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{{Short description|English composer and conductor}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Ronnie Hazlehurst
| name = Ronnie Hazlehurst
| image =
| image =
| imagesize =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| caption =
| birth_name = Ronald Hazlehurst
| birth_name = Ronald Hazlehurst
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1928|3|13|df=y}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1928|3|13|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Dukinfield]], [[Cheshire]], England
| birth_place = [[Dukinfield]], [[Cheshire]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2007|10|1|1928|3|13|df=y}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2007|10|1|1928|3|13|df=y}}
| death_place = [[St Martin, Guernsey|St Martin]], Guernsey
| death_place = [[St Martin, Guernsey|St Martin]], Guernsey
| occupation = Composer<br />conductor<br />musical director
| occupation = {{flatlist|
*Composer
| known_for = British television theme songs
*conductor
| title =
*musical director}}
| spouse =Jean Fitzgerald
| years_active = 1947–2006
| children = 2
| known_for = British television theme songs
| salary =
| networth =
| title =
| spouse = Jean Fitzgerald
| website =
| children = 2
| networth =
| website =
}}
}}


'''Ronald Hazlehurst''' (13 March 1928 &ndash; 1 October 2007) was an [[England|English]] [[composer]] and [[conducting|conductor]] who, having joined the [[BBC]] in 1961, became its Light Entertainment Musical Director.
'''Ronald Hazlehurst''' (13 March 1928 &ndash; 1 October 2007) was an English [[composer]] and [[conducting|conductor]] who, having joined the [[BBC]] in 1961, became its Light Entertainment Musical Director.


Hazlehurst composed the [[theme music|theme tunes]] for many well known [[British sitcom]]s and gameshows of the 1970s and the 1980s, including ''[[Yes Minister]]'', ''[[Are You Being Served?]]'', ''[[I Didn't Know You Cared]]'' and ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]''.
Hazlehurst composed the [[theme music|theme tunes]] for many well-known [[British sitcom]]s and gameshows of the 1970s and the 1980s, including ''[[Yes Minister]]'', ''[[Are You Being Served?]]'', ''[[I Didn't Know You Cared]]'' and ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]''.


==Early life==
==Early life==
Ronald Hazlehurst was born in [[Dukinfield]], [[Cheshire]], in 1928, to a [[rail transport|railway]] worker and a piano [[teacher]].<ref name="Indy">{{Cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article3021298.ece|title=Obituary - Ronnie Hazlehurst|first=Spencer|last=Leigh|publisher=[[The Independent]]|date=3 October 2007}}</ref><ref name="Tele Obit">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2007/10/04/db0402.xml|title=Obituary - Ronnie Hazlehurst|first=Spencer|last=Leigh|publisher=The Daily Telegraph|date=4 October 2007}}</ref> Having attended [[Hyde Clarendon Sixth Form College|Hyde County Grammar School]], he left at the age of 14 and became a [[clerk (position)|clerk]] for a [[cotton mill]].<ref name="Indy"/><ref name="Tele Obit"/> From 1947 to 1949 he did his [[National service#United Kingdom|National Service]] as a [[band (music)|bandsman]] in the [[4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards]].<ref name="Tele Obit"/>
Ronald Hazlehurst was born in [[Dukinfield]], [[Cheshire]], in 1928, to a [[rail transport|railway]] worker father and a piano [[teacher]] mother.<ref name="Indy">{{Cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article3021298.ece|title=Obituary - Ronnie Hazlehurst|first=Spencer|last=Leigh|work=[[The Independent]]|date=3 October 2007|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102184203/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ronnie-hazlehurst-395793.html|archive-date=2 November 2012}}</ref><ref name="Tele Obit">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2007/10/04/db0402.xml|title=Obituary - Ronnie Hazlehurst|first=Spencer|last=Leigh|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=4 October 2007}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Having attended [[Clarendon Sixth Form College|Hyde County Grammar School]], he left at the age of 14 and became a [[clerk]] in a [[cotton mill]] for £1 a week.<ref name="Indy"/><ref name="Tele Obit"/> From 1947 to 1949 he did his [[National service#United Kingdom|National Service]] as a [[Band (rock and pop)|bandsman]] in the [[4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards]].<ref name="Tele Obit"/>


