Ted Astley
Encyclopedia
Edwin Astley was a British
composer
, occasionally credited as Ted Astley. His best known works are British television themes and scores, most notably the theme to The Saint
. He also successfully diversified into symphonic pop and an arrangement of his Saint theme reached number five in the UK Singles Chart
.
, Lancashire
, and served in the Second World War as a musician playing saxophone
and clarinet
for the troops.
Astley married Hazel Balbirnie in 1945, who is the great aunt of author, producer and musician Jason de-Vaux (Balbirnie) Their eldest daughter Karen Astley married Pete Townshend
of The Who
, and their son Jon Astley
produced and remastered The Who's reissues. Daughter Virginia Astley
is a singer-songwriter.
, and his song "I Never Could Tell" was recorded by both Vera Lynn
and Richard Tauber
. His own band, the Ted Astley Orchestra, became well known in the north of England, and he wrote songs for performers such as Anne Shelton.
He wrote music for many British television series of the 50s and 60s, including incidental music for The Champions
, and the title music to The Adventures of Robin Hood (but not the famous closing theme song), Danger Man
(known as Secret Agent in the USA, where his theme music was removed in favour of a theme with lyrics), Department S
, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
, The Saint
, Gideon's Way
and The Baron
. Most of these programmes were part of Lew Grade
's showbiz empire of ATV
and ITC Entertainment
. These TV themes are noted for their rich melodies and lively arrangements.
Astley wrote two arrangements of his own theme for The Saint, a slow version used in the black and white episodes and a more up-tempo arrangement of the same theme for the colour episodes. He then wrote a second theme, used in the second season of the colour episodes, based around Leslie Charteris
' own theme music, which had previously been used in films and on radio. Charteris' theme would also open the theme to Return of the Saint
and would close the theme to the TV movies of The Saint which starred Simon Dutton
(neither of which were composed by Astley); however, Astley's original Saint theme was chosen for the film of the same name
.
Astley also wrote two themes for Danger Man — one for the 30-minute series entitled "The Danger Man Theme", and a new theme for the 60 minute series entitled "High Wire". Astley was asked to write music for The Prisoner
, seen as a sequel of sorts to Danger Man, but had to withdraw because he felt that he would be unable to create Patrick McGoohan
's vision for the score — due to McGoohan being too busy to hold meetings with him.
However, Astley showed his diversity by writing the music for Sir Kenneth Clark
's celebrated 1969 BBC
documentary series Civilisation, and scoring several British Transport Films including Diesel Train Ride (1959), Broad Waterways (1959/60) and The Signal Engineers (1962).
In 1997 Astley found himself at number five on the pop charts as composer of "The Saint", 33 years after he wrote it, which had been revived by Orbital for the new Saint movie. His last work was a 1998 symphonic interpretation of Who music called Who's Serious: The Symphonic Music of the Who, which followed 1995's Symphonic Music of the Rolling Stones.
which featured his work.
Recently the complete recordings of the score to Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) was released by Network DVD in the UK. The three disc box-set featured over two hundred recorded music cues from the series, and a book detailing the music production.
In 1977, Astley wrote the orchestral score for Street in the City, a song contained in the Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane
's album Rough Mix
.
Although Astley's themes had introduced a number of highly popular television shows, recognition of his death was limited to brief obituaries in the Times and the Independent
. However, tributes later appeared on television and in print.
In 2001 Jools Holland presented a TV tribute called Astley's Way. Jools Holland had recorded the Danger Man theme earlier, and he appeared with The Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra to play Theme from Danger Man, plus various other themes and incidental music composed by Astley. The documentary also included interviews with his widow, son Jon, daughter Virginia and son-in-law Pete Townshend.
The Autumn 2005 edition of ACTION TV provided a twelve-page feature on Astley, including an interview, photos, a discography and a filmography.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, occasionally credited as Ted Astley. His best known works are British television themes and scores, most notably the theme to The Saint
The Saint (TV series)
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
. He also successfully diversified into symphonic pop and an arrangement of his Saint theme reached number five in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Personal life and family
Astley was born in WarringtonWarrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, and served in the Second World War as a musician playing saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
and clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
for the troops.
