Ed Welch

Ed Welch

Edward William "Ed" Welch (born October 22, 1947) is an English television composer.

Ed Welch had a classical music upbringing,being Head Chorister at Christ Church Cathedral Oxford then a first music scholar at Ardingly College in Sussex.He gained a scholarship to Trinity College of Music London,studying composition with Arnold Cooke.On graduation in 1965 he joined United Artists Music where he learn the various branches of the music business under the guiding eye of Vera Lynn's brother Roger Welch He wrote arrangements,composed 'B'sides and plugged the UA catalogue at the BBC. In 1971, he recorded an album, Clowns, including songs he had co-written with Tom Paxton, and session musicians including Mike de Albuquerque and Cozy Powell. In 1972, acted as producer on a version of “I Don't Know How to Love Him” by Sylvie McNeill (a.k.a. Sylvia McNeill) on a UK 45 on United Artists UA UP35415 released in time for the first UK Stage Musical of “Jesus Christ Superstar”. In 1973 he wrote the title song to Spike Milligan's film "Adolf Hitler my part in his downfall"This was the start of a 25 year collaboration with Milligan In 1978 and 1979, he appeared in the Spike Milligan BBC series Q8 and Q9, performing his own songs (including The Carpet is Always Greener Under Someone Else's Bed and Love to Make Music by) and songs co-written with Milligan, including I've Got This Photograph of You! and Silly Old Baboon. This unlikely duo released an album in 1979 on the United Artists label, Spike Milligan and Ed Welch Sing Songs from Q8.In 1976 He composed the score for Spike's adaptation of Paul Gallicos "The Snowgoose".Narrated by Milligan and performed by the LSO,the RCA recording was such a success it entered the pop LP charts and has been performed at many concert since. In 1978, he composed the score for the remake of The Thirty Nine Steps, including an extended piano piece entitled The Thirty Nine Steps Concerto (a nod to Richard Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto). Welch recorded the piece with Christopher Headington as soloist.

In 1978 he moved to the west country where he was appointed Musical Director for Television South West.He composed the Television South West (TSW) idents music annd numerous local programmes, including Gus Honeybun in 1987. Welch also composed music for Television South (TVS), from 1987 until the channel disappeared on 31 December 1992.

Ed composed the theme to the popular ITV, BBC Two and Sky1 Blockbusters quiz show which ran from 1983 to 2001, and soon became one of the most recognisable television themes of the time.

Welch adapted fairy tales and wrote the scripts for the children's cartoon series, Wolves, Witches and Giants, which ran from 1995 to 1999. He is credited for the music in the 2001 cartoon series, Binka, and in 2004, he composed a piece of music for Liberal Democrat, Mike Treleaven. He writes the songs for the new format of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.

Welch is credited as a co-writer of the 1995 Icelandic entry to the Eurovision Song Contest (with Björgvin Halldórsson).