Top of the tots

50YRS OF WOMBLES... & OTHER TV TUNES

Mike Batt not only wrote tracks like the Wombling Song, Remember You’re A

Womble and Wombling

Merry Christmas, but he got his mum to make him a costume so he could perform with his Wombles band, including on Top

Of The Pops.

Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po from The Teletubbies sold 1.3million copies with their 1997 No1 hit, Teletubbies Say Eh-Oh.

Bob The Builder’s Can

We Fix It?, with vocals by Neil Morrissey – who voiced the character in the BBC show – became the UK’s Christmas number one in 2000, selling a million copies and followed it up with another chart-topper Mambo No5 in 2001. The theme tune for Grange Hill was Alan Hawkshaw’s Chicken Man, written in under an hour. It was also used for ITV’s Give Us A Clue.

The Grange Hill cast also teamed up for the anti-drugs song Just Say No, which made No5 in the UK charts in 1986. There have been multiple versions of Blue Peter’s theme track, Barnacle Bill, including one by Mike Oldfield, the musician behind Tubular Bells.

Meet The Flintstones and its catchy lyrics “Flintstones, meet the Flintstones, they’re the modern Stone Age family” has been voted the most recognisable kids TV theme tune. It was by American Hoyt Curtain, who also gave us the Top Cat song.Ben Raleigh Ellie Simmonds and partner Nikita Kuzman danced to the Scooby Doo theme tune on Strictly Come Dancing.

Its co-creator died in a kitchen fire in 1997.

The theme tune for 1970s hit Captain Pugwash was called Trumpet Hornpipe, originally recorded by folk musician Tommy Edmondson, from Northumberland. He was paid £1.50. As well as its classic theme track for the TV show, The Muppets had a UK No1 album and a top 10 hit with Half Way Down The Stairs in 1977. It was also known for popularising the song Mah Nà Mah Nà, first used in an Italian documentary movie about sex in Sweden. Michael Stainforth, who was jester Timothy Claypole in Rentaghost, composed and sang the theme song. He died in 1987, aged just 44.

The theme to Postman Pat featuring “his black and white cat” was sung by Ken Barrie and reached No44 in the chart in 1982. He also sang the theme to TV comedy series Hi-de-Hi!

Comic

Mike

Harding composed the Danger

Mouse theme on his mandolin. Former Carry On star Roy Castle also hosted Record Breakers and often sang its theme Dedication over the credits.