Sherlock’s four series have cemented the show as an iconic favourite (Picture: BBC)

Benedict Cumberbatch’s series Sherlock has been crowned the winner of the nation’s favourite theme tune – knocking off Doctor Who from the top spot.

The BFI TV Fest announced that after a poll curated by the film institute themselves, Radio Times and Classic FM, that the 2010 series Sherlock win the public vote hands down.

Speaking about the theme tune, Michael Price – one of Sherlock’s composers, explained: ‘Being a part of a TV show like Sherlock, which has reached so many people, is a genuinely humbling experience.’

‘Thanks hugely to all the Radio Times readers who voted for it – I can only apologise to everyone else who wanted their favourite to win,’ he added. ‘I voted for Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em.’




Others who made it through to the top 10 include Match Of The Day, The Avengers TV Show and The Adventures Of Black Beauty.

In a collection of TV favourites that span decades, Inspector Morse, Poldark and Robin of Sherwood also got a mention in the collection.

Doctor Who came in second in the data (Picture: BBC)

The BFI are continuing their annual TV Fest across this weekend, with debuts of new TV shows including Years & Years and Ghosts giving viewers a sneak peek into what’s to come.

Can one of them hold the key to a new favourite?

Composer Howard Goodall, who announced the results, told The Guardian about the secret behind what makes a song so successful.

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‘Who doesn’t feel uplifted by the Match of the Day theme? That’s because it was specially written for a particular job and for a particular audience,’ he said.

‘It’s the complex cousin of an advertising jingle: it sells Doctor Foster or Black Beauty or Sherlock. The art of persuasion in 40 seconds.’

Sherlock is available now on Netflix and BBC iPlayer.

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