During his spare time, he played in a band, and soon became a professional musician earning £4 a week.<ref name="Indy"/> The band appeared on the [[BBC Light Programme]], but Hazlehurst left when he was refused a pay rise.<ref name="Indy"/> Moving to [[Manchester]], he became a [[Freelancer|freelance]] musician until he was offered a place in another band at a nightclub in [[London]].<ref name="Indy"/> Ronnie Hazlehurst worked at [[Granada Productions|Granada]] for about a year in 1955 and, after he left there, worked on a market stall in [[Watford]] to make ends meet.<ref name="Indy"/><ref name="Tele Obit"/>
During his spare time, he played in a band, and soon became a professional musician earning £4 a week.<ref name="Indy"/> The band appeared on the [[BBC Light Programme]], but Hazlehurst left when he was refused a pay rise.<ref name="Indy"/> Moving to [[Manchester]], he became a [[Freelancer|freelance]] musician until he was offered a place in another band at a nightclub in London.<ref name="Indy"/> Ronnie Hazlehurst worked at [[ITV Studios|Granada]] for about a year in 1955 and, after he left there, worked on a market stall in [[Watford]] to make ends meet.<ref name="Indy"/><ref name="Tele Obit"/>


==BBC career==
==BBC career==
Hazlehurst joined the BBC in 1961 and became a staff arranger; his early works included the [[incidental music]] for ''[[The Likely Lads]]'', ''[[The Liver Birds]]'' and ''[[It's a Knockout]]''.<ref name="Indy"/><ref name="Times">{{Cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article2576976.ece|title=Obituary - Ronnie Hazlehurst|first=|last=|publisher=The Times|date=3 October 2007}}</ref> In 1968 he became the Light Entertainment Musical Director and, during his tenure, he composed the theme tunes of many sitcoms, including ''[[Are You Being Served?]]'', ''[[Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em]]'', ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]'' (where he also wrote all the instrumental music for the show), ''[[I Didn't Know You Cared]]'', ''[[The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin]]'', ''[[To the Manor Born]]'', ''[[Yes, Minister]]'', ''[[Yes, Prime Minister]]'' and ''[[Three Up, Two Down]]''.<ref name="Indy"/><ref name="Times"/><ref name="BBC"/><ref name="Telegraph">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1565028/Ronnie-Hazlehurst.html|title=TV tunes composer Ronnie Hazlehurst dies, 79|first=|last=|publisher=The Daily Telegraph|date=3 October 2007}}</ref> He also arranged the themes for ''[[Butterflies (TV series)|Butterflies]]'', ''[[Sorry! (TV series)|Sorry!]]'' and the first series of ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]''.<ref name="Times"/> In addition, he wrote the theme tunes for the sketch show ''[[The Two Ronnies]]'', the game shows ''[[Blankety Blank]]'', ''[[Odd One Out]]'' and [[Bruce Forsyth]]'s ''[[The Generation Game]]'' and the chat show ''[[Wogan]]''.<ref name="Indy"/><ref name="Times"/>
Hazlehurst joined the BBC in 1961, and became a staff arranger; his early works included the [[incidental music]] for ''[[The Likely Lads]]'', ''[[The Liver Birds]]'' and ''[[It's a Knockout]]''.<ref name="Indy"/><ref name="Times">{{Cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article2576976.ece|title=Obituary - Ronnie Hazlehurst|work=The Times|date=3 October 2007}}</ref> In 1968 he became the Light Entertainment Musical Director and, during his tenure, he composed the theme tunes of many sitcoms, including ''[[Are You Being Served?]]''; ''[[Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em]]''; ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]'' (where he also wrote all the instrumental music for the show); ''[[I Didn't Know You Cared]]''; ''[[The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin]]''; ''[[To the Manor Born]]''; ''[[Yes Minister|Yes, Minister]]''; ''[[Yes Minister|Yes, Prime Minister]]''; ''[[Just Good Friends]]''; and ''[[Three Up, Two Down]]''.<ref name="Indy"/><ref name="Times"/><ref name="BBC"/><ref name="Telegraph">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1565028/Ronnie-Hazlehurst.html|title=TV tunes composer Ronnie Hazlehurst dies, 79|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=3 October 2007}}</ref> He also arranged the themes for ''[[Butterflies (TV series)|Butterflies]]'', ''[[Sorry! (TV series)|Sorry!]]'', and the first series of ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]''.<ref name="Times"/> In addition, he wrote the theme tunes for the sketch show ''[[The Two Ronnies]]'', the game shows ''[[Blankety Blank]]'', ''[[Odd One Out]]'' and [[Bruce Forsyth]]'s ''[[The Generation Game]]'' and the chat show ''[[Wogan]]''.<ref name="Indy"/><ref name="Times"/>
His theme tunes often included elements designed to fit the programmes, such as a [[Cash register|cash till]] in ''Are You Being Served?'', rises and falls in ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' and the [[Clock Tower, Palace of Westminster|Big Ben]] chimes for ''Yes Minister''.<ref name="Indy"/><ref name="Tele Obit"/> For ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'', Hazlehurst used [[Morse code]] to spell out the programme's title.<ref name="BBC"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7026637.stm|title=Does the Frank Spencer music have Morse code?|publisher=BBC Magazine|date=4 October 2007}}</ref> During his BBC career he composed the music for the opening of the BBC's coverage of the [[1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Olympics]].<ref name="Indy"/> He left the BBC in the 1990s.<ref name="Tele Obit"/>

