Mark Russell

Mark’s first drama work was his BAFTA nominated score to the hugely popular ITV series Cold Feet. His music for the Fine Line Movie Saving Grace (a US Top Ten Hit) brought him attention on both sides of the Atlantic, and his soundtracks for two big budget Movies, Summer Things (starring Charlotte Rampling) and L’ex Femme de Ma Vie (including a title song with Jane Birkin) introduced him into the rarified world of French Film. He’s an extremely experienced dramatic composer equally at home with the Orchestra or with cutting edge electronics and samples. He works either from his Pro Tools equipped studio in Islington, London or from his home studio in the Buckinghamshire countryside.

Mark was a boy chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral and went on to read music at York University. As a session keyboard player he toured the world with Tanita Tikaram, Julia Fordham and the highly acclaimed Chinese flautist, Guo Yue. After composing for many film and TV Commercials Mark went on to score documentaries and dramas, including Spiderman for Radio 1 in collaboration with Queen guitarist Brian May.

Aside from composing, Mark has written an acclaimed book Film Music (published by Rotovision) and for the last 16 years presented BBC Radio 3’s cult eclectic weekly music show Mixing It. The show reflected his wide musical interests; everything from Medieval to the latest electronic/jazz/rock sounds. Mark's current show is Where's The Skill In That? for Reasonance FM, a London based arts radio station. He has an interest in and great knowledge of experimental-cutting-edge music across all genres.

Mark scored the second series of Murder City (4 x 90 mins), a dark Police drama starring Amanda Donahoe and Kris Marshall as well as Kingdom (Series 1 & 2), starring Stephen Fry as a Norfolk solicitor for Parallel Pictures and the BBC, Bonkers for Mersey TV and The Bad Mothers Handbook for Ruby Films and ITV.

Most recently Mark relocated to Los Angeles for a summer to work with Rupert Gregson-Williams on Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie.

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Film Credits

BEE MOVIE
(Composer - Additional music)
Dreamwoks/Paramount Pictures
Directors: Steve Hickner, Simon J. Smith
Producers: Jerry Seinfeld, Christina Steinberg
Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger

L'EX-FEMME DE MA VIE
Warner Bros France/Ice 3
Director: Josiane Balasko
Producer: Josiane Balasko, Louis Becker
Starring: Thierry Lhermitte, Karin Viard, Josiane Balasko

SAVING GRACE
Fine Line 2000
Written by Craig Ferguson & Mark Crowdy
Director: Nigel Cole
Producer: Mark Crowdy
Starring: Brenda Blethyn, Craig Ferguson, Martin Clunes
**Sundance Film Festival Winner 2000**

EMBRASSEZ QUI VOUS VOUDREZ (SUMMER THINGS)
UGC/Dan Films 2002
Director: Michel BlancG
Producer: Yves Marmion, Julie Baynes
Starring: Charlotte Rampling, Michel Blanc, Carole Bouquet,
Karin Viard

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Television Drama

BAD MOTHER'S HANDBOOK
Ruby Films
Director: Robin Sheppard
Producer: Alison Owen, Harry Oulton
Starring: Catherine Tate, Anna Read

KINGDOM  
Series 1 & 2                                                    
Parallel Productions / ITV
Director: Robin Sheppard, Metin Husseyin, Sandy Johnson
Producer: Georgina Lowe, Simon Wheeler
Starring: Stephen Fry, Tony Slattery, Hermione Norris, Celia Imrie

ANGEL CAKE
Celador
Director: Simon Daleney
Producer: Stephen Garwood
Starring: Sarah Lancashire, Rita Tushingham

ALL ABOUT GEORGE
Granada
Director: Euros Lyn, Jeremy Webb
Producer: Lucy Bedford
Starring: Rik Mayall

CHERISHED                                                       
BBC
Director: Robin Sheppard
Producer: Polly Hill
Starring: Timothy Spall, Sarah Lancashire

NORTHERN LIGHTS
Granada
Directors: Tony Dow, Paul Seed
Producer: Spencer Campbell

MURDER CITY – Series 1 & 2
Granada
10 x 90
Directors: Richard Spence, Ian Knox, Sam Miller
Producers: Francis Hopkinson, Mark Hudson
Starring: Amanda Donahoe, Kris Marshall

DONOVAN – Series 1 & 2
Granada
5 x 90
Director: Simon Delaney, Keiran Donnelly
Producer: Spencer Campbell
Starring: Tom Conti, Samantha Bond

ROSE & MALONEY - Series 1
Company Pictures
6 x 60
Directors: Ferdinand Fairfax, Roger Gartland, Andrew Grieve
Producer: Catherine Wearing
Starring: Sarah Lancashire, Phil Davis

