TV Themes

I’ve recently been putting together a CD of my favourite TV theme tunes, and having now completed the exercise which has in itself increased my enjoyment and appreciation of the art of creating these memorable and important musical scores, I thought I’d share my new found appreciation with some of the regular visitors to The Vervoid, most of whom have an interest in television nostalgia in one way or another.

Ironically, the theme tune which has been such an important and integral part of my life for so many years is actually absent from the collection. There are so many versions of the Doctor Who theme that I feel it deserves a compilation all of its own, though when I’ll get round to doing that I’ve no idea.

The art of composing television and film themes is a musical genre like no other. I occasionally listen to Classic FM, and if I happen to switch on in the middle of an unfamiliar piece of music, in 99 % of cases I can always tell if it’s a film soundtrack. There’s just something about film themes in the classical genre which immediately sets them apart from standard classical pieces, though I’m afraid I’m unable to put this recognition into words. My own compilation contains only two film themes, neither of which, ironically, are classical pieces, but both of which are by Henry Mancini, one of the greatest composers of our time, particularly in the field of film work. The first is Midnight Cowboy, a piece dominated by the use of the harmonica, and although the film is only a faux Western, the laid-back nature of the soundtrack does conjure up images of lazy gunslingers atop their horses, struggling slowly across the plains in the searing heat. The other Mancini piece is The Pink Panther, one of the most iconic and recognisable pieces of music ever, regardless of genre. I was trying unsuccessfully to associate the lazy saxophone melody with the bumbling Inspector Clouseau, but then remembered that the star of the original film was actually David Niven as the suave jewel thief, a character which fits far better with the soundtrack.

The remaining pieces in the compilation are all well-known British television themes ranging from the 60’s to the 80’s, and most of these are from BBC shows. A few of the chosen tracks are pure nostalgia trips but most are on the CD simply because I think they’re great pieces of music. Two particular favourites are both from Tomorrow’s 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 1970’s 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 1950’s. 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 don’t rate as highly in terms of musical quality but which I like simply because it’s so ‘of its time’ with its funky bass-line and guitar stings.

A particular theme which I’ve only recently come to fully appreciate is This Is Your Life. It’s always been familiar to me as I used to watch the show as a kid, but it’s only since I’ve sourced the version which is on the CD that I’ve really admired it as the theme to this particular show. It’s a rather odd piece in its construction because it’s rather unpredictable and doesn’t 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; it’s a lovely piece of music in its own right with a waltzy rhythm and some pleasing chord changes, but it’s also very complimentary to the series with its Gallic feel of guitars and the all-important accordion.

From the world of sport there’s 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 didn’t used to watch in its entirety but I loved the theme and the closing music’s 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 I’ve chosen the original version and not the horribly bastardised version which is used nowadays. Snooker is the only sport which I’ve 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 I’ve 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 show’s title. The latter is a show which I’ve never really liked that much as an adult but used to love watching as a kid, which is ironic as I’d 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 1970’s. This of course was composed by the late great Ron Grainer, and it’s a perfect example of how most of Ron’s 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 it’s from is Dudley Simpson’s wonderful Blake’s 7. Although the example I have is the full version with some extra sections in the middle which didn’t feature in the series’ actual theme, it’s 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 everyone’s liking), and the Blake’s 7 theme is no different with it’s 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 it’s perhaps the most nostalgic piece in this compilation. It’s another masterpiece by Ronnie Hazlehurst and one of my favourite pieces of music. The only unfortunate aspect of this is that the version I have is the full score from a compilation album of Hazlehurst’s music from long ago, and is more up-tempo than the opening and closing themes from the series itself. To that end it tends to lack the relaxed and groovy feel of the original, but I suppose something is better than nothing.

The nostalgia factor aside, I do feel that a lot of TV themes from the present day are a bit insipid compared to those of the past. I suppose it’s like any genre of music where it becomes more and more difficult to create originality as time goes on.

Ah well, I just thought I’d mention it.