His theme tunes often included elements designed to fit the programmes, such as a [[Cash register|cash till]] in ''Are You Being Served?'', rises and falls in ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' and the [[Clock Tower, Palace of Westminster|Big Ben]] chimes for ''Yes Minister''.<ref name="Indy"/><ref name="Tele Obit"/> For ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'', Hazlehurst used [[Morse code]] to spell out the programme's title.<ref name="BBC"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7026637.stm|title=Does the Frank Spencer music have Morse code?|first=|last=|publisher=BBC Magazine|date=4 October 2007}}</ref> During his BBC career he composed the music for the opening of the BBC's coverage of the [[1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Olympics]].<ref name="Indy"/> He left the BBC in the 1990s.<ref name="Tele Obit"/>


==Other work==
==Other work==
Hazlehurst was also involved with the [[Eurovision Song Contest]] and was the musical director when the event was hosted by the [[United Kingdom]] in [[Eurovision Song Contest 1974|1974]], [[Eurovision Song Contest 1977|1977]] and [[Eurovision Song Contest 1982|1982]].<ref name="Indy"/> He also conducted the [[United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest|British entry]] on seven occasions, in 1977, 1982, [[Eurovision Song Contest 1987|1987]], [[Eurovision Song Contest 1988|1988]], [[Eurovision Song Contest 1989|1989]], [[Eurovision Song Contest 1991|1991]] and [[Eurovision Song Contest 1992|1992]].<ref name="BBC">{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7023501.stm|title=Theme tune writer Hazlehurst dies|first=|last=|publisher=BBC|date=2 October 2007}}</ref><ref name="Carlton">{{Cite book|last=O'Connor|first=John Kennedy|authorlink=John Kennedy O'Connor |title =The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History|publisher=[[Carlton Books]]|date=2007| location=[[United Kingdom|UK]]|pages=|url=|doi=|id=|isbn=978-1-84442-994-3}}</ref> In 1977, as well as conducting the British entry, he also conducted the [[Telegram (song)|German entry]].<ref name="Times"/><ref name="Carlton"/> To conduct the British entry that year, [[Lynsey de Paul]] and [[Mike Moran (music producer)|Mike Moran]], he used a closed [[umbrella]] instead of a baton and wore a [[bowler hat]].<ref name="Tele Obit"/><ref name="Times"/>
Hazlehurst was also involved with the [[Eurovision Song Contest]] and was the musical director when the event was hosted by the [[United Kingdom]] in [[Eurovision Song Contest 1974|1974]], [[Eurovision Song Contest 1977|1977]] and [[Eurovision Song Contest 1982|1982]].<ref name="Indy"/> He also conducted the [[United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest|British entry]] on seven occasions, in 1977, 1982, [[Eurovision Song Contest 1987|1987]], [[Eurovision Song Contest 1988|1988]], [[Eurovision Song Contest 1989|1989]], [[Eurovision Song Contest 1991|1991]] and [[Eurovision Song Contest 1992|1992]].<ref name="BBC">{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7023501.stm|title=Theme tune writer Hazlehurst dies|publisher=BBC|date=2 October 2007}}</ref><ref name="Carlton">{{Cite book|last=O'Connor|first=John Kennedy|authorlink=John Kennedy O'Connor |title =The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History|publisher=[[Carlton Books]]|date=2007| location=[[United Kingdom|UK]]|isbn=978-1-84442-994-3}}</ref> In 1977, as well as conducting the British entry, he also conducted the [[Telegram (song)|German entry]].<ref name="Times"/><ref name="Carlton"/> To conduct the British entry that year, [[Lynsey de Paul]] and [[Michael Moran (music producer)|Mike Moran]], he used a closed [[umbrella]] instead of a baton and wore a [[bowler hat]].<ref name="Tele Obit"/><ref name="Times"/>

