Harry Escott (ShameHard CandyA Mighty Heart, Welcome to the Punch, The English Game) has composed the original score for the new BBC drama Roadkill. The show is created by David Hare (The Hours, The Reader) and stars Hugh Laurie, Helen McCrory, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Saskia Reeves, Sarah Greene, Patricia Hodge, Ophelia Lovibond, Iain De Caestecker, Katie Leung, Olivia Vinall, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Shalom Brune-Franklin and Pip Torrens. The 4-part political thriller follows a self-made, forceful and charismatic politician whose public and private life is being picked apart by his enemies. Hare is also executive producing The Forge production with George Faber (Collateral) and Mark Pybus (National Treasure, Skins), as well as Lucy Richer (Top of the Lake, A Very English Scandal) for the BBC, and Michael Keillor (who also directed all episodes) & Rebecca Eaton (Sherlock, Poldark) for Masterpiece. Silva Screen Records will release a soundtrack album featuring Escott’s score from the series later this year. Roadkill will premiere this coming Sunday, October 18 in the UK on BBC One and is expected to premiere in the U.S. next year as part of PBS’ Masterpiece series..

As previously reported, Escott also has Clio Barnard’s feature Ali & Ava has coming up.

  1. Patrick O'Connor says:

    A fine score. I particularly liked the recurring piano theme – unsettling, suggestive of intrigue and something perhaps more sinister. Makes up for the daft plotting.

    • Di Thomas says:

      It reminded me of bits of the music used in Homeland

      • Nat says:

        Yes. It reminds me very much of Homeland. I thought it might be the same composer.

      • Susan V says:

        Yes, I thought it sounded like Sean Callery’s theme from my favorite TV series Homeland. Had to come here to check!

        • Ron says:

          YES YES YES!!! The VERY MOMENT I heard the theme, I asked my wife: “Why is THAT RIFF SOOOOO FAMILURE?” I kept saying: “We’ve HEARD THIS BEFORE…over and over. It’s been used before on a show we watched BEFORE & OFTEN.. I googled and you guys gave me the answer!
          WOW THANX!!

    • susan West says:

      I wondered tho wrote the music, liked it, was it american or English produced, would like to know the title and about the writer and music artist?

    • Shane says:

      The incredible music is so well woven and done with such masterful composition I can’t get the works of David Shire…. The Conversation, Return to Oz, The Promise…. out of my head!! This school is heard so seldom I always make note and try to find any collations and maybe some new producers of the same. So far it’s no such luck. Enjoy!

  2. PAW says:

    The main theme, the staccato piano sound, is incredibly familiar.

    • Alan pavelin says:

      It’s remarkable similar to the music from The Conversation, by Francis Ford Coppola.

    • Sand says:

      That’s what I keep thinking too. Very similar to Succession, in a way.

    • Elizabeth says:

      It sounds exactly like the theme from the Showtime tv show Homeland. For some reason, I have had the movie The Conversation on my watchlist for a while. I guess I’ll watch it after I finish the last episode of Roadkill.

  3. Zak says:

    The staccato piano is a riff on the Succession theme. More than a riff, it’s so close it’s a variation. That’s not original.

    • woolhall says:

      I agree, my immediate thoughts when I first heard it. Surprising that they could duplicate it so closely without any legal repercussions

  4. Clie376 says:

    The piano piece is almost an exact replica of David Shire’s theme from The Conversation (1976), which is ironic, as the theme was repopularised in the recent series, Homecoming, (great series btw), when creator Sam Esmail specifically bought the rights to use pieces from The Conversation and other iconic film scores, as he felt it would be “really unfair to ask a music composer to ape David Shire’s ‘Conversation’ theme.”

    Quote is from an Indiewire article.

  5. Samir says:

    Way too similar or inspired from David Shire – The conversation movie soundtracks

  6. This soundtrack was reminiscent of a dismal week spent walking the Promenade and Pier in Bognor while staying in a second rate B&B in Bognor in February circa 1956

  7. Rodger stanier says:

    The score and arrangement for Roadkill was terrific. It felt fresh and certainly inventive. A little spiky with hints of danger, while also being a little playful. (I don’t mean to sound pretentious) but it honestly really helped to drive the narrative.

    It was such a joy to get away from the dreary pieces that tend to accompany the recent cluster of dramas on TV at the moment. Well done Harry Escott. I don’t normally look forward to the next episode of any programme because I like the music but I guess there’s a first time for anything.

