Weekend World LWT intro 80s

[Kelly14UK]

GREAT BRITAIN

[AdeBamforth]

Brian Walden was a big fan of Prog Rock... but understandably didn't like to talk about it.

[peterpeterxxo]

..but pwime minister, i must pwess you further..lol.

[laurag360]

Remember Brian Walden in an interview asking Maggie Thatcher ' ARE YOU OFF YOUR TROLLEY!!??"

[matt53337]

Brilliant theme music

[blitzman64]

Your right olemog16.

This song blew my head off in the 70's.

And real debate.

Today it's full of utter bollocks.

Music and politics,sanitized for the masses!!

More choice = NO choice!!

The people's voice is too diluted now.

God bless Leslie West and Corky Laing.

RIP Felix.

[olemog16]

Just watching "Question Time" on TV, not a patch on Weekend world.......need proper debate not just wishy washy comedians and presenters....

[MrBritUSA]

Still a great song by Mountain

Nantucket Sleighride

[VinceMincemeat]

fuck thats after transporting me back in time..i remember i was about 12 or something and hearing that,i nodded to myself and thought wow.

[Noodles37UK]

UNBELIEVABLE. I was in bloody Hillhead today when someone said " remember that Weekend World programme when we were kids? Well it's originally by a band called Mountain." Then he played me it on his MP3. You couldn't make it up.

[PunkZeusRock]

The soundtrack to eating dinner in a beige coloured living room with fake bronze plates of horses and ploughs on the walls, surrounded by sisters with spiky hair and a mum with a perm. yeah, kid of the 80s me..

[robinlee1972]

bwian wawldows favowite!

[nesty1760]

A lot of the poltical shows in the 80s had some good thumping tunes

[Littlealan1959]

the drummer on this song is brilliant

[kaioxygen]

@Littlealan1959 The album is very good as well.

[welshham]

Great theme tune. Since weekend world the only political programme to have a kicking theme tune is itv wales,s wales this week that used to use the instrumental break from kevin carter by the manic street preachers

[idle44]

I remember Brian Walden saying to a minister...'But you're wrong aren't you?' And not letting go until he had to. Good days .

[jason78969]

@idle44 Spot on. Brian was so very astute he invariably got to the bottom of the topical issues of the day. Both political figures and union officials all got the same treatment, he was extremely clever and much missed on our screens.

[uarsman]

Weekend World from March 1982 focusing on the SDP by-election win of Glasgow Hillhead by Roy Jenkins which had been a Conservative stronghold since Hillhead's creation in 1918.

This was the SDP's first ever by-election victory.

Music from the New York band 'Mountain' and their song 'Nantucket Sleighride'.

Excellent stuff and very nostalgic for us in our early 40's!

[Runrome]

From a time when television production was about taking real risks. If only the producers of the politics show BBC would change there piece of stock music for a theme and replace it with something of a vintage like this they might be remembered 20 years from now. Can anyone envision people listing/watching to the intros of any programme from today 20 years from now? I cant

[NowMeeeart]

I know for a fact that that's Brian Walden playing bass guitar!

[musicplateau1]

Music to drink tea to from Pyrex tea cups complete with pyrex saucers.

[cableguy786]

A bit heavy metal for a political program?

[Cool2BCeltic]

@bobbygray100 Yes, you speak for many of us. Or your Granny's if you're Scottish.

[NeedleHitsTheGroove]

Progmungous music, mate! However, I'm getting just as big a kick out of the old London Weekend Television ident ....... except in my mind it's always followed by the Big Match theme (complete with Stuart Pearson's clenched fist) :-)

[saxonfield]

The music is great. But did anybody ever watch this programme????!!!!!

[TRUMPER007]

Great music but the most BORING programme ever.

[Cool2BCeltic]

@TRUMPER007 More than boring, it was depressing. Impending extinction by nuclear holocaust, recession, unemployment- that just about sums up weekend world.

[Glenn1967ful]

@Cool2BCeltic

You could go to the other extreme, highlights of This Morning on a Sunday lunchtime. This is a really cutting edge current affairs show where Phil Schofield discusses Corrie as if it is real life instead of a crap soap.

[Cool2BCeltic]

@Glenn1967ful Never seen it but I know some people have that attitude to soaps.

[yz25098uk]

totally stunning music.

i initially thought this 'mountain' track was on the london programme, but its on weekend world.

fuckin great its on youtube.

i remember both w.world and london programme from when i was 13ish years old, the killer them music, excellent.

cheers for posting.

[gazzaboy2531977]

Nantucket sleighride !! One hell of a band (Mountain)

[daftweebrush]

best theme tune ever. Progtastic

[kkkaldav]

If only Corky Laing had presented it rather than that prick Walden, the world would be a different place right now.

