The Flumps Music Composer
Paul Geoffrey Reade

Paul Reade (1943-1997) was born in Liverpool, UK. From 1962-65 he studied piano with Alan Richardson at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He went on to the London Opera Centre before becoming répétiteur with the English National Opera. Meanwhile he also had his own compositions performed, including in 1965 his first orchestral piece, Overture to a City, by the Academy Orchestra under Maurice Handford. His grounding in opera and experience with musical theatre proved immensely valuable when he moved on, as a freelance composer, to BBC television. He was able to write music for specific purposes, achieving full expression in a short timescale, taking in account practicalities such as deadlines and limitations of resources.

For the BBC children’s programme Playschool he was not only pianist and songwriter, he also wrote its famous signature tune. Much more music for children’s television followed: Crystal Tipps and Alistair, Ludwig,

The Flumps, Mortimer and Arabel and Alphabet Castle. Other works for children included The Midas Touch, Cinderella and Aesop’s Fables, all for narrator and orchestra, and his children’s opera David and Goliath

Paul also wrote musical scores for classic TV drama series such as A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations and Jane Eyre. Other television scores include the popular signature tune for Antiques Roadshow, Tom’s Midnight Children and the music for The Victorian Kitchen Garden for which he won the Ivor Novello Award 1991.

Paul Reade died in 1997, he was 54.