He also arranged and conducted two singers' performances of their voice-overs for opening credits, [[Clare Torry]] for ''[[Butterflies (TV series)|Butterflies]]'' ("[[Love Is Like a Butterfly|Love Is like a Butterfly]]") and [[Paul Nicholas]] for ''[[Just Good Friends]]''.<ref name="Indy"/>

He also recorded some LPs and CDs with his orchestra including a 2-CD box set of [[Laurel and Hardy]] film music; his orchestra also backed singer [[Marti Caine]] on an album that was released on CD.


== Selected Credits ==
He also conducted two singers for their voice-over for two opening credits, [[Clare Torry]] for ''[[Butterflies (TV series)|Butterflies]]'' ("[[Love Is like a Butterfly]]") and [[Paul Nicholas]] for ''[[Just Good Friends]]''.<ref name="Indy"/>


{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
He also recorded some LPs and CDs with his orchestra including a 2 CD box set of Laural and Hardy film music; his orchestra also backed singer Marti Caine on an album that was released on CD.
*[[The Likely Lads]]
*[[It's a Knockout]]
*[[Comedy Playhouse]]
*[[The Illustrated Weekly Hudd]]
*[[Beggar My Neighbour (TV series)|Beggar My Neighbour]]
*[[Cilla (1968 TV series)|Cilla]]
*[[The Gnomes of Dulwich]]
*Harry Worth (Series 4 only)
*[[Me Mammy]]
*The Roy Castle Show
*[[That's Your Funeral]]
*[[The Liver Birds]] (Series 1-5)
*[[The Two Ronnies]]
*[[Now Look Here]]
*[[Are You Being Served?]]
*[[Tarbuck's Luck]]
*[[The Generation Game]]
*[[Last of the Summer Wine]]
*Look Mike Yarwood!
*[[Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em]]
*[[Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?]]
*The Tarbuck Follies
*Frost's Weekly
*[[Eurovision Song Contest|Eurovision Song Contest]]
*[[Happy Ever After (British TV series)|Happy Ever After]]
*It's Cliff and Friends
*[[Seaside Special]]
*[[I Didn't Know You Cared]]
*[[The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin]]
*[[The Other One (1977 TV series)|The Other One]]
*[[Are You Being Served? (film)|Are You Being Served?]] (Film)
*[[Citizen Smith]]
*[[Rosie (TV series)|Rosie]]
*[[The Boys and Mrs B]] (TV Movie)
*[[The Val Doonican Show]]
*[[Wodehouse Playhouse]]
*Mike Yarwood in Persons
*[[Butterflies (TV series)|Butterflies]]
*[[Blankety Blank]]
*[[To the Manor Born]]
*[[The Paul Daniels Magic Show]]
*[[Sink or Swim (TV series)|Sink or Swim]]
*[[Yes Minister]]
*The Marti Cane Show
*Coming Home
*[[Only Fools and Horses]]
*[[Sorry! (TV series)|Sorry!]]
*Roger Doesn't Live Here Anymore
*[[Three of a Kind (1981 TV series)|Three of a Kind]]
*[[The Little and Large Show]]
*[[L for Lester|L For Lester]]
*[[Solo (TV series)|Solo]]
*[[Goodbye, Mr Kent|Goodbye, Mr. Kent]]
*[[The Keith Harris Show]]
*[[Then Churchill Said to Me]]
*Odd One Out
*[[By the Sea (1982 film)|By the Sea]] (TV Movie)
*[[Wogan]]
*[[Top of the Pops]]
*Jack of Diamonds
*Pinkerton's Progress
*[[Sweet Sixteen (TV series)|Sweet Sixteen]]
*[[No Place Like Home (TV series)|No Place Like Home]]
*[[Potter (TV series)|Potter]] (Series 3 only)
*[[Just Good Friends]]
*[[The Magnificent Evans]]
*[[Leaving (TV series)|Leaving]]
*The Hello Goodbye Man
*[[Comrade Dad]]
*[[Lame Ducks (TV series)|Lame Ducks]]
*[[The District Nurse]]
*[[Yes Prime Minister]]
*[[The Les Dawson Show]]
*[[Three Up, Two Down]]
*[[All in Good Faith]]
*[[Dear John (British TV series)|Dear John]]
*[[The Ritz (TV series)|The Ritz]]
*[[Wyatt's Watchdogs]]
*[[Luv (TV series)|Luv]]
*[[The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin|The Legacy of Reginald Perrin]]
{{div col end}}


