The best theme tune/intro Blue Peter ever had has to be (in my opinion) the one from 1979 - 1990 by Mike Oldfield. I vaguely remember watching the episode where Simon Groom and Mike Oldfield recorded it all. I must've been only been eight years old at the time and I didn't realise it was to become the new intro for the next eleven years. Great work from Mike who was only 25/26 at the time!
Today (Tuesday 16th October 2018) marks 60 years since Blue Peter first went on air. And listening to some of these themes really bring back memories, especially the 1999 theme onwards, because I think that's when I first got into the show, in 2004, when I was about six. Brings back memories of a simpler time.
1999 is my one, I listened to see if I could recognise it over the others after over 10 years and I could, instantly. So nostalgic. So glad it's still going so the kids of today, and hopefully tomorrow, get to enjoy it like I did.
I agree with all the good comments about the 1999 theme - it's definitely the best of all the re-recordings. I love how it cleverly mixes the sound of the original orchestral theme from 1958 with some extra 'carnival' noises, while the opening bars are reminiscent of the 90s electronic versions of the theme. And then it all builds up to an exciting and dramatic climax! Love it!! They should go back to that one as it still sounds very modern, even though it's mainly an orchestral arrangement.
Viz the Great Theme Tunes Vandalism of 1977, when the still well-remembered classic themes to 3 shows, Top of the Pops, Animal Magic, Nationwide, were all pointlessly dropped. Lost to us suddenly without any notice or expecting. BP was lucky to keep its tune recognisable.
I loved Blue Peter when I was a kid, but at some point in late childhood I had a massive epiphany. One day it hit me like a laser between the eyes: Blue Peter is total bollocks. I never watched it again after that. Did anyone else have this epiphany?
I grew up on the 1996 one and I had no idea what the actual melody was supposed to sound like until much later. It was a very confusing experience that has left me alienated from the rest of humanity to this day
Yup same, I was a teenager by that point but I absolutely hated the 1996 theme and I remember thinking younger kids are going to grow up not having a clue what the theme is. (It only really works if you already know the theme and you can attibute it to the noises, otherwise it just sounds like a mess of noise). I can't believe some idiot allowed it to last for a staggering 4 years. The 1999 theme was a welcome and long overdue relief.
I remember the creation of 1996 theme. They had a steel drum band on who played the theme song at the end of the show and obviously decided to keep it as the official opening tune.
I remember that too. What a dumb decision. It was a fun one-off rendition of the theme for sure but absolutely did not work as the main theme to be used for years and years.... what were they thinking?
I'm a little confused when it says that the 1958 theme stayed the same until Mike Oldfield's version in 1979 as I certainly remember quite clearly a 1976 version that was actually played with a flute, but maybe that was just for the outro., that was my favourite anyway
I'll always love the Mike Oldfield version, as I was born in 1977 and forever connected Blue Peter with the Excorcist as I was of that era. But I do like the Stomp version and the 1995 era version is nice too!
The '1996' one is actually from 1994, and although a bit of a mess is nostalgic for me because it's the first one I remember! For years I didn't even think it had anything to do with the older themes and thought it was a completely new tune :p 1999's pretty nostalgic for me too though, amazing stuff!
It's not a person's name, it's a maritime flag used on ships. It's lowered as the ship is about to set sail. It was used as the programme title as it signifies setting off on a journey (of discovery in the show's case).
Rare for me to subsribe to anyones page, even yours, but if you are Ringo/Richard then all I can say is 'good on yer', I used to watch it up until 1971 when my family moved to Australia. They never showed it here and by god how I missed it, they never had anything like it here for years, and still don't, so the only theme I ever knew was the original and I absolutely loved the show, watched it religiously. Thank you for watching too Ringo.
While it's kind of horrible, it's the first one to get the shuffle right. The tune is a hornpipe and is meant to be played with a certain amount of shuffle which the arranger, conductor and orchestra completely missed in the original version. Most of the subsequent versions miss it too because they were presumably based off the '58 recording.
@@applemask It's kind of almost there if you listen closely. There are pitched percussion instruments playing the melody, they're just not very strongly pitched. A shame as it's pretty much the only one to get the rhythm right.
