Ben Foster

Ben Foster is a four-times BAFTA-nominated composer with extensive credits in major productions across a variety of genres.

Lauded for his distinctive and emotive voice, and strong melodic instincts, he has become known for producing powerful and character-driven soundtracks, ranging from intimate textural sound-worlds to full-scale orchestral scores.

Ben recently worked with David Arnold on Amazon/ BBC One’s hugely acclaimed Good Omens, providing additional music for the series, and arranged the songs of Elton John for Dexter Fletcher’s film Rocketman, working with frequent collaborator, producer Giles Martin. 

He has composed over 200 episodes of scripted television. His music can be heard on Sally Wainwright’s acclaimed series Happy Valley (BBC/Netflix), Our Girl (BBC One), three seasons of Good Karma Hospital (ITV), and 78 episodes of Thunderbirds Are Go (ITV/Pukeko) which he co-composed with his brother Nick Foster.

Previous major credits include three seasons of Russell T Davies’s cult BBC sci-fi show Torchwood, which earned him 3 BAFTA nominations for best original score, Hidden Kingdoms for the BBC Natural History Unit, for which he was nominated for an International Film Music Critics award, and Shirley for BBC2, starring Ruth Negga, which won a BAFTA for Best Television Drama.

Other television work includes current themes for Young Musician Of The Year, Question Time, Cardiff Singer of the World and Still Game, all for the BBC. 

Ben is highly regarded as an orchestral arranger and conductor, frequently working on projects with iconic artists such as Paul McCartney, Elton John, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, Peter Gabriel, Michael Bublé, and with producers Giles Martin, Bill Ross and David Foster.

He has also worked extensively as an arranger and conductor for Film working with internationally renowned composers such as John Williams, Jóhann Jóhannson, Will Gregory, Mica Levi and Marc Streitenfeld. He also arranged and conducted the music for 110 episodes of Doctor Who.

Ben has conducted many of the major orchestras around the world, including London Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Concert Orchestra and the BBC Big Band, performing at venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, the Hollywood Bowl and Radio City Music Hall, NYC. He has also conducted at the BBC Proms on five occasions.

Ben is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music, where he was awarded the Lutosławski prize for composition. He works from his studio at Air Lyndhurst in Hampstead, London.