h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: BBC Sporting Themes - A6201992
Author: Ðiscõ Stu - U816232

I'm having some trouble with this entry.

Basically, I'm struggling to give it a bit more body. And to make it more interesting! Wondering now if the subject really deserves an entry?

Any advice will be gratefully received.

Stu.

I love the Wimbledon music!

Perhaps you could expand it to be general sporting themes, both for the TV programme and the event itself? Then you could talk about the ITV F1 themes, Mambo No.5 for Channel Four's Cricket coverage, Aaron Copeland's Fanfare for the Common Man for the Olympics (or one of them anyway), Jupiter from the Planets suite (I think) for the Rugby World Cup, and so on.

You'd probably need help from researchers abroad though.

The Wimbledon tune is the only one I can't recall!

Thanks for the input. I've added a wee bit about Mambo Number 5/The Ashes. I'll have a think about it, but at the minute I think I'd prefer to keep the overall focus on the BBC themes. As a whole I think they're the most well known. And the entry will spiral out of control if I expand it to be a more general article.

"the entry will spiral out of control if I expand it to be a more general article."

That's a reasonable point. Well, perhaps someone else can help you more!

Oh, and thank for linking to my Wimbledon entry!

There have been two ITV Formula One themes since they got the coverage from the BBC. The new one is a mix of 'you ain't seen nothing yet' but I don't know who it's by.

I think the old one was a rock song, wasn't it? A really good one, too.

The old one went:

diddle do do DO diddle-iddle-iddle...

One of my favourite sports themes is the music for the 5:00 sports news roundup on Saturday afternoons. It's called 'Sports Report' and is now on Radio 5, but I think the music and the programme have a much older history than that.

There's some detail on it, and a music sample, at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/programmes/holmes_vote/

Hi there
I seem to remember that the old F1 theme, 'The Chain' was performed by Fleetwood Mac, although I have no idea who wrote it or if that was the recording used.
I have it on a CD somewhere I'll try looking it out.
All the best
DK

Hi Deke,

Thanks for that. Had a feeling the Mac were involved somehow!

I think that it's only the bassline from 'The Chain' that was used?

I think Roger Barsotti wrote the theme 'Motor Sport', which sampled the bassline from 'The Chain', a song on the Mac's Rumours album.

I seem to remember it was the Fleetwood Mac version at one time, untampered with - not the whole song but the instrumental bit at the end.

I've updated this a bit. Reworded the Formula 1 section to mention Fleetwood Mac. How's it look?

Trin - someone else I was speaking to in RL told me that too, but I think the most well known version of the theme isn't exactly as Fleetwood Mac recorded it?

Having trouble finding any material to write about for the Wimbledon and Ski Sunday sections. Aside from the title and composer, there ain't much information out there.

Still wondering whether the subject actually merits a guide entry, but spent too much time on it to give up!

Perhaps you could mention that the Wimbledon music is played over various shots of current and former players, and at the end of the intro (music and shots), they always show the previous year's singles champions. Also, I think the music used at the end of the broadcast is different, but I'm not certain.

The BBC also use a different piece of music at the beginning of any non-Wimbledon tennis coverage they do (perhaps a chance to link to my entry on pro tennis? ).

Cheers Elentari, I'll look into that. And link to your article! All shameless plugs welcome!

Well, I do try...

I was thinking you could expand it by talking about opening sequences generally, and thus include the visual opening, but it could be a problem because they do change.

Star Queen!

Yeah they do change so that could get out of date very quickly, but I've added sentences in the Grandstand and MOTD sections about the visuals. They're more general.