Thomas Farnon is one of five composers to be nominated for the new category of Best Original Documentary Score.
He has been nominated for his soundtrack to the TV mini series David Frost Vs...
Pulling from an archive of more than 10,000 interviews recorded over nearly five decades, this Sky Studios series spotlighted memorable interviews conducted by the famous broadcaster.
The Ivors Composer Awards celebrate the breadth of composition and its contribution to contemporary culture, recognising composers working across genres and disciplines, from film, television and video games to concert halls, community engagement and live performance.
Mr Farnon said he had always found the awards ‘incredibly inspiring’.
‘I’ve been lucky enough to attend a few Ivors ceremonies over the years, so to be nominated myself was pretty thrilling.
‘They always seemed so out of reach when you’re growing up, so it’s a real honour to be recognised alongside some amazing composers.’
It is the first time a documentary category has been introduced to the awards.
The nominations are for music written by British, Irish or UK resident composers for documentaries that premiered to UK audiences between January 2025 and June this year.
Mr Farnon said the introduction of a new category was brilliant.
‘Documentary scores can sometimes be overlooked, despite the enormous role music plays in telling real stories,’ he said.
‘I’ve spent a lot of time writing music for documentaries, and they’ve been some of the most creatively rewarding projects to work on, so it’s lovely to see that world getting its own recognition.’
He had previously worked with the series producer Danielle Peck on the BBC’s Fight the Power.
‘Series like this are always interesting because you have multiple directors, all with different tastes, instincts and ways of using music,’ said Mr Farnon.
‘But for the score to really work, it needs to have an overarching feel. So it’s a fun challenge, giving each director what they want, while also making the score feel as cohesive as possible.’
His previous composing work includes Mammals, narrated by David Attenborough, and Our Planet II on Netflix.
Mr Farnon said that documentary scores came with their own challenges as there was generally a large amount of dialogue.
‘What’s fascinating about this series is the two very different worlds – you have the intimacy of David Frost’s interviews and then the raw energy of the footage interspersed throughout. Musically, we wanted them to feel like they were part of the same emotional journey,’ he said.
‘Frost had an incredibly musical way of interviewing, so I wanted the music to breathe with him rather than compete with him.’
‘For this series, I combined timeless strings with less timeless brass and period synthesisers. They weren’t there just to sound like the 1970s, but to try and capture the glamour, optimism and underlying tension of the era.’
The awards ceremony takes place in London on 17 November.
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