diff --git a/conf/tmux.conf b/conf/tmux.conf
index a149e006..3435ac8a 100644
--- a/conf/tmux.conf
+++ b/conf/tmux.conf
@@ -27,4 +27,7 @@ set -g base-index 1
 bind-key 0 select-window -t :10
 
 # Enables additional colours
-set -g default-terminal "screen-256color"
+# tmux-256color is in 2.1 and is required for italics. This seems to be
+# ignored on older versions as my $TERM reported as screen-256color in my
+# tests.
+set -g default-terminal "tmux-256color"