ITV F1 Theme & Jim Rosenthal

ITV F1 Theme & Jim Rosenthal

BlogF1 seems to be getting a lot of hits from search terms like “ITV F1 Theme Tune”, and “What happened to Jim Rosenthal?”. So, to please some of the newbies who have arrived here looking for something that isn’t actually available on BlogF1, I thought I would do a quick five minute search myself to see what came up.

According to Desmond Elmes who commented on Doctorvee, the theme tune to ITV’s F1 coverage this year is Moby’s “Lift Me Up”. In previous years, it was a tune composed by the colourful-hatted Jamiroquai, and the BBC used a classic riff by Fleetwood Mac.

As for Jim? Well, it is reported that Mr Rosenthal decided to concentrate on boxing, which is a particular passion for the man, apparently. This is all I have been able to gleam from the interwebs so far, but it would appear that he was not sacked, and that Jim just decided to work on other things.

I hope that answers some of your questions, but don’t stop searching, Googling and clicking – the more I know about what everybody wants, the better I can make BlogF1.

Update: F1-Blog.co.uk F1 Theme Music Page – From here you can download ITV’s tune in Midi, WMA or MP3 format. The BBC theme is also featured on this page.

45 comments

  • Just to add the last bit of detail, the Fleetwood Mac song the BBC used was “The Chain”, and the famous F1 music riff is from about 2/3rds the way through.

  • i heard dc say a while back that he really likes listening to ‘the chain’ while driving his car around town – which strikes me as a little bizarre.

    kinda like sly stallone listening to ‘survivor’ while out jogging!

  • I preferred last year’s theme to this year, but Lift Me Up will do, I suppose.

    They overuse it though. It’s at the beginning, the advert breaks, the closing credits. When they do the montage of shots from the race at the end of the program, they used to pick an appropriate (and sometimes ironic) song, but now it’s just the same “Lift me up” over and over again.

    Could get tiresome.

  • I always find it odd that people like Jim Rosenthal, Steve Rider or even the ill-fated Beverley Turner are allowed to muscle in on F1 coverage…you never think of tem as having any particulay expertise, or of saying anything unique.

    I feel they ought to give F1 gigs to people who have some sort of motorsport pedigree…hey, what about either Mike Smith or Noel Edmonds..? Maybe not.

  • I love the lift me up tune it fits the programme and I love the melody on it plus the formula 1 sounds on it make it sound cool

  • As I said on Doctor Vee, Steve Rider is a motor racing fan, so it’s not really as odd as one may think that he’s presenting Formula 1 on ITV. He did, of course, present Grandstand for many years and also the BBC’s golf coverage, but he is settling in quite well on a channel where many other famous BBC faces have gone in recent years – Murray Walker and Des Lynam to name two. (Des Lynam’s now presenting Countdown, of course.)

    Also, Beverley Turner stopped presenting Formula 1 out of her own accord, simply because she hated the sport and gave up trying to like it.

  • Just to convey Huckster Six’s suggestion about Noel Edmonds presenting Formula 1 – quite obviously it won’t happen and I don’t know if Noel has any interest in motor sport, but could you imagine? “Fernando Alonso, driving for McLaren in 2007 for a huge amount of money – deal or no deal?” (“Deal”, obviously, since that’s exactly what’s happening). Or “Giancarlo Fisichella’s having a great season, one of the best he’s had for a long time, but it all goes horribly wrong if he gets a bad result at this stage.” Or even, “Alonso could be about to overtake Schumacher at a pivotal point in the race … I think you’ll be back [after the break, that is!] to see it.”

  • I think Noel Edmonds does have an interest in motorsport, as I have vague memories of him entering a car in the Le Mans 24 hour race many years ago with Panoz. I’ll have to have a dig around, but I do remember watching a documentary about it. Can anyone help me out here?

    But I agree with you Desmond, I also cannot see Noel presenting F1 either, and now I’m having horrid flashbacks to Noel’s House Party. 🙁

  • I have checked several websites and yes, Oliver, Noel did enter cars in the Le Mans 24 hour race with Panoz as recently as 1997.

  • Hi All!

    Does anyone know where to find the F1 edit of Lift Me Up?

