Resident Sheridan Tongue discusses soundtracking BBC's new documentary series

BAFTA-nominated, Belfast-born composer Sheridan Tongue is based at Netil House.

Known for working on award-winning drama series and documentaries from the BBC, ITV and The Discovery Channel, including DCI Banks, Sea of Souls and Silent Witness.

In 2016, Sheridan released an album of original music as IN-IS entitled 'Seven Days', which Aesthetica Magazine described as a "contemporary ode to Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture and a textural experience of sounds".

Sheridan has just completed the soundtrack to a major new series for BBC Northern Ireland called 'Spotlight on The Troubles: A Secret History' to coincide with the 50 year anniversary since the conflict began.

The first episode aired on Tuesday 10th September 2019, and the series will be running for 7 weeks on BBC Northern Ireland and BBC4 at 8.30pm.

Sheridan says: “Having grown up in Belfast I felt honoured to compose the music for this series. The Belfast I grew up in was one of checkpoints, security searches and bomb warnings. But it was also an incredible city of inspiration and in my teens, making music was my passion.

When I was first viewed a rough cut of Spotlight on the Troubles – A Secret History there was an immediate resonance with me. The images were so powerful I felt that the films did not need a large emotional response from me, the story was all already there, so I felt that my music should be observational rather than emotional. It was one of the biggest challenges of
the score, to somehow retain a neutral but engaging tone to the music without it getting too emotional.”

Watch Sheridan's short film here.

Sheridan has released a short film about this project and is currently sharing a weekly blog about the music, composition and recording process that he went through for this series, posting on his website the day after each episode for the next 7 weeks.

Find out more and keep up with his blog here.