For many Middlesbrough fans there are mysteries and myths that endure from the club’s 150 year history. What happened to the Longines clock? Where is the ornate metalwork that adorned the top of the main stand at our old ground? And what’s the name of ‘that whistly thing’, the music that Boro’s legendary announcer - the late, great Bernard Gent - used to play at full time on Radio Ayresome?

As the current announcer, that last one has always frustrated me. I have a vague memory of it (my first game was in 1978 as a six year old) and since I started at The Riverside in 2020, it’s been swirling around my mind again. Fans ask at games and send messages about it from time to time. “Have you found it yet?”

Back in 2004, Bernard was a guest on my BBC Radio Cleveland show. We talked about his career and ‘that whistly thing’ came up.

“I can’t remember what it was called but it was a vinyl record, yellow label, mid 1970s and used by a car company” he recalled. “Maybe Peugeot, Ford, Renault or perhaps another”.

Even if it was that, it may not have been on the tv in this country, it may have only been a cinema advert, an internal promotion. The list could be endless and never clear cut.

I’ve watched people post about it on various message boards and on social media. There’s even a YouTube video from ‘Dirk McQuickly’ whistling it! But what is it called?

In late 2023, having thought about it off and on for over twenty years, I decided to have a real go at finding it.

YouTube was endlessly searched. Media and archive teams at numerous car companies were emailed with the unusual plea from a stadium announcer in the North East of England, looking for a random bit of music they may have used fifty odd years ago, somewhere in the world. Does it sound familiar? “Possibly” they said - which really meant no.

Bernard’s daughter, Aly, who is a season ticket holder in the North West Upper, was asked. Even Boro fans with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the club were at a loss about this jolly little ditty that had etched itself into the memory of the Ayresome faithful.

Library music sites were trawled. These are whole catalogues of tunes that radio and tv companies use for adverts and themes. Look up ‘Born To Run’ by Paul Westwood, ‘Heavy Action’ by Johnny Pearson or ‘Chicken Man’ by Alan Hawkshaw to see what I mean and if you remember them.

But despite all those efforts I drew a blank. Zilch, nowt. Until……

A radio friend of mine suggested I put a post on the ‘Library Music Themes’ messageboard. Who knew such a thing existed? And so I wrote, “This is a real long shot but can anyone identify this piece of music used sometime in the 1970s please?” I attached the ‘Dirk’ YouTube video to the post and off it went.

This tune has been a mystery for nearly fifty years so I wasn’t holding my breath for a quick answer. Twenty six minutes later - yes, 26 - I got an email alert ‘You have a reply to your post from Lord Thames’.

“Hi John, I’m pretty sure that the tune is by M Lewis and the title is…..”

Quickly onto YouTube, I typed in the details and there it was!! My loud reaction made my wife and kids, (Anna, Ben and Jess) come running to ask if everything was ok? Wife and daughter rolled their eyes at the explanation whereas my son seemed quite excited.

Rob Nichols from FMTTM and Twe12thMan’s John Donovan were called to corroborate my find. A copy of the yellow label vinyl was found online, bought and digitised. I even emailed the composer, Emmy and Ivor Novello award winning Michael J. Lewis in Mississippi to ask him about it.

“I originally wrote it as a 30 second TV commercial way back when” he told me. “The company liked it so much they asked me to record an extended version for their dealers. Glad to know that the melody has brought pleasure.”

Bernard had said he thought it was used by a car firm, perhaps Renault. Yes, it was used by them because the name of the tune is:

‘The Renault Theme.’

Seriously!

It’s like it’s been hiding in plain sight.

And so ‘That whistly thing’ mystery is finally solved for Bernard, Aly and all the fans that wondered. Thank you Lord Thames and Dirk McQuickly, whoever you are.

Now, whatever happened to that Longines clock……….?

Here is the link to 'The Renault Theme' on Youtube