    Can only find Moby’s versions!!

    Cheers

  • Mick, I’m not sure it is available in the Formula One mix, but if anyone knows any different, please let us know by posting here or using the contact form. Ta.

  • Hi everyone, would like to know peoples thoughts on James Allen as a commentator? I and my hubby find him increasingly irritating.

    Also does anyone remember the team Noel Edmonds was a pt crew member for???

    Steph

  • Steph: Welcome to BlogF1 and thanks for bringing back memories of Noel Edmonds! I think it was Jordan. I also remember the team ’employing’ some actor from EastEnders as well!? Not entirely sure though…

    For gripes about James Allen, please see the post titled ITV Issues.

  • Just to clarify, the BBC F1 theme was composed by Roger Barsotti, and it’s called Motorsport. It does make use of ‘that’ riff from the aforementioned Fleetwood Mac song though.

  • In that case, I’m left wondering what in fact Mr Barsotti did compose since the whole them IS taken from the Chain composed by Fleetwood Mac?

  • Oliver, the EastEnders actor that Jordan ’employed’ was Ross Kemp, who of course plays Grant Mitchell. He was asked to become an honorary Team Member for the 1999 season.

  • I don’t think Ross Kemp was actually ’employed’ for the whole season. As I remember it, it was a bit of a gimmicky feature – Kemp had just left Eastenders and joined ITV so they needed to give him exposure, EJ never turns down a bit of publicity. He was just supposed to do pull the wheel off in a pitstop at the British GP. However in the end they decided he wasn’t good enough and he just did the lollipop or something instead.

    This came to mind the other week when Louise Goodman was allowed to do a wheel for Midland

  • I thought Beverley Turner said she was an F1 fan, but became disillusioned when she saw what went on behind the scenes. Still, I won’t exactly miss features like the classic “interview with a chef who quite likes F1”.

    People who say that people like Jim Rosenthal know nothing about F1, well, they do – but their job in the show is host, not expert. they are there to link together the bits and ask the questions that less knowledgable fans might be wondering about. That said, I find Steve Rider very boring compared to Jim Rosenthal, who never seemed afraid to say when he disagreed with something. His handling of Indy 2005 was superb.

  • The BBC Formula 1 theme is called ‘Motor Sport’ by Roger Barsotti and has a sound awfuly like the well known Fleetwood Mac hit .

    It is and always will be ‘THE’ F1 theme … but ITV’s 2006 season graphics are ace.

    Any one know how I can get the ring tone for my mobile phone?

  • Even if the part of ‘The Chain’ used as the BBC’s F1 theme tune really is called ‘Motor Sport’, almost everybody still refers to it as ‘The Chain’. If there are any differences in it to what Fleetwood Mac composed, then they’re hardly evident.

  • Does anyone know how to get hold of last years ITV F1 music i.e the one that was a remix of ‘You aint seen nothing yet’?

    This was my favorite F1 music sofar…though the new Moby one is stuck in my head now.

  • hey did anyone watch the F1 1997 review with the “or hi hey” kinda techno music at the end? if so would you mind tellin me what that’s called please?

    Thanks!

  • If I’m right in thinking, “Lift Me Up” is the fourth song to have been used as the theme tune in the ten years that ITV have been showing Formula 1, and the other three songs were used for three years each. If the pattern is to continue, then “Lift Me Up” will be used until the end of 2008.

  • What about Rowan Atkinson as a commentator? He’s been known to dabble in the need for speed with an Aston Martin…I’m sure he could come up with a few cutting comments in Liuzzi or Sato’s direction.

    Maybe not, aye.

  • misfit88: That made me laugh! 😉 Whenever I think of Rowan Atkinson, I either think of him as Mr Bean (quiet and introverted), or as Blackadder (loud, brash and witty). I think Blackadder would make a superb commentator to Formula One!

  • Jenson button,s exgirlfriend sang a song with the line catch me if you can in it.I think they played it when he got pole somewhere.does anyone know the title? or her name ? or where he got pole etc.

  • Andy: Her name is Louise Griffiths and it was the 2004 Australian Grand Prix. There is some more information on her Wiki page: Wiki: Louise Griffiths. Interestingly, the song Catch Me If You Can was produced by the same person who did ITVs F1 theme tune at the time.

