Music in Shoestring

The music which accompanies the on-screen action in each episode of Shoestring appears to
have been an amalgam of various types. Most prominently, three or four specially composed
pieces of music by George Fenton, each a variation on themes from the series' sublime signature
tune, were composed when the programme began, and then reused in certain episodes over the
course of the 21 episodes whenever relevant.

In addition, given the background of the series, i.e. a contemporary independent radio station,
many popular hits of the time could frequently be heard as background. [I'm not sure, but this
plethora of chart music may be one reason why Shoestring has not been much exploited in the
home entertainment market in the years since the show was first broadcast. Clearance of such
material, of course owned by many different hands, is notoriously difficult when it comes to video
cassette, DVD etc. and leads to programmes routinely being either edited, or given new music,
when they are released].

And finally, library music -- some pieces of which are familiar from other dramatic television series
of the era -- was called upon when necessary.

This is a different mode of working from some other television series, wherein each episode would
have a unique score specially composed. However, as is evident from watching the episodes this
model is very effective, and Shoestring benefitted greatly form its incidental music.

Below is a (poor) reproduction of some of the programme-as-broadcast notes for "THE FARMER
HAD A WIFE" episode. These were done for all BBC programmes and contain in-depth production
& rights information. All the music used in this Shoestring episode is outlined below: