F1 Back to the BBC
by Andy on Mar.23, 2008, under Formula One
Formula One will be returning to the BBC from 2009 onwards. This has already sparked a huge debate on Radio Five Live, the most popular question being - will they use ‘The Chain’ as the theme tune again?
The ITV theme tunes have been mixed to say the least. The theme for the first couple of seasons was written by Jay Kay, better known as ‘Jamiroquai’. As a huge motorsport fan, I’m sure he jumped at the chance - however his theme tunes did not have the excitement of the bass riff from ‘The Chain’. The tune they’ve been using in more recent years, a kind of tribal chanting theme was an improvement, but still doesn’t have the build-up that ‘The Chain’ has - from the opening Bass Riff to the guitars.
Another strong debate is why F1 should even be shown on the BBC, when they have lost the majority of football, and the cricket. Given Bernie Ecclestone’s notorious business strategies, Formula One would not come cheap.
F1 is not as popular in the UK as football, cricket, and at the moment, possibly even rugby, but I do wonder if the fact that we now have a British driver who is a consistent winner, and probable future champion has influenced the BBC’s decision to get back into the F1 game…
My only hopes are that:
- They do actually use ‘The Chain’ as the theme tune
- They keep Steve Ryder as the anchor (Jim ‘The Football’s on in a minute’ Rosenthal really showed how much better Steve Ryder actually was!)
- They manage to keep Martin Brundle (The best pundit in F1)
- THEY LEAVE JAMES ALLEN AT ITV!
