Man who composed BBC's iconic theme tune reveals how he created it 25 years ago. Watch

British composer and music producer David Lowe recently shared on how he composed the iconic BBC News theme tune 25 years ago. He shared a video on X and revealed the step-by-step process of producing the tune, which is “broadcast around the world every day”.

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“25 years ago, I composed the BBC News Theme Tune, which is broadcast around the world every day,” wrote Lowe while sharing a video on X.

He added, “From the precise beeps of time to the powerful bass and dramatic drums for the headlines. This is how I did it….”

In the video, Lowe shared that he started with a beep sound, with a clock ticking one beat per second. He then added a bass line to it to “give the sense of strength and solidity and depth.” He also added bass drums and a kick to enhance the sound.

“Then we wanted a big sound for the headlines and came up with this big drum,” he added. Lowe also added chords, high string, and fade to create that iconic BBC News theme.

The BBC News theme tune went viral during the COVID-19 pandemic when TikTok creator Rachel Leary raved to the music in a video that was viewed millions of times across social media.

Watch how David Lowe composed the iconic BBC theme tune 25 years ago:

The video was shared on May 10. It has since garnered over 7.5 lakh views, and still counting. The post has also received over 5,600 views and numerous comments.

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Check out a few comments here:

“I recall that in the mid-00s, Radio 1’s Newsbeat beds were themed on this. Did you create that too? Or was it just heavily influenced by?” said an X user. David Lowe replied, “Yes, well remembered!”

Another user commented, “It’s so amazing that - to me, at least - the pips seem to change note as the top layer changes chord towards the end.”

Lowe said that he is glad that the X user spotted it, adding, “The pip stays constant on the same note, and the chords change around it, giving the feeling of a single constant direction.”

“Thanks for posting this, David. Its power is shown by the fact that it’s not aged one bit. Still sounds fresh,” posted a third.

A fourth expressed, “Awesome! By far the best theme tune for any news show.”

“I have always enjoyed your work, David. It sounds so good. All the best,” joined a fifth.