Watch: How The Iconic BBC News Theme Was Created 25 Years Ago

Those who watched TV as kids in the 90’s will understand how certain tunes get ingrained in our subconscious. Even if you hear the song decades later, it will bring you back to that time in your life when you were humming along in your TV room. We all recognise them by heart, whether it’s the smashing banger by Aaj Tak, the Action shoe commercial or Nirma the washing powder. That sound is nostalgic. In a similar vein, the BBC News theme tune’s catchy beeps will sound too familiar to any Brit. Composer David Lowe explained how the song came together in a TikTok video and on platform X, as he stated in the caption.

In the video, Lowe outlined every step he took to create it in honour of its 25th anniversary. “I did it with this sound [the beep sound played] – this is the pip or the beep we call it, it’s got that sense of accuracy and reliability because it’s clock ticking one beat every second,” he said.

According to him, bass drums were also added in order to convey a feeling of depth, strength and firmness. They then needed a loud sound for the headlines, he said, and that’s how they came up with the big drum.

Chords were added to the mix, which Lowe characterised as “tricky” since they had to be neutral, flowing from minor to major to signify “anxiety going into calmness,” with top layers added before fading out.

“25 years ago, I composed the BBC News (sic) Theme Tune, which is broadcast around the world everyday. From the precise beeps of time to the powerful bass and dramatic drums for the headlines. This is how I did it,” he captioned the video.

The post had 739,600 views at the time of reporting.

A user wrote, “And you created a total classic. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve mimed the drums alongside this in my kitchen when I’m alone, ovbs.”

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

Meanwhile, a user stated, “So simple when you explain it but an absolute iconic masterpiece!”

Given everybody’s love for the song, the comments section was filled with compliments for Lowe.