What’s the name of the song playing at the start of episode 1 of Baptiste on BBC One? (Not the main theme tune).
The song we hear playing early in episode 1, just after the Romanian man starts up a chainsaw and before the main Baptiste theme music, is a song called Let Your Love Flow.
Opening with the lyrics “There’s a reason, for the sunshine day”, this single was released in 1976 by American pop and country music duo, The Bellamy Brothers, and can be downloaded in full from iTunes and Amazon. You may remember this song featuring around ten years ago in a TV advert for the then-new Barclaycard contactless payment technology.
In 2025, the song was featured again in a UK TV ad campaign, this time for Jersey Royal Potatoes.
Baptiste: The BBC’s Gritty Detective Drama with a Dark Edge
Baptiste is a BBC One crime drama that premiered in 2019 as a spin-off from the acclaimed series The Missing. Created by Harry and Jack Williams, the show stars French actor Tchéky Karyo as Julien Baptiste, the world-weary detective who had captivated audiences in the parent series. Known for his intelligence, compassion and dogged determination, Baptiste is drawn into complex investigations that often blur the line between crime drama and psychological thriller.
The first series, set in Amsterdam, followed Baptiste as he helped track down a missing sex worker, uncovering a criminal underworld while struggling with his own health issues. The second series, broadcast in 2021, took a darker turn as Baptiste teamed up with Fiona Shaw’s character, British ambassador Emma Chambers, to unravel a politically charged mystery set in Hungary.
Critically praised for Karyo’s nuanced performance and its atmospheric European settings, Baptiste combined tense storytelling with emotional depth. Although the show concluded after two series, it remains one of the BBC’s most distinctive detective dramas of recent years, offering a fresh perspective on crime-solving through the eyes of a flawed but deeply human investigator.
How many episodes of Baptiste are there?
BBC One’s crime drama Baptiste is a six-part series, with episode number 1 of 6 airing on Sunday 17 February at 9:00 pm and catch-up available online via BBC iPlayer.