  • Does anyone know where I can get Star Sports’ F1 Theme? I live in India and quite like their theme. Please let me know where I can get it. Or atleast it’s name. Thanks.

  • Hi,

    I really need the F1 theme tune, all i can find when searching for it is Fleetwood Macks The Chain! Can any one help me please? It is really quite important.

    Thanks

  • ITV have got through a fair few themes since they took over in the late ’90s. I am sure there have been four. There was originally a very odd one by Jamiroquai that that experimental noises. Then it went to a very dramatic and electronic one that I have found a copy of somewhere. I never liked that one.

    The one I like returned more to the rock and electric guitar of the BBC’s theme and had an awesome guitar tune laid over some dancy backing. Anyone know what that was?

    Quite like the new tune and particularly the flag waving pit babes on the Titles!

  • My Blog is why is the media such as itv f1, and the BBC are just as bad. Bias towards anything that has the race card i can just see it, he is Black lets give him full coverage or else, we dont want to be seen to not be giving him full coverage because he might say we are racist. pity Jenson Button didnt have the coverage that Lewis Hamilton is getting perhaps we would have a British Champion, we dont do enough for our sports people the media seems to praise people for the wrong reasons, then run them down. why run them down its so be littleing for them. The Sunday race was embarrassing to hear James allan keep on and on and Steve Ryder was as bad, were they getting a bonus for every time they said Lewis Hamilton, it was nealy every sentance. perhaps from now on if this is going to be the way ahead itv f1 should change the name to The Lewis Hamilton Show. But Good luck to the Boy hope he gets a win he has certainly done well on the plugs, even one of our Greatest Racing Drivers Sir Sterling Moss was side stepped by Martin Brundel without a word, he spoke to Athony Hamilton, Lewis’s Dad, because he could not speak to Lewis, which he was told buy Ron Dennis anyway. What an insult to a Great man..

  • Barry,

    I’ll be honest, I thought twice about allowing that comment on the site, but I chose to let it on in the end. The wrong place for Lewis comments, but what the hell…

    I honestly do not think ITV are being racist in any way, scared of being called racist or are ‘playing the race card’, I just think they are caught up in the unnecessary Hamilton-Hype. I really don’t see how it has anything to do with the chaps skin colour or heritage, just that he is British and managed to do rather well in his first race. I do agree that the British media run our British stars down though. One moment Damon was a God, the next he was slated by every tabloid in the country – Lewis will have to learn how to deal with this aspect of his job.

    I do wish Lewis well on his Formula One career, I so hope he can avoid the slating Damon endured by the tabloids and I hope he can raise the trophy again for Britain.

  • I have to say that I do enjoy the Moby ‘Lift Me Up’ theme, although it is overused – too much of a good thing! If BBC are going to do it right then they need someone with expertise – goodbye Mr Hammond – the man doesn’t know a thing about F1, even if he is a great presenter I as a lifelong fan would feel aggreived being talked to by a newbie! The coverage on ITV is second to none – apart from the adverts – fingers crossed that BBC will still contain the gridwalk and as many of the commentary team as they can – ITV seem to have the latest incident whenever it happens – either from Louise Goodman and Jensen Button, or Ted Kravitz in the pits. Any opinions? email me at [email removed by Editor]. Oh, and I think that Lewis gets more coverage than Button because firstly he gets results, and Button is turning into the Henamn of F1, he has had plenty of oppurtunities but always blames it on the car, when Honda are not necessarily the reason. Oh and finally – Anthony Hamilton – Most Annoying Man EVER!!! Wherever you see lewis you just see daddy looming over in the distance, it was nice at first but now it’s just annoying! Fair enough if it was the Nakajima’s or Rosberg’s, daddy has some knowledge in that case!

  • I seem to remember at some point, perhaps not as a theme tune, but certainly used several times, was “I’m Losing My Favourite Game” by The Cardigans. It was used over the top of several crash scenes of the now older generation cars, such a as 1995 onwards. A famous shot was one of an early M. Schumacher flying off into a gravel trap at very high speed, though i cannot say when or where.

    Hope this may help anyone here

    Regards

    Dan

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