Astley married Hazel Balbirnie in 1945, who is the great aunt of author, producer and musician Jason de-Vaux (Balbirnie) Their eldest daughter Karen Astley married Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, and their son Jon Astley
Jon Astley
Jon Astley is a British record producer who also recorded and released two albums as a singer-songwriter in the late 1980s. His most commercially successful song was "Jane's Getting Serious", later popularized by a Heinz ketchup television commercial starring a pre-Friends cast member Matt...
produced and remastered The Who's reissues. Daughter Virginia Astley
Virginia Astley
Virginia Astley is an English singer-songwriter most active during the 1980s and 1990s. From the start of her songwriting career in 1980, Astley took her inspiration from many sources. Her classical training influenced her as did a desire to be experimental with her music...
is a singer-songwriter.
Career
In the early 1950s Astley was arranging for GeraldoGerald Bright
Gerald Walcan Bright, better known as Geraldo was a British bandleader....
, and his song "I Never Could Tell" was recorded by both Vera Lynn
Vera Lynn
Dame Vera Lynn, DBE is an English singer-songwriter and actress whose musical recordings and performances were enormously popular during World War II. During the war she toured Egypt, India and Burma, giving outdoor concerts for the troops...
and Richard Tauber
Richard Tauber
Richard Tauber was an Austrian tenor acclaimed as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. Some critics commented that "his heart felt every word he sang".-Early life:...
. His own band, the Ted Astley Orchestra, became well known in the north of England, and he wrote songs for performers such as Anne Shelton.
He wrote music for many British television series of the 50s and 60s, including incidental music for The Champions
The Champions
The Champions is a British espionage/science fiction/occult detective fiction adventure series consisting of 30 episodes broadcast on the UK network ITV during 1968–1969, produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company...
, and the title music to The Adventures of Robin Hood (but not the famous closing theme song), Danger Man
Danger Man
Danger Man is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again between 1964 and 1968. The series featured Patrick McGoohan as secret agent John Drake. Ralph Smart created the program and wrote many of the scripts...
(known as Secret Agent in the USA, where his theme music was removed in favour of a theme with lyrics), Department S
Department S
Department S is a United Kingdom spy-fi adventure series produced by ITC Entertainment. The series consists of 28 episodes which originally aired in 1969–1970. It starred Peter Wyngarde as author Jason King , Joel Fabiani as Stewart Sullivan, and Rosemary Nicols as computer expert Annabelle Hurst...
, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk , first transmitted during 1969-70, is a British private detective television series starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk, respectively. The series was originally created by Dennis Spooner and produced by Monty Berman...
, The Saint
The Saint (TV series)
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
, Gideon's Way
Gideon's Way
Gideon's Way is a British television crime series made by ITC Entertainment in 1964/65, based on the novels by John Creasey . The series was made at Elstree in twin production with The Saint TV series...
and The Baron
The Baron
The Baron is a British television series, made in 1965/66 based on the book series by John Creasey, written under the pseudonym Anthony Morton, and produced by ITC Entertainment. It was the first ITC show without marionettes to be produced entirely in colour...
. Most of these programmes were part of Lew Grade
Lew Grade
Lew Grade, Baron Grade , born Lev Winogradsky, was an influential Russian-born English impresario and media mogul.-Early years:...
's showbiz empire of ATV
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
and ITC Entertainment
ITC Entertainment
The Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
. These TV themes are noted for their rich melodies and lively arrangements.
Astley wrote two arrangements of his own theme for The Saint, a slow version used in the black and white episodes and a more up-tempo arrangement of the same theme for the colour episodes. He then wrote a second theme, used in the second season of the colour episodes, based around Leslie Charteris
Leslie Charteris
Leslie Charteris , born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, was a half-Chinese, half English author of primarily mystery fiction, as well as a screenwriter. He was best known for his many books chronicling the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint."-Early life:Charteris was born to a Chinese father...
