Blue Peter "Sailors Hornpipe" was used instead. The opening theme has been updated several times. The following is a list of all the versions of the "Blue Peter" signature tune, "Barnacle Bill" that have been used on the show : The debut of a new version of the famous theme tune "Barnacle Bill" is sometimes accompanied with an introduction by the presenters at the time explaining the reasons behind the new rendition. Mike Oldfield appeared on the programme around 1979, and his version of the theme tune was so popular with viewers that the producers decided to record it for use as
Danny Deever case, the musical source has been suggested as the Army's "grotesque bawdy song" "Barnacle Bill the Sailor", but it is possible that some other popular tune of the period was used. However, the ballads were not published with any music, and though they were quickly adapted to be sung, new musical settings were written; a musical setting by Walter Damrosch was described as "Teddy Roosevelt's favourite song", and is sometimes encountered on its own as a tune entitled "They're Hanging Danny Deever in the Morning". To date, at least a dozen published recordings are known, made from 1893 to 1985.