Good morning, Britain. Cut & Thrust brings you a remix of the full version of Jeff Wayne’s theme music to TV-am.
On 1 February 1983, TV-am became the UK’s first commercial broadcaster of breakfast television, transmitting between 6am and 9.25am every weekday on ITV.
TV-am had its fair share of troubles throughout the 80s. The TV station faced huge financial difficulty, there was talk of treachery, boardroom coups and presenters who were sacked. Industrial action led to technicians being locked out of the building and later fired and speculation arose that the company could collapse at any second. Roland Rat (a puppet) is generally regarded as its saviour, being described as "the only rat to join a sinking ship”.
The composer of TV-am’s theme music, Jeff Wayne, is better known for his musical version of War of the Worlds and it was only recently that I discovered he was the talent behind this brilliant theme tune.
Viewers who remember the days before 24 hour TV will know that test cards and pages from Ceefax were the only images broadcast in the early hours of the morning. Ten minutes before the start of TV-am’s transmission, there would be a startup caption from the IBA (Independent Broadcasting Authority) accompanied by Jeff Wayne’s unforgettable theme music - and it’s from an old mono VHS upload on KZfaq that this full version is taken. Nearly 5 minutes of breakfast TV heaven!
No copyright infringement intended. This is a tribute remix born out of my love for the show and childhood memories. Copyright belongs to TV-am/Jeff Wayne/ITV.