UK Theme

The UK Theme was created in 1978 at the behest of the new Radio 4 Controller.

Fritz Spiegl, an Austrian-born composer, was commissioned to produce an arrangement of traditional British melodies when Radio 4 became a full UK service on Longwave. He had also been the composer of the sign-on theme it replaced 'A Skipping Tune'.

It was aired around 5:54am on weekdays (later weekends) from Thursday 23 November 1978, before News Briefing.

In 2006, the then Controller of Radio 4, Mark Damazer, announced he was to cease using the tune, in favour of earlier news coverage. He was later said to have confessed he had misunderstood the audience figures.

The lengthy piece features: Early One Morning; Rule Britannia; A Londonderry Air, Annie Laurie, What shall we do with a drunken sailor; Greensleeves; Men of Harlech; Scotland the Brave; and, of course, Rule Brittania.

The first version of the piece was recorded in 78 by the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra; it was re-recorded by 1990.