Minder was created as a vehicle for Dennis Waterman following his success in The Sweeney, which made him a household name.
Arthur Daley was only supposed to be a support character to Terry McCann initially, but such was the popularity of George Cole that the dynamics between them soon became more of a double act.
Thanks for the Crossroads link. Ann Tirard mentioned in the credits: she's great in a couple of Dr Whos.
Treasure Hunt was SO exciting. Thrilling theme music. Nice to see Winceyette Willis gets billed above Annabel Croft in the last series.
Blake's 7 series1-2 have been mentioned. Mrs Chuff and I have just finished series 3, and felt the "new" credits sequence wasn't as effective.
I remember Dynasty, from my 80s childhood. Those vertical lines flashing across the screen were always very exciting.
Twin Peaks? Bloody marvellous. Beautiful music and beautiful scenery. A great start to one of the finest TV shows of all time.
I'd like to add some nominations:
Dear John, by John Sullivan, is one of the great sitcoms of the 80s, sadly forgotten in light of his vastly inferior Fools & Horses. Poor John's wife leaves him and takes him for every penny, leaving him in a grim flat attending a "one-to-one club" for divorcees and sad losers in order to make friends. The title sequence sums it up brilliantly.
Here's the wonderful Tenko, easily the BBC's best ever drama series. From a lazy life in the sun to life behind barbed wire of a prison camp, all summed up in some simple animation.
Miss Marple manages to mix lovely music and a lovely coutnryside setting with sinister images of people with angular faces lurking in shadows. Exactly what Agatha Christie should be.
Finally, nifty and simple use of graphics in the Juliet Bravo credits make it all the more effective, with one of the all-time great british TV theme tunes.
The Prisoner...great theme and opening scenes of no6 resigning, driving home, packing his bags...and waking up in the village with the voice over of that week's no2
Hear Hear !..........................still makes the hairs stand up on the back of the neck even after all this time................utterly brilliant.
Best one I've seen recently was True Blood. Great song and a brilliant image sequence that perfectly captured the Southern milieu and the themes of superstition, sex and death.
Best cop show tune (and best cop show for that matter) was The Sweeney. Loads of energy with a menacing edge perfectly complemented by the zooming monochrome stills.
I remember that I loved The Professionals theme when I was a kid in the 1970s - so much so that I taped it on a cassette recorder from the TV one evening (had to get the rest of the family to be quiet!).
Another vote for The Avengers. Written by the dear late Johnny Dankworth, I think. As cool and stylish as the best of the 60s. I'm in two minds about its use in the current Pimms commercial but it was an inspired choice.
I quite liked The Sopranos opening theme - as menacing and psychotic as Tony Soprano himself.
I'm surprised to see Minder getting votes. It was a good show (largely due to George Cole) but Dennis "wrote the feme tune, sung the feme tune" Waterman croaking his way through the 'by the numbers' song didn't do anything for it.
No just the theme but all the music from Edge of Darkness was inspired. Eric Clapton and Michael Kamen collaborated to produce a brooding, haunting score that was perfect for one of the best TV drama series of all time.
Going on popularity here, True Blood must have the best title sequence ever made!
I must go and watch it…
[edit]OK, seen it now. I can’t say I see why everyone loves it, although I do love the fact that it’s a minute and a half long and features a song. (They don’t tend to do long title sequences or theme songs any more.)
I'm surprised to see Minder getting votes. It was a good show (largely due to George Cole) but Dennis "wrote the feme tune, sung the feme tune" Waterman croaking his way through the 'by the numbers' song didn't do anything for it.
To be fair it was more about the humorous opening sequence between Terry and Arthur in the white Ford Capri; not Dennis singing the feem toon in the closing titles......although he did score a modest hit with the title track back in 1980!!
Comments
Helped by the fact that one of them could act.
Best start to a TV programme:
"Norman Stanley Fletcher....."
Clue: It wasn't Dennis Waterman??
Thanks for the Crossroads link. Ann Tirard mentioned in the credits: she's great in a couple of Dr Whos.
Treasure Hunt was SO exciting. Thrilling theme music. Nice to see Winceyette Willis gets billed above Annabel Croft in the last series.
