BBC4: 4,11, 18 December

Neil Brand explores the enduring power of the television theme tune, adverts, jingles and score. This week: Theme tunes.

Those who have watched Neil Brand’s excellent series Sound of Musicals and Sound of Cinema will need no convincing to tune to this three-part overview of how TV music can shape our lives. Constructed in the same format as the other shows, Brand travels the world talking to experts in the genre before playing some of the music himself, breaking it down to explore the construction.

Episode 1: Theme Tunes is for me the strongest of the three, probably because it is the most personal and nostalgia-laden, a concept that is explored within the show. From John Barry’s The Persuaders, replete with plucked harps and synths, to the majesty of Ramin Djawadi’s lengthy Game of Thrones, Brand explores what and how the theme tune works, reflecting the programmes they’re trailing, and serving as that all-important hook to pull you in.

At all times the material is accessible, and while you appreciate that a lot of music theory has gone in to these compositions, you’re not excluded as a layman. Of particular interest to me was Matt Groening on the influences that shaped the iconic Danny Elfman theme for his The Simpsons show, and a performance of Ron Grainer’s The Prisoner theme at a piano by the fountain in Portmeirion (dressed as the new Number 2).

Clearly a discussion of TV themes couldn’t miss out Doctor Who, and the whole era is topped and tailed by Dick Mills talking about his work with Delia Derbyshire on creating the first version, and then current composer Segun Akinola on how he made the theme his own on the latest version. David Arnold and Michael Price also share their experiences of composing the main themes to Sherlock and Dracula.

Other episodes in the series look at TV ads and the rise of the use of cinematic underscore within programmes.

Verdict: Theme Tunes is a wonderful opening episode to this series, taking you back to the significant places in your life where TV themes create an intrinsic part of the soundtrack of your life.  9/10