==Later years==
==Later years==
Hazlehurst moved from [[Hendon]], [[North London]], to [[Guernsey]] in about 1997.<ref name="BBC"/> In 1999, he was awarded a Gold Badge from the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters.<ref name="BBC"/>
Hazlehurst moved from [[Hendon]], [[North London]], to [[Guernsey]] in about 1997.<ref name="BBC"/> In 1999, he was awarded a Gold Badge from the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters.<ref name="BBC"/>


Music was Hazlehurst's life and passion as well as his work and he continued to work right up to his [[Coronary artery bypass surgery|heart bypass operation]] in October 2006.<ref name="BBC"/> On 27 September 2007 he suffered a [[stroke]] and, without regaining consciousness, died on 1 October in Princess Elizabeth Hospital, [[St Martin, Guernsey|St Martin]], [[Guernsey]].<ref name="Telegraph"/><ref name="Express">{{Cite news|url=|title=Last Of The Summer Wine composer dies|first=|last=|publisher=[[Daily Express]]|date=3 October 2007}}</ref> Having been married twice, with two sons from his second marriage, at the time of his death his partner was Jean Fitzgerald.<ref name="BBC"/>
Music was Hazlehurst's life and passion as well as his work and he continued to work right up to his [[Coronary artery bypass surgery|heart bypass operation]] in October 2006.<ref name="BBC"/> On 27 September 2007 he suffered a [[stroke]] and, without regaining consciousness, died on 1 October in Princess Elizabeth Hospital, [[Saint Martin, Guernsey|St Martin]], [[Guernsey]].<ref name="Telegraph"/><ref name="Express">{{Cite news|title=Last of the Summer Wine composer dies|publisher=[[Daily Express]]|date=3 October 2007}}</ref> Having been married twice, with two sons from his second marriage, at the time of his death his partner was Jean Fitzgerald.<ref name="BBC"/>


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
*{{IMDB name|id=0372024|name=Ronnie Hazlehurst}}
*{{IMDB name|0372024|name=Ronnie Hazlehurst}}


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{{succession box
{{succession box
| before={{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Jan Steulen]]
| before={{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Jan Stulen]]
| title=[[Eurovision Song Contest|Eurovision Song Contest conductor]]
| title=[[Eurovision Song Contest|Eurovision Song Contest conductor]]
| years=[[Eurovision Song Contest 1977|1977]]
| years=[[Eurovision Song Contest 1977|1977]]
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[[Category:BBC people]]
[[Category:BBC people]]
[[Category:English conductors (music)]]
[[Category:English conductors (music)]]
[[Category:British male conductors (music)]]
[[Category:English male conductors (music)]]
[[Category:Eurovision Song Contest conductors]]
[[Category:Eurovision Song Contest conductors]]
[[Category:Grand Order of Water Rats members]]
[[Category:English television composers]]
[[Category:English television composers]]
[[Category:English male composers]]
[[Category:English male composers]]
[[Category:People from Dukinfield]]
[[Category:People from Dukinfield]]
[[Category:20th-century conductors (music)]]
[[Category:20th-century British conductors (music)]]
[[Category:20th-century British male musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century British male musicians]]

Latest revision as of 21:55, 28 April 2024

Ronnie Hazlehurst
Born
Ronald Hazlehurst

(1928-03-13)13 March 1928
Dukinfield, Cheshire, England
Died1 October 2007(2007-10-01) (aged 79)
St Martin, Guernsey
Occupations
  • Composer
  • conductor
  • musical director
Years active1947–2006
Known forBritish television theme songs
SpouseJean Fitzgerald
Children2

Ronald Hazlehurst (13 March 1928 – 1 October 2007) was an English composer and conductor who, having joined the BBC in 1961, became its Light Entertainment Musical Director.

Hazlehurst composed the theme tunes for many well-known British sitcoms and gameshows of the 1970s and the 1980s, including Yes Minister, Are You Being Served?, I Didn't Know You Cared and Last of the Summer Wine.

