Which tv theme tunes from your childhood/teens gives you the biggest waves of nostalgia?

[UnitaBath]

I was a complete googleboxer as a child and teen back in the 80’s/90’s, I may be a bit biased as I grew up in those decades but imo the best tv shows came from that era.

I often find myself listening to my favourites on YouTube and they give such bittersweet memories. Memories of my happy childhood and watching tv in our living room because we only had one tv growing up. I also have such fond memories of watching a lot of these shows with my parents who are sadly now elderly and mum has advanced dementia so they often feel even more poignant these days.

Anyhow, this is my list:-

Shows my parents would watch and I’d hear from my bedroom at night wishing I could watch them too (we were allowed during holidays and weekends),

Hill Street Blues
M.A.S.H
Taxi
Dallas (we were allowed to watch this every week when it was on)
Bergerac (mum fancied John Nettles!)
Auf Weidersehen pet (dad’s favourite because he was in the building trade)
The Golden Girls (my mum’s, sisters and my favourite show, I still watch this on Disney)

Shows I watched with my sister,

CHiPs
The Fall Guy
Magnum PI
Murder She Wrote
Kate and Allie
The Wonder Years
Moonlighting (I feel deep nostalgia for this theme tune because it was the first ‘grown up’ show I was allowed to watch when I was 14 years old, on my little black and white portable tv in my bedroom)

There are dozens more but these are the ones that really pull on my heartstrings.

Which theme tunes are special to you?

Aaah. Prisoner Cell Block H! 😂

Sons and Daughters

Dynasty - I fell in love with those dresses!

Ey Oop pootle.

No one can remember this one but my mum and I loved The Mistral’s Daughter theme tune by Nana Mouskouri. Anyone else remember this?

Also Pigeon Street, I can remember every word from the title song.

The World at War - such a sinister tune. Then again a sinister subject. I found the episodes with Hitler's secretary spell binding.

Ski Sunday.
That tune could still give me a sinking “oh God I really have to go and do my homework” feeling and I left school about 40 years ago!

Oh and how can I forget Hart to Hart and the theme tune to that one?

I think after Roseanne/Golden Girls it was Clive Anderson Talks Back and then The Word! All essential viewing for my teenage self!

Also loved the theme tune to the holiday programmes, Wish You Were Here and the BBC one, think it’s just called Holiday?

Has no one said Rentaghost? 👻

Childhood (and I still know the words to all of them)
Button Moon
Fun House
Round The Twist
Maid Marian and Her Merry Men

Teens:
Eastenders
the Royle Family
Peak Practice
Crimewatch UK!

Yes, I loved Heartbeat. I love the theme, music and all the songs from the '60s in the programme.

I remember going to my elderly neighbor's house when it was on and they were watching it and I said how much I loved the songs and they said that they hated the programme because it had too many songs in it!

Just call Rentaghost.

Blake's 7
The Tripods
Ski Sunday
Howard's Way
MASH
Doctor Who
Grandstand
Top of the Pops
The Clothes Show (In The Night by Pet Shop Boys)
Bergerac

Loads of the above. I watched a lot of telly , with a mix 'n' match of my family depending on who liked what, the theme tunes are linked in my mind with whoever else liked that programme. There were some that we all watched. We had an open fire then, would get it loaded up with logs when something good was about to come on , "Close the flippin' door and not let the heat out", get a blanket and get wedged into the sofa or as close as we could to the fire without being accused of blocking all the heat and enjoy the intro theme music. It would induce a sort of Pavlovian response of happiness. Loved it.

One of my favourite themes was only once a year though- it's this one:

I have a Button Moon t shirt!

The Crime Watch theme tune always gave me the shivers and the bit at the end when Nick Ross would say ‘Don’t have nightmares, sleep well’ - yeah, of course we won’t 😵‍💫

Van der Valk, original series. I loved the tune and the series. Became an ad, I think.

It was called Holiday and the late Jill Dando presented it.

i was actually trying to explain the premise of those shows to a teenager the other day. The thought it completely bizarre that famous people who could doubtless afford whichever destination they were at got to go there for free and show it off to people at home who couldn't.

Looking back on it I kind of take their point.

Just had to google The Clothes Show theme tune, we would watched that religiously but I’d forgotten it.

I loved Heidi so much!! ‘Grandfather w his goats & Clara in the wheelchair.

Changing Rooms just popped up on YouTube, I’d forgotten that one too.

Oooh was it 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?'

Tales of the Unexpected give you an idea of the real Roald Dahl - according to someone I once knew who met him on a number of occasions many years ago. They found him scary and unnerving.

True but I loved it nonetheless.

I thought it was more to showcase the resorts? I’d live to see one of the programmes now!

Haha, we still quote that Nick Ross part in my house even now! Looking back I can't think why I dutifully watched CW every month during my teens and without fail scared myself witless. Lack of other options I guess.

I am now running off to Vinted to look for Button Moon tops. I think Mr Spoon might've been my first ever crush!