- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRonald Hazlehurst
- Ronnie Hazlehurst was born on March 13, 1928 in Dukinfield, Cheshire, England, UK. He was a composer, known for The English Patient (1996), Last of the Summer Wine (1973) and Only Fools and Horses (1981). He died on October 1, 2007 in Guernsey, Channel Islands, UK.
- Hazlehurst joined the BBC in 1961 as staff arranger and arranged the programme for a concert at the Royal Albert Hall to celebrate the BBC's 40th anniversary. He began as orchestrations manager and then head of music for light entertainment - and finally musical advisor (light entertainment).
- His name will be forever linked with the famous Television series 'Last of the Summer Wine' set in Holmfirth - which ended its 31 series run in 2010; and the many other TV themes and scores he composed throughout his long career. The BBC complained that his theme sounded nothing like a comedy theme and should be faster. However, since the programme was due to air two days after it had been written there was no time for a re-write. It went on to become one his best loved themes and the longest running comedy on British TV.
- Hazlehurst said he tried to make the music fit the title of the programme to which it related - for example the piccolos imitating Morse code in 'Some Mothers Do 'Av 'Em'; the cash register and 'going up' lift sequence in 'Are You Being Served'; the chimes in 'Yes Minister', etc. 'I wouldn't prostitute a tune, to bend it every which way to fit the title', he said, 'but if I can make it so, I do'.
- Has conducted the orchestra seven times for the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest.
- Several obituaries (including those in The Times and The Guardian newspapers) reported that he was the composer of S Club 7's UK #2 hit Reach. This statement was previously found on his Wikipedia page as a hoax - the song was in fact written by Cathy Dennis and Andrew Todd.
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