Each episode in the first two series started with a country scene of faux-normal life in Olde England, during which an introductory poem in rhymed cadence was intoned in voice-over, to the tune of the English folksong "Early One Morning" —— which derives from a much later period than the series. The poem was a humorous summary vignette of what could be expected in the episode. An actor portraying the Minstrel would use the same melody at the final fade to black before the end credits, for 1st run CBS-sponsored screenings in the USA, letting viewers know that the sponsor "now begs a word with you."