Blue Planet and Gandhi composer George Fenton dies aged 76 — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- George Fenton died unexpectedly at 76, according to a statement from his family announcing his death
- Fenton received five Oscar nominations, including for his scores to Gandhi, The Remains of the Day, and Cry Freedom, as well as for the title song of Cry Freedom which he sang himself
- Fenton composed the music for David Attenborough's 'Earth Trilogy' — The Blue Planet, Planet Earth, and Frozen Planet — and later created The Blue Planet in Concert, performed by leading orchestras worldwide
- Fenton scored 18 films for director Ken Loach, more than any other composer, including the Palme d'Or-winning The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) and I, Daniel Blake
- Fenton composed signature theme music for BBC News programmes including Newsnight, One O'Clock News, Six O'Clock News, and Breakfast Time, and won Baftas, Emmys, and Ivor Novellos for his Blue Planet work
- Born George Howe in Bromley, Kent in 1949, Fenton began as an actor — appearing in Emmerdale Farm and Alan Bennett's Forty Years On — and adopted his mother's maiden name because union rules barred two actors sharing a name
- Fenton founded the Association of Professional Composers, was made a CBE for services to music in 2023, and was one of only a handful of musicians to receive a fellowship from The Ivors Academy alongside Elton John and Kate Bush
Why it matters: Fenton's death removes one of British film's most prolific and quietly influential composers — a self-taught musician who moved from acting parts to five Oscar nominations, shaped the sonic identity of BBC News and Attenborough's landmark nature documentaries, and built an 18-film partnership with Ken Loach. His unexpected passing at 76 comes just two years after his CBE in 2023, leaving an immediate void in British film and television scoring.
Ask SkimNews
