It’s hard to watch an evening’s television without hearing Paul Mottram’s compositions.
His work figures prominently in such well known shows as The Great British Bake Off, The Apprentice, Downton Abbey, Who Do You Think You Are, Panorama, The One Show, Countryfile, Antiques Roadshow and QI and he has written title and incidental music for programs such as Travel Man, Upstart Crow, People Like Us, The Shelbourne, The Big House, Bank of Dave, Vic Reeves Rogues Gallery and Kirstie’s Handmade Britain. His music has also featured in films such as Bad Santa and The Bee movie as well as the trailer to Woody Allen’s Oscar winning film Blue Jasmine.
Paul Mottram was classically trained as a violinist, pianist and composer at the Royal College of Music, Cambridge University and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. With eclectic musical tastes and an acute analytical ear he quickly developed the skills and versatility required to write outstanding music for film and television.
Initially Paul worked as on orchestrator on films such as Chaplin, Shirley Valentine and Rain Man and was also heavily involved with the restoration and re-recording of William Walton and Malcolm Arnold’s “lost” film scores of the 1940s and 1950s.
His trademark is a direct yet detailed multi layered compositional style with a strong emotional core
Soon specialising as a composer, Paul started working in the world of advertising and wrote music for commercials such as Pizza Hut, Tetley, Renault, Hitachi and JVC. From these small but exacting canvasses, Paul started composing music for BBC radio 4 in shows such as In the Red, Babblewick Hall and Rigor Mortis and then television with the hit spoof documentary series People Like Us.
His trademark is a direct yet detailed multi layered compositional style with a strong emotional core that can be brought to bear on whatever the demands of the project in hand. He is equally at home in Classical or Jazz mediums. Melodic writing is another forte and tracks such as Sideways Like A Crab have reached something of a cult status.
He also writes concert music and has composed for musicians such as The Swingle Singers, John Harle, Fine Arts Brass Ensemble, Superbrass and the Dunedin Consort. In 2016, his song cycle Falls was performed at the Snape Maltings by the National Youth Choir of Great Britain and a Gospel Jazz work Come Spirit was premiered by the Chapter House Choir in York Minster.