Mark Thomas - Composer Profile

Award winning composer Mark Thomas, is undoubtedly one of Britain's most diverse, versatile and exciting composers, with established credits over hundreds of scores for film and television.

With an honour's degree in music, Mark is classically trained and during the early part of his career he was a freelance session and symphony orchestra violinist with both the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It was in the recording studio performing on feature films and soundtracks for composers such as Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, John Barry, Michael Kamen, Alan Silvestri, and John Williams that Mark began to sow the seeds for his future success as a composer for film and television.

Having won a BAFTA for his original score to Twin Town, he went on to score the critically acclaimed cult horror film Dog Soldiers for Chris Figg's Noel Gay Picture Company. He then went on to score Agent Cody Banks II for MGM, The Magic Roundabout for Pathe Pictures/Miramax, Shadows in the Sun, starring Harvey Keite, the family film Greyfriars Bobby for Picadilly Pictures, and the horror feature Wilderness for Ecosse Films. He was then asked to score Goal III for Milkshake Films and the UK comedy feature Swinging With The Finkels, starring Martin Freeman, as well as the child adoption comedy drama, Foster, starring Ioan Gruffudd and Toni Colette. Of late he has scored both Marley & Me: The Puppy Years for 20th Century Fox, (the sequel to the hugely successful Marley & Me) and Flicka: Country Pride. His most recent score was for the Riviera Films comedy feature, The Sweeter Side Of Life.

Mark's success has come from his intuitive understanding of what is required from a score combined with a focused interpretation of a director's aspirations. Whilst stylistically innovative and always ready to experiment with ideas, he is constantly aware of the appropriate contextual and commercial requirements of score writing.

Mark is as comfortable writing for a full symphony orchestra as he is working on rock, jazz, choral or contemporary sample based scores - his skills are applicable to all categories of entertainment. Apart from the numerous feature films he has scored, his work in television is extensive having worked on period (Aristocrats) & contemporary dramas (Doc Martin, Big Dippers, Dalziel & Pascoe), comedies (Anytime Now, Benidorm, Hyperdrive, Plus One, May Contain Nuts, Star Stories, Kevin Bishop Show, Ladies Of Letters and Episodes), children's series (Seriously Weird, Shaun The Sheep, Timmy), as well as documentaries and numerous commercial campaigns. He has also worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and been commissioned to write numerous classical works.

Mark scored the adventure/comedy feature Back In Business for 21st Century Productions, and Moon Dance Alexander, a feature film directed by Michael Damian for Riviera Films and starring Don Johnson. He scored and wrote the songs for Shaun The Sheep, the incredibly successful comedy animation from the world famous and Oscar award winning Aardman Studios. He has also scored all series of Benidorm, and Series 1 of May Contain Nuts, both comedies for Tiger Aspect. He went onto score Star Stories and The Kevin Bishop Show, both for Objective Productions, as well as Plus One for Kudos and Ruth Jones’ Stella. He scored two series of Ladies Of Letters, a 20-part adaptation of the much loved books for Tiger Aspect/ITV, and has most recently scored both series of the highly successful Showtime/Hat Trick Production’s show Episodes, starring Matt Leblanc and for which he was nominated for an EMMY.

FEATURE FILMS

THE SWEETER SIDE OF LIFE	Riviera Films Director: Michael Damian Producer: Janeed Damian Starring: Kathryn Morris, James Best, Alastair Mackenzie
FLICKA: COUNTRY PRIDE	20th Century Fox Director: Michael Damian Producer: Connie Dolphin Starring: Clint Black, Emily Bett Rickards
MARLEY & ME: THE PUPPY YEARS	20th Century Fox Director: Michael Damian Producer: Connie Dolphin Starring: Travis Turner, Donnelly Rhodes
FOSTER	Kintop Films Director: Jonathan Newman Producer: Deepak Nayar Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Toni Colette
SWINGING WITH THE FINKELS	Filmaka Director: Jonathan Newman Producer: Deepak Nayar Starring: Martin Freeman, Mandy Moore, Melissa George
GOAL! III	Milkshake Films Director: Andrew Morahan Producers: Matt Barrelle, Peter Heslop Starring: J.J. Field
MOON DANCE ALEXANDER	Riviera Films Director: Michael Damian Producer: Janeen Damian
BACK IN BUSINESS	21st Century Productions Director: Chris Munro Producer: Neil Gardiner
WILDERNESS	Ecosse Films Producer: John Mcdonnell Director: Michael J Bassett
GREYFRIARS BOBBY	Picadilly Pictures Producer: Christopher Figg Director: John Henderson
SHADOWS IN THE SUN	Studio Eight Productions Director: Brad Mirman Producers: Jamie Brown, Lewin Webb, Gary Howsam Cast: Harvey Keitel, Joshua Jackson, Claire Forlani
THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT	Pathe Pictures Director: Jean Duvall Producer: Laurent Roden, Andy Leighton
AGENT CODY BANKS II	MGM Director: Kevin Allen Producers: David Nicksay, Dylan Sellars
DOG SOLDIERS	Noel Gay Picture Company Producer: Chris Figg THE FINAL CURTAIN DNA/Young Crossbow Written by John Hodge Starring: Peter O'Toole, Aiden Gidden
RE-INVENTING EDDIE	Comedy Feature Director: Jim Doyle Producer: Ian Brady
THE BIG TEASE	Warner Brothers Director: Kevin Allen Starring: Craig Ferguson, Mary McCormack, David Rasche
TWIN TOWN	Dark comedy thriller set in Wales Director: Kevin Allen Starring: Rhys Ifans and Llyr Evans	Winner of Best Original Score at the 1998 BAFTA Cymru Awards Nomimated for Best Original Score at the 1998 BAFTA Awards
TESTIMONY OF TELIESIN JONES	Feature film Starring: Jonathan Price, Griff Rhys Jones, Mathew Rhys
UP 'N UNDER	Directed by John Godber Starring: Gary Olsen, Neil Morrissey, Samantha Janus Reached number 2 in the British Top 10 movies in January 1998
THE SEA CHANGE	Starring: Maryam d'Abo, Sean Chapman, Ray Winstone
HOUSE!	Feature film Starring Freddie Jones, Kelly Macdonald, Miriam Margolies
MAD COWS	Comedy Adapted from the best-selling novel by Kathy Lette Starring: Anna Friel, Joanna Lumley, Greg Wise
MERLIN THE RETURN	Feature film Director: Paul Mathews Starring: Rik Mayall, Patrick Bergin, Adrian Paul, Tia Carrerra
HOODED ANGELS	Feature film Starring: Amanda Donahue, Paul Johansson
MOSES, THE ANIMATED OLD TESTAMENT	Feature Animation (Emmy Winner)
WILD JUSTICE	British action/thriller Starring: Roy Scheider
CHAMELEON		Winner at the 1998 Celtic Film Festival
ONE FULL MOON		Nominated for Best Original Score at the BAFTA Cymru Awards

