The BBC Radio 4 UK Theme is an arrangement of traditional British airs composed by Fritz Spiegl (and possibly Manfred Arlan) which was played every morning on BBC Radio 4 between 1978 and 2006. In 2006, an announcement that the broadcast was to be cancelled caused much controversy in the United Kingdom, including extensive discussion in the British media and even in Parliament. The last broadcast of the UK Theme was at 5:30am on 23 April 2006.
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Context and usage
The UK Theme was created in 1978 (not 1973 as BBC press releases at the time of its axing claimed) at the suggestion of Ian McIntyre, the then-new controller of Radio 4. He commissioned Fritz Spiegl to produce an arrangement of traditional British melodies to signify Radio 4 as a service which, from its move from medium wave to 1500 metres/200 kiloHertz long wave on 23 November 1978, would for the first time broadcast a unified service to the whole United Kingdom. Austrian-born Spiegl came to the UK as a refugee in 1939, after his parents fled Nazi persecution of Jews following the Anschluss. He had contributed several pieces of music to the BBC, including a theme for Radio 4 based on a children's skipping rhyme introduced in 1973 (called A Skipping Tune)[1], which would be replaced by the Radio 4 UK Theme.
The time at which the piece was played varied according to the time Radio 4 began broadcasting, which has become gradually earlier in the morning over the years. Towards the end of the UK Theme's life it was played at 5:30am each day, when Radio 4 took over from the BBC World Service, which has provided overnight programming on Radio 4's frequencies for some years.
In 2006 the Controller of Radio 4, Mark Damazer, announced that he was cancelling the broadcast. The decision caused much controversy, but protests were to no avail. The last broadcast of the UK Theme was at 5:30am on 23 April 2006.
The UK Theme, like Sailing By, was used before the Shipping Forecast, allowing fishermen and sailors within range to tune to the correct frequency for the gale warnings and weather forecasts which are about to be broadcast; the continuity of the music being better than spoken words as a gauge of sound quality, allowing those tuning in to find the best frequency for their location.
Description
The theme is a collection of traditional British tunes representing the four home countries of the United Kingdom as well as the national maritime tradition.
- The piece opens with the first few bars of "Early One Morning" (English, horns and trombones), before the main theme of "Rule Britannia" (British, woodwind and strings) is played.
- In the second section, the mood changes as the "Londonderry Air" (Northern Irish, cor anglais and harp) combined with "Annie Laurie" (Scottish, violin) are played at a slower tempo.
- The faster third section begins with "What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor?" (Royal Navy, piccolo) combined with "Greensleeves" (English, strings), then "Men of Harlech" (Welsh, brass and percussion) combined with "Scotland the Brave" (Scottish, woodwind).
- The finale of the piece, after alluding again to "Early One Morning", ends with a full orchestral version of "Rule Britannia" over which a solo trumpet plays the "Trumpet Voluntary".
The piece is exactly five minutes in length and was recorded in 1978 by the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra.
It has echoes of Jack Byfield's Fantasia on National Airs, known colloquially as "Nat. Airs", which was written as a startup theme for the BBC Television Service in the mid-1950s. Both pieces open with Early One Morning.[1]
Controversy
On 23 January 2006, the BBC announced that by April 2006 the UK Theme would be scrapped, the station opening instead with a news briefing and extended shipping forecast.[2] Explaining the decision, Radio 4 controller Mark Damazer said: "I know there are some people who will regret the passing of the UK Theme, but I believe the bulk of the audience will be better served by a pacy news briefing, read by one of Radio 4's team of news readers."
The announcement led to mass coverage in the British media and even to comments in its support by then Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown. On the 24 January, several British MPs submitted Early Day Motions about the theme,[3] which led to a question being asked at Prime Minister's Questions, with then Prime Minister Tony Blair referring to the "strong feeling" around the country.[4] Also, BBC Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman played the UK Theme to end the programme on a number of occasions and several British orchestras and institutions have also pledged to play the theme.[5] These include British supermarket chain ASDA, and London speech radio station, LBC. ASDA said: "We are going to be playing the UK Theme at 10am every morning on ASDA FM, our in-store radio, so that our customers will be treated to this rousing musical medley as they do their weekly shop." David Lloyd, the managing director of LBC, said: "We're with [Jeremy] Paxman on this. If our friends at Radio 4 don't want the theme tune anymore, then we would seriously like to acquire it [for our breakfast show]".[6] Fritz Spiegl's widow, Ingrid, added her support, saying: "I feel the voice of the people should be heard".[6]
Meanwhile, another controversy broke out as to whether it was solely Fritz Spiegl who arranged the piece, as the family of Manfred Arlan, the RLPO's principal bassoonist for 35 years claimed it was a joint authorship, citing both names on the score. Spiegl's widow suggested that Arlan was only the copyist, whereas Arlan's family suggested his contribution was more extensive. [7] As both composers are deceased, the true authorship remains unclear, although the published orchestral edition names both men.[8]
On 31 March 2006 the BBC issued a press release[9] confirming that the new Radio 4 schedule would begin on Monday 24 April, meaning that the UK Theme was played for the last time on Sunday 23 April. In it the Controller of Radio 4, Mark Damazer, said: "I'm sorry that part of the audience is upset by the removal of the UK Theme. They may like to know that we will be offering the UK Theme as a stream on the Radio 4 website, where it will be available from Friday 21 April." The following day, the Daily Telegraph carried a short piece saying that the campaign to save the theme had "failed."
