Neil Brand explores a time capsule of legendary TV sound. For broadcaster, composer and silent film accompanist Neil Brand, pop songs are not the only way we tap into our individual or collective pasts. Nostalgia and memory are just as profoundly accessed and nudged by TV theme tunes, jingles and adverts: even those cheeky broadcaster idents can propel us back to a time that feels safer than the here and now. Following on from "The Sound of Song" and "The Sound of Cinema", Neil Brand's latest series takes a looks at the history and evolution of music for TV, and the way in which it has acted as the 'nation's jukebox' for over 60 years. We hear tunes and intro numbers of everything from "Z-Cars" to "Coronation Street", and "The Persuaders" to "Brideshead Revisited", "World At War" to "The Sopranos" and "Game Of Thrones". Neil presents a three-part documentary series that explores the history and use of music in television. He has recently written and presented two highly-acclaimed BBC4 series, "Sound of Cinema: The Music that made the Movies", and "Sound of Song", about how technology helped shape the music of the 20th century. "Sound of TV" looks at the impact of television music, not within programmes themselves, but the music that surround them - jingles, idents and the huge part of advertising plays in our television memories. Series celebrates the composers whose work makes us laugh, cry and root for the underdog, now their names will no longer be just a footnote in the credits. Series Produced and Directed by Ian MacMillan ; Produced by Blakeway/Brook Lapping Productions For BBC

Theme Tunes
The composer addresses the history and use of music in television, beginning by examining the enduring power of the theme tune. On the streets of "Coronation Street", he encounters a brass band playing the music that has announced the start of each episode since it began. Following the trail of the soap opera world, Neil meets composer Simon May, creator of the "EastEnders" theme tune, and travels to the US to talk with Matt Groening, creator of "The Simpsons", to uncover how its orchestrated theme music is a homage to classic TV of the past. Themes to "Z Cars", "Bagpuss", "Game of Thrones", "Mastermind" and "Grandstand" are also celebrated.

Advertising and Jingles
Neil Brand looks at the impact of television music, this time not what was composed for the programmes themselves, but the music that surrounds them – jingles, idents and advertising, all of which play a huge part in our television memories.
With the advent of commercial television in the UK, ITV rivalled the BBC for airtime and lured viewers in with the new language of advertisements. However, these had not yet reached the impact they had seen in the USA, the home of the TV jingle, where a 30-second tune could make or break a brand, as seen in the competing fortunes of Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Neil reveals the lasting musical power of jingles, idents and advertisements, including the long-forgotten test card tunes sampled in American hip-hop.

The Score
Neil reveals how television scores have grown in importance, from their origins in the 1960s and 1970s to reach a peak in the big-budget world of Netflix and HBO. He demonstrates how music has driven the success of BBC natural history programmes, talking to George Fenton, the film composer behind such landmarks as "Blue Planet". Fenton was also pivotal in the development of music in TV drama, with his score for "Jewel in the Crown". Plus, maverick creators of the TV score, including Roxy Music's Andy MacKay, who wrote the songs that powered radical '70s drama "Rock Follies" and David Chase, music buff and creator of "The Sopranos"