Theme tune writer Ronnie Hazlehurst dies

[Pip Madeley]

Very sad news, he was a very talented man (he wrote the gorgeous theme for Reggie Perrin)...

Ronnie Hazlehurst, who wrote the theme tunes for television shows such as Blankety Blank and Last of the Summer Wine, has died aged 79. A former musical director at the BBC, he was closely involved with the Eurovision Song Contest and conducted the UK entry on seven occasions. He died in hospital in Guernsey after suffering a stroke last week.

Broadcaster Michael Parkinson called the Manchester-born composer "a marvellous and talented musician". "He was also a funny north country man with a great sense of humour," he said. "When I was at the BBC I did a series of specials with him. He was one of the great unsung heroes on the music business - and a great professional."

Hazlehurst's partner, Jean Fitzgerald, said: "He was just a perfectionist in his profession and a very kind and generous man. "To write that sort of music you have to be sensitive". Hazlehurst was responsible for many of the BBC's best-loved theme tunes, including Yes, Minister, The Two Ronnies and Are You Being Served?

The composer said he always tried to make the music fit the title of the programme - using a piccolo to spell out the title to Some Mothers Do 'Ave Em in Morse code. "I wouldn't prostitute a tune, to bend it every which way to fit the title," he said, "but if I can make it so, I do".

Hazlehurst served as musical director of the Eurovision Song Contest three times, and famously conducted the UK entry in 1977 using a rolled-up umbrella. In 1999, he received a Gold Badge award from the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters.

The BBC's head of comedy, Jon Plowman, said: "He was the composer of many of the best-loved signature tunes of the last 40 years of television - and some of his work is still heard today. "He's associated with some of the best-loved shows of our lives."

Ms Fitzgerald said Hazlehurst had moved to Guernsey 10 years ago from Hendon, north London, and had had a heart bypass operation in October last year.

He is survived by two sons from his second marriage.

TV Themes by Ronnie Hazlehurst

Are You Being Served?
Blankety Blank
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
Last of the Summer Wine
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
I Didn't Know You Cared
Sorry!
Three Up, Two Down
To the Manor Born
The Two Ronnies
Wogan
Wyatt's Watchdogs
Yes Minister

Arrangements

Butterflies
Just Good Friends
Only Fools and Horses (first theme)
The Likely Lads
No Place Like Home
Three of a Kind

[SiHart]

He was the sound of BBC Light Entertainment and comedy in the 70s and while not always in favour composed a few classic themes. His Are You Being Served? theme being my personal favourite of the list- great mix of cash machines, lyrics and that Ronnie sound.

Very sad news.

Si xx

[Dirk Gently]

Oh that is sad news indeed. I saw him last year (I think it was) on City Hospital when he was in for a Hernia operation (IIRC) & he seemed really well.
Apparently he was working on the music for the Last of the Summer Wine Christmas special.

R.I.P Ronnie.

[Lissa]

Someone just sent me this email.

I am trying to get Ronnie Hazlehurst Theme tune CD or mp3s

Especially the following

Are you being served
Yes Minister
To the manor born
This is your life
Last of summer wine

Can you help?

Which was unexpected.

[Wayne]

Some memorable themes there. RIP Ronnie.

[Andrew Curnow]

He's just one of those 'names' that always seems to appear in comedy show credits, isn't he. My favourite Ronnie credit was in a short-lived Carla Lane sitcom from the early 90s, about three women house-sharing. I've long since forgotten what the show was called, but the end titles included this credit for the theme:

"Flower Duet, from Lakme by Delibes, arranged by Ronnie Hazelhurst"

which always made me laugh.

As long as there are reruns of the classics, such as Reggie Perrin and Some Mothers and Yes Minister, and of course as long as the BBC keep giving us Summer Wine, Ronnie Hazelhurst will never quite be forgotten will he.

RIP

[Pip Madeley]

"Flower Duet, from Lakme by Delibes"

The British Airways theme song?

[Andrew Curnow]

Yes! But arranged, of course, by Ronnie Hazelhurst.

[Pip Madeley]

This is quite amusing:

Obituary writers from respected oracles such as The Guardian, The Independent and The Times all fell for a cheeky prank concerning the career of Ronnie Hazlehurst, the BBC’s celebrated theme tune composer. Among his writing credits on Wikipedia are the theme tunes for The Two Ronnies, Last of the Summer Wine, Blankety Blank and CSI New York (not really). Some prankster added, however, a credit for S Club 7’s seminal hit, Reach. So what did the hacks writing Ronnie’s obituary do? They simply lifted this erroneous factoid and added it to their copy. Without finding out it’s actually completely untrue.

How silly do they look? Pretty darn silly.

Although we can see why they might have fallen for it – after all, Ronnie is undoubtedly responsible for some of the world’s most annoyingly catchy tunes and S Club’s hits are teeth-grindingly catchy too.

Even that asshole David Silleto from BBC News fell for it. Watch the clip!

[Nathan]

This was interesting

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7026637.stm

[Dirk Gently]

That was an interesting point Nathan. I've heard the story before but thought it was an urban myth, nice to hear some of these are actually true.


(Pip's link doesn't work for me).

[Dave Tudor]

This was interesting

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7026637.stm

I've never heard of that before! That's ingenious!

This is indeed sad news - his name will, as Andrew and Si said, always be synonymous with comedy and light entertainment, a 'golden age' of television which is arguably long since over: Ronnie's passing practically confirms this.

I always associate him, though, with a 'Spitting Image' sketch from about 1986, in which Ronnie saw himself as a serious rival to Andrew Lloyd Webber, and wrote a piece called 'Ronnie Hazlehurst's Requiem' which was a typically jaunty little tune!

Anyway, rest in peace, Ronnie.

[Larry]

one of those people where you only know the music but not the name of the man behind it composed some rwal all time greats - R.I.P