While award winning and Emmy nominated composer Richard Band is primarily known to many as a composer for Horror and Genre films, but he has often stepped well outside the horror genre and diversified his body of work demonstrating his ability to tackle any genre and style presented to him.Richard outlines his approach to the music and the inspiration that lies behind it –“I’ve always been a firm believer in the importance of themes in film scoring and this score cried out for an epic theme perhaps in the classical manner of a Steiner, Herrmann or Rozsa, or perhaps even a Goldsmith, Williams, Jarre or Shore. It was movies from my childhood like ‘Lost Horizon’ and ‘Jason and the Argonauts’ as well as epics like ‘Dr. Zhivago’ and ‘Ben-Hur’ that had the import I was searching for. This film was a true joy to score and well worth the roughly 20 odd years I waited to do it.”

Gerry Anderson and Christopher Burr’s Terrahawks turns 40 this autumn. On Saturday 8 October 1983, Terrahawks was broadcast for the very first time on ITV. The cult show was Anderson’s first in over a decade to use puppets for its characters, and also his last. Set in the year 2020, the series followed the adventures of the Terrahawks, a taskforce responsible for protecting Earth from invasion by a group of extraterrestrial androids and aliens led by Zelda. Like Anderson’s previous puppet series, futuristic vehicles and technology featured prominently in each episode.

Sarah Warne Composer Sarah Warne explains her process – “There’s an isolation and vulnerability that threads through the score – mournful brass, fragile strings and textured vocals, but also a strangeness too; not just the elusive shadowiness of Sutcliffe himself but also of the scrambling officers that missed crucial developments in the case through arrogance, misogyny and institutional red tape. Driving percussive elements spur on the case, but poignant and haunting melodies always refocus us on the importance of the lives of the people in this story, and not on plot. One such melody can be found in ‘Tormenting George’ and ‘Under Scrutiny’, which feature a minor key adaptation of the hymn ‘Faith of Our Fathers’ (St Catherine Tune). This theme came to represent the sense of broken community and the failures of our institutions to protect the lives of women in this harrowing impossible-to-be-forgotten period of British history.”

David Arnold’s ‘end of the world’ complex and multi-genre soundtrack.
From the Award-winning composer of Sherlock and Casino Royale comes a follow up to the hugely successful, Emmy nominated Good Omens soundtrack.Good Omens series 2 premiered on Prime Video on 28th July. The series follows the odd couple, angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and demon Crowley (David Tennant) in their quest to sabotage the end of the World. The six-episode sequel to the popular adaptation of the novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, concerns the Archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) arriving without his memories to Aziraphale’s bookshop. Aziraphale and Crowley attempt to find out what happened to Gabriel, whilst hiding him from Heaven and Hell, both eager to find him.

Paul Saunderson’s expansive and complex score for BBC Studio’s landmark TV series ‘Earth’, presented by Chris Packham. The first episode, ‘Inferno’, broadcast on Monday 17th July 2023 sees the release of an artist-curated 5 track EP, Earth: One Planet. Many Lives, followed by the entire album score, released August 22nd.
Using the latest science and technology, the 5-part series tells the astonishing 4.5-billion-year story of our Earth. The series takes us back in time to reveal the Earth’s most significant events and draws parallels with climate change today. Composer Paul Saunderson perfectly captures the spirit of the Epic TV series by introducing gravitas and drama to underpin the struggles and successes of our planet’s history.

Filmed in more than 60 locations, the series covers a wide range of animals, including African elephants, polar bears, blacktip sharks, chipmunks, grizzly bears, cheetahs, leatherback turtles, pandas and zebras, among many, many others.
Jasha Klebe comments “On approaching the music for the ITV series, ‘A Year On Planet Earth’ I wanted to create a score that was lyrical, vibrant, and a joyous celebration of the natural world. Using a kaleidoscope of instruments and textures, I crafted soundscapes to be as rich and colorful as the animals and environments they portrayed. Starting with ambient vocal calls, cascading strings, and a jubilant percussive motif – the heartbeat of the series – in the opening suite; to stacked ambient layers of my vocals in Bush Fire; delicate piano and wistful solo cello in Ice Bears; to the sweeping melodic song of Monarch Butterfly; I set out to evoke a wondrous, emotional journey, as we transitioned from each new season over a year on planet earth.”

Sarah Warne has composed the score for the new true crime drama ‘Steeltown Murders’ which is scheduled to air from Monday 15th May on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The four-part series is written by Ed Whitmore, directed by Marc Evans and produced by Severn Screen. It stars Philip Glenister, Steffan Rhodri, Keith Allen, Priyanga Burford, Sharon Morgan, Nia Roberts, Amy Morgan and Matthew Gravell.

First appearing on TV screens in September 1968, Joe 90 was a unique nine year old boy with the ability to absorb the brain patterns of top experts, enabling him to become the most special agent of WIN (World Intelligence Network).
Whilst there are arguably better-known scores amongst Barry Gray's sublime catalogue of work with the Andersons, the composer's work for Joe 90 is in many ways the most consistent and inventive selection he ever wrote. Developing a theme for the new series was always the musician's starting point, and for Joe 90, the pop charts breezed into Gray's studio, with an opening tune featuring a genuine groove. Mixing Gray's inventive electronics with 60s "surf rock" guitars was an inspired decision. It is no wonder that this piece has gone on to enjoy a second life as a Northern Soul disco floor-filler. For episodic incidentals, Gray was freed from the detached unearthly premise of Captain Scarlet and able to bring back a playful sensibility and a more mature musical palette which are amply illustrated in this 24 track collection.

