George Fenton
1949–2026British composer of film scores and David Attenborough's natural history series, including The Blue Planet and Planet Earth.
Particulars
George Fenton was a British composer whose music spanned film, television, theatre, and natural history documentary series. Born in Kent in 1949, he wrote for television dramas including The Jewel in the Crown and Alan Bennett's Talking Heads, and composed theme music for BBC news programmes such as Newsnight and the One, Six, and Nine O'Clock News.
He became celebrated for scoring David Attenborough's landmark natural history series, beginning with The Trials of Life and Life in the Freezer, and continuing with The Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Frozen Planet, Life, and Wild Isles. He also collaborated with directors including Lord Richard Attenborough, Nora Ephron, and Ken Loach on their films.
Fenton's work earned him a total of 28 awards for music composition, including Baftas, Emmys, Ivor Novellos, BMIs, and a Classic Brit Award (2009). In 2023 he was appointed CBE for services to music. He died unexpectedly in London in October 2026 at the age of 76.
Compiled from source reports. Automated record.