Sound Bank: 2) Thames TV jingle

I might be a BBC man now, but as a child it was ITV all the way. This was largely due to the anarchism of programmes like Tiswas and The Sooty Show (to a six-year-old, shooting a water pistol at a grown adult with a beard is the ultimate expression of violent, uncurbed anarchy). But I also found myself drawn to Benny Hill, The Goodies, Danger Mouse and Rainbow.

Most importantly of all, ITV taught me about jingles. The Thames TV theme - eight notes in five seconds - is embedded as deep in my memory as my own mother's name. When I am in the psychiatric ward, eating my own poo, I will be doing so to the constant soundtrack of the Salute To Thames. And I will enjoy it. (Well, maybe not the bit with the poo, but there's bound to be a sexy young nurse I can impress with my knowledge of regional television idents of the 70 and early 80s, right?)

As someone who would later go on to write TV themes as an actual, paid job (more of which later), the discovery of the Thames jingle was a watershed moment. Or should that be water pistol moment?







Sound Bank is a series of blog posts I'm running in August while I'm on holiday. If you want to know more about it, there's an explanation on this page. Normal pop blog service will be resumed around 25th August

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