The TV title sequence, is it a dying art in the age of squished credits and “Coming up next”? Perhaps. but there’s still some fine examples out there. Here’s my current top five.

Dexter (Showtime)

This one’s subtitled “Morning routine”, apparently. It’s fantastically creepy, selling the concept of death as a major element in Dexter’s life through an imaginative visual metaphor…

Mad Men (AMC)

Another US drama. That music is A Beautiful Mine by RJD2. The visuals perfectly mesh the show’s 60s setting with a modern, slightly off-kilter, vibe. And, again, sell the series’ central conceit: Crushing ambition and a loss of identity in a soon-to-be advertising obsessed culture.

Who Do You Think You Are? (BBC1)

This is from the fifth series, which finished airing this week, didn’t it? Anyway, what to say about it? It’s very elegant, has a pleasing element of hyper-reality about it, subtly foreshadows the contributors’ own findings… and makes Ainsley Harriott look dignified!

Merlin (BBC1)

The Beeb’s Saturday night sword and not-so-much sorcery saga boasts a rather smart opener. Love the inclusion of Excalibur and the text blazing onto the screen. That tune’s a bit generic though, isn’t it?

Hell’s Kitchen (ITV1)

In lieu of finding the most recent – bonkers – titles to Hell’s Kitchen USA on YouTube (featuring all the contestants as munchkins, propelling fruits and the like around the kitchen – honest) here’s the British series. Fittingly for Marco, it’s ketchup red, but I like this because it’s rather understated. That last-second flash of evil in Chef’s eyes really sells it…

If you feel so moved, please nominate your own favourite (fairly current) title sequences below.

Right, well, in the comments below, Richard’s tipped us off about HBO’s True Blood. So let’s have a look.