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Sounding the BBC Classic Serial, 1975–95

Sounding the BBC Classic Serial, 1975–95 The changes brought about by technology, politics and demography impacted on the method of production, finance and distribution of BBC TV programmes. This article offers an insight into how these changes were reflected in the author’s experience as television composer during the period 1975–1995, with particular focus on the BBC’s Classic Serial, broadcast on Sunday evenings during that period. Changes to the management and structure of the BBC brought about by the appointment of John Birt (later Baron Birt) first as Deputy Director General in 1987, and later as Director General in 1992, impacted significantly on the output of this strand of programmes. The article describes the environment in which composition for television occurred during this period of transition. INTRODUCTION Beginning in 1975, I had the pleasure of being asked to compose music for BBC television programmes in a variety of genres, and regularly for what was then described as Classic Serials, sometimes referred to as Sunday Teatime Costume Drama. Having been trained in ‘classical’ music (as were most of my TV composer contemporaries) I was expected to oversee all of the musical elements of a programme, to compose the score, to conduct the recording, to supervise the http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The New Soundtrack Edinburgh University Press

Sounding the BBC Classic Serial, 1975–95

Deutsch, Stephen
The New Soundtrack , Volume 1 (2): 133 – Sep 1, 2011
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Publisher
Edinburgh University Press
Copyright
© Edinburgh University Press
Subject
Articles; Film, Media and Cultural Studies
ISSN
2042-8855
eISSN
2042-8863
DOI
10.3366/sound.2011.0015
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The changes brought about by technology, politics and demography impacted on the method of production, finance and distribution of BBC TV programmes. This article offers an insight into how these changes were reflected in the author’s experience as television composer during the period 1975–1995, with particular focus on the BBC’s Classic Serial, broadcast on Sunday evenings during that period. Changes to the management and structure of the BBC brought about by the appointment of John Birt (later Baron Birt) first as Deputy Director General in 1987, and later as Director General in 1992, impacted significantly on the output of this strand of programmes. The article describes the environment in which composition for television occurred during this period of transition. INTRODUCTION Beginning in 1975, I had the pleasure of being asked to compose music for BBC television programmes in a variety of genres, and regularly for what was then described as Classic Serials, sometimes referred to as Sunday Teatime Costume Drama. Having been trained in ‘classical’ music (as were most of my TV composer contemporaries) I was expected to oversee all of the musical elements of a programme, to compose the score, to conduct the recording, to supervise the

Journal

The New Soundtrack – Edinburgh University Press

Published: Sep 1, 2011

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