Early life[edit]

Ronald Hazlehurst was born in Dukinfield, Cheshire, in 1928, to a railway worker father and a piano teacher mother.[1][2] Having attended Hyde County Grammar School, he left at the age of 14 and became a clerk in a cotton mill for £1 a week.[1][2] From 1947 to 1949 he did his National Service as a bandsman in the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards.[2]

During his spare time, he played in a band, and soon became a professional musician earning £4 a week.[1] The band appeared on the BBC Light Programme, but Hazlehurst left when he was refused a pay rise.[1] Moving to Manchester, he became a freelance musician until he was offered a place in another band at a nightclub in London.[1] Ronnie Hazlehurst worked at Granada for about a year in 1955 and, after he left there, worked on a market stall in Watford to make ends meet.[1][2]

BBC career[edit]

Hazlehurst joined the BBC in 1961, and became a staff arranger; his early works included the incidental music for The Likely Lads, The Liver Birds and It's a Knockout.[1][3] In 1968 he became the Light Entertainment Musical Director and, during his tenure, he composed the theme tunes of many sitcoms, including Are You Being Served?; Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em; Last of the Summer Wine (where he also wrote all the instrumental music for the show); I Didn't Know You Cared; The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin; To the Manor Born; Yes, Minister; Yes, Prime Minister; Just Good Friends; and Three Up, Two Down.[1][3][4][5] He also arranged the themes for Butterflies, Sorry!, and the first series of Only Fools and Horses.[3] In addition, he wrote the theme tunes for the sketch show The Two Ronnies, the game shows Blankety Blank, Odd One Out and Bruce Forsyth's The Generation Game and the chat show Wogan.[1][3] His theme tunes often included elements designed to fit the programmes, such as a cash till in Are You Being Served?, rises and falls in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and the Big Ben chimes for Yes Minister.[1][2] For Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Hazlehurst used Morse code to spell out the programme's title.[4][6] During his BBC career he composed the music for the opening of the BBC's coverage of the 1976 Olympics.[1] He left the BBC in the 1990s.[2]

Other work[edit]

Hazlehurst was also involved with the Eurovision Song Contest and was the musical director when the event was hosted by the United Kingdom in 1974, 1977 and 1982.[1] He also conducted the British entry on seven occasions, in 1977, 1982, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991 and 1992.[4][7] In 1977, as well as conducting the British entry, he also conducted the German entry.[3][7] To conduct the British entry that year, Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran, he used a closed umbrella instead of a baton and wore a bowler hat.[2][3]

He also arranged and conducted two singers' performances of their voice-overs for opening credits, Clare Torry for Butterflies ("Love Is like a Butterfly") and Paul Nicholas for Just Good Friends.[1]

He also recorded some LPs and CDs with his orchestra including a 2-CD box set of Laurel and Hardy film music; his orchestra also backed singer Marti Caine on an album that was released on CD.

Selected Credits[edit]

Later years[edit]

Hazlehurst moved from Hendon, North London, to Guernsey in about 1997.[4] In 1999, he was awarded a Gold Badge from the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters.[4]

Music was Hazlehurst's life and passion as well as his work and he continued to work right up to his heart bypass operation in October 2006.[4] On 27 September 2007 he suffered a stroke and, without regaining consciousness, died on 1 October in Princess Elizabeth Hospital, St Martin, Guernsey.[5][8] Having been married twice, with two sons from his second marriage, at the time of his death his partner was Jean Fitzgerald.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Leigh, Spencer (3 October 2007). "Obituary - Ronnie Hazlehurst". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Leigh, Spencer (4 October 2007). "Obituary - Ronnie Hazlehurst". The Daily Telegraph.[dead link]
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Obituary - Ronnie Hazlehurst". The Times. 3 October 2007.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Theme tune writer Hazlehurst dies". BBC. 2 October 2007.
  5. ^ a b "TV tunes composer Ronnie Hazlehurst dies, 79". The Daily Telegraph. 3 October 2007.
  6. ^ "Does the Frank Spencer music have Morse code?". BBC Magazine. 4 October 2007.
  7. ^ a b O'Connor, John Kennedy (2007). The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History. UK: Carlton Books. ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3.
  8. ^ "Last of the Summer Wine composer dies". Daily Express. 3 October 2007.

External links[edit]

Preceded by Eurovision Song Contest conductor
1974 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Eurovision Song Contest conductor
1977 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Eurovision Song Contest conductor
1982 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ronnie_Hazlehurst&oldid=1221266462"