On 1 April 2006, the Today Programme transmitted a piece claiming that the UK Theme would be replaced by a new "EU theme". This was later confirmed as an April Fool joke.[10]
The BBC has released no official figure for the number of complaints it has received on the matter of dropping the UK Theme. However, a MediaGuardian article dated 29 March put it at "more than 6,000".[11]
On Friday 21 April, the UK Theme officially went online on the Radio 4 website.[12]
The single
On Friday, 17 February 2006, the piece was re-recorded by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia under the direction of Gavin Sutherland and was released as a single on Monday, 27 March, also featuring Ronald Binge's Sailing By, the BBC Radio 4 late night Shipping Forecast theme. The original manuscript was restored by the notable light music composer Ernest Tomlinson after it was discovered in the loft of Ingrid Spiegl's house. The executive producers of the single were Mike Flowers, who had previously had an unexpected hit with his arrangement of Oasis's "Wonderwall", and Liverpool-based conference organiser Simon Roxborough.
During the first week of its release, it charted at number 15 in the Woolworths Singles Chart. On Sunday, 2 April 2006, the single entered the Tesco Singles Chart at number 8 and the UK Singles Chart at number 29. The top-ten placement at Tesco resulted in the single featuring prominently in the store's display areas, while its entry into the UK Singles Chart led to an on-air explanation of the campaign by the presenters of the Radio 1 Chart Show. By the second week of its release, it had dropped to 39th in the UK Singles Chart. In its third week, it fell to number 75.
The same team behind the single were also planning a full-length album of pieces selected from the British light music tradition. The album, provisionally titled "Early One Morning: British Light Music and Broadcasting Classics", was expected to include Country Gardens and Lillibullero (the BBC World Service theme), as well as the re-recorded UK Theme and Sailing By.[13] This appears to have not come to fruition. However, the theme is available in another recording on Naxos Records' British Light Miniatures performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Paul Murphy.[14]
References
- ^ Regional Flavours | Sounds On
- ^ BBC NEWS | Entertainment | UK Theme to be dropped by Radio 4
- ^ Early Day Motions
- ^ House of Commons Hansard Debates for 25 Jan 2006 (pt 3)
- ^ Save the Radio 4 Theme
- ^ a b Britain unites in campaign to save radio theme tune - Times Online
- ^ "Origins of UK Theme lead to loss of harmony" in the Daily Telegraph, Tom Leonard 27th February 2006
- ^ Fritz Spiegl/Manfred Arlan: The Radio 4 UK Theme 'National Airs' (Score/Parts)
- ^ BBC - Press Office - Radio 4's new-look early mornings
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/audio/stanbridge_uktheme.ram
- ^ Big bands given marching orders by Radio 2 | Media | MediaGuardian
- ^ BBC - Radio 4 - The Uk Theme
- ^ Radio 4 UK theme single, sleeve notes, 2006.
- ^ British Light Miniatures, Naxos 8.570332 (released 2006)
See also
External links
- BBC Radio 4 UK Theme (high quality mp3 file)
- BBC Radio 4 UK Theme at Sterling Times (Realplayer file)
- Amateur playing it on Clavinola
- BBC News story announcing its departure
- BBC News: the theme is mentioned in the House of Commons
- BBC Radio 4 History page on the UK Theme
- Save the Radio 4 theme campaign
- Radio Times article on the single
- BBC News article about the single
- Radio 4 Today April Fool
- Full "Euro Theme" spoof
- BBC Radio 4 Help
- Matt cartoon
Sources
- David Hendy, Life on Air: A History of Radio Four, Oxford University Press, 2007
