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Paul Englishby
Paul Englishby
Paul Englishby
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Key Information

Paul Englishby is a film and theatre composer, orchestrator, conductor, and pianist. He is best known for his Emmy Award-winning jazz score for David Hare's Page Eight, his orchestral score for the Oscar nominated An Education, his BAFTA nominated score for the BBC's Luther and his many theatre scores for the Royal Shakespeare Company, with whom Paul is an associated artist.

Biographical summary

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Englishby was born in Preston, Lancashire in 1970. He was musically active by his teenage years, performing as a pianist in big bands and jazz ensembles as well as writing and composing his own works.[1] He studied at Goldsmiths' College and at the Royal Academy of Music, where he received the Charles Lucas Prize for Composition and the Arthur Hervey Scholarship, as well as receiving a BBC Sound on Film Commission.[2] The Last Clarinet for orchestra and narrator was Englishby's first published work, and continues to be performed internationally. His other works include Short Symphony (1997), String Quartet (1995) and Blackpool Lights for Orchestra (1993). Aside from these Englishby composed pieces for his own group, The Paul Englishby Big Band, which has performed at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club.[1]

Scores and compositions

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In recent years, Englishby has written the original scores for a number of films and television programmes. In 2012 he won the Emmy Award for Best Original Main Title Theme Music for Page Eight, starring Bill Nighy and Rachel Weisz. He also received an Ivor Novello nomination.

Englishby is a prolific composer for the BBC, scoring all five series of the critically acclaimed drama Luther, starring Idris Elba, for which he received a BAFTA nomination. He has also scored two series of the hit series The Musketeers.[3]

He won the ASCAP Award in 2009 for his film score to Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, directed by Bharat Nalluri. He also wrote the score for Lone Scherfig's Oscar nominated feature An Education, starring Carey Mulligan, and A Royal Night Out, starring Rupert Everett and Bel Powley. He was also music director and composer for the 2013 film Sunshine On Leith, featuring songs by The Proclaimers, and directed by Dexter Fletcher. Englishby has collaborated with world-class film directors, including Stephen Mangan on critically acclaimed Brit-flick Confetti, and on the film Ten Minutes Older featuring works from directors Spike Lee, Werner Herzog, Bernardo Bertolucci, Mike Figgis and Jean-Luc Godard.[4]

As well as commissions for film and TV, he has composed classical works for various ensembles. His credits include The Last Clarinet for solo clarinet, orchestra and narrator in 1995, Byron for large orchestra and Weep No More for string orchestra. Englishby also recently completed a large public arts commission entitled Fireworks, several pieces for choir, orchestra, chamber group and school children, in commemoration of the Combe Down Stone Mines Project in Bath.

Theatre/Dance

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Englishby has worked on over twenty productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Recent credits include Gregory Doran's The Hollow Crown, starring David Tennant as Richard II, and Anthony Sher as Falstaff in Henry IV. Other credits for the RSC include Death of a Salesman (starring Anthony Sher and Harriet Walter), Twelfth Night (starring Richard Wilson), Hamlet (starring David Tennant), The Merry Wives of Windsor (starring Judi Dench), Love's Labour's Lost and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

In 2013, Englishby scored Peter Morgan's The Audience, starring Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II. The Audience, with Mirren, transferred to Broadway in 2015, with Kristin Scott Thomas taking up the role in the West End. In 2014, Englishby wrote the music for David Hare's Skylight, starring Bill Nighy and Carey Mulligan, which also transferred to Broadway from the West End in 2015.

Other notable credits include Red Velvet, starring Adrian Lester, which played at the Garrick Theatre in early 2016, Hedda Gabler, starring Sheridan Smith at the Old Vic, and Emil and the Detectives at the National Theatre.

Musical credits

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As orchestrator, conductor, and pianist, Englishby has worked with The London Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, London Musici, Tallis Chamber Choir, Fibonacci Sequence and BBC Concert Orchestra to name a few. He has conducted on studio sessions and film scores both in the UK and abroad, as well as on recordings and broadcasts for radio and television. Credits include Richard Eyre's The Other Man and Michael Radford's Flawless in 2008.[2] He worked on the Universal movie Your Highness, starring Natalie Portman and James Franco, released in 2011. Englishby orchestrated and conducted Tony Banks's classical album Six: Pieces for Orchestra, released in 2012.

