This Sunday’s Now Playing is a television theme special with an alternative twist, and it’s going to be aces.
I know what you’re thinking: Only Fools and Horses, One Foot in the Grave, Minder. Of course these themes evoke nostalgia and golden moments from televisual dinosaurs, but they’re not really alternative. Sure, we love the theme to Happy Days, Scooby-Doo and Round the Twist, but they’re hardly 6 Music fodder.
What we’re after are your suggestions for brilliant indie moments in television theme history. You don’t have to look very hard, there are loads of them.
It’s all because Sunday on 6 Music is a celebration of TV stuff. At 1pm there’s an Easter special starring Shaun Keaveny and children’s TV legend Hacker T Dog. Then straight after Now Playing, Stuart Maconie celebrates the iconic music of TV composer Barry Gray performed by Charles Hazelwood's All Star Collective at St George's Bristol. Barry Gray created some of the most memorable music on British television and film from the 1960s onwards including Thunderbirds, Joe 90, Captain Scarlet and Stingray. BIG THEMES.
Back to Now Playing, and you could give us any theme from any TV genre from the last fifty years or so. We’re thinking Harvey Danger’s ‘Flagpole Sitta’ from Peep Show, Phantom Planet – ‘California’ from The OC, Jake Bugg’s ‘Trouble Town’ from Happy Valley, or even Primus’ unforgettable theme for South Park.
Go a bit deeper with Brian Jonestown Massacre’s theme to Boardwalk Empire, Tom Waits’ ‘Way Down In The Hole’ from The Wire, or the fantastic ‘Falling’ from Julee Cruise, theme song to Twin Peaks.
And who could forget the various indie themes to The Office, The Royle Family, Extras or Manic Street Preachers’ cover of ‘Suicide Is Painless’ from M*A*S*H.
There are so many ways to go on this week’s topic, so get your television theme suggestions to Tom via the hashtag #TVThemes6Music to help create a playlist. Comment on the Now Playing Facebook page, here on the blog, email nowplaying@bbc.co.uk or drag tracks onto our Spotify playlist.
