Al Lethbridge

From wildlife to science fiction, history to contemporary drama, Al has scored the music for a multitude of film and television productions. Recent high-profile shows on which he has worked include: "Beyond Boundaries", the BBC's much talked about adventure series, the Grierson nominated "Day Of The Kamikaze", the notorious winner of two RTS Awards  "Anatomy for Beginners", and the winner of the 2007 Bafta Hugh Weldon Award, "Nuremburg: Goerings's Last Stand".  His music for the "The Fifth Province" has been described by film critic Nicky Fennell as "..possibly the best score I have ever heard in an Irish feature film."


Writing music that is always distinctive, Al is a highly versatile composer, equally at home with a dark historical thriller, as he is with an intimate and tender observational documentary. His scores display a sensitive narrative intelligence, and he has a special talent for writing effortlessly simple, haunting melodies.

 His qualities as a composer and collaborator have led to the formation of many successful and long term working relationships. A good example is found in his work with acclaimed drama-documentary director Peter Nicholson. His scores for Peter's films have now ranged anywhere from the epic themes for a fading empire in the Channel 4 Napoleonic War series "A World In Arms", to the up-to-the-minute tension music of the BBC's controversial and politically explosive "Last Flight to Kuwait". 

 In a completely different direction, his credits number several films with a strong oceanic theme. For Al this is an area of total fascination that has been fed by first hand experiences at sea, sailing the 29ft "Snork Maiden" with his wife, film-maker Jenny Jones. Sea-going television highlights have so far included his score for the recent award winning BBC natural history film "Andrea: Queen Of Mantas",  the BBC1 series "Pacific Abyss" and  the award winning David Attenborough production, "Sharks The Truth".  Jenny's speciality has been the filming of Great White Sharks, and with Al on board as composer, they have completed four shark documentaries that have been broadcast all over the world.  In another sea influenced project, "The Navigator"  Al has returned to his first love, the Spanish guitar, with an album exploring the moods and atmospheres he has experienced during voyages under sail.

 Always curious, keen to experiment with new sounds and colours, and not afraid to take risks, Al shows a consistent ability to uncover the emotion at the heart of a project, and translate this into fresh, exciting, and memorable music.  As one executive producer commented after seeing "Andrea: Queen Of Mantas" :  "..inspired writing! wonderful to watch and listen to ....a beautiful symmetry of music and motion.."  It comes as no surprise that the BBC turns to his music time and again, and that he has been described as "..one of Channel 4's favourite composers.."

You can visit Al's website and listen to his music, read press reviews and news, and watch movies: AlLethbridge.com