Colin Towns .:

www.colintowns.com

"Colin Towns is the man for whom the phrase ‘multi-talented’ was invented."
Gramophone Good CD Guide

Possessing an extraordinary diverse talent, Colin is “one of the country’s most prolific score writers for big and small screen” (Financial Times). Work over the past 2 years has included 3 French Feature Films: Mon Ange (My Angel) starring Vanessa Paradis and directed by Serge Frydman, the groundbreaking score to Rivieres pourpres 2 (Crimson Rivers 2) starring Jean Reno, directed by Olivier Dahan and Double Zero directed by Gerard Pires, starring French comedy duo Eric Judor and Ramzy Bedia. His previous film credits range from the film Red Mercury (Inspired Movies) which premiered at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival to The Puppet Masters (Disney), Ben Elton’s Maybe Baby and Space Truckers (Goldcrest).

Colin has just completed scoring Mobile, a tense 3 part thriller for Granada Television. His most recent credits include the incredibly successful series 1 and 2 of Doc Martin for Buffalo Pictures for which he has been commissioned to also score Series III. Cold Blood 1 , 2 and 3 starring Matthew Kelly, Ghostboat starring David Jason and A Good Murder starring Anna Massey. Colin also scored Not Only... But Always, a Channel 4/Company Pictures film about Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, the Angelina Ballerina animations for Hit Entertainment and Fungus the Bogeyman for Gala Films, Canada .  A BAFTA and RTS nominated composer, Colin was also nominated for the 2003 Ivor Novello Award for his score to Goodbye Mr Chips, directed by Stuart Orme. He recently completed the score for Headcases for Greenlit Pictures and Granada TV.

He is the founder of The Colin Towns Mask Orchestra, with whom he has released 6 albums and is also the owner of Provocateur Records, an independent jazz label. In 2004 The Mask Orchestra recorded The Orpheus Suite a commission by choreographer David Bintley of the Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Colin regularly writes, records and tours with the NDR bigband from Hamburg, The HR bigband from Frankfurt and Orchestra Jazz Della Sardegna from Sardinia.

"Towns is clearly a composer of a kind that is rare in Britain or indeed in any country…" The Daily Telegraph.

Feature Films

RED MERCURY
Inspired Movies
Director: Roy Battersby
Producer: Michael Wearing

CRIMSON RIVERS 2 - ANGELS OF THE APOCALYPSE
Studiolegende/Epica Ltd
Luc Besson feature film
Director: Olivier Dahan
Starring: Jean Reno, Christopher Lee

DOUBLE ZERO
La Petite Reine/Alma Gate Ltd
Director: Gerard Pires
Starring: Eric and Ramzy

MY ANGEL (MON ANGE)
Victoires Productions
Director: Serge Frydman
Starring: Vanessa Paradis

MAN DANCIN'
Festival Film
Director: Norman Stone
Producer: Ray Marshall
Starring: Alex Ferns

MAYBE BABY
Inconceivable Films Ltd
Adaptation of Ben Elton's bestseller 'Inconceivable'
Director: Ben Elton
Starring: Hugh Laurie, Joely Richardson, Joanna Lumley

ESSEX BOYS
Granada Films
Director: Terry Winsor
Starring: Sean Bean, Alex Kingston

COMPLICITY
Talisman Films
Adaption Iain Banks' bestseller
Director: Gavin Millar
Starring: Jonny Lee Miller

GUEST HOUSE PARADISO
The House Films Ltd
Feature adaptation of the TV show Bottom
Director: Adrian Edmondson
Starring: Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson

SPACE TRUCKERS
Goldcrest (US)
Director: Stuart Gordon
Starring: Dennis Hopper, Charles Dance

THE PUPPET MASTERS
Disney
Director: Stuart Orme
Starring: Donald Sutherland

CAPTIVES
BBC Films/Distant Horizon
Director: Angela Pope
Starring: Tim Roth, Julia Ormond

VAMPIRE'S KISS
Hemdale
Director: Bob Bierman
Starring: Nicholas Cage, Jennifer Beales

FELLOW TRAVELLER
HBO/BBC/BFI
Director: Philip Saville
Starring: Ron Silver, Imogen Stubbs

GETTING IT RIGHT
Evenaction/MCG
Director: Randal Kleiser
Starring: Lyn Redgrave

WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE
Zenith
Director: Stuart Orme
Starring: Mel Smith, Stephanie Beecham

BELLMAN & TRUE
Euston/Handmade Films
Director: Richard Loncraine
Starring: Bernard Hill, Derek Newark

RAWHEAD
Alpine/Empire
Director: George Pavlou
Starring: David Dukes

FULL CIRCLE
CIC
Director: Richard Loncraine
Starring: Mia Farrow, Tom Conti

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Television Drama

HEADCASES
Greenlit Pictures
Director: Terry Johnson
Producer: Jill Green.

