Save the Radio 4 Theme - Press Release

SavetheUKtheme
PRESS RELEASE– FRIDAY 3RD FEBRUARY 2006
RADIO 4’S ENDANGERED “UK THEME” TO BE RELEASED AS SINGLE
“I love hearing Fritz Spiegl’s UK Theme first thing in the morning and was so saddened by Radio 4’s decision to axe it that I got in touch with Tim Hatton, who runs the ‘Save The radio 4 Theme’ campaign, to suggest that we re-record it and release it as a single” explains Mike Flowers.
The petition at www.saveradio4theme.co.uk has received over 16,000 signatures from fans of the theme who would like it to retain its place in the schedule – heralding, as it still does, the start of broadcasts on Radio 4 every morning at 5.30am.
“If you translate the campaign’s 16,000 petitioners into record sales, then the UK Theme would certainly do well in the charts and maybe Radio 4’s new controller would begin to get the message. Wouldn’t it be marvellous if he was forced to back down!”
10 years ago Mike Flowers had an unlikely hit with a rather smoochy, easy listening version of the Oasis song Wonderwall, very nearly knocking Michael Jackson’s Earthsong off the Christmas No.1 slot. Today his role in the UK Theme campaign is simply that of executive producer, overseeing a new recording which will be paired with that other well-loved light orchestral piece, ‘Sailing By’, which closes Radio 4’s daily broadcasts.
“I know Jarvis Cocker is a fan of ’Sailing By’ – he chose it as one of his Desert Island Discs. But don’t worry, I haven’t re-arranged it or sung over it or done anything silly - we’ll just be making a superb new recording of the pieces with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, the orchestra of Birmingham Royal Ballet, under the direction of light music wunderkind Gavin Sutherland.”
The works are to be recorded next week at London’s Henry Wood Hall along with several other pieces for a full-length CD celebrating British light-orchestral and traditional music. The proceeds from sales of the single will go towards helping maintain the Light Music Society & Library, run by Ernest Tomlinson, 81, from his farm near Preston. Ernest is the Grand Old Man of British light music and an extremely well-respected composer in his own right. He started his library of scores, parts and manuscripts after visiting the BBC some years ago only to find dozens of works thrown out in a skip. He now has a barn full of over 40,000 scores - an important archive of a sadly neglected musical heritage.
Ernest was a friend of the late Fritz Spiegl and his widow, Ingrid, and this week he visited her in Liverpool to see if she still had the original score and parts. After rooting around in the loft he found two versions of a ‘UK Theme’ score, which he took back home to examine. He can now confirm that the version marked ‘Mark II’ is the one we know and love.
“We’re planning to go ‘head-to-head’ with Big Brother winner Chantelle“ claims Mike, “Her debut single ‘I Want It Right Now’ will surely be released before the beginning of April, when the UK Theme is supposed to be slated for the chop. Mark Damazer, the new controller of Radio 4, says he can’t poll his listeners….yes he can!…and here’s their chance to be heard.”
'The UK Theme’ paired with ‘Sailing By’ is released as a CD single at the end of the month. It will also be available for download from www.savetheradio4theme.co.uk and via iTunes.
ALL PROCEEDS GO TO THE LIGHT MUSIC SOCIETY