The first episode of Coronation Street aired on December 6, 1960, with a theme tune composed by Eric Spear.

Six decades later and the wistful tune is still instantly recognisable, despite a few changes over the years.

It appears four times in the episode – intro, outro and buffering the ad break).

The original Coronation Street theme tune

The show’s theme tune is led by a cornet, famously played by musician Ronnie Hunt on the original recording.

Believe it or not, the identity of the trumpeter was not actually public knowledge until 1994.

While the recording has been updated and rearranged a few times over the decades, the actual melody hasn’t changed much at all.

It is instantly recognisable and captures the mix of everyday life and drama on Weatherfield.

The original opening titles

The opening titles of Coronation Street are nearly as iconic as the theme tune.

Back in 1960, the sequence kicked off in black and white with a shot of the Weatherfield rooftops and the Granada Television logo floating over the scene.

They filmed it from a mill on Ordsall Road in Salford, with St. Clement’s Church peeking into view. It immediately set the scene; ordinary lives on a northern street.

As the years rolled on, the titles were updated to keep up with the times. In 1969, when the show moved into colour, the rooftops became brighter, but the feel of the sequence was much the same. 

But let’s have a look at how else it changed throughout the show’s history…

1970s and 1980s theme tune and credits

By the 1970s, TV sound was improving, and the theme was rerecorded with a cleaner sound. 

The melody stayed the same, but the production gave it more polish.

Through the 1980s and 90s, new versions of the tune were recorded every so often, each one sounding a little brighter but without losing the familiar, melancholy feel.

In 1975, Coronation Street changed its opening credits sequence to include a shot of the actual outdoor set built next to the Quay Street studios, along with a series of close ups of chimneys of various terraced houses.

Other than that, the title sequence remained much the same with the rooftops always as the key focus. The theme tune also remained the same.

However, different angles, lighting and textures gave the sequence a fresh look.

In 1989, the theme tune was tweaked ever so slightly. It was still true to the original but had a sharper sound for stereo TV. 

Coronation Street theme tune – 1990 sequence and credits

One of the biggest changes to the title sequence came in 1990.

The opening sequence changed from rooftops to the little details of everyday life on the street, such as shots of a pint of beer, a cat on a doorstep, washing on the line; seemingly to emphasise that Corrie was all about ordinary people and their routines.

A brief experiment where the theme was given a saxophone-led, jazzy reworking. This was not all that popular with viewers and was quickly scrapped.

By 1999, the title sequence began including writer and director credits. The Coronation Street logo was revamped and moved to the start of the sequence rather than the end. 

The theme tune remained largely unchanged.

Frisky, the tabby cat, appeared in the opening titles of Coronation Street from 1990 until his death in 2000. He became known for his memorable appearance perched on the rooftop of Jack Duckworth’s pigeon loft during the show’s intro.

2002 sequence and credits

In 2002, both the titles and the theme got a modern refresh. 

The visuals were sharper and brighter and the theme was re-recorded with more polish but still keeping all the warmth of the original cornet and brass arrangement.

50th anniversary in 2010 – sequence and credits

When Coronation Street moved into high definition in 2010, a new title sequence was introduced in May. 

It included shots of Manchester city centre before cutting to Coronation Street, and the logo was moved to the end with the writer and director credits over the opening action. For the first time, Eric Spear’s theme tune was rearranged to match the updated sequence.

For Corrie’s 50th anniversary in 2010, the classic theme tune got a fresh update for the first time in decades.

The melody stayed the same, but the orchestration was slightly richer, with fuller brass strings,which gave it a brighter, more modern feel. The timing was also tweaked to match the sweeping aerial shots of Weatherfield and Manchester.

Since then, only minor tweaks have been made.