[LadyMezzo]

OMG... well buried memories of my Dad watching this on Sunday lunchtimes in the late 70s/early 80s.... goosebumps... :)

[jurrasiccoast]

Rocking tune, serious politics,(not for us kids), Sunday roast dinner, The Big Match, then meet at the park with my mates to be Stan Bowles. Great days. Brian Moore= the best.

[undergroundsplee]

This always seemed really apocalyptic when I was a kid, and scared me. The bombs are coming! The bombs are coming!

[Forestamtul]

Remember this UK people as its wasnt shown anywhere else unless they wanted to.

[334286]

The Wussians are coming!!

[jurrasiccoast]

Weekend World (on but never watched), Sunday roast, The Big Match, off to the park to play football, (I'm gonna be Stan Bowles). Great days!

[thefabulousstevieg]

Thanks for this - I knew 'Nantucket Sleighride' was a theme tune to some old show, but could never remember what it was!

[carbiify]

I love the way they timed the Weekend World text to match the drums.Classic Program, Brilliant Track.

[smryan1966]

One of the last real political programmes on tv before we became enamoured with the politics of OK and Hello, such a pity the UK audience cant supposedly deal with these types of journalism, just like we have lost World in Action and even Panorama is now a 30m tabloid sensation. Dunb Britain is really a reality!

[tubedougz]

I'm afraid that you're right.

Who actually cares about who father's Jordan's babies.

Perhaps politics are just too benign today. A despatch box duel between Brown and Cameron is a bit limp compared to the ones we enjoyed between Thatcher and Kinnock!

TV picture qulity has improved no end in these days of HD. But the content is generally rubbish - with the exception of the odd gem.

[cisco9x]

Class

[ludwigvonsteampole1]

Welcome to Weekend World with Brian Waldron....Yes it seemed the world was going to blow up in the seventies and early eighties..The intro music is by a seventies prog rock group from Holland believe...

[anthonythirteen]

Mountain were very American!!! This is the infamous Nantuck Sleighride

[unclemort1960]

@anthonythirteen i remember the music but had no idea it was mountain thanks for info

[harfarhs]

@ludwigvonsteampole1 - Brian Walden. Mountain were not from Holland..

[MrMeefos]

God this music used to depress me

I think it's ace now though

It used to be on before or after the one hour toy commercial that was Space 1999

[project404]

Ha! Likewise!

[KallistiUK]

Nantucket Sleighride by Mountain, wonderful track - when I first heard it in the 6th form common room in 1978 my first reaction was "Its Weekend World!" Eventually found the Mountain Live album in Record and Tape Exchange in Camden some years later and still treasure it. This track is STILL on my iPod!

[GuyAwoke]

I think that's true about news programmes of that era having hard hitting tunes. They also seemed to have more of a global vibe about them, whereas now it all seems more parochial and inward looking. You would be hard pushed to find a 50 cent song that could be used for a news programme.

[ah1701]

Hard hitting news strories - and extra hard hitting theme tunes. That was the way it used to be with programmes like Weekend World, Panorama, World in Action and even the Money Programme.

There is simply nothing like it on British TV now. Instead, celebrities and yob culture rules. How sad.

[matelot95]

Peter Jay was the first host.

The last 5 seconds is the best part of a belting song

[saintockwell79]

bwian walden! This reminds me of childhood sundays. only got watched coz there was fuck all else to watch! hearing this theme tune makes me think of sunday roasts...

[mistofoles]

Who or what was "Hillhead"?

[matelot95]

It was an election in Glasgow in 1983 where Roy Jenkins of the SDP won the Hillhead constituency after 60 years of it being a Conservative safe seat.

[mistofoles]

Ah, I see. Thanks!

[Glenn1967ful]

Prog rock at its finest, again another type of programme Chav tv, sorry ITV, have given up on in ther obsession for getting the cheapest dross on the television.

[mukatuna]

Yay.. Nantucket Sleigh Ride - Mountain.. now that is a totally awesome tune.

[OriTheEep]

...but first we take a break!

:)

[Anorakus]

Brilliant.. I wonder what TV exec, when thinking about commissioning some theme music for their new hard-hitting political show, came up with the idea of using an instrumental break from a prog-rock album in their collection?

It could never happen today :o(

[brownbess]

Imagine the Newsnight theme being re-recorded by Lightning Bolt.

[shakeyphil]

Jeez, i'm a kid again!

How about 'Out Of Town' with Jack Hargreaves...?

[LeeRatbag]

Luornu - you're not alone. That song really does smell of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and cheap lemonade. :)

[ballynafeighbluedog]

my da used to watch this when i was a kid.sunday afternoon about mid-day?.fuck i hated it.only 3 tv channels in those days.

[luornu]

Every time I hear that part of Nantucket Sleighride it reminds me of roast beef and mashed potatos with gravy. I can smell it even! The accumulated memories of hundreds of childhood sunday lunchtimes!

[bushwacka1972]

Wow this music is brilliant!!

[Rawlinson18]

Brrrian Walden.

[Rawlinson18]

love that music, the drum rolls and organ work so well. World in action was a cracker too.

[nickhirst999]

Great tune. Glad that no one has made the mistake of thinking it was the theme for "World in Action" which even Mountain's own compilation CD notes say!

[insut07]

70's current affairs programmes KICKed butt when it came to music. Todays media personel teams are lower than the Vauxhall Conference, when it comes to opening theme tunes. they have no idea

[chatham43]

..don't think they bother now.....

[crushkin]

Mock the week use The Jam`s "News of the World" which is about as good as it gets these days.

[lorret90]

what a powerful theme tune reflected the political mood of the 70s takes me back to those boring sunday afternoons

[SeventiesMania]

Spot on! I hear this and I see men in donkey jackets warming their hands over braziers, and hordes of trade unionists marching behind fluttering banners!

[lorret90]

yes could,nt agree with you more. and all demanding 15-20% pay rises i think we ncan say those days are long gone!!

[potato73]

Ah the smell of Sunday dinner and Bwian Walden.

Even as a small child I thought this was quite a beefy theme tune for a politics show.

[cptskellern]

lmao lmfao hahahahahahahahah!!!!!! bwian walden!!!! fukin nearly choked!! hahahahahahaha!!! n1 mate,top laff!!!

[cptskellern]

@potato73 hahahahahhaahhahaahhhah!!!!!! bwian walden lmfao!!!! well in ;)

[Pur11zz]

Weekend World was brilliant! Brian Waldren was a really great elequent interviewer he could really get the politicians to cough up thier guts! unlike the Muppets on the Radio 4 today programme who make every interview seem like a monty python 'i'm here for an argument sketch' The music was good too!

[airscrew1]

Nantucket Sleighride was the music. By a group called Mountain.

[kayvodames]

Reminder of boring Sundays this one when there was fuck all to watch.

[Benzi75]

When theme tunes had CLOUT!

[Glenn1967ful]

@Benzi75

And when ITV actually showed something intelligent on Sunday lunchtimes instead of the Coronation St omnibus, which has been repeated a million times on ITV2 anyway. This stupid, clapped out soap also claimed the World in Action slot, another intelligent show ITV gave up on. All ITV seems to want to cater for now is thick women who watch soaps and talent contests.

[Gjeorje]

.........-NEWSFELCH!!!!!!

[spittingimage4005]

What ever do you mean?

[drftgj]

Got to admit, I liked this program even when I was 15/16....but then I watched farming outlook as well on a sunday...there wasn't exactly a lot of choice in those days.

[beaumont1920]

My brother and I used to pogo to this on the sofa while my mum and dad got Sunday dinner ready with all the windows steaming up. It was a blissful world indeed...

[drftgj]

Ah yes, the days when sunday lunch took mum 2 hours to cook and the kitchen was the warmest place in the house...simpler times indeed :)

[bluesbrother37]

TV themes rocked in them days!!

[borgduck]

I use to own that Mountain album & I remember this boring show as a child!

[NickDuvet]

A by-election in Glasgow won by Roy Jenkins for the Social Democratic Party (SDP)

[mistofoles]

I hate to sound ignorant, but what was "Hillhead"?

[JimShadyUK]

It's one of those tunes that brings memories of those times flooding back. I bought a Mountain album once I found out who did this tune. The rest of the song is completely unlike this excerpt of it, but it's a great listen.

I can't praise the genius who decided to use it as the theme tune enough. Imagine him pitching it - "Okay, it's a serious political show, so we need serious music. How about a section of a progressive rock album track with mad guitar?" And the powers that be agreed!

[borgduck]

It's like that other Southern Rock act the Allman Brothers as the theme to Top Gear & the Eagles for Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy!

[0AndyC0]

Yeah, except that they re-recorded and messed around with the Allman Brothers track to make it more commercial sounding. Weekend World used the original recording for their theme.

[sniffypigster]

Allman Brothers?? no, it was Nantucket Sleighride by Mountain.

[66Nico]

Thanks for posting. Great theme tune, arrogant presenters. First it was Peter Jay, a complete knob, then Walden (less of a dick, more irritating voice though.)

[ossyrefugee]

Boring sundays and school tomorrow. What the f*** was this bloke EVER going on about? Christ, I hated this. Followed by the Football in Granadaland. F***ing Liverpool and Utd!

