most funkytastic & cool theme tune ever.

[Martin Penny]

Black Beauty - Alan Partridge likes it so much that he cleans up his room whilst listening to it

Myself and some friends paid homage to Partridge and put Black Beauty on while cleaning up after a party, tis a fine tune!

I love the original Battlestar Galactica theme, just absent mindedly hum it to myself when I'm walking along. And, if anyones ever seen underwater detective cartoon comedy, Sharky and George, it had an excellent theme tune!

[Hex]

Some of my favourite themes:

The Avengers - both Laurie Jonhson and Johnny Dankworth
Man in a Suitcase
The Baron
Hill Street Blues
Cheers
Return of the Saint
Van-Der-Valk
Life and Time of David Lloyd George
Grandstand
The Flintstones (!)

[Andrew Curnow]

"Cheers" is a good choice, it always makes me smile when I hear it.

Although I don't think I've ever seen a whole episode of it, I do love the theme to "The Sweeney" - and particularly since you can sing, "The Sweeney/The Sweeney/This Music Here is the Opening Theme To/The Sweeney" to it. Er, not that I ever do. No. Erm...

"Juliet Bravo" is very memorable too, as is "Z-Cars" (I remember once seeing Colin Welland interviewed and saying that, because they used to do Z-Cars live, he still always gets butterflies in the stomach just from hearing the music).

And, I suppose memorable in a slightly tacky way, I quite like the themes to "Swap Shop" (both versions) and "Saturday Superstore". Altogether now, "It's Saturday morning, come down to the superstore"...

[Wayne]

Ok, a few favourites then:

U.F.O. - See above. It's just so 70's!

Randall & Hopkirk Deceased - I think this is a great theme. I love the almost melancholic feel of the melody, & that kind of electronic harpsichord sound is quite unique.

Department 'S' - Fantastic intro that smashes in full of energy, & then the groovy beat, with the melody played by the string section. So sing-able!

'Dr.Who' - It's the (not quite) original one for me, with the extra tinkly bits that started in the Troughton era, & the sting that started in the Pertwee era. Totally unique sound, created by the Radiophonic Workshop. A classic.

'The Sweeney' - BOGOF with this great theme! An action packed intro, & the slower melacholic closing theme played on alto sax. An old favourite. Guv!

'Captain Scarlett' - Fab song! Great theme! Love the middle 8! You're lucky you didn't get this in the pub last week.

'Boss Cat' - Or 'Top Cat'. It's just a great swing tune! Up-beat and lively. Very sing-able.

The are many more. And they're all old ones, because they were so individual. Not like the generic stuff you get these days.

The Tomorrow People
Star Trek
Blake's 7
The Avengers/New Avengers
The Saint
Man About the House
Perry Mason
Screen Test
Maigret
The World At War

I could go on!

[Paul Clement]

The Cricket theme and the Skiing them were ones I always liked.

[Pip Madeley]

Randall & Hopkirk Deceased - I think this is a great theme. I love the almost melancholic feel of the melody, & that kind of electronic harpsichord sound is quite unique.

I love the Randall theme, but the David Arnold version! So much so that I bought the single release of it, sung by Nina Persson of the Cardigans.

[Wayne]

I haven't heard it, but it's hard to imagine it as a song.

[Pip Madeley]

I haven't heard it, but it's hard to imagine it as a song.

Well, it's not like the original... try it

[Wayne]

Well, it's not like the original... try it

Thanks!
Totally different, but i like it!

[Pip Madeley]

It's good isn't it Surely you remember the remake with Vic and Bob though? It also starred Tom Baker & Emilia Fox, and was produced by Charlie Higson. Guest starred a whole host of famous names: David Tennant, Eleanor Bron, Derek Jacobi, Dervla Kirwan, Alex Denisof (of Angel fame), Paul Whitehouse, Simon Day, Arabella Weir, John Thomson, Mark Williams, Colin McFarlane (yes, nearly everyone from the Fast Show!), Matt Lucas, David Walliams, Shaun Parkes Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, Peter Bowles, Hugh Laurie, Steven Berkoff, Martin Clunes, Charles Dance, Jessica Stevenson, Simon Pegg, Rhys Thomas, Mark Benton, Elizabeth Spriggs, Hugh Lloyd, Hywel Bennett, George Baker, John Sessions, Celia Imrie, Roy Hudd, Duncan Preston, Pauline Quirke...

