I always listen to the theme tunes at the start of sitcoms. My favourites are Not Going Out, The Green Green Grass, Only Fools And Horses, Extras and Early Door. What's yours?
Theme tunes!
Fresh Fields - played old-school punk-rock style as the SS Titanic goes under the waves, preferably with the entire comedy industry's incidental music writers / musicians on board. I'd pay top dollar for the video.
Theme tunes are fine but (as a new topic perhaps) who in their right mind thinks that comedy is enhanced by music? I'm not talking musical sounds like the sliding whistle but 'funny' music. Lords and ladies of the jury, I produce as exhibit A the Benny Hill end-of-episode chase.
Yeah that type of music is only funny when it's done in an ironic way.
Although it's not the theme tune, I loved the music that cropped up in Spaced, an example being when they're going round the pubs in the weed episode. Actually does anyone know what that tunes called?
it goes bow bow booow bow bow booow for a bit, then it starts going chiggychi chiggychi - someone must know it.
One thing that annoys me about Lead Balloon is the musical interludes - it's as if they're saying, we've run out of jokes so here's a Keane song for you to enjoy, that'll kill a couple of minutes.
Favourite theme tunes would have to be OFAH and Cheers.
Peep Show as well
One of my pet hates - when voiceover man or woman talks all over the theme tune - e.g. More4 wanker who insists on telling us what's up next as the rather excellent Curb Your Enthusiasm tune plays.
I don't care that Celebrity Gay Boys Get Screwed Up The Bumhole is on next, I want to listen to the music, you inconsiderate bastard. Extras was also bad for this.
Quote: SlagA @ November 9, 2006, 12:05 PM- .
Theme tunes are fine but (as a new topic perhaps) who in their right mind thinks that comedy is enhanced by music? I'm not talking musical sounds like the sliding whistle but 'funny' music. Lords and ladies of the jury, I produce as exhibit A the Benny Hill end-of-episode chase.
a catchy tune will make the audience sit up and take note, i do agree with you on the benny hill, if i think of a comic song it's got to be that although i have it as a ringtone and it went of during a important meeting, thats embarasment, still its a good song
Maid Marian and Her Merry Men. No contest.
Hi Lewis
Sorry, i digressed from talking about strictly theme music.
Fawlty Towers was always well concieved. Chamber music to reflect Fawlty's false snootiness. Dad's Army, the classic "Mr Hitler". And altho i hated the show, Are you being served? had a fantastically evocative 'lift music' theme.
I began squacking about music 'inside' a comedy show. For example, a runaway pram accompanied by 'funny' music. The producer should think if it needs the prop of music to make it seem funny then it probably isn't funny and needs looking at.
To echo others earlier in the post, I always found the Seinfeld interlude bass-slapping very irritating. It seemed to say we've reached a point where "something ... anything" needed to be crammed into the traditional moment's silence and fade to black (indicating transition in time and space) because society's attention span is so small, we need to be hand-walked thru that scary emptiness.
In defence of Seinfeld, they were hostage to US TV's insane need to go for an ad break every few minutes. I was in the US for a few days earlier this year and tried to watch an episode of Seinfeld and, sure enough, every time the bass-slapping started it was time for an ad break. It ruined the flow of the episode and caused me to switch over halfway through.
Back in the land of one ad break, I did find the bass slapping annoying at first, but nowadays it's strangely endearing, a bit like Jerry Seinfeld's crap dress sense (white trainers and black jeans - noooo!)
I love certain theme tunes and opening titles. I think a good one can really set up a show! And a good tune is one that I end up humming for days afterwards and can't get out of my head. 
Oh, gawd. Forgot Father Ted - what a great theme.