[courtney359]

Dad watching weekend world before Sunday roast.

[TomRaymondUK]

The tune is 'Nantucket Sleighride' by Mountain.

[Chiggs58th]

Ahh.. the good old days... NOT!

[filmburner]

Ahh the 80s Brixton Riots ,The Miners Strike,the S.D.P. ,Spurs Winning Stuff,Chelsea Being crap,Liverpool and Derek Hatton,Michael Foots Stick, Tebbit On his Bike,Thatcher Telling Us to Rejoice.

Snorkel Coats ,Football stickers ,Video Nasties, Sunday Dinner with Cabbage that made you fart and Brian Walden yup it was crap but it was OUR crap

[gixertrickster]

This music was the anthem of shite 1980's. It however was a brilliant piece of music, by a band called mountain and written by leslie west. These were my halcyon days, council estates, shite british cars, coal no dole and the unobtainable bird in my year with big tits, alcohol introduction and simply, my childhood. I wouldnt swap it for the world. Fuck the police, bring on Arthur.

[tireoghainian]

ah!.boring Sundays, young kiddie not being able to understand what the hell Walden was going on about- but managed to stay around to listen to the last 5 seconds of the opening theme tune, smell of mums roast dinner wafting out of the kitchen, jumpers for goalposts...Isn't it?

[FugginBarstod]

Ah man! this tune is heavy!!! I think with less technology back then people were more inventive. I miss the old TV days especially waiting for the channels to power up. Now it's 24/7 of reality crap! Damn ITV/Carlton

[Pdarksy]

always remember weekend world being on at my nans house every sunday, remember squabbling with my 2 older brothers while brian walden droaned on in the background. I couldnt help but think,wouldnt he rarther be at home having sunday dinner like us? but then i was only 8 or 9!!

[macsumner]

Just looked this up coz I mistakenly thought the theme was The Stooges "I Wanna Be Your Dog". This themetune scared the absolute CRAP out of me as a kid! Truly terrified me. Can you imagine any political TV show being so brazen to use something like it today?

[sniffypigster]

Bloody hell, haven't heard this in a long time.

Program was boring though, I'd listen to the music then change over the tv channel.

[Ashworth6]

Yeah, I used to suffer through the last 20minutes of this program because Space 1999 was on straight afterwards, around 2pm on a Sunday.

[shoptothecaf]

I think that was only in Grandaland though? We used to have something crap about sheep shagging or something in Yorkshire.

[UpTheShakers]

The music was always uplifting on a sunday. this is gonna be good, you'd think. but it was always boring. bwian walden talking about things way over my head.

[niCEnSleAzY99]

must admit I have to relate to georgegleek's post, I did the same wait for the prog to start, turn the vol up then jig round the living room for 45 seconds doing air guitar!!!on a Sunday morning.

[dunkiep]

... there' a certain generation of british male that all did the air guitar to this one.

[1969speedbunny]

What a belter of a tune for a politics programme.Takes me back.Thanks for uploading;)

[drewinulster]

sunday school - play footie out on the street until sunday dinner was ready then headbang to weekend world. best years of my life.

[Voxac100b]

Yep was it Brian Walden first then Bamber? or the other way round? Back from church, bowl of home made soup these programmes on in the backround... happy memories indeed

[drewinulster]

bamber was on bb2 at the very same time with university challenge.... my god that git gave me bloody nightmares lol

[saxonfield]

This is a tune!!!

[VirgLondon]

As tv intros go, this one is up there, takes me right back to sundays as a nipper

[jg953]

This and the London programme, remember that?

[pab777]

Memories when watching this but their not good or bad but just memories,I was young then but then the title music was brill and still is . A Black Sabbath homage!!! great and thanks

[hognoxious]

There's few presenters these days (though Paxman comes close) could hold a candle to Bwian Wawden.

[airscrew1]

Music was by a group called "Mountain" titled Nantucket Sleighride. 1970.

[markrskinner]

I remember when Peter Jay was the host.

[benlu123]

Really used to like the music and programme.

[Rasperdan]

WOW GREAT STUFF!!! takes my back big time fantastic thanks m8

[georgegleek]

absolutely amazing, fantastic, thanks for putting this on, i always used to wait for this to come on and turn it off after the intro! what is the song title?

[tvinsider4]

hehe yeh was the gud bit!

[Davesax1965]

@georgegleek - Nantucket Sleighride by Mountain. Great band.

[smashingdeano]

cheers

[smashingdeano]

wicked stuff..i used to wait for this intro every sunday..didn't bother with the politics crap just that awesome intro..thanks so much

[almklit]

It was Nantucket Sleighride by Mountain that song