The digital release of one of three volumes from Doctor Who Series 13 The Specials - Eve Of The Daleks, Legend of the Sea Devils and The Power Of The Doctor. The 2022 Doctor Who specials are the three additional episodes that follow the programme's thirteenth series. The first special, Eve Of The Daleks, aired on 1 January 2022, the second, Legend of the Sea Devils, aired on 17 April and the third, The Power Of The Doctor on 23 October. They are the final episodes to feature Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor. The specials also star Mandip Gill and John Bishop as the Doctor's travelling companions, Yasmin Khan and Dan Lewis. Chris Chibnall is the showrunner and the writer. All Series 13 episodes, together with the 3 specials, are currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer in the UK.

Benji Merrison and Will Slater’s soundtrack to the 90-minute feature documentary Missile From The East. The film follows the true story of Ernst Degner, a champion East German motorcycle racer who risked his and his family’s life to defect to West Germany during the Swedish Grand Prix in 1961, taking MZ’s groundbreaking engine technology with him and helping Suzuki win its first Grand Prix Championship. For this intriguing documentary, Merrison and Slater created an exciting score that pulsates with exhilarating synth ostinatos, soaring strings and scattered tune fragments carried by strings and electric piano. Opening with synth ostinatos and gradually shifting into mellow soundscapes, the score resolves in the beautiful closing track Degner’s World, a tranquil piano piece.

The atmospheric aquatic adventures of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (WASPs) provided the perfect grounds for the evolution of Barry Gray’s own musical odyssey. After navigating otherworldly vistas with experimental minimalism in Fireball XL5, Gray anchored Stingray’s underwater exploits with a cannon of earth-bound incidentals. Employing flutes and gentle woodwind sounds to set the scene, Gray’s music drew attention to the wonder of the series premise, employing lush heavenly strings for the series’ closing theme, ‘Aqua Marina’ (a croon brought to life by in-demand vocalist Gary Miller). The off-duty exploits of the WASP characters also allowed Gray to return to his jazzy routes, with the production team adding a loving reference to the composer in the episode Tune of Danger with a ‘Graystein’ Piano. Episodic melodrama was once again brought to life with bold brass, and driving military marches would establish the WASPs’ base, Marineville, and an unforgettable Match of the Oysters (in The Secret of the Giant Oyster). The DNA of the which would foreshadow the iconic theme for the Andersons’ next series…

Music From the Terminator Movies, featuring music highlights from composers Brad Fiedel, Marco Beltrami, Danny Elfman, Lorne Balfe and Tom Holkenborg AKA Junkie XL.Scoring for the Terminator franchise has come full circle and with this new album, London Music Works curates its musical journey. The album follows the scores chronologically, opening with Brad Fiedel’s pre-MIDI age synth clash between human and machine In Terminator and Terminator 2. Fiedel’s score is followed by Marco Beltrami’s predominantly orchestral backdrop in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Danny Elfman’s Terminator: Salvation score pulls back from the orchestral sound and morphs into a sensual man-machine contrast. In Terminator: Genisys, Lorne Balfe picks the vintage synth sound of Terminator 2, whilst creating his own fantastical soundscaping. The score for Terminator: Dark Fate shows the respect Tom Holkenborg (AKA Junkie XL) pays to Brad Fiedel and his iconic 1984 theme. Here, Holkenborg has updated Fiedel’s work, with writing for, and performing on synthesizers from the 2010s, and as such the statements of the theme in this score have a richer, almost organic electronic sound.

From death defying heroics to fantastic visions of the future and adventures beyond imagination. For decades the world has been enthralled by the television and film productions of Gerry Anderson. Perhaps the one thing which binds this remarkable canon of work together is an incredible tapestry of music which enriches each series and instalment. Despite all the impressive techniques and technical wizardry employed by Derek Meddings and his special effects crew, Stingray’s launch wouldn't have half the impact if robbed of Barry Gray’s sweeping crescendo. Similarly, the ponderous ache of the Alphans plight and a police cruiser chase in Demeter City are brought to life by their respective musical accompaniments. The Stand By For Action! concert in April 2022 was a celebration of this incredible body of music which helped to bring life to some of the most popular television series ever made. This sensational show transported fans through over 60 years of the Gerry Anderson back catalogue, paying homage to his special partnership with composers including Barry Gray, Richard Harvey and Crispin Merrell.

Frozen Planet II is a 2022 British nature documentary series co-produced by the BBC and The Open University as a sequel to Frozen Planet, which was first broadcast in 2011. The series is presented and narrated by Sir David Attenborough with the music composed by Hans Zimmer, Adam Lukas and James Everingham, including a theme featuring the vocals of singer-songwriter Aurora.

The origins of the series The Secret Service began in 1968 whilst working at Pinewood Studios, Gerry Anderson bumped into a familiar face of stage and screen: comic actor Stanley Unwin. With his whimsical charm and hilarious gibberish double talk (playfully christened ‘Unwinese’) Unwin had earned great popularity throughout the 50s and 60s and the Anderson’s immediately knew that they had found someone to base their next puppet series on. For several years the Century 21 team had toyed with directly basing a puppet character on a real-life actor, now the time had come to make it a reality. Duly, the Andersons developed a premise around Unwin, returning to their ‘unlikely spy’ scenario which had worked so well with Joe 90, they created ‘Father’ Unwin, a kindly priest who, despite outwardly disappearing into whimsy, doubles as a determined agent for British Intelligence. In the series the lines would be blurred even further between the miniature Supermarionation world and reality, as live action footage of Stanley Unwin would also be used in the series.