Probably the best cast series ever! Just a shame Vic and Bob's acting was a little ropey.

[Antony Cox]

What a great thread!

I wrote a piece on The Vervoid a while ago about a CD compilation I'd put together of my fave TV themes. I've pasted most of it below as I can't be bothered to write it out again!

Two particular favourites are both from Tomorrows World, the first being the original jazz version by John Dankworth which has to be one of the coolest TV themes of all, and the other is the iconic late 1970s version with its funky bass-line and electronic human voice overtones which I recall so vividly from my childhood. The former I love because of its roots in jazz, but the latter I feel fits far more with the nature of the series itself. Another favourite is All Creatures Great And Small by Johnny Pearson, a piece which is far more commercial in nature but which nevertheless fits perfectly with the notion of travelling around the Yorkshire Dales in the 1950s. When I first thought of putting this compilation together, one of my initial musts for inclusion was the iconic theme to The Avengers (the later Laurie Johnson version rather than the original by John Dankworth). Apart from being such a great piece of music, I think it captures the feel of the series perfectly with the initial very dramatic sting followed by the more whimsical main bass-line and theme. I also decided to include The New Avengers which I dont rate as highly in terms of musical quality but which I like simply because its so of its time with its funky bass-line and guitar stings.
A particular theme which Ive only recently come to fully appreciate is This Is Your Life. Its always been familiar to me as I used to watch the show as a kid, but its only since Ive sourced the version which is on the CD that Ive really admired it as the theme to this particular show. Its a rather odd piece in its construction because its rather unpredictable and doesnt really follow any established chord changes, but I love its overly romantic and laid-back feel, swathed in heavy strings and lazy brass interjections.
The theme to Allo, Allo has long been favourite of mine, and for me this particular piece is the best of both worlds in its appeal; its a lovely piece of music in its own right with a waltzy rhythm and some pleasing chord changes, but its also very complimentary to the series with its Gallic feel of guitars and the all-important accordion.
From the world of sport theres the appropriately titled World Of Sport a show which I never really watched as a child due to my lack of interest in sport, but I remember the title sequence and theme tune very well and I always liked dear old Dickie Davies. Grandstand was another must for my collection, which again I didnt used to watch in its entirety but I loved the theme and the closing musics special significance as signalling the fast approach of Doctor Who on a Saturday evening. My favourite sporting piece has always been the BBC Snooker theme, and I have made sure that Ive chosen the original version and not the horribly *******ised version which is used nowadays. Snooker is the only sport which Ive ever shown an interest in, and listening to this great theme always reminds me of staying up late to watch the dramatic conclusion to the 1985 World Championship final when Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis on the very last black.
Two themes which Ive included purely for nostalgia rather than for their musical merit are Some Mothers Do Have Em and Are You Being Served?. The former was composed by the prolific Ronnie Hazlehurst and its inspiration and construction is rather clever in that the rhythm of the piece is actually taken directly from the Morse code spelling of the shows title. The latter is a show which Ive never really liked that much as an adult but used to love watching as a kid, which is ironic as Id never have appreciated any of the innuendo at the time. Another nostalgic piece is Tales Of The Unexpected, an odd series which I vividly recall from the late 1970s. This of course was composed by the late great Ron Grainer, and its a perfect example of how most of Rons more well-known themes tend to be very repetitive (Steptoe And Son being another good example).
Another of the more successful TV themes in terms of conveying the nature of the show its from is Dudley Simpsons wonderful Blakes 7. Although the example I have is the full version with some extra sections in the middle which didnt feature in the series actual theme, its based on the original rather than the later updated version, and in my opinion is much better for it. As we all know, Dudley was a genius as far as setting the tone and mood of TV shows as far as incidental music was concerned (though I admit, not to everyones liking), and the Blakes 7 theme is no different with its full-on dramatic feel and almost tragic overtones. Finally, and very fittingly given the recent passing of Ronnie Barker, The Two Ronnies was always going to be included as its perhaps the most nostalgic piece in this compilation. Its another masterpiece by Ronnie Hazlehurst and one of my favourite pieces of music.

