Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The BBC Radio 4 UK Theme is an orchestral arrangement of traditional British airs composed by Fritz Spiegl (and possibly Manfred Arlan) which was played every morning on BBC Radio 4 between 23 November 1978 and 23 April 2006. The piece was used as a start-up theme to introduce the Shipping Forecast, and was always the first item broadcast heard after Radio 4 resumed service following the night-time handover to the BBC World Service. In 2006, Mark Damazer''s decision to cancel the UK Theme to make way for a "pacy news briefing" caused much controversy in the United Kingdom, including extensive discussion in the British media and even in Parliament.