Who composed the music in the BBC's 'World On Fire'?

The BBC's new sunday night drama is setting hearts ablaze, but who composed the music for World On Fire?

Michael Beek

Published: October 8, 2019 at 7:07 am

You can always count on the BBC to provide something to feast your eyes on of a Sunday night and this Autumn is no exception.

World on Fire is already setting hearts ablaze, with its vivid tale of interwoven lives falling apart as Europe buckles under the weight of War.

The music for the series is by the award-winning British composer Dan Jones, who has been writing music for film and television for over 20 years.

With two Ivor Novello Awards and a BAFTA to his name, it’s no wonder he has become something of a go-to for primetime drama producers.

In recent years Jones deftly crafted scores for the likes of The Miniaturist, SS-GB, The Hollow Crown, Any Human Heart and Man in an Orange Shirt on the small screen.

On the big screen Jones recently looked after the music for the adaptation of On Chesil Beach and Louis Theroux’s My Scientology Movie.

Article: An interview with Dan Jones - the composer for the soundtrack to On Chesil Beach

Studies at Oxford University preceded a spell in Rome and at Banff’s Centre for the Arts. Very much at home with an orchestra, Jones is also a talented sound designer.

'Let Me Come With You (Nella's Theme)' from Dan Jones's score for The Miniaturist

Reviews Editor, BBC Music Magazine

Michael is the Reviews Editor of BBC Music Magazine. He looks after the 26 pages of recording and book reviews in the magazine each month, deciding what will be reviewed – no easy task with so much being sent in for consideration! Michael joined the team in 2018, following ten years as a freelance film music journalist and fifteen years at St George's Bristol. Film and television music is his favourite thing, and when he’s not listening to things to be reviewed in the mag, Michael loves nothing more than to listen to the music of John Williams and James Horner – his favourite film composers. He was the Editor of MusicfromtheMovies.com and has written for the BBC Proms, BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Albert Hall, Hollywood in Vienna and Silva Screen Records. His favourite writing gigs so far have been programmes for each of the Doctor Who Proms, soundtrack album notes for Doctor Who – Series 4 and Torchwood – Children of Earth, plus programmes and features for live concert screenings of Jurassic Park, Gladiator, Back to the Future and Raiders of the Lost Ark. While he never got the chance to interview the late James Horner, Michael was delighted to spend an hour on the phone with John Williams for the 2020 Christmas issue of BBC Music Magazine. Also a presenter, Michael has hosted concerts and live events for Bristol Film Festival and St George's Bristol, plus Debbie Wiseman's ‘Music and Words from Wolf Hall’ shows at venues across the UK. Michael has worked regularly with Debbie Wiseman over the years, writing concert programmes and scripts (for Terry Wogan and Simon Bates) and producing her 2011 album Piano Stories.