  8. Gavin Wyatt says:

    Remind me of the music in homeland

  9. Gavin Wyatt says:

    Reminds me of the music in homeland

  10. Just woken me up thinking about it, saw episode 2 and the blatant copying of Succession piano theme was distracting and annoying. We kept think about how they could have got away with it!

  11. Ric says:

    Take a listen to the music of Roberto Fonseca. The Roadkill soundtrack is of a very similar style to that of much of Fonseca’s work

  12. John Bell says:

    The piano theme is very close to the music from The Firm (adapted from the John Grisham novel) and makes a similar contribution to the success of the production.

  13. Nicola says:

    Can’t quite believe it was not composed by same composer as Succession. Theme is great but not as great as Succession.

  14. Steve says:

    Distracting, unreflective of the mood, lumpen melody, unconvincing chromatic harmony which my GCSE music students would delete. God knows how this trite and ineffective, self-conscious music is on BBC1. If it were mine I’d be embarrassed. the composer must have spent 10 mins max writing this ‘classical pianist attempts the blues’ dross.

    • Trevor says:

      Tell us all Steve what memorable music have you written for TV or Films, enlighten us please so we can all enjoy the delights of your superior musical intellect. If it were yours I bet you wouldn’t be too embarrassed to have the royalties coming into your bank account. Over to you Maestro.

    • Russ says:

      Apart from all that, how did you like it?

  15. Aisha says:

    Yes a poor man’s succession!!

  16. Martin crozier says:

    The haunting repeated piano reminds me of Janacek: Sinfonietta- both are amazing

  17. Frankie says:

    Drag me down . . One direction/Brooklyn Duo. . That’s where I’ve heard the theme music before!

  18. Leslie Mills DeGeorge says:

    Hi… how do I listen to the soundtrack !!!! I love it… will it be on Spotify or something like that ? How soon ??
    Thanks so much,
    Leslie

  19. Carol says:

    Wow – first few measures definitely sound just like Homeland!

  20. Eleanor says:

    It sounds so much like the soundtrack from The Conversation (with Gene Hackman) – so many pieces of the music are identical. David Shire did the original for the motion picture. Look it up on iTunes or other music source. You will be shocked.

  21. Judy says:

    I am not as much of a cinophile as the rest of you, but enjoyed the unobtrusive and pleasant music in Roadkill. The playfulness reminded me a little of Murray Gold’s wonderful music for Last Tango in Halifax.

  22. Joni says:

    I love the score, especially the sole piano trills. Like others it reminded me of another score, but can’t say which. I’ve seen Homeland, Succession, Last Tango in Halifax as well as The Conversation, so maybe it was one of those ?? Can’t say for sure, just know the sole piano parts are very familiar. Truly wish I knew where.

  23. Allie says:

    It’s so similar to Succession, I honestly thought it must be the same composer.

  24. Claire says:

    Reminds me of the background piano running through Hitchcok’s Rope.

  25. Susan Brooks says:

    Yep, Succession rip-off. I find it really annoying.

  26. Daniel says:

    I hear the music of Brad Mehldau in the piano tracks.

  27. Rose Cook says:

    The musical piano score for Roadkill immediately reminded me of Homeland. I checked to see if it was the same composer.

  28. MartinB says:

    The score to Roadkill is exactly like The Conversation.
    Shameful Copying

  29. Lagodeluna says:

    I hope this doesn’t sound like I’m criticising the composer because the music could work well in a different setting, but to me it gave the production a feel of a late 80s early 90s Mike Lee film (High Hopes/Life Is Sweet). Needless to say it didn’t work for me. However, i’m guessing it was more of an executive decision rather than the composer’s.

  30. Penderghast says:

    For crying out loud, okay! It’s a blatant rip-off, we get it, stop fucking spamming already!

  31. Nina says:

    Succession! It sounds like the music from Succession.

  32. Ewe says:

    I heard a riff in a Pink Martini concert exactly like this music. M

  33. WillCaulkz says:

    there’s a delicious piano solo (not the main theme) playing around 29 mins into episode 1. I’d reward anyone that knows what that is handsomly!

  34. John D says:

    Czech composer Janacek (died 1928) wrote a piece of music called Sinfonietta. Listen to the opening few minutes.

  35. Serena says:

    I love the piano theme moving throughout the series. It is sly and a bit tongue-in-cheek, like amused with the chaos going on. My question is IS Hugh Laurie playing the piano??

  36. Lin says:

    Immediately sounded like Homeland theme to me, hence googling and landing here. The Roadkill composer must have been influenced by the Homeland theme surely?