I've included music clips and questions for all of the fifty 'TV Music Themes' as voted for by Classic FM and Radio Times readers.
However, rather than play them all of them (it's a very eclectic mix!), as you work through the countdown ask members which TV shows they remember watching and focus just on those.
This will have the effect of reducing the number of music clips played and questions asked and of course the time the session takes to complete. In addition it will help members feel included and avoid overloading them with too much information.
As most of the top fifty are classical pieces, at the end of the quiz I've included a 'Top 10 TV Song' playlist of songs which members should hopefully recognise and be able to sing along with. Have them choose a couple of them to play during the quiz, to break it up a bit.
As usual, engagement and enjoyment are the main aims of the quiz. Encourage reminiscence, discussion and story telling. Give lots of clues and hints to help members answer questions and feel a sense of achievement.
50: 'The Sky At Night'
Which astronomer presented this show?
49: 'Mr Bean'
Which actor/comedian starred as Mr Bean?
48: 'The West Wing'
Where is 'The West Wing' set?
47: 'The Gruffalo'
Which creature invents 'The Gruffalo' to scare off his enemies, but then discovers he is real?
46: 'Foyle's War'
What is Foyle's occupation?
44: 'The Chronicles Of Narnia'
Who wrote these books?
45: 'Bridgerton'
In which era is this period drama set?
43: 'Silent Witness'
What occupation does the lead character have?
42: 'Midsomer Murders'
Who played DI Tom Barnaby from the start of the show in 1997?
41: 'The Flintstones'
Name the four main characters?
40: 'Call The Widwife'
Which actress in 'Call The Midwife' also featured in the 1970 film 'The Railway Children'?
39: 'The Thorn Birds'
Which country was it set in?
38: 'Line Of Duty'
Which police unit features in this drama?
37: 'The Simpsons'
Name the family members?
36: 'Star Trek The Next Generation'
What is the 'Vulcan Salute'?
35: 'The Victorian Kitchen Garden'
Name some herbs you might grow in a kitchen garden?
34: 'The London Marathon'
Thinking of the 'Marathon' chocolate bar, what is it called now?
33: 'Sherlock'
Where did Sherlock Holmes live?
32: 'His Dark Materials'
What was 'Golden' in one of the books?
31: 'Horse Of The Year Show'
Horse riding events are generally termed what?
30: 'Planet Earth'
Name the other planets in our Solar System?
29: 'This Week'
How many weeks are there in a year?
28: 'Jonathan Creek'
In which type of building did Jonathan Creek live?
27: 'Victoria'
Who did Queen Victoria marry in 1840?
26: 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'
Who starred as George Smiley?
25: 'The World At War'
Which part of the UK was occupied by German forces in the WW2?
24: 'The Crown'
In which year did Charles and Diana marry?
23: 'The Mandalorian'
Which series of sci fi films is 'Baby Yoda' from?
22: 'The Adventures Of Black Beauty'
Which UK bank uses a black horse as its emblem?
21: 'The Apprentice'
Who was the investor and chairman of the 'Apprentice USA'?
20: 'Lewis'
'Lewis' was a spin off of which TV detective series?
19: 'Thunderbirds'
What did Anthea Turner, presenter of 'Blue Peter', encourage children to make in 1993?
18: 'Miss Marple'
Who wrote the 'Miss Marple' books?
17: 'The Vicar Of Dibley'
What was the vicar's name?
16: 'Peaky Blinders'
Where is the series set?
15: 'Poirot'
Which country was Hercule Poirot from?
14: 'The Lone Ranger'
What was the name of his horse?
13: 'Doctor Who'
Name as many Doctor Who actors as you can?
12: 'Harry's Game'
Which Irish solo artist started off in the Celtic folk band 'Clannad'?
11: 'Blue Planet 11'
Which renowned naturalist presented the show?
10: 'Poldark'
In which English county was the series set?
9: 'Pride And Prejudice'
Which actor played the part of Mr Darcy?
8: 'Brideshead Revisited'
Who wrote the book?
7: 'Van der Valk'
Where was 'Van der Valk' set?
6: 'Band Of Brothers'
Which regiment were the so called 'Easy Company' part of?
5: 'Wolf Hall'
This series is about the rapid rise to power of Thomas Cromwell in the court of which king?
4: 'Game Of Thrones'
In which mythical land is the story set?
3: 'Downton Abbey'
Who stars as the Dowager Duchess Violet Crawley?
2: 'The Onedin Line'
In which UK city was the shipping company set?
1: 'Inspector Morse'
What was Inspector Morse's Christian name?
Before moving on, discuss which TV themes are missing, i.e. which TV theme would they have voted for?
TV THEME SONGS FOR A SINGALONG (My Top 10)
'On White Horses', Jacky - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtCNbERKvMs
'MASH. Suicide Is Painless', Johnny Mandel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwrKZWgwDkM
'Hey Hey We're The Monkees', The Monkees - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKs43dHBSWA
'Tra La La Song', The Banana Splits - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKs43dHBSWA
'The Wombling Song', The Wombles - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWQMMPFtoG4
'Where Everybody Knows Your Name', Cheers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KtAgAMzaeg
'I'll Be There For You', The Rembrants - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCQGnVrTsAM
'Happy Days', Hans Edler - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slvGKU7HF6M
'Thank You For Being A Friend', Andrew Gold - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV7AXRABSng
'Bring Me Sunshine', Morecambe & Wise - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfXjDELeW5M
ANSWERS
50: Patrick Moore
49: Rowan Atkinson
48: The White House
47: Mouse
46: Detective
45: C.S. Lewis
44: Regency
43: Forensic Pathologist
42: John Nettles
41: Fred, Wilma, Barny & Betty
40: Jenny Agutter
39: Australia
38: AC-12 Anti-Corruption Unit
37: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie & Santa's Little Helper
36: "Live long and prosper." 🤘
35: Lavender, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, Chives etc
34: 'Snickers'
33: 221B Baker Street
32: 'Golden Compass'
31: Equestrian
30: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune & Pluto
29: 52
28: Windmill
27: Prince Albert
26: Alec Guinness
25: The Channel Islands
24: 29th July 1981
23: 'Star Wars'
22: 'Lloyds'
21: Donald Trump
20: 'Morse'
19: 'Tracy Island'
18: Agatha Christie
17: Geraldine Grainger
16: Birmingham
15: Belgium
14: 'Silver'
13: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi & Jodie Whittaker
12: Enya
11: David Attenborough
10: Cornwall
9: Colin Firth
8: Evelyn Waugh
7: Amsterdam
6: Parachute Infantry Regiment
5: Henry V111
4: Westeros
3: Dame Maggie Smith
2: Liverpool
1: Endeavour
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