By Michael Beek

Published: Thursday, 01 February 2024 at 17:13 PM


After a number of big-budget series focusing on the planet’s most awesome natural spectacles, the BBC’s Wild Isles is something of a homecoming. But what about the Wild Isles soundtrack? Who was the composer behind this sweeping score?

For once, audiences won’t be whisked off to the African savannah, the South American rainforest or the depths of the South Pacific, but the woodlands, waters, wildlife and wonders of our very own United Kingdom.

The five-part series, presented by Sir David Attenborough, was launched on BBC One and with its spectacular footage of everything from eagles to orcas, it’s already proving that you don’t have to travel so far to witness some truly amazing flora and fauna.

Who composed the music for Wild Isles?

George Fenton is the composer of the Wild Isles muisc. He is a veteran of Natural History scoring, having composed the music for some of the BBC’s very finest documentaries over the last few decades, from The Trials of Life through to the original series’ of The Blue Planet, Planet Earth and Frozen Planet. And it was a return the Oscar-nominated composer was all too happy to embrace, not least of all because it meant he’d be working with the BBC Concert Orchestra again, as he told me.

‘I love doing them, because it’s just so different than working on a film, and musically it’s different. I don’t wish that I’d done them all the time – I’m glad I’ve had a long break from doing them, but I was glad to get back and do one.

Not least because in the old days, when I worked on The Blue Planet and things, I did all the recording with the BBC Concert Orchestra, and I did this with them as well. It was so nice to see them on a regular basis, for the five episodes, and they’re a terrific orchestra now; they’re really really good, really quick and just marvellous.’

George Fenton / Getty Images

Wild Isles music: how were the sounds created?

George Fenton has written over three hours of music for Wild Isles, with the majority of it being orchestral. Though, as he explains, sometimes the natural world needs the odd unnatural sound to help it along…

‘I’ve used some electronics in certain sections, because one of the challenges of natural history is that virtually nothing is actually moving at the speed it really moves at. You know, everything is either just a little bit slowed down, or very slowed down, or sped up. Sometimes, rhythmically, when you look at things like that it really seems that my response is much more about beats and pulses, and electronic things, than it is to do with an orchestra.’

It’s certainly a joy to have George Fenton back on our screens, writing for the very real drama and occasional humour to be found in the natural world. The last few series, sequels to some of those originally scored by the composer, have featured themes by Hollywood giant Hans Zimmer and a team of talented composers from Bleeding Fingers Music. The blockbuster feel of the likes of Blue Planet II and Planet Earth II inspired suitably epic music, but with George Fenton at the helm of Wild Isles, audiences are treated to original music with just a bit more grace, class and character.