BETWEEN THE SHEETS
Yorkshire TV
6 x 60
Written by Kay Mellor
Director: Robin Sheppard, Jane Prowse
Producers: Yvonne Francas, Kay Mellor
Starring: Brenda Blethyn, Alun Armstrong, Julie Graham

THE RETURN
Sally Head Productions/ITV
1 x 90
Director: Dermot Boyd
Producer: Keith Thompson
Starring: Julie Walters

EUSTACE BROTHERS (Series 2)
BBC
6 x 60
Directors: David Innes-Edwards, Rob Evans
Producer: Polly Hill
Starring: Neil Morrissey, Ralf Little

COLD FEET - 5 series
Granada/ITV
27 x 60 and 5 x 90
Written by Mike Bullen
Directors: Declan Lowney, Mark Mylod, Nigel Cole, Tom Hooper,
Tom Vaughan, Pete Travis, Simon Delaney, John Jones, Tim Whitby, Ciaran Donnelly, Tim Sullivan
Producers: Christine Langan, Spencer Campbell, Andy Harries
Starring: Helen Baxendale, James Nesbitt, Faye Ripley
**2001 BAFTA Nomination**

PLAYING THE FIELD - 3 series
Tiger Aspect/BBC
20 x 60
Written by Kay Mellor
Director: Dermot Boyd, David Innes-Edwards, Alrick Riley
Producer: Kathleen Hutchison, Liz Steele, Greg Brenman

LUCKY JIM
Working Title TV/ITV/WGBH Boston/Universal Television
Written by Jack Rosenthal
Director: Robin Sheppard
Producer: Sanne Craddick
Cast: Stephen Tomkinson, Keely Hawes, Robert Hardy,
Dennis Lawson

FAT FRIENDS - Series 2
Tiger Aspect/Yorkshire TV
7 x 60
Written by Kay Mellor
Director: Dan Zeff, Audrey Cook, Tanya Diez
Producers: Yvonne Francas, Kay Mellor
Cast: Alison Steadman

PASSION KILLERS
Granada TV/ITV
Director: David Evans
Producer: Christine Langan
Cast: Ben Miller

WONDERFUL YOU
Hartswood/ITV
7 x 60
Director: Matt Lipsey
Producer: Beryl Vertue, Elaine Cameron
Cast: Greg Wise

THE PRINCE OF ATLANTIS
BBC Children’s TV/Ravensburger TV/Canal Plus
Computer animation series
26 x 30
Producer: Theresa Plummer-Andrews

IS IT LEGAL
Hartswood TV/ITV
Written by Simon Nye
Producer: Beryl Vertue
Cast: Imelda Staunton

MEN BEHAVING BADLY
Hartswood TV
Written by Simon Nye
Producer: Beryl Vertue

THE PETER PRINCIPLE
Hatrick TV/BBC
Written by Mark Burton, John O’Farrell
Cast: Jim Broadbent

THE BILL
Producer: Richard Haniford

STYLE CHALLENGE
BBC1

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Short Films

WHISPERS
Directed & Produced by Richard Lingard

BUBBLES
Producer: Peter La Terriere
Starring: Caprice

THE ELEVATOR
Tigerlilly Films
Written & Directed by Alrick Riley

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Documentaries

OFFICERS & GENTLEMEN
Hartswood TV/BBC
Director: Michael Davies
Producer: Beryl Vertue

THE RED BARON
Hartswood TV/BBC
Director: Michael Davies
Producer: Beryl Vertue

GOING TO CHELSEA
Hartswood TV/BBC
Director: Michael Davies
Producer: Beryl Vertue

IN LOVE WITH ELIZABETH
Hartswood TV/BBC
Director: Michael Davies
Producer: Beryl Vertue

WILD DOGS WILDLIFE SHOWCASE
BBC Bristol

QED – CHALLENGING CHILDREN
BBC

DISPATCHES - THE MARCHIONESS TRAGEDY
Channel 4

A HORSE’S WORLD
Wall To Wall TV/Channel 4

MUSIC FOR THE MILLENIUM
Channel 4
Producer: Mike Lerner

SECRET BUILDINGS
Channel 4
Producer: Mike Lerner

FRAGILE EARTH – EXXON VALDEZ
Channel 4

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Radio Drama

BATMAN
65 part Audio Film also on BBC CD/Cassette

SUPERMAN
65 part Audio Film also on BBC CD/Cassette

SPIDERMAN
50 part Audio Film also on BBC CD/Cassette
(Composed with Brian May)

INDEPENDENCE DAY
60 minute drama

All for Radio 1's ‘The Mark Goodier Show’
All written and directed by Dirk Maggs