What are your favourite TV theme tunes? I have quite a few spanning the years.

Here's ten of mine.

Minder
Lou Grant
Hill Street Blues
Coronation Street
Chico and The Man
Black Beauty
Whatever happened to the Likely Lads
Sons and Daughters
Z Cars
Partridge Family

I wasn't ever a regular viewer of Coronation Street or Sons and Daughters, but the theme tunes have good vibes. The Coronation Street theme takes me back to my Grandmother's cozy little terrace.

For some reason I have always remembered the theme tune for "The Onedin Line", swelling strings and all.

Can I get in a totally objective vote for Entertainment USA?

And I love Ken and Alan's Miss Marple harpsichord theme.

Faves of mine...

Crossroads
The Avengers
Danger Man
Z Cars (the Ken Jones version from 72 to 76)
Top Of The Pops (the 1970 version)
Jamie and His Magic Torch
Chorlton and The Wheelies
Van Der Valk
Man In A Suitcase

My favourite has to be John Barry's theme from The Persuaders. Much better than the actual show but sometimes that happens.

But a word for the late, great Ron Grainer, who wrote the themes for loads of shows including Dr Who, Steptoe And Son and The Prisoner. All different, but all identifiably his style.

I did struggle to keep my list to ten. I also love the Steptoe and Son, and Dr Who themes, plus many more.

Wasn't the Onedin Line also the Spartacas theme?

One I forgot about up until now is The Flaxton Boys which used Prokofiev's Classical Symphony.

And perhaps we could all agree the greatest of all, though not technically a theme... Rachmaninov in Brief Encounter?

Music which not only enhances but which makes a movie? And a TV show - Miami Vice?

JK2006 wrote:
And perhaps we could all agree the greatest of all, though not technically a theme... Rachmaninov in Brief Encounter?

Music which not only enhances but which makes a movie? And a TV show - Miami Vice?
It's not a theme so it's out of bounds JK

I like the Sweeney theme. Oddly when I got the Sweeney CD when the end theme came on it started a Pavlovian yawn. (As nippers if we kept quiet and got passed the 9.30 adverts we would allowed to watch it to the end).

There's a lot of unsung heroes in the "library music" world.

And the big daddy of them all: THUNDERBIRDS (see, I can write in SuperAnimation).

Seriously though, a stunning theme and arrangements from Barry Gray.

JK2006 wrote:
And perhaps we could all agree the greatest of all, though not technically a theme... Rachmaninov in Brief Encounter?

Music which not only enhances but which makes a movie? And a TV show - Miami Vice?
It's my considered opinion that Star Wars would have petered out without the stirring themes of John Williams. The latest films have been lukewarm at best, but when the themes kick in so does the buzz.

...does anyone remember this one? - 'Ace of Wands' (Tarot song)

Yes, loved it, Roald Dahl.

Ooops no, that's not the one I thought. This is...



or, in full...



Ron Grainer I think, mentioned above and very reminiscent of another favourite - Maigret.

www.trussel.com/maig/maigret.mid

..or do you remember this one...? -

this must be one of the daddies...?

Oh yes and I met Jack Wild when he was making it!

surely the best theme tune was "Entertainment USA" ?

Brilliant piece of pop and hopefully the strangely named "Handful of cheek" didn't object to their song being nicked and it also meant we were getting a fabulous TV show too !

Ten of my favourite TV Themes (in no particular order)

Steptoe and Son
Minder
Follyfoot
Cheers
Dr Who
Banana Splits
Dads Army
White Horses
Fireball XL5
Champion the Wonder Horse

This one has the best lyrics.

I used to watch the red hand gang. It was wafully badly made but great fun.

Can I add Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) to the list of great tv theme tunes.

Hi All;

You are going to have to help me with my favourite.

All I recall is, John Barry wrote it, and it was an English cop thing from about 1971-2.

Persuaders? Pretenders??

No idea.

AH