Credits

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Scores

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2023

2020

  • The Yellow Dress[6]
  • THE VISIT (National Theatre)
  • Royal Hunt of The Sun (Parco Theatre TOKYO)
  • Conversations at a Dinner Table

2019

  • Queens of Mystery
  • LUTHER s5
  • THE INHERITANCE (West End/Broadway) TONY NOMINATION
  • PETER GYNT (National Theatre)
  • Measure for Measure

2018

  • Le Canard (The Duck) (Short film)[7]
  • WHITE TEETH
  • IMPERIUM

2017

  • PINOCCHIO (National Ballet of Canada)
  • DECLINE AND FALL
  • THE WITNESS FFOR THE PROSECUTION – Ivor Novello Award Nominee

2015/16

2013/14

2012

2011

2009

2008

2007

  • Magicians
  • Behind the Tricks: Making "Magicians" (TV)

2006

2002

  • Ten Minutes Older: The Cello
  • Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet
  • The History of Football: The Beautiful Game[9]
  • A Royal Night Out

Orchestrator

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2012

2010

  • Your Highness

2008

  • Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day
  • The Other Man

2007

2004

  • Deux Frères (aka Two Brothers)
  • Love's Brother[9]

Musical director/conductor

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2013

2012

2010

  • The Wolfman

2009

  • Skellig
  • Zomerhitte (aka Summer Heat)

2008

  • Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day
  • The Secret of Moonacre
  • French Film

2007

  • Becoming Jane
  • Freakdog
  • Flawless
  • Miguel y William

2006

  • Alpha Male

2005

  • Proof
  • Animal

2004

  • Love's Brother
  • If Only

2001

  • Captain Corelli's Mandolin[9]

Other musical credits

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2006

  • Niagara Motel (Arranger)

2002

  • About A Boy (On-set music advisor)
  • Hart’s War (Arranger – "Der Fuehrer’s Face")

2001

  • Birthday Girl (Arranger – "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World")

Theatre credits

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2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

  • Children's Children – The Almeida
  • Hedda Gabler – The Old Vic
  • South Downs – Chichester Festival Theatre

2008

  • The Thief of Baghdad – Royal Opera House
  • Hamlet – RSC
  • Love's Labours Lost – RSC
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream – RSC
  • Wuthering Heights – Birmingham Repertory
  • Marianne Dreams – Almeida
  • The Merchant Of Venice – RSC
  • The Taming of the Shrew – RSC

2007

  • Coriolanus – RSC
  • Merry Wives The Musical – RSC
  • Much Ado About Nothing – RSC
  • The Giant – Hampstead

2006

  • Twelfth Night – RSC
  • Sejanus – RSC
  • Sugar Mummies – Royal Court Theatre
  • Yellowman – Liverpool Everyman
  • Fabulation – Tricycle Theatre

2005

  • Longitude – Greenwich Theatre

2004

  • All's Well That Ends Well – RSC
  • Anna in the Tropics – Hampstead

2003

  • Blood – Royal Court Theatre

2002

  • Romeo and Juliet – Festival Theatre, Chichester
  • Bedroom Farce – West End

2001

  • Three Sisters – Festival Theatre, Chichester[10]

Notes

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Paul Englishby

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Paul Englishby is a British composer, orchestrator, conductor, and pianist known for his prolific and versatile work across film, television, theatre, dance, and the concert hall. He is best known for his Emmy Award-winning jazz score for the television film Page Eight (2011), directed by David Hare, which earned critical acclaim for its distinctive style and integration with the drama. Englishby's compositions frequently range from dramatic orchestral pieces to more intimate and genre-blending works, establishing him as a prominent figure in contemporary scoring for both screen and stage. His career has encompassed critically acclaimed contributions to major productions, reflecting a broad musical range and consistent recognition from industry peers. Englishby maintains an active presence in multiple creative fields, continuing to produce work that bridges traditional and modern compositional approaches.

Early life and education

Early life and education

Paul Englishby was born in 1970 in Preston, Lancashire. He developed an early foundation in music through a traditional classical and jazz upbringing. As a teenager, he pursued diverse musical opportunities, getting involved in a broad range of activities from gigging to session work, and developed an interest in big bands following his initial classical and jazz training. He studied composition at Goldsmiths' College, University of London, where he first engaged with electronic music production tools including Cubase in the college's electronic music studio. He continued his studies at the Royal Academy of Music, where he received the Charles Lucas Prize for Composition and the Arthur Hervey Scholarship for a further year's study. During his time as a student, he earned a BBC Sound on Film Commission. His early jazz and big band involvement proved foundational for elements of his later stylistic approach.

