We all know that music can have a huge impact on our mood, and is able to change our emotions. For example, sad songs can make you feel reflective and down about a situation, whereas something upbeat and fast can make you feel powerful and happy.

Indeed, for many years, comedy shows have known the importance of music and how it affects their audience. If you think about the most memorable sitcom scenes... most have music behind them.

Amateur productions on TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and the like are now catching up to TV and film by beginning to use music too. Songs native to apps or music free of copyright are becoming essential tools for creators. In many cases, this music can actually be the jumping-off point for ideas.

The Benny Hill Show

First of all, let's start by taking a look at The Benny Hill Show. This was a hugely popular comedy television show that aired, in various incarnations, from 1955 to 1989. In fact, it was so popular that it was seen in over 140 countries around the world. Ratings statistics show that, in the UK alone, more than 21 million viewers enjoyed this show in 1971.

Music played a big part in The Benny Hill Show, and you'll almost certainly remember at least one of the tracks from the programme. In 2015, a viewer poll for TV show The Sound of ITV: The Nation's Favourite Theme put its signature tune, Yakety Sax, in the number one spot.

The comedy sketches in the show would see Benny Hill playing different characters, many of which would be accompanied by 'patter songs'. These were composed to be entertaining and keep audiences smiling. Essentially, these very fast tempo compositions make you feel good.

The programme also welcomed a range of different musical guest stars on the show, that the audience loved. Petula Clark, Kiki Dee, Anne Shelton, The Springfields and Cleo Laine were amongst those invited on to the screen to appear alongside Hill.

Music can also add context when it comes to comedy. For instance, in The Benny Hill Show, there were often silent sketches. In order to have a better experience for the audience and a better understanding of what was going on, music would play.

'Allo 'Allo!

Remember the theme tune from 'Allo 'Allo!? It set the scene perfectly for the comedy that was about to follow, including helping to place the audience in France, where the comedy was set.

As a reminder, the nine series of the show focus on a small café in France, run by Rene Artois, during World War II. His establishment is visited by German army officers, Gestapo, resistance fighters and even escaped prisoners of war.

What a lot of people loved about this comedy was the fact that any character could burst into song without notice. There was even a café-cabaret written into the plot.

Something interesting to note in 'Allo 'Allo! is that you wouldn't hear the full song being played though. In other words, you would only get one or two verses, or it could simply be a snippet of the chorus. This was probably partly to keep the pace of the show going, but also to avoid expensive rights bills.

Did music change these shows?

As we can see, music is something that adds entertainment and light-heartedness to shows like the above. Without this music, you would be watching a different type of show.

A TV comedy show wants you to feel happy, even after you have finished an episode. Indeed, music is often the way to do this. You can make a song catchy and upbeat, which will add to the humour of a scene. This is something that 'Allo 'Allo! did well, as well as The Benny Hill Show. It helps to shape them into the classic television shows that they became and remain for many in the UK and beyond.

In fact, some of the music from these television shows is still available to hear on YouTube. It can be a way to brighten your spirits. The mixture of comedy and music can be refreshing and make you laugh when you are feeling down, so maybe head over there now to give your mood a boost?