The version I remember is the original one. Peter Purves, Lesley Judd (whatever happened to her?) and the inimitable John Noakes presenting, ably assisted by Petra, Shep and Jason the Siamese cat. I was most upset when it was replaced by the Mike Oldfield recording. Oh dear, never thought I was so susceptible to nostalgia.
I wrote off to Blue Peter, can't remember how old I was the first time but it was around 2001-2003 and the second time around I was 17 so in 2005, but due to my age I received green badge stickers and a Blue Peter sew on badge
How did you get the music? I am planning on holding a blue peter bring and buy sale and want to film it with this as the background music and maybe even play it at the sale.
Excellent idea! Absolutely love this vid. I was a guest on Blue Peter once, I tried to figure out the year by recognizing the tune but it+s just impossible, somewhere before 1996 I think :)
1979 for me - although I remember the 1990 one the most and its the most nostalgic version for me - followed closely by the '92 version. The '96 version must have been mixed by some crack ed. I do remember the '99 version but I wasn't watching Blue Peter then, I was at college and working at Burger King.
The 2007 one hasn't actually been used since the most recent series started in 2008; they instead have a rather strange version which doesn't bear much resemblance to the "original" theme. Hopefully they might change it slightly for the new series this September, as it may only be a small thing but it contributes hugely to the image of the programme.
Is Blue Peter still going? I guarantee it'll go the way of Top of the Pops. To quote Paul O'Grady, "What people today working in television KNOW about television, you could write on an ant's bum". The BP presenters used to be the most famous people on telly - can anyone name one?
@johnmartin1097 It's also featured in Henry Wood's Fantasia on English Sea Songs, which is a standard part of the last night of the Proms and gets a reasonable amount of airplay on Classic FM etc ... I guess it's probably cropped up in quite a few other pieces ... in Tubular Belss by Mike Oldfield for instance
@VideoGameSoundtracks How right you are. No, seriously, you're right. It's played on trash cans. It was performed by a group called Stomp, who specialise in making music out of everyday objects. Listen out for the milk bottles too.
DarthJedi2005 - The reason why the 1996 version sounds like people banging bins, is because that's exactly what it is! I'm not kidding. It was done by a performance group called Stomp, who's niche act was making music from unlikely everyday objects. Despite their controversial version of the BP theme, they're actually brilliant.
A lot of blue peter members are gone including andy and joel (2011) now replaced with barney harwood the remaning now is helen skelton and barney harwood
@johnmartin1097 It's not --- it's "Barnacle Bill" -- it's similar to the Hornpipe but not exactly the same. CF the last track of "Tubular Bells" for comparison.
I love all of the blue Peter theme songs and I love blue Peter
1999 is definitely the best.
The best theme tune/intro Blue Peter ever had has to be (in my opinion) the one from 1979 - 1990 by Mike Oldfield. I vaguely remember watching the episode where Simon Groom and Mike Oldfield recorded it all. I must've been only been eight years old at the time and I didn't realise it was to become the new intro for the next eleven years. Great work from Mike who was only 25/26 at the time!
Tony Hart who designed the Blue Peter ship logo died January 2009.
1958 - Good - 0:12
1979 - OK - 1:03
1990 - Good - 1:36
1992 - Very good - 2:06
1996 - WTF - 2:36
1999 - Outstanding - 3:26
2005 - Good - 3:56
2007a - OK - 4:28
2007b - Shite - 4:54
anicetune XD
anicetune I agree with this list
anicetune Same
Nah. The 79 one is the best. The 92 one is a shiter
I also agree with this list
Today (Tuesday 16th October 2018) marks 60 years since Blue Peter first went on air. And listening to some of these themes really bring back memories, especially the 1999 theme onwards, because I think that's when I first got into the show, in 2004, when I was about six. Brings back memories of a simpler time.
1979 is the classic and best by far.
The best one by far
Mike Oldfield is a treasure
Mike Oldfield knows his shit.
