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Crossroads.
C.A.T.S. Eyes series 1 had a brilliant theme tune which was replaced by a much inferior one for the remaining two series. Grange Hill also had it's classic theme - which it shared with Give Us A Clue - changed for one which was instantly forgettable. Danger Man and The Avengers are other series which underwent theme tune changes. Can anyone think of any others?
Crossroads.
George and Mildred. Much prefer the original.
Both Eastenders and Match of the Day tried using new arrangements of their themes, but soon went back to the originals when the public complained.
name='batman']Both Eastenders and Match of the Day tried using new arrangements of their themes, but soon went back to the originals when the public complained.
Eastenders have changed the tune slightly in the past month, at the same time the opening zoom back from the Thames changed. I have noticed that the drum/percusion of the music has changed to a much more punchy feel. The rest of the track seems the same.
name='wadsy']Crossroads.
The arrangement changed a lot to Crossroads. But the main theme was always there throughtout the years. Series with a complete change to their themes I can recall... The first series of "Hadleigh" had a theme by Alan Moorhouse, the popular Tony Hatch theme was used from the second seies onward. ITV's 1960's/1970's "Love Story" had at least four different themes.
"The Fenn Street Gang" had two themes. "Budgie" had two themes.
Let's go over to BBC-1 now... "Panorama" had a Robert Farnon theme in the 1960's, then Rachmaninov's Symphony No.1 4th Movement from 1968 to 1971. Then the current theme has been around in various reincarnations for nearly 40 years, "Aujord Hui C'est Toi" (Today It Is You) by Francis Lai. "Points Of View" in the 1960's had "Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula", a trad-jazz piece. In the 1980's many different themes took over, including "When I'm 64". "Play School" had three different themes before it became "Playbus" and finally "Playdays". "Grandstand's" original theme was "Newscoop" by Len Stevens, replaced by a Rhet Stoller theme for a few months in 1971 before the most recent Keith Mansfield track took over. Whilst back on ITV "World Of Sport" had the long running Don (Jackson) Harper theme until it finally bowed out with a Jeff Wayne theme. So there we have just a few... and don't get me going on the Judith Chalmer's holiday programme "Wish You Were Here", a few different themes there!
From what I remember there were two variations to the Jim'll Fix It theme song. One was the heavier 'rockier' song ("Now you've done it, Jim has fixed it for you, and you and you and you"), and the other was Dazzle's far gentler song ("Jim'll fix it and we know that he can, Jim'll fix it cos' he's that kind of man, and all you have to do is write along to him").
Doctor Who, and Shameless have morphed their theme tunes around the originals.
Angels also had slight theme variations.
Starsky and Hutch had 3 entirely different themes.
New arrangements for Emmerdale and University Challenge ; neither of them improvements. My least favourite change, though, was for The Avengers....admittedly it was now The New Avengers, but its theme (and Gavin Hunt) meant I never warmed to the series as much as I'd wanted to. I missed the old theme too much!
Special Branch changed it's theme when Euston Films took over production.
name='GoggleboxUK']Doctor Who, and Shameless have morphed their theme tunes around the originals.
I can remember the horror of tuning in to the new season of Dr Who in 1980 and hearing the new synthesised theme tune and seeing the new opening titles on part one of 'The Leisure Hive'.
Okay so new producer John Nathan Turner wanted to drag it kicking and screaming into the 1980's, but it wasn't broken, so why did he try to fix it?
Tom Baker left soon afterwards (after many clashes with Nathan Turner) and for the first time since I can remember, I actually stopped watching it religiously.
Being a born again long term fan, I don't mind it so much now as it adds a bit of variety. But I still prefer the original style theme tune, even if that got bits added over the years.
Re the Dr Who 'drum & bass' treatment...it doesn't sound as spooky as the older versions.
name='Owlett']Re the Dr Who 'drum & bass' treatment...it doesn't sound as spooky as the older versions.
Yes the older version had a psychological effect on kids and it used to send them (& of course me) scurrying behind the sofa before seeing so much as a sink plunger threaten the Doctor.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0A655AXPkw"]YouTube - Doctor Who - Clean Patrick Troughton Opening (1967)[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIS3jhIncj0"]YouTube - Doctor Who - Clean Jon Pertwee Opening (1970)[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdVivT0ShC4"]YouTube - Doctor Who - Clean Tom Baker Opening (1974)[/ame]
All slightly different to the 1963 original: -
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKg9tuSbXmk"]YouTube - Doctor Who - Clean William Hartnell Opening (1963)[/ame]
But they were all quite frightening and they lost that with the 1980's yuppie versions.
Of course, Casualty began life with that lovely Rondo Veneziano tune:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej_wRgBS5lI"]YouTube - Rondo Veneziano La serenissima[/ame]
Much nicer than today's rubbish. I can't see that being available on YouTube twenty years from now, somehow.
Something that changed for the better was the Monk theme tune. It went from this, which was nevertheless quite nice:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlS8RO2_LmQ"]YouTube - The Original Monk Theme[/ame]
to the Randy Newman version, which is ... well ... it's Randy Newman isn't it? Do I need say anymore?
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBwmGVjfbH8"]YouTube - Monk Theme Song : "It's a Jungle Out There"[/ame]
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