But editorially we want less, so we can let the emotions stand on their own.’ ‘Music is there as incidental, for action and fun - our publishers are always asking us to get more music in. ‘When the show is at its most emotional, there’s almost no music at all because the performances carry it,’ he states. ‘There’s a quietness and gentleness to pace, in part because we’re dealing with emotional narratives rather than plot-based narratives.’ ‘The show is pretty underscored compared to a lot of material on TV,’ says Mikael. Rather than a dreamy, other world, Bing is rooted in the everyday as the youthful protagonist stumbles through life lessons. Mikael Shields, chief executive at Acamar Films, leads the Bing creative team and worked closely with Julian on the music. The music is composed by Julian Nott, the sonic brain behinds scores for other toddler hits including Wallace and Gromit and Peppa Pig. ‘On the sound front, the music is integral and unique, the Clangers’ language is strangely understandable even though whistled, and the wonderful narrative voice of Oliver Postgate creates an atmosphere that completely draws you in,’ says Dan.įast forward to now and one of pre-school TV’s biggest hits is Bing, a CBeebies show based on the (mis) adventures of a growing young rabbit. The combination of beautiful design, charming characters coupled with beguiling stories are at the heart of the programme’s lengthy success. ‘It’s like a call signal to come and watch.’ ‘The music needs to draw you in from the very start of the programme,’ he explains.
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For Dan, simplicity and memorability are the secrets to a great children’s TV theme. The current incarnation of The Clangers features a score by Grammy Award-winning composer John Du Prez in collaboration with series producer and chief whistler Dan Maddicott. It was modern classical, a bit like Shostakovich, with a jarring quality while remaining delicate and charming - just right for children.’ ‘Oliver would draw visual ideas for the music in blocks and wavering lines, and Vernon used this as a starting point. ‘The music written for The Clangers by composer Vernon Elliott chimed at the very core of the concept,’ says Dan.
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Why does he think that the programme’s score, alongside the show itself, is continues to be revered? And because we were children when we heard it, the music goes in a bit deeper.’ĭo any children’s TV shows come any deeper, weirder or more wonderful than The Clangers? The trippy, intergalactic show, which fell from the cosmic imagination of animator and writer Oliver Postgate, will mark its 50th anniversary with a special screening at this summer’s Bluedot Festival at Jodrell Bank.įeaturing a race of mouse-like creatures, all residing on a planet somewhere in space, it’s surreal air is underlined by a musical soundtrack of whistles, beeps and classical flourishes.ĭan Postgate, the son of Oliver and executive producer on the current incarnation of the show, created many of the scripts and storylines. It’s off the charts weird but that why it’s so powerful. ‘I’m an eighties child so I loved Roobarb and Custard, Bananaman, I was obsessed with Dogtanian and the Three Muskahounds,’ remembers Dan. And the music plays a huge role in ensuring your past infatuation is ingrained within you. If you cast your eyes back, you’ll likely have a TV show you adored.
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The producers ushered us all away before the kids were traumatised.’įrom The Womble s to Wallace and Gromit via Mr Benn and Thundercats, children’s TV and its colourful, musical themes and soundtracks have always had a defining influence on young people’s formative years. But one of the machines powering the characters badly malfunctioned. ‘Me and my brother Justin were asked to come along as we’d written a rock song for the show. Instead, it’s a slightly horrifying moment from a live run-through of children’s TV hit, ZingZilla s. Then they ripped its head off…’ĭan Hawkins (pictured above), guitarist and songwriter with rock legends, The Darkness and writer of the music for CBeebies hit Catie’s Amazing Machines, isn’t recalling a tale of unhinged excess from the band’s years of strutting success. ‘Someone ran over to a Zingzilla as smoke was coming out of the back of it. Jim Ottewill dons his nappy, pops in his dummy and catches up with some of these creators to learn why the genre is now attending big school… From TV channels to the legendary Proms season via music festivals, apps and more, the world of children’s music is more alive than ever, offering music-makers the opportunity to flex often untouched creative muscles and earn additional income.