Blake's 7 series1-2 have been mentioned. Mrs Chuff and I have just finished series 3, and felt the "new" credits sequence wasn't as effective.
I remember Dynasty, from my 80s childhood. Those vertical lines flashing across the screen were always very exciting.
Twin Peaks? Bloody marvellous. Beautiful music and beautiful scenery. A great start to one of the finest TV shows of all time.
I'd like to add some nominations:
Dear John, by John Sullivan, is one of the great sitcoms of the 80s, sadly forgotten in light of his vastly inferior Fools & Horses. Poor John's wife leaves him and takes him for every penny, leaving him in a grim flat attending a "one-to-one club" for divorcees and sad losers in order to make friends. The title sequence sums it up brilliantly.
Scary 80s adaptation of The Day of the Triffids. Gave me nightmares.
Here's the wonderful Tenko, easily the BBC's best ever drama series. From a lazy life in the sun to life behind barbed wire of a prison camp, all summed up in some simple animation.
Miss Marple manages to mix lovely music and a lovely coutnryside setting with sinister images of people with angular faces lurking in shadows. Exactly what Agatha Christie should be.
Finally, nifty and simple use of graphics in the Juliet Bravo credits make it all the more effective, with one of the all-time great british TV theme tunes.
Hear Hear !..........................still makes the hairs stand up on the back of the neck even after all this time................utterly brilliant.
By far my two favourite TV shows at the moment.
I love the True Blood opening titles. However, I just cant watch Dexter's.
It's weird cause the TB images are far more disturbing, yet I find all the close ups in the Dexter titles hard to watch for some reason.
Best one I've seen recently was True Blood. Great song and a brilliant image sequence that perfectly captured the Southern milieu and the themes of superstition, sex and death.
Best cop show tune (and best cop show for that matter) was The Sweeney. Loads of energy with a menacing edge perfectly complemented by the zooming monochrome stills.
I remember that I loved The Professionals theme when I was a kid in the 1970s - so much so that I taped it on a cassette recorder from the TV one evening (had to get the rest of the family to be quiet!).
Another vote for The Avengers. Written by the dear late Johnny Dankworth, I think. As cool and stylish as the best of the 60s. I'm in two minds about its use in the current Pimms commercial but it was an inspired choice.
I quite liked The Sopranos opening theme - as menacing and psychotic as Tony Soprano himself.
I'm surprised to see Minder getting votes. It was a good show (largely due to George Cole) but Dennis "wrote the feme tune, sung the feme tune" Waterman croaking his way through the 'by the numbers' song didn't do anything for it.
No just the theme but all the music from Edge of Darkness was inspired. Eric Clapton and Michael Kamen collaborated to produce a brooding, haunting score that was perfect for one of the best TV drama series of all time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi6wNGwd84g&feature=related
The "new version" Twilight Zone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF-yh4mU6ps&feature=related
Flipping heck! :eek:
Going on popularity here, True Blood must have the best title sequence ever made!
I must go and watch it…
[edit]OK, seen it now. I can’t say I see why everyone loves it, although I do love the fact that it’s a minute and a half long and features a song. (They don’t tend to do long title sequences or theme songs any more.)
Morse theme
Thanks for Inspector Morse: remember the excitement about that music when the series first started?!
Grange Hill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsMVEp3XtQQ
Rainbow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAV1Su6Ya5E
To be fair it was more about the humorous opening sequence between Terry and Arthur in the white Ford Capri; not Dennis singing the feem toon in the closing titles......although he did score a modest hit with the title track back in 1980!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xez4o1ujOPI
Present(ish) : The Sopranos
(Can't find it on YouTube but this was the music: http://www.televisiontunes.com/Red_Caps.html).
Knots Landing - remember the sand castles?
Me & My Girl
I found it on YouTube lately and it really took me back to being a small boy. I used to think that blonde girl was hot and wanted to be that bloke!
Never saw that show, but it’s a great song.
And this programme had great titles and theme too. (Don't think the series lasted very long though.)
Hill St Blues for me, with Hawaii 5-0 a close second. But please let's not have another "best theme tune" thread - there are loads already.