' own theme music, which had previously been used in films and on radio. Charteris' theme would also open the theme to Return of the Saint
Return of the Saint
Return of the Saint was a British action-adventure television series that aired for one season in 1978 and 1979 in Britain on ITV, and was also broadcast on CBS in the United States...
and would close the theme to the TV movies of The Saint which starred Simon Dutton
Simon Dutton
Simon Dutton is a British actor, best known for playing the title role of Simon Templar in a series of Australian-produced television films in 1989. In 2007, he joined the cast of British sitcom Not Going Out as recurring character Guy, but was written out at the end of season 2.Dutton was...
(neither of which were composed by Astley); however, Astley's original Saint theme was chosen for the film of the same name
The Saint (film)
The Saint is a 1997 film based on the character of Simon Templar created by Leslie Charteris in 1928 for a series of books published as "The Saint." The film stars Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue and Rade Šerbedžija...
.
Astley also wrote two themes for Danger Man — one for the 30-minute series entitled "The Danger Man Theme", and a new theme for the 60 minute series entitled "High Wire". Astley was asked to write music for The Prisoner
The Prisoner
The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
, seen as a sequel of sorts to Danger Man, but had to withdraw because he felt that he would be unable to create Patrick McGoohan
Patrick McGoohan
Patrick Joseph McGoohan was an American-born actor, raised in Ireland and England, with an extensive stage and film career, most notably in the 1960s television series Danger Man , and The Prisoner, which he co-created...
's vision for the score — due to McGoohan being too busy to hold meetings with him.
However, Astley showed his diversity by writing the music for Sir Kenneth Clark
Kenneth Clark
Kenneth McKenzie Clark, Baron Clark, OM, CH, KCB, FBA was a British author, museum director, broadcaster, and one of the best-known art historians of his generation...
's celebrated 1969 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary series Civilisation, and scoring several British Transport Films including Diesel Train Ride (1959), Broad Waterways (1959/60) and The Signal Engineers (1962).
In 1997 Astley found himself at number five on the pop charts as composer of "The Saint", 33 years after he wrote it, which had been revived by Orbital for the new Saint movie. His last work was a 1998 symphonic interpretation of Who music called Who's Serious: The Symphonic Music of the Who, which followed 1995's Symphonic Music of the Rolling Stones.
Recordings
Astley's actual recorded output is quite sparse, consisting of a few singles and albums of the music from The Saint and Danger Man. These were only available in the United States until 1997 when he arranged for CDs to be issued in the UK, where the albums were expensive collectors' items. Other recordings included the soundtrack for International Detective, a few library records which were only semi-official and a series of albums made by the London Symphony OrchestraLondon Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
which featured his work.
Recently the complete recordings of the score to Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) was released by Network DVD in the UK. The three disc box-set featured over two hundred recorded music cues from the series, and a book detailing the music production.
In 1977, Astley wrote the orchestral score for Street in the City, a song contained in the Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane
Ronnie Lane
Ronald Frederick "Ronnie" Lane was an English musician, songwriter, and producer who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of two prominent English rock and roll bands; the Small Faces where he was nicknamed "Plonk", – and, after losing the band's frontman, Faces, with two new...
's album Rough Mix
Rough Mix
Rough Mix is an album by guitarist Pete Townshend and bassist Ronnie Lane, released in September of 1977 as Polydor 2442 in the UK and MCA 2295 in the US...
.
Death and legacy
Astley retired in the late 1970s, and died in 1998.Although Astley's themes had introduced a number of highly popular television shows, recognition of his death was limited to brief obituaries in the Times and the Independent
. However, tributes later appeared on television and in print.
In 2001 Jools Holland presented a TV tribute called Astley's Way. Jools Holland had recorded the Danger Man theme earlier, and he appeared with The Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra to play Theme from Danger Man, plus various other themes and incidental music composed by Astley. The documentary also included interviews with his widow, son Jon, daughter Virginia and son-in-law Pete Townshend.
The Autumn 2005 edition of ACTION TV provided a twelve-page feature on Astley, including an interview, photos, a discography and a filmography.