I loved both 1996 and the 1999. Being born in 1990, I saw the transformation and grew up on it.
the 1958 and 1979 version for me are the best, the good old days of britain.
I listened to this video just now whilst getting changed after work. Bangin!
1999 is my one, I listened to see if I could recognise it over the others after over 10 years and I could, instantly. So nostalgic. So glad it's still going so the kids of today, and hopefully tomorrow, get to enjoy it like I did.
Same! Best one too Imo
@@imafa9ryi remember the 1999 one as well. (Pardon the joke my eye colour is blue and first name is Peter)
fuck 1999 went all out didn't they? that's like some international orchestra
+Dizzy Blu 1999 theme got stuck in my head.
1999 is the one I remember, I was 9 then so it was when I started watching it. So glad I never heard the previous one to that, it was AWFUL.
Yeah, but it was classic mid 1990s.
It's the one I remember 🤗
I agree with all the good comments about the 1999 theme - it's definitely the best of all the re-recordings. I love how it cleverly mixes the sound of the original orchestral theme from 1958 with some extra 'carnival' noises, while the opening bars are reminiscent of the 90s electronic versions of the theme. And then it all builds up to an exciting and dramatic climax! Love it!! They should go back to that one as it still sounds very modern, even though it's mainly an orchestral arrangement.
Proof that the BBC can never leave well enough alone and the quality of their music has to go down the more they try to innovate.
Viz the Great Theme Tunes Vandalism of 1977, when the still well-remembered classic themes to 3 shows, Top of the Pops, Animal Magic, Nationwide, were all pointlessly dropped. Lost to us suddenly without any notice or expecting. BP was lucky to keep its tune recognisable.
I loved Blue Peter when I was a kid, but at some point in late childhood I had a massive epiphany. One day it hit me like a laser between the eyes: Blue Peter is total bollocks. I never watched it again after that. Did anyone else have this epiphany?
I know this is an old comment, but please can you elaborate? What do you mean by “Blue Peter is total Bollocks”?
1999 is a timeless masterpiece the grand daddy of them all.
Just gone to bed and this tune pops into my head. Damn my brain. I'll be up all night now.
I grew up on the 1996 one and I had no idea what the actual melody was supposed to sound like until much later. It was a very confusing experience that has left me alienated from the rest of humanity to this day
Yup same, I was a teenager by that point but I absolutely hated the 1996 theme and I remember thinking younger kids are going to grow up not having a clue what the theme is. (It only really works if you already know the theme and you can attibute it to the noises, otherwise it just sounds like a mess of noise). I can't believe some idiot allowed it to last for a staggering 4 years. The 1999 theme was a welcome and long overdue relief.
You'll never beat the 1979 Oldfield version. Class.
love the 1979 version of blue peter, its the one i remember, but there is something lovely and comforting about the 1950's version as well.
Omg I love blue peter. I never knew it was around for this long.
1990 tunnnneeee ouch no the old tunnnneeee yea you never forget these tunnnneeees as a kid
What the bleedin heck is this? 2:42. Is this the African version?
The 1999 version is the best. My childhood right there.
Lucy Browett I agree nothing beats that theme
I remember the creation of 1996 theme. They had a steel drum band on who played the theme song at the end of the show and obviously decided to keep it as the official opening tune.
I remember that too. What a dumb decision. It was a fun one-off rendition of the theme for sure but absolutely did not work as the main theme to be used for years and years.... what were they thinking?
It’s thanks to Blue Peter I first found out what the old BBC Television Centre looks like.
When the programme began in 1958 playing with train sets and dressing up dolls was as good as it got but the programme was only once a week back then
Im 14 now but I remember sitting infront of the tele before school with a bowl of porridge listening to the 1999 version of the theme
I'm a little confused when it says that the 1958 theme stayed the same until Mike Oldfield's version in 1979 as I certainly remember quite clearly a 1976 version that was actually played with a flute, but maybe that was just for the outro., that was my favourite anyway
Wow. What was going wrong in 96.
1996 is the best should be a ringtone 👍
Oh yeah! My sister used to watch it all the time. Drove me mad!