TELEVISION

STELLA (SERIES 1)	Tidy Productions Director: Susan Tully Executive Producer: Ruth Jones, Barry Lynch Producer: Jane Dauncey Starring: Ruth Jones
EPISODES	Showtime/Hat Trick Productions Director: James Griffiths Producer: Jimmy Mulville Writers: David Crane, Jeffrey Klarik Starring: Matt LeBlanc, Tamsin Greig	***Emmy Nominated***
LADIES OF LETTERS	(Series 1 & 2) Tiger Aspect/ITV3 Director: John Henderson Executive Producer: Geoffrey Perkins Line Producer: Philippa Catt
STAR STORIES: Series 3	Objective Productions Director: Ben Palmer Producers: Michael Livingstone, Lee Hupfield
PLUS ONE	Kudos Director: Sarah O'Gorman Producer: Matthew Bird
THE KEVIN BISHOP SHOW	Objective Productions Director: Elliot Hegarty Producer: Lee Hupfield
SHAUN THE SHEEP	(Series 1 & 2) Aardman Director: Richard Goleszowski Producer: Julie Lockhart
MAY CONTAIN NUTS	Tiger Aspect Director: John Henderson Producer: Lucy Robinson
BENIDORM	Tiger Aspect Director: Kevin Allen Producer: Phillipa Catt
HYPERDRIVE (Series 1 & 2)	BBC Director: John Henderson Producer: Alex Walsh-Taylor
BIG DIPPERS	Red Productions Director: Ciaran Donnelly Producer: Matthew Bird
ANYTIME NOW	BBC Northern Ireland Director: John Woods Producer: Leslie McKimm
DALZIEL & PASCOE	BBC Director: Patrick Lau Producer: Annie Tricklebank
DOC MARTIN	Sky TV/Buffalo Pics Director: Ben Bolt Producer: Philipa Braithwaite Starring: Martin Clunes
ARISTOCRATS	BBC 1 Director: David Caffrey Producer: Christopher Hall, David Snodin
JACK OF HEARTS	BBC 1 Starring: Keith Allen, Ruth Madoc, Andrew Sachs
THE LITTLE UNICORN	Director: Paul Mathews Starring: David Warner, George Hamilton, Emma Samms
THE MEEKSVILLE GHOST	Co-written with Alan Darby Director: David Lister Starring: Lesley Anne Down, Judge Rheinhold
SORCERER'S APPRENTICE	Director: David Lister Starring: Kelly Le Brock
BERSERKER	Director: Paul Mathews Starring: Paul Johanssohn, Patrick Bergin
HOME FARM TWINS	BBC children's x 2 series
MEN WHO CHANGED FOOTBALL	BBC series
RUMOURS OF ANGELS	BBC series Starring: Thora Hird
EQUINOX - THE SCIENCE OF STRESS	Channel 4/Carlton/The Discovery Channel
THE MAKING OF MAPS	Director: Endaf Emlyn (Winner of the Hugo Award)	Nominated for Best Original Score at the BAFTA Awards
RICHARD BURTON'S A CHRISTMAS STORY		Nominated for Best Original Score at the BAFTA Awards
DAISIES IN DECEMBER	Starring: Joss Ackland, Jean Simmons
THE MARSHALL	Starring: Alfred Molina
THE FINAL PASSAGE	Director: Sir Peter Hall
Other Programmes:	Raging Planet, Pris Y Farchand, Three Men In A Boat, A Mind To Kill, Y Llyffant, The Wonders of Weather, South of Westminster, Southern Eye, House To House, Cinema 100, Grassroots, The Mysteries of Magic

Adverts

Numerous ads and idents including the 2 new Nescafe Adverts!

Theatre

TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA

Royal Shakespeare Company

Musicals

CELTIC ODYSSEY, LAZARUS

Radio

SHAW'S MAN AND SUPERMAN

A celebration of 50 years of BBC Radio 3 Director: Sir Peter Hall

Mark's Website
Mark's IMDB page
Swinging With The Finkel's Trailer