Sherlock, Doctor Who and Black Beauty are among the shortlist of shows

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

They’re the soundtrack to our cultural lives, the TV theme tunes that signal to viewers it’s time to plump themselves down on the sofa (or crawl behind it) in anticipation of their best-loved shows – and the nation’s favourite will be revealed on Saturday.

More than 4,000 members of the public have voted to produce a shortlist of 10 themes, which includes Doctor Who – composed by Ron Grainer and Delia Derbyshire – The Avengers and Thunderbirds, which all first aired in the 1960s.

The 70s are represented by Black Beauty (1972), John Barry’s theme for action comedy series The Persuaders!, and Barry Stoller’s tune that has introduced Match of the Day since 1970.

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After two entries for the 80s – Clannad’s composition for 1984’s Robin of Sherwood and Barrington Pheloung’s Inspector Morse, which first aired in 1987 – there is a two-decade gap until David Arnold and Michael Price’s 2010 theme for Sherlock.

The most recent entry in the top 10, in a poll conducted by Radio Times magazine, the BFI and Classic FM, was 2015’s Poldark, which was composed by Anne Dudley.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Aidan Turner in Poldark. Photograph: Mike Hogan/BBC/Mammoth Screen/Mike Hogan

Andrew Collins, Radio Times’ film editor and Classic FM presenter, will reveal the nation’s favourite on Saturday at the BFI and Radio Times television festival in London, where he is to be joined by Howard Goodall, who composed the themes to Blackadder, Red Dwarf and The Vicar of Dibley.

He told the Guardian: “A great TV theme has you humming it after the first episode. Whether it’s a bespoke tune by an eminent contemporary composer or an existing piece that becomes instantly embedded with the atmosphere of the show itself.

“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. 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.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in Sherlock. Photograph: Hartswood Films/REX/Shutterstock

On the dominance of themes from the last century, he said: “Well, with Sherlock way ahead at the top, we can hardly accuse the electorate of being hobbled by nostalgia – although Doctor Who allows you to buy into something entirely 21st century and modern, while acknowledging decades of cultural history. It’s one for the grown-up and the kids.

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“You might expect a tinge of nostalgia in these uncertain times, however. I half-wish I was watching Black Beauty in the mid-70s waiting for teatime. Who wouldn’t?”

And his personal favourite?

“Poirot, maybe, or Morse. Anything that signals something long and investigative. Both stop the clocks and clear the mental decks for a proper treat. Once within the opening and closing credits of an ITV drama, no matter how many times you’ve seen or heard it, you’re in a safe, fictional place. It’s like the end credits literally wake you up at the end. And then it’s back to the appalling real world.”

Whichever theme comes out on top, it’s certain to provoke frenzied comment. On Thursday, the BBC radio broadcaster Calum Macdonald asked on Twitter: “Is Game of Thrones the best theme tune for a TV show ever? If not, what is (you’ll be wrong)?”

He received more than 3,000 responses, with many suggesting homegrown classics such as Minder, children’s show Rentaghost or the Saturday sports magazine programme Grandstand.

The nation’s favourite TV theme tune is to be revealed at 2.30pm on Saturday at the BFI and Radio Times television festival at the BFI Southbank