Count me in from the late 1980s... Mark Curry, Yvette Fielding and Caron Keating were the first presenters I watched.
I'll always love the Mike Oldfield version, as I was born in 1977 and forever connected Blue Peter with the Excorcist as I was of that era. But I do like the Stomp version and the 1995 era version is nice too!
I was born in 1991 and watch the show from 1999-2007
Happy 60th Birthday Blue Peter
God. What happened in 1996
i know right 😆
Stomp Happened.
windsoord I saw that
blame stomp
Oh, I'd forgotten them. Just like everyone else has!
I grew up with the 1999 and 2005 theme tunes, so I would have to say, those ones were the best. :)
1999 version is what comes to mind when I think of the shows theme
The '1996' one is actually from 1994, and although a bit of a mess is nostalgic for me because it's the first one I remember! For years I didn't even think it had anything to do with the older themes and thought it was a completely new tune :p
1999's pretty nostalgic for me too though, amazing stuff!
Keep thinking the guy on the 1990 photo is chris Evans, but it's probably mark curry, but I wasn't around in 1990
1999 to 2005 is the best one in my opinion
The 1999 one went back to the original and the 2005 sounds a lot like the Mike Oldfield version.
+Sam E (Seirius) Moreso, the second one in this video was actually arranged and recorded by Mike Oldfield.
I agree - it was nostalgically similar to the original whilst putting a slight modern twist on too - I only really like this and the original :)
Awm it's not that bad!
It's the one i was raised on, and it grew on you.
1996 ALL THE WAY!
The Mike Oldfield one stands out a mile. Still sounds cool!!
I grew up with the 90's songs but I still think the very first one is the best
1990,1999,2005 are obviously the BEST!
It's not a person's name, it's a maritime flag used on ships. It's lowered as the ship is about to set sail. It was used as the programme title as it signifies setting off on a journey (of discovery in the show's case).
Thank you for posting this. I was child in the Noakes/Singleton/Purves era!
The '96 one was by some street performers they had on banged bin lids to produce their "music". I remember when they were on announcing the new theme.
Loved the show
My personal favs 1980's 1999.
My little sister was one of the music makers that did the new one
Rare for me to subsribe to anyones page, even yours, but if you are Ringo/Richard then all I can say is 'good on yer', I used to watch it up until 1971 when my family moved to Australia. They never showed it here and by god how I missed it, they never had anything like it here for years, and still don't, so the only theme I ever knew was the original and I absolutely loved the show, watched it religiously. Thank you for watching too Ringo.
1996; you messed up big time.
While it's kind of horrible, it's the first one to get the shuffle right. The tune is a hornpipe and is meant to be played with a certain amount of shuffle which the arranger, conductor and orchestra completely missed in the original version. Most of the subsequent versions miss it too because they were presumably based off the '58 recording.
its my favourite ! 😂
@@eyeball226 Shame they left out the melody.
@@applemask It's kind of almost there if you listen closely. There are pitched percussion instruments playing the melody, they're just not very strongly pitched. A shame as it's pretty much the only one to get the rhythm right.
Mike Oldfield had the best one.
The version I remember is the original one. Peter Purves, Lesley Judd (whatever happened to her?) and the inimitable John Noakes presenting, ably assisted by Petra, Shep and Jason the Siamese cat. I was most upset when it was replaced by the Mike Oldfield recording.
Oh dear, never thought I was so susceptible to nostalgia.
I wrote off to Blue Peter, can't remember how old I was the first time but it was around 2001-2003 and the second time around I was 17 so in 2005, but due to my age I received green badge stickers and a Blue Peter sew on badge
The 1999 one is by far the most superior version - over 10 years and it hasn't dated a day, unlike the most recent ones.
And now it’s over twenty years since the 1999 version and you’re still right - it hasn’t dated :)
How did you get the music? I am planning on holding a blue peter bring and buy sale and want to film it with this as the background music and maybe even play it at the sale.
Excellent idea! Absolutely love this vid. I was a guest on Blue Peter once, I tried to figure out the year by recognizing the tune but it+s just impossible, somewhere before 1996 I think :)
@97 channel thats really interesting coz i watch bp today and stomp were featured on it the other day thanks for that it was good
1999 version is best. Period.
