Favourite TV theme tunes?

[DaveGoddard]

Don't think there's a thread for this, and I wasn't sure whether to put this in this forum or the Music one, but here goes...what are your favourite TV themes?

I like most sports themes from over the years, my favourite has to be the Grandstand theme - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSP1E04zp5Y

A bit before my time but the 1974 World Cup theme is brilliant, although I know this piece cos of its use in motorsport - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OARWg6ZlbXg

And then there's Soul Limbo from the cricket - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67xXbTaQlKI

Two words: Grand Prix. There can't be many people in the UK who don't associate this riff with Formula 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGVghvQR4TU

Perhaps lesser known is this piece, used during the formation lap as the grid was being read out. The piece is "Ivory Tower" by Giorgio Moroder, and also featured in the fantasy film The Neverending Story - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjyh-nDxmsU

Also on a motorsport theme, the rallying tune - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pdQYD9OrYs

Away from sport, one of my all time favourites is the original Casualty theme. It just has the right amount of edge and drama to perfectly fit the programme and always makes me picture an ambulance speeding to an emergency - none of the subsequent versions get it right - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or2LczkTzoY

The theme from Gladiators always takes me back to my youth, was compulsive Saturday night viewing in our house! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du9rrBApvl0

As for my least favourite, it has to be the Coronation Street theme - the most dreary, depressing piece of music I have ever heard.

What are yours?

[85Carrera]

Some good stuff there. Had forgotten the Grandstand music. That, the cricket and the GP all remind me of my youth (and MOTD). Never watched Casualty and hate the music!

I’d add The Professionals, the Sweeney and Minder (Dennis Waterman sings!) to your list.

Remember me and a mate at school being obsessed with Propaganda and Duel/Jewel for a while.

[MYOB]

Hawaii Five-0 for me.

And I'm sure I said the same on another thread on the same topic earlier this year.

[DaveGoddard]

85Carrera said:

Some good stuff there. Had forgotten the Grandstand music. That, the cricket and the GP all remind me of my youth (and MOTD). Never watched Casualty and hate the music!

I’d add The Professionals, the Sweeney and Minder (Dennis Waterman sings!) to your list.

Remember me and a mate at school being obsessed with Propaganda and Duel/Jewel for a while.

The MOTD theme recently celebrated its 50th birthday, which is what made me start this thread. If there's another thread further back in the forum I apologise.

[MYOB]

Here's the earlier thread.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[cuprabob]

Joe 90

[Muzzer79]

Dukes of Hazzard

Airwolf

[ThunderSpook]

Fraggle Rock and Ski Sunday.

[Eric Mc]

The golden era for TV themes was the 1960s. I always think that they thought very hard about having stand out themes at that time. In the UK, anything produced under the ITC (Lew Grade) banner tended to have great themes. As well as virtually all the Gerry Anderson puppet series, it also included action adventure series such as "Man in a Suitcase", "The Baron", "Department S", "The Champions", "Danger Man" and many more.

Some 1960s BBC themes are still well known today too, such as "Doctor Who" and "Z Cars".

In the USA, there was a preponderance of Westerns in the 1960s. Some of the plots may have been a bit so-so but they invariably had great themes (e.g. "Bonanza", "Rawhide", "The Virginian" , " The High Chaparall" etc).

[Roofless Toothless]

Without a doubt Montalbano. The opening credits are run over Olivia Sellerio's Curri Curri, which is an eye opener for somebody like me that knows little about Sicilian music. But often at the end you can hear her sing Mallamuri, which is breathtakingly beautiful.

https://youtu.be/r0jA3O3i99U

[droopsnoot]

I used to really like the "Starsky and Hutch" theme, but not the usual one. I recall some of the shows (I don't know if they were earlier or later, but there weren't many) had a different theme tune, and that's the one I liked. Sat with a cassette recorder and a microphone a few times, but every time it was the wrong one. I seem to recall liking the "Shoestring" theme, too.

[Shaw Tarse]

MYOB said:

Here's the earlier thread.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...