Matthew Strachan ( or ; 11 December 1970 – 8 September 2021) was an English composer and singer-songwriter. His best known work is the music for British television game show ''

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and ...

'' written with his father

Keith Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...

, which would become a global franchise, and the BBC Radio 4 World War I drama series ''

Home Front Home front is an English language term with analogues in other languages. It is commonly used to describe the full participation of the British public in World War I who suffered Zeppelin#During World War I, Zeppelin raids and endured Rationin ...

''. He also wrote music to film and television productions such as ''

Extract An extract is a substance made by extracting a part of a raw material, often by using a solvent such as ethanol, oil or water. Extracts may be sold as tinctures, absolutes or in powder form. The aromatic principles of many spices, nuts, h ...

'', '' The Detectives'', ''

Question Time A question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers (including the prime minister), which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be ca ...

'', ''

Winning Lines ''Winning Lines'' is a National Lottery game show that was broadcast on BBC One from 12 June 1999 to 16 October 2004. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo and then by Phillip Schofield. Gameplay Round 1 Forty-nine contestants take part in t ...

'', jingles for several television commercials, and scores for stage musicals.

Biography

Strachan began writing songs as a teenager. His first professional job was to write five songs for the BBCTV drama ''Boogie Outlaws''.Screened Music Interview
After training at

Dartington College of Arts Dartington College of Arts was a specialist arts college located at Dartington Hall in the south-west of England, offering courses at degree and postgraduate level together with an arts research programme. It existed for a period of almost 50 ...

and

Goldsmiths College Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wor ...

, University of London, he worked as a soundtrack composer throughout the 1990s creating music for television, radio and theatre productions until concentrating on songwriting in Nashville, Tennessee where he collaborated with songwriters Don Henry,

Tom Kimmel Tom Kimmel (born Thomas Eugene Hobbs II in 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and poet. Biography Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Kimmel grew up largely in small towns in south Alabama. He attended public schools and graduated from the Univer ...

, J. Fred Knobloch, and

Thom Schuyler Thomas James Schuyler (born June 10, 1952, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) is an American songwriter. Schuyler wrote songs recorded by more than 200 various artists including "16th Avenue" for Lacy J. Dalton, "Love Will Turn You Around" for Kenny Ro ...

. Following two years in America he created score and lyrics for the stage musicals ''About Bill'' and ''

Next Door's Baby ''Next Door's Baby'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Matthew Strachan and book by Bernie Gaughan (whose novels are published under the name Bernadette Strachan), based on Gaughan's radio play of the same name. Set in 1950's Dublin, it te ...

''. In 2012 he announced the creation of a comedy oratorio based on the life of the ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

'' character

Ken Barlow Ken Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by William Roache. He was created by Tony Warren as one of ''Coronation Street''s original characters and December 2020 marked Ken's 60th annive ...

for inclusion in his live shows. Strachan won twelve awards from the

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

(ASCAP) and in 2012 received the ASCAP Hall of Fame Award in recognition of ten consecutive wins for the soundtrack of ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' As a singer-songwriter Strachan was regarded as having a bittersweet style, often employing satire and characterisation to make political points about unusual subjects such as social networking and the media. As a composