Composer George Fenton dies aged 76

Composer George Fenton, who collaborated with directors including Lord Richard Attenborough, Nora Ephron and Ken Loach, and scored wildlife documentaries from Sir David Attenborough, has died aged 76.

Fenton died unexpectedly on Monday, CMG management said.

A spokesperson for CMG management said: “We are sad to announce that George Fenton passed away unexpectedly today.

“He is survived by his loving wife Amanda, ex-wife Jane, children Gemma, Grace and Bridget, and grandchildren Lola, Audrey, Alfred, George, Frank, Beatrice, and a life of music.”

Fenton, who was born in Kent in 1949, had written for theatre, television, and film.

George Fenton with the then-Prince of Wales at the Royal College of Music’s annual awards in 2011 (PA)

PA Archive

In the 1980s, he wrote the music for The Jewel In The Crown, The Monocled Mutineer, and Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads, his website says.

Fenton also wrote theme music for television including BBC’s One O’Clock News, Six O’Clock News, Nine O’Clock News, Newsnight and The Money Programme, the website adds.

The website says: “In 1990, George scored his first natural history documentary series, David Attenborough’s The Trials Of Life, and followed it up with Attenborough’s next series, Life In The Freezer.

“This led to the producer Alastair Fothergill asking George to compose the music for The Blue Planet in 2001, which began a 10-year period of writing for natural history television programmes, including Planet Earth, Frozen Planet and Life.

“In 2022 George partnered up with Alastair Fothergill and David Attenborough again, this time for BBC One’s Wild Isles series.”

Fenton also scored a number of Lord Attenborough’s films.

His website says he won a total of 28 awards for music composition including Baftas, Emmys, Ivor Novellos, BMIs and a Classic Brit Award.