I also like the Randall & Hopkirk theme, and also he theme to The Champions.

Oh, and the Doctor Who theme's not bad, either.....

[Wayne]

It's good isn't it Surely you remember the remake with Vic and Bob though?

I remember it being on, but i never watched it.
I wasn't really keen on the original even. I just like the theme tune!

[Wayne]

What a great thread!

I wrote a piece on The Vervoid a while ago about a CD compilation I'd put together of my fave TV themes. I've pasted most of it below as I can't be bothered to write it out again!

You could've just put a link.
I agree about the snooker theme, & Tomorrow's World though.
Have you heard the original theme for The Avengers by Dankworth? (not the famous Laurie H one)

[Rob McCow]

Did Martin mention Sharkey and George, the crime-busters of the sea?! That was a fab theme tune. It was a slightly weird cartoon though, what with it being French and all.

The X-Files had a great theme tune, although it's been a bit forgotten these days. It even did quite well as a single, I seem to remember.

[Antony Cox]

You could've just put a link.

I'm afraid I'm not as technologically up-to-date as you, Irongron!

Have you heard the original theme for The Avengers by Dankworth? (not the famous Laurie H one)

Oh yes, I have it on a tape somewhere! There's a section in the middle which is really creepy!

[Larry]

Doctor Who - new series
Grandstand
Stargate SG1
Only Fools and Horses.
BBC's Cricket theme tune.
Robin Hood. (new series)
Channel 4 news..

can't think of many more at the moment.

[Martin Penny]

Did Martin mention Sharkey and George, the crime-busters of the sea?! That was a fab theme tune. It was a slightly weird cartoon though, what with it being French and all.

Martin did!
I was hoping someone else apart from me might remember it

[Pip Madeley]

I remember it, but it's dated badly! You can hear it here btw...

[Jon Masters]

Ok, my current TVthemes playlist on Media Player contains the following:

airwolf, all creatures great & small, angel, B7, camberwick green, champions, chorlton & the wheelies, clangers, charlie's angels, dangermouse, Dr who (70s & 80s), ever decreasing circles, the fall guy, fingerbobs (yaffi lifts a finger), follyfoot, the hair bear bunch, hill street blues, goodies, incredible hulk, jamie & the magic torch, joe 90, knight rider, the magic roundabout, mastermind, magnum PI, mission impossible, the muppet show, pinky & the brain, hong kong phoey, the prisoner, quincy, Red Dwarf start and finish, the rockford files, sapphire & steel, scooby doo, space 1999 (first one), start trek, taxi, thunderbirds, cheers, tomorrow people, trumpton start, ufo and wacky races



That Glen A Larson could write a tune certainly.

[SiHart]

Blakes 7 is one of my favourites. It's just that that certain something for me- even the fourth season end credits version wasn't all that bad... honest!

I love the original Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) theme too. Very good one that one.

And all the variations of Babylon 5 was enomously likeable.

But really The Doctor Who theme is the best one ever, ever, ever!

Si xx

[Paul Clement]

Jon mentioned one I should have thought of. Sapphire & Steel has a great theme tune, especially the godlike voice.

[Hex]

Gosh, there are some here I'd forgotten about but really like:

The Tomorrow People
All Creatures Great and Small
Tomorrow's World - original Johnny Dankworth version
Star Trek: TNG
Thunderbirds


Plus:

Shine on Harvey Moon
Frasier - end song
Who Pays the Ferry Man?
Danger Man - 2nd theme, the one played on the harpsichord with the brass
Born and Bred

I have to agree that most of these are older. I can't think of a modern programme (other than Born and Bred) where I really like the theme tune. Tunes were definately more imaginative in the past.