+ZondaFRoadster fact.
+ZondaFRoadster Agreed
This is a British show what the hell is an American doing here
ZondaFRoadster jk
1979 is better.
Am i the only watching this just for the nostalgia
Probably not ;)
@riaminal It was actually 1995 that the pots and pan one was introduced! And it was then changed in 200 I heard!
im 17 now and i remember them all from 1999 onwards.
1996 and 1999 FTW! 96 Sounds so different yet cool while the 99 one sounds amazing!
1999! So many good memories.
1999 is my one ^___^ ahh happy childhood memories
1979 for me - although I remember the 1990 one the most and its the most nostalgic version for me - followed closely by the '92 version. The '96 version must have been mixed by some crack ed. I do remember the '99 version but I wasn't watching Blue Peter then, I was at college and working at Burger King.
1999 is the best and the person who did it now dose strictly come dancing
I agree
Not quite. David Arnold did that theme. Dave Arch (who did GMTV) is on Strictly.
@aberalex4 No, that's Mark Curry. He presented from 1986 to 1989 (so I don't know why it says 1990)
The 1958 is great, the 79 is a good update, but I can't see how anything improves on 1999. Outstanding.
Nothing comes close to the great grand orchestra of 1999.
Also, we used to work together 😬
i was born in 1968 but would love to return to britain in 1958 because that is when life was ''proper'' and respectable here.
Classical Of Blue Peter In Black And White In Early 50s
This is a really good song
The team tune is good
The 2007 one hasn't actually been used since the most recent series started in 2008; they instead have a rather strange version which doesn't bear much resemblance to the "original" theme. Hopefully they might change it slightly for the new series this September, as it may only be a small thing but it contributes hugely to the image of the programme.
Is Blue Peter still going? I guarantee it'll go the way of Top of the Pops. To quote Paul O'Grady, "What people today working in television KNOW about television, you could write on an ant's bum".
The BP presenters used to be the most famous people on telly - can anyone name one?
My mum was born 2 years before the oldest one, didn’t know that
Hello and welcome to blue peter.
please what is the name of the song at the beggining?? i need it please help! :D
Happy memories! Happy days!
Best one from Mike Oldfield 1979. :)
1999 is mine as well i like that one especially
@johnmartin1097 It's also featured in Henry Wood's Fantasia on English Sea Songs, which is a standard part of the last night of the Proms and gets a reasonable amount of airplay on Classic FM etc ... I guess it's probably cropped up in quite a few other pieces ... in Tubular Belss by Mike Oldfield for instance
2007 was when I first started watching:P
I wonder what's the first blue peter badge
@VideoGameSoundtracks How right you are. No, seriously, you're right. It's played on trash cans. It was performed by a group called Stomp, who specialise in making music out of everyday objects. Listen out for the milk bottles too.
DarthJedi2005 - The reason why the 1996 version sounds like people banging bins, is because that's exactly what it is!
I'm not kidding. It was done by a performance group called Stomp, who's niche act was making music from unlikely everyday objects.
Despite their controversial version of the BP theme, they're actually brilliant.
2007a was my childhood
I like them all
Even the 96 although it sounds bit different I still like it as it is still the blue peter theme and it doesn’t help having not very good audio
1990 sounds like a game show and 1992 was made on a yamaha organ someone got for Christmas...
A lot of blue peter members are gone including andy and joel (2011) now replaced with barney harwood the remaning now is helen skelton and barney harwood
1996 and 1999 are the two I remember most and they are the worst and best in my opinion!
I like the 1958, 1979 and 1999 themes.
@johnmartin1097 Wrong. It's "Barnacle Bill." The Sailor's Hornpipe is similar, but not the same piece of music.
so true. but probably because they got people who watch the show to come for an audition and then record the new tune.
The 1996 theme song is the best :D
@johnmartin1097 It's not --- it's "Barnacle Bill" -- it's similar to the Hornpipe but not exactly the same. CF the last track of "Tubular Bells" for comparison.