The EastEnders theme tune was created by Simon May after being assigned the job of composer in 1984. He was assisted by Leslie Osborne. EastEnders, a popular BBC television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC1 on 19 February 1985[2] and continuing to date. ... The theme music of a radio or television program is a melody closely associated with the show, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits. ... Simon May is a British musician and composer, best known for composing some of British televisions best known theme tunes, including EastEnders and Howards Way. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The theme is largely based upon percussion, strings and the piano, it is widely known for its dramatic use of sound, particularly the drums that begin at the end of an episode — increasing in tempo — which adds a sense of importance, suspense and drama to the cliff-hanger.

This in itself, has been parodied and used by television shows since, such as in a Friends spoof that featured on SMTV Live. Friends. ... SMTV Live (an abbreviation of Saturday Morning Television Live also written SM:TV Live and in early promotional material SMTV://live) was a British Saturday morning childrens television programme, first broadcast on ITV1 on 29 August 1998 and last broadcast on 27 December 2003. ...

It is recognised as an iconic piece of music, largely establishing itself based upon shocking and surprising cliff-hangers that have featured dominantly throughout the years. It could be said that it is a victim of its own success, most viewers now pre-empt the ending, if something major is going to happen in an episode, such as the return of an old character, then it is very likely they will only feature in the last few seconds before the drums begin.

It has been said by Shane Richie (who played Alfie Moon), that upon being given the latest scripts, EastEnders cast members always rush to the back to see who will be getting the dramatic ending. Jessie Wallace has said that Shane Richie always tried to steal the endings that she and others were given, if he featured in the same scene. Shane Patrick Roche, known as Shane Richie (born March 11, 1964) is an English (born to Irish Parents), comedian, actor, singer and television presenter. ... Alfred Alfie Moon is a fictional character in the popular British soap opera EastEnders. ... Jessie Wallace (born 25 July 1971) is a British actress who plays the part of Kathleen (Kat) Moon in the popular BBC One soap opera EastEnders. ...

Remixes and remakes

Dobson performing "Anyone can fall in Love" on Top of the Pops in 1988.

Due to its popularity, the tune was turned into a song, titled "Anyone Can Fall in Love". The lyrics were created by Don Black, and it was recorded in 1986 by EastEnders cast member Anita Dobson who portrayed Angie Watts in the show, and produced by her husband, and Queen guitarist, Brian May. Image File history File links Anyone_can_fall_in_love. ... Image File history File links Anyone_can_fall_in_love. ... Don Black (b. ... Anitas Christmas single cover Anita Dobson (born April 29, 1949 in Stepney, London, England) is a British television actress. ... Angela Angie Watts, played by Anita Dobson, was a fictional character on the British soap opera EastEnders. ... Queen are an English rock band formed by Brian May, Freddie Mercury, and Roger Taylor in London, England in 1970 from the remains of Smile, with John Deacon completing the lineup the following year. ... Brian Harold May CBE (Born July 19, 1947) is the guitarist for the English rock band Queen. ...

It reached number four in the charts, and Anita appeared on Top of the Pops. Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a long-running British music chart television programme, made and broadcast by the BBC. It was originally shown each week, mostly on BBC One, from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. ...

In 1988 the tune was transformed again. This time it became a hymn called "Glory Be", which was performed on the BBC's Songs of Praise. The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is one of the largest broadcasting corporations in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of more than £4 billion. ... Songs of Praise is a BBC television programme based on religion and ethics, based around traditional Christian hymns. ...

In 1993, Simon May was asked to produced a jazzed up version of the EastEnders theme, however, it proved somewhat unpopular with the viewers and was replaced with a remix of the original theme tune only 11 months later, from 11 April 1994.

DJ Osymyso – known for remixing popular culture — produced a mashed-up version of the theme, it turned the infamous fight between Peggy Mitchell and Pat Butcher into a breakbeat dance track. Osymyso is a musician from the United Kingdom who specializes in the bastard pop genre. ... Popular culture, or pop culture, (literally: the culture of the people) consists of widespread cultural elements in any given society. ... Bastard pop is a musical genre which, in its purest form, consists of the combination (usually by digital means) of the music from one song with the acapella from another. ... Margaret Peggy Mitchell (née Martin; previously Butcher) is a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... Patricia Pat Evans (née Harris; formerly Beale, Wicks, Butcher) is a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. ...

The theme has also been remixed into a much slower and less dramatic version for use with EastEnders Revealed and a rock version for use with EastEnders Xtra Part of the title sequence used for EastEnders Revealed. ... Part of the title sequence used for EastEnders Xtra. ...

Julia’s theme

Julia’s theme refers to an alternative version of the usual theme, which was named after the shows creator, Julia Smith. Julia on the EastEnders set. ...

This theme sees a change from the drums that are usually featured instantly at the end; instead Julia’s theme ends an episode with a slow build up played by the piano. This is usually played after the departure of a character.

The first time it was played was in April 1985 — episode 16, where Ian Beale was seen crying into the arms of Lou Beale. The longest version was first heard in episode 66 where Den was revealed as the father of Michelle's baby. It was also used in early December 2005 after an emotional week following the storylines of Chrissie Watts in jail, Stacey Slater caring for her mother Jean, who had a mental illness and tried to commit suicide, and Frank Butcher and Pat Evans attending Janine's trial. Christine Chrissie Watts was a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Tracy-Ann Oberman. ... Stacey Slater is a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... Jean Slater was a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... Frank Butcher was a fictional character in the popular British soap opera EastEnders. ... Patricia Pat Evans (née Harris; formerly Beale, Wicks, Butcher) is a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... Janine Evans (née Butcher) was a fictional character in the British soap opera EastEnders. ...

Previous to that it was used in June 2005, when Zoe Slater made an exit after being on screen for around four years. Zoe Slater was a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. ...

The last time the tune was used was when Grant and Courtney Mitchell left to go to Portugal on 9 June 2006. Grant Anthony Mitchell was a fictional character in the British soap opera EastEnders. ... Courtney Mitchell is a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Some other uses of the theme include Cindy’s getaway, Kathy Mitchell’s exit (this episode also featured the full length 90 second closing theme, which had otherwise not been heard on the show since 1991), Arthur's funeral in 1996, Bianca’s exit in 1999, Ian Beale's bankruptcy in 2000 (along with the usual drums), Jim proposing to Dot on the London Eye in 2001 and Nana Moon's death in 2005. Kathy Beale (née Hills; previously Mitchell) was a fictional character in the British soap opera EastEnders. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Jim Branning is a fictional character on the soap opera EastEnders. ... Dorothy Dot Branning (née Colwell, previously Cotton) is a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... The London Eye at twilight The British Airways London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel, opened in 1999 and is the largest observation wheel (a type of Ferris wheel) in the world. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nana Moon is a character from the British soap opera EastEnders. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

It was also used when Alfie gatecrashed Kat and Andy's wedding, not in the church, but when Kat and Alfie were walking away with each other outside.

Another time it was used was when Pat and Pauline had a heart-to-heart in 1992 after Pat accidentally ran over a girl, killing her. It was also used when Anthony Trueman proposed to Zoe Slater in the summer of 2002. Dr. Anthony Trueman is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders. ... Zoe Slater was a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

External links

Audio/visual clips of opening sequences (all links open in RealPlayer); RealPlayer is a media player, created by RealNetworks, that plays a number of multimedia formats including MP3, MPEG-4, QuickTime, and Windows Media formats as well as multiple versions of proprietary RealAudio and RealVideo codecs. ...

• Original theme - 1985
• Jazzy theme - 1993
• Updated original theme - 1994
• Anyone can fall in love