Matt Berry’s Television Themes

Matt Berry has a new album of television theme covers out in October. I thought this may be of interest to some on here as it also features versions of the LWT, Thames and Open University themes.

https://acidjazz.bigcartel.com/category/television-themes

1. Are You Being Served?
2. The Good Life
3. LWT
4. Blankety Blank
5. Top of the Pops
6. Picture Box
7. The Liver Birds
8. Thames Television
9. Rainbow
10. Doctor Who
11. Wildtrak
12. World in Action
13. Sorry!
14. Open University

A preview of the first track is available here:



Berry has made his admiration of old TV themes known previously with this bit on Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe many years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ui1rdhQljU

Yes, the track listing is very Hazelhurst heavy - which is not a surprise when you watch the clip from Screenwipe.

Thames and LWT will just be his interpretation of the respective startup music.
But, the Open University? Isn't that a 8 second jingle - or was there a longer version, seldom heard.

It's a full piece of music - the Divertimento Prelude by Salzedo.

I saw a a track listing somewhere that had the durations and the likes of Thames / LWT and the OU were no more than 10 seconds (roughly) so its probably just the jingle rather than the whole fanfare.

Why isn't there a cover of Reach by S Club 7 then?

Now available on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/7ugM9A8bjOogSvLtrj5Avk

Also available on Google Play Music.

LWT/Thames/OU are just jingles. Nice enough, particularly the LWT one which has a more grand ending than the actual version.

I believe Top of the Pops is a 3 minute version of the "tumbling records" theme but I may be wrong.

Correct. It is a (rather poor) cover of Yellow Pearl by Phil Lynott which was the TOTP theme from 1981 to 1986. It doesn’t really work as the original was just so good. It doesn’t really compare with the Midge Ure version which was played over the chart countdown between 1984 and 1986.

The album is available to listen to on Amazon Music Unlimited. His version of Rainbow is wonderful. The Thames/LWT jingles are good recreations too.

Yeah that's beautiful, as is Blankety Blank, particularly towards the end with the guitar section.