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Simon Russell is a BAFTA, EMMY and RTS award-winning freelance composer from the UK.

Hecomposes music in a diverse range of styles for film and TV productions

Photograph by John Phillips

Biog

I’m a self taught composer/musician living in London. As a child, I was very keen to experiment with sound – modifying the family piano, removing the frets from my first bass guitar and, much to my parents’ annoyance, taking all the family clocks apart to see what made them tick. This curiosity led to my interest in organic found sounds, sampling and electronics and my fascination with how music is constructed. Delia Derbyshire and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop were a big influence that steered me towards composing my own soundtracks.

I’ve worked on many award winning documentaries and films including Havana Marking’s Afghan Star (2 Sundance awards, Grierson Award 2009, Prix Italia), Baroque; From St. Peter’s to St. Paul’s (winner of the Royal Television Society Award 2009 for best Arts documentary series) and Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer (Sundance award, Best Documentary; British Independent Film Awards 2013). I’ve also composed 52 episodes of an Aardman animation Canimals being shown around the world and composed for the Lottie Bearshout animation pilot (Wildseed/Disney) which won a BAFTA (2016).

I play a wide range of instruments incl. lap steel, banjo, theremin, ukulele, tin-tone guitar, mandolin, omnichord, dulcimer, keyboards, zither, shamisen & double bass.

Awards

  • 2024 - BAFTA for Once Upon A Time in Northern Ireland
  • 2023 - RTS for Once Upon A Time in Northern Ireland
  • 2013 - Emmy for Pussy Riot; A Punk Prayer

Credits

Film

  • Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer (Roast Beef/HBO – 2013) – Sundance; jury award, Emmy; sound & music winner, British Independent Film Awards; Best Documentary
  • F@ck This Job (Roast Beef/6 Days/BBC4 dir; Vera Krichevskaya)
  • The Trapped 13; How We Survived the Thai Cave (Netflix dir; Pailin Wedel) – Emmy nominated
  • The Accidental President (Roast Beef/All3Media – 2024)
  • A Whole Lott More (Flying V – 2013)
  • The Do Gooders (Roast Beef – 2013)
  • Smash And Grab (Roast Beef/BBC Storyville – 2012) – Filmfestival Kitzbuehel; audience award
  • Silencing The Song (HBO/Roast Beef – 2011)
  • 66 Months (Moving Target dir; James Bluemel – 2011)
  • Vote Afghanistan (Roast Beef/More 4 – 2010)
  • Afghan Star (Roast Beef dir; Havana Marking -2009) – Sundance; best director, audience award
  • Sing, Freetown (Insight dir; Clive Patterson – 2021)
  • Vampire Diary (Bard/Sterling dir; Mark James – 2007)
  • Weak At Denise (Guerilla Films dir; Julian Nott -2002)

Animation

  • Canimals – 52 Episodes (Aardman/Voozclub/BRB)
  • Counterfeit Cat – pilot (Aardman/Disney)
  • Lottie Bearshout – pilot (Wildseed/Disney) – winner children’s BAFTA short form 2016

Drama

  • Don’t Leave Me This Way (BBC 1)
  • Stand By Your Man (BBC 1)
  • Desperados (BBC 1) – 10 part series
  • Between The Sheets (Yorkshire) – 6 part series
  • Avenging Angels (Granada)

Documentary

  • Once Upon A Time in Iraq (Keo Films/BBC 2) 5 part series – Rose D’Or best doc series, BPG best doc series, RTS winner, nominated for 4 BAFTA’s, BAFTA winner best factual series, Broadcast Award best doc series, Emmy winner, 2 x Grierson – best doc series & best history doc
  • Once Upon A Time in Northern Ireland (Keo Films/BBC 2) 5 part series – winner of 2 x Griersons, Bulldog Awards, 2024 Broadcast Awards, Press Guild Award and 2 x RTS awards (documentary series and music), 2 BAFTA wins (editing and music)
  • Pandemic 2020 (Keo Films/BBC 2) 3 part series
  • Exodus: Our Journey Continues (Keo Films/BBC 2) 3 part series
  • Exodus: Our Journey To Europe (Keo Films/BBC 2) 3 part series – Prix Italia; best doc & judges award, RTS award; best dir, best editor, BAFTA; best director & best factual series, Grierson; best doc series, Emmy; best doc
  • The Curry House Kid (Swan Films/Channel 4) – Grierson nominated, Asian Media Awards; Best TV Show Factual 2019 winner, Bronze medal at New York Film & TV Awards
  • Undercover: Inside China’s Digital Gulag (Hardcash/ITV) – winner best current affairs doc 2020: BAFTA, Emmy, Grierson, Amnesty Media, Prix Italia, Prix Venice, Peabody and British Journalism Awards
  • Mariupol; The People’s Story (TopHat/BBC1) – winner International Emmy, IDA, Peabody and FPA, nominated for a BAFTA
  • Spacey Unmasked (Roast Beef/Channel 4) 2 part series
  • My Teacher the Abuser; Fighting for Justice (Panorama/BBC1)
  • Disappeared: Mexico’s Missing 43 (One World/BBC2) 2 part series
  • The Abercrombie Guys; The Dark Side of Cool (Panorama/BBC1)
  • Art’s Wildest Movement; Mannerism (ZCZ/Sky Arts) 3 part series
  • Who is Ghislaine Maxwell / Ghislaine Maxwell; The Making of a Monster (Starz/Roast Beef/Channel 4) 3 part series
  • Bin Laden: The Road to 9/11 (Voltage/Channel 4) 3 part series
  • Trouble At Topshop (Voltage/BBC 2) 2 part series
  • Secrets of the Salisbury Poisonings (Discovery)
  • Memories of a massacre; Rabaa Square (Noon Films)
  • Ukraine’s War Diaries (Panorama/BBC)
  • The Michelangelo Code; Secrets of the Sistine Chapel (ZCZ/SkyArts)
  • Outbreak: The Virus that Shook the World (Hardcash/ITV)
  • Big Sky, Big Dreams, Big Art; Made in USA (ZCZ/BBC 4) 3 part series
  • The Battle For Hong Kong (PBS Frontline/Hardcash/Channel 4) – nominated for a BAFTA
  • How to Steal Pigs & Influence People (Dragonfly/Channel 4)
  • Iran Unveiled: Taking On The Ayatollahs (Hardcash/ITV) – BAFTA/Grierson/Emmy nominated
  • The Mystery of the Nativity (ZCZ/Sky Arts)
  • Europe: 10 Years of Turmoil (Brook Lapping/BBC 2) 3 part series
  • Handmade in Bolton (ZCZ/BBC 4) 4 part series
  • Blackburn sings Christmas with Gareth Malone (SwanFilms/BBC 2)
  • Gareth Malone’s Christmas Concert (SwanFilms/BBC 2)
  • The Debt Saviours (BBC 2)
  • Bitter Rivals (Frontline/PBS) 2 part series
  • Sex, Lies & Cyber Attacks (Roast Beef/Channel 4)
  • Joanna Lumley’s India (ITV) 3 part series
  • The Impressionists (ZCZ/BBC 2) 4 part series
  • Bloody Money (Roast Beef/Sundance/Vice News)
  • Renaissance Unchained (ZCZ/BBC 4) 4 part series
  • Dangerous Borders; A journey across India & Pakistan (October films/BBC 2) 3 part series
  • Bear About The House; Me & My Supersized Pet (Barcroft/Channel 4)
  • Ali & Nino; A Love Story
  • Rubens: An Extra Large Story (ZCZ/BBC 2)
  • The Billionaire Base: Dismantling Camp Bastion (Roast Beef/Channel 4)
  • Angry White & Proud (Mentorn/Channel 4)
  • A Film for Northern Uganda (United Nations) – African Film Festival, Dallas, Texas; best soundtrack winner 2017