Career

Theatre

Paul Englishby is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), where he has composed music for over 20 productions since 2001, establishing himself as a key collaborator in the company's approach to Shakespeare and other works. His long-term relationship with the RSC has encompassed landmark productions directed by Gregory Doran, including Hamlet starring David Tennant, Richard II starring David Tennant, Henry IV Parts I and II featuring Anthony Sher as Falstaff, Twelfth Night, Love's Labour's Lost, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Death of a Salesman starring Anthony Sher and Harriet Walter. Beyond the RSC, Englishby has composed scores for several major West End, Broadway, and National Theatre productions. These include The Audience (2013) starring Helen Mirren and directed by Stephen Daldry, which transferred to Broadway; Skylight (2014) starring Bill Nighy and Carey Mulligan, also directed by Daldry; Emil and the Detectives at the National Theatre; Red Velvet at the Garrick Theatre with Adrian Lester; and The Inheritance in the West End and on Broadway. His theatre work has frequently involved close collaborations with directors such as Gregory Doran at the RSC and Stephen Daldry on multiple high-profile transfers, alongside actors including Anthony Sher, David Tennant, Helen Mirren, Bill Nighy, and Carey Mulligan. Certain productions have contributed to his recognition through awards and nominations, detailed in the Awards and nominations section.

Film

Paul Englishby has composed scores for a variety of feature films and one notable short film, often blending melodic and period-appropriate styles to support character-driven narratives. His film work began with the score for the romantic comedy Confetti (2006). He subsequently composed the music for Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008), directed by Bharat Nalluri, featuring a jazzy underscore that complemented the film's 1930s setting and whimsical tone. In 2009, Englishby scored Lone Scherfig's An Education, providing a melodic and evocative soundtrack that aligned with the film's coming-of-age story and 1960s atmosphere. Englishby later collaborated with director Julian Jarrold on A Royal Night Out (2015), crafting the score for this historical comedy-drama. In 2013, he composed the score and served as music director for Dexter Fletcher's Sunshine on Leith, a musical adaptation that incorporated popular songs alongside original orchestral elements. Most recently, Englishby provided the original score for the short film Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song (2023). His film collaborations include directors Lone Scherfig, Bharat Nalluri, Dexter Fletcher, and Julian Jarrold, reflecting his versatility across comedy, drama, and musical genres.

Television

Paul Englishby has composed music for a variety of notable television series and films, earning recognition for his atmospheric and versatile scoring. His long-running contribution to the BBC crime drama Luther spanned all five series from 2010 to 2019, with the show starring Idris Elba as the titular detective. Englishby collaborated extensively with writer and director David Hare on the Worricker trilogy, providing scores for Page Eight (2011), Turks and Caicos (2014), and Salting the Battlefield (2014). His work on Page Eight featured a distinctive jazz-influenced style and won an Emmy Award. His other television credits include the adventure series The Musketeers across two series (2015–2016), the mystery-drama Queens of Mystery (two series in 2019 and 2021), the miniseries Decline and Fall (2017), and the Agatha Christie adaptation The Witness for the Prosecution (2016). These projects further showcase his range in crafting music for dramatic and period television formats.

Concert and classical works

Paul Englishby has composed a number of independent classical and concert works, particularly in his earlier career before focusing primarily on media scoring. These include orchestral and chamber pieces such as Blackpool Lights for Orchestra (1993), String Quartet (1995), The Last Clarinet (1995), Short Symphony (1997), Byron for large orchestra, and Weep No More for string orchestra. The Last Clarinet, his first published work, is a piece for voice and orchestra that has been performed internationally, including in the UK with a debut recording on Classic FM, and continues to engage young audiences through its blend of pathos, humour, and memorable melodies. Englishby also received a large-scale public commission for Fireworks, a multi-media work involving choir, orchestra, chamber group, and school children, created as part of the Combe Down Stone Mines Project in Bath. The piece premiered on 26 September 2009 on Firs Field in Combe Down with performances by local residents and professional musicians. In the jazz realm, Englishby leads his own big band, reflecting his longstanding involvement in jazz performance and composition that began in his youth. His big band has performed at venues including Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. These concert and jazz activities complement his early classical training and remain distinct from his extensive work in film, television, and theatre.

Awards and nominations

Paul Englishby has received notable recognition for his compositional work across television, film, and theatre. He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music for his jazz-inflected score on the 2011 television film Page Eight. He also earned a nomination for the Ivor Novello Award in the Best Television Soundtrack category for the same production at the 2012 awards. For his original music for the BBC series Luther, Englishby received a nomination for the BAFTA Television Craft Award for Best Original Music in 2014. In film, he was honored with an ASCAP Award in 2009 for his score to Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.
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