MOBILE                                                             
Granada
Director: Stuart Orme
Producer: Gina Cronk

GHOSTBOAT                                                     
Granada
Director: Stuart Orme
Producer: David Reynolds

A GOOD MURDER                                            
Sally Head Productions
Director: Graham Theakston
Producer: Georgina Lowe

COLD BLOOD
Granada
Director: Stuart Orme
Producer: Ian White

DOC MARTIN
Buffalo Pictures
Director: Ben Bolt
Producer: Phillippa Braithwaite
Starring: Martin Clunes

NOT ONLY BUT ALWAYS
Company Pictures
Television film based on Peter Cook & Dudley Moore
Director: Terry Johnson
Producer: Charlie Pattinson

GOODBYE MR CHIPS
SMG TV Prod Ltd - remake of the classic film
Director: Stuart Orme
Producer: Margaret Mitchell
Starring: Martin Clunes
*Nominated for an Ivor Novello 2003*

KING OF FRIDGES
ITV/Baby Cow - one of 3 programmes titled 'Trapped'
Director: Gavin Millar
Starring: Richard Wilson

SONS AND LOVERS
Company Pictures - 2 part period drama
Director: Stephen Whittaker
Starring: Sarah Lancashire

NICHOLAS NICKLEBY
Company TV - 2 part feature length Dickens adaptation
Director: Stephen Whittaker
Starring: Charles Dance, Gregor Fisher, Pam Ferris

DALZIEL & PASCOE
BBC
Director: David Wheatley
Starring: Warren Clarke

PAT & MARGARET
BBC Screen 2
Director: Gavin Millar
Starring: Victoria Wood, Julie Walters

AN UNSUITABLE JOB FOR A WOMAN
Ecosse Films/Harvest
PD James adaptations (4 films)
Director: Ben Bolt, John Strickland
Starring: Helen Baxendale

THIS COULD BE THE LAST TIME
BBC
Director: Gavin Millar
Starring: Joan Plowright

IVANHOE
BBC
Director: Stuart Orme
Starring: Steven Waddington

OUR FRIENDS IN THE NORTH
BBC
Director: Pedr James, Simon Cellan Jones
Starring: Gina McKee, Christopher Eccleston

THE CROW ROAD
BBC/Union Pictures
Adaptation of Iain Banks' novel
Director: Gavin Millar
Starring: Joseph McFadden
*BAFTA Best Music award nomination 1997*

NOAH'S ARK
Whitehall Films/Carlton TV

SEX & CHOCOLATE
BBC Screen One
Director: Gavin Millar
Starring: Dawn French, Phil Daniels

THE SCULPTRESS
BBC/Red Rooster
Director: Stuart Orme
Starring:Pauline Quirke
*Music nominated for Royal TV Society Craft & Design award*

THE BROTHER CADFAEL
Carlton

MYSTERIES
Directors: Graham Theakston, Ken Grieve, Rick Stroud,
Herbie Wise, Malcolm Mowbray
Starring: Derek Jacob

PIE IN THE SKY
SelecTV
Starring: Richard Griffiths

THE BUCCANEERS
BBC/Boston
Director: Phillip Saville
Starring: Jenny Agutter, Cherie Lunghi

WIDE EYED AND LEGLESS
BBC Screen One
Director: Richard Loncraine
Starring: Julie Walters

STARK
BBC/Cascade Ash
Director: Nadia Tass
Producer: Michael Wearing
Starring: Ben Elton, Colin Friels

THE BLACKHEATH POISONINGS
ITV/Boston
Director: Stuart Orme
Starring: Christien Anholt
*Nominated for an Ivor Novello award*

CLARISSA
BBC
Director: Bob Bierman
Starring: Sean Bean and Saskia Wickham
*Nominated for an Ivor Novello award*

JOURNEY TO KNOCK
BBC
Director: David Wheatley
Starring: John Hurt

BLIND JUSTICE
BBC
Director: Rob Walker, Michael Whyte
Starring: Jane Lapotaire, Jack Shepherd

BELLMAN & TRUE
Euston/Handmade Films
Director: Richard Loncraine
Starring: Bernard Hill

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Television Animation

THE TALE OF JACK FROST                    
Zoo Films/BBC
Adapted from best-selling book by David Melling
Director: Alastair Swinnerton, Neil Graham
Producer: Gary Kurtz, Neil Graham

FUNGUS THE BOGEYMAN
Gala Film/Indie Kids Limited
Based on the much loved book by Raymond Briggs
Director: Stuart Orme
Producer: Ian Whitehead

ANGELINA BALLERINA
Grand Slamm/Hit Ent
39 part animation & Xmas Special
Director: Roger McIntosh

FAERIES
Hit Ent - feature length cell animation
Director: Gary Hurst
Voices: Kate Winslet, Jane Horrocks

PROMETHEUS BOUND
10 minute animation
Director/Producer: Peter Dodd

OI! GET OFF OUR TRAIN
TVC
Director: Jimmy Murakami

THE WILLOWS IN WINTER
TVC - feature length cell animation
Director: Dave Unwin
Voices: Michael Palin, Alan Bennett, Rik Mayall

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
TVC - feature length animation
Director: Dave Unwin
Voices: Michael Palin, Alan Bennett, Rik Mayall

BEATRIX POTTER STORIES
TVC/Grand Slamm/Jumping Jack/Stuart Brooks
9 animated films
Starring: Niamh Cusack
*Peter Rabbit nominated for an EMMY*

THE SANDMAN
Cosgrove Hall - model animation
Director: George Pavlou
*Winner of the Grand Prix Hiroshima Animation Festival*

STORYSTORE
Cosgrove Hall/ITV - 13 episodes model animation
Director: Joe Austen
Narrator: Alan Bennett

TRUCKERS
Cosgrove Hall/Thames - model animation
Director: Jackie Cockle, Chris Taylor, Francis Voce
Voices: Joe McGann

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Awards

GOODBYE MR CHIPS
Ivor Novello nomination

THE CROW ROAD
BAFTA nomination

THE BLACKHEATH POISONINGS
Ivor Novello nomination

CLARISSA
Ivor Novello nomination

THE SCULPTRESS
Nomination for Royal Television Society Craft & Design Award

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