  • Mary Magdalene; Art’s Scarlet Woman (ZCZ/BBC 4)
  • Jungle Sisters (Roast Beef)
  • The Alps Murders (Rize/Channel 4)
  • The Pet Detectives (Roast Beef/Channel 4)
  • Cheetah Kingdom (Anglia/ITV) 12 part series
  • Rococo; Travel, Pleasure & Madness (ZCZ/BBC 4) 3 part series
  • Holbein:Eye of the Tudors (ZCZ/BBC2)
  • Jimmy’s Australian Food Adventure (More4/Tin Can Island) 3 part series
  • How The Wild West Was Won with Ray Mears (Tin Can Island/BBC 4) 3 part series
  • The Dark Ages; An Age Of Light (ZCZ/BBC 4) 4 part series
  • Mothers, Murderers & Mistresses: Empresses of Ancient Rome (Hot Sauce/BBC 4) 3 part series
  • The Miracle Baby of Haiti (Roast Beef/Channel 4)
  • Invite Mr. Wright (Roast Beef/Discovery) 6 part series 1 & 2
  • Win A Baby (Roast Beef/Channel 4)
  • The Millionaire & the Murder Mansion (Films of Record/Channel 4)
  • Ugly Beauty (ZCZ/BBC 2)
  • My Boyfriend The MI5 Hoaxer (Ronachan/Channel 4)
  • Islands Of Britain (ITV) 3 part series
  • 9 Months Later (Sky Living) 6 part series
  • The Sculpture Diaries (ZCZ/Channel 4) 3 part series
  • Baroque!: From St Peter’s to St Paul’s (ZCZ/BBC 4) 3 part series – winner RTS; best arts programme
  • Out Of Bounds (Roast Beef/Travel Channel) 6 part series
  • The 9/11 Faker (Films of Record/Channel 4)
  • K9 Cops (Animal Planet/Granada) 15 part series
  • Animal Cops; Houston (Granada/Discovery) 12 part series
  • Animal Cops; Houston 2014 (Tin Can Island/Animal Planet)
  • Atlas: Japan Revealed (ZCZ/Discovery)
  • The Planners Are Coming (RDF/BBC 1) 8 part series
  • Sudden Death (Sitting In Pictures/National Geographic)
  • Sickert vs Sargent (ZCZ/More 4)
  • America; The Wright Way (Roast Beef/Travel Channel)
  • The Happy Dictator (ZCZ/More4)
  • Kazakhstan Swings (ZCZ/More 4)
  • The Black Widow (Firecracker/Channel 4)
  • The New Al-Qaeda (BBC 1)
  • Toulouse Lautrec; the full story (ZCZ/Channel 4)
  • The Michelangelo Code (ZCZ/Channel 4)
  • Manuela Saenz (Move A Mountain)
  • Paradise Found (ZCZ/Channel 4)
  • Hitler’s Britain (Lion TV)
  • The Real 4400 (Unique/Sky)
  • Picking Up The Pieces (Quality Time/Channel 4) 3 part series
  • What Would Jesus Drive (Fulcrum/Channel 4)
  • Grand Designs; The Stirling Prize 2004 (Talkback/Channel 4)
  • Who Killed My Baby (Films Of Record/Channel 4)
  • Every Picture Tells A Story (ZCZ/Five)
  • Mark Thomas; Debt Collector (Just About/Channel 4)
  • Building Of The Year (ZCZ/Channel 4) – 2000 – 2004
  • Super Cities (ZCZ/Channel 4) – 3 part series
  • The Body Jars (Becker/Discovery)
  • Picasso; Magic, Sex & Death (ZCZ/Channel 4) – 3 part series
  • VIP Weekends (Sitting In Pics/Firewire Films/Discovery) – 6 part series
  • Chronique d’une ville occupee (Move A Mountain)

TV Themes Include:

  • The People’s Awards (BBC 1)
  • Clive Anderson Now (BBC 1)
  • Food Factory (ITV)
  • Brian’s Boyfriends (ITV)
  • Style Challenge (BBC 1)
  • Wrecks To Riches (ITV)
  • World Cup Wondergoals (Five)

Commercials:

  • Simon has composed over 70 commercials for TV & Cinema including campaigns for Ford, Gordon’s Gin, Coca Cola, A.A., Renault, Asda

Radio:

Simon has written music for many BBC Radio dramas including:

  • Blake’s 7 – The Early Years
  • Le Donne (2 series)
  • The Ravens
  • An Angel At My Table
  • The Seagull
  • Day Of The Triffids
  • A Farewell To Arms
  • The Hard Way
  • The Joy Luck Club

Production Music:

  • Simon has composed over 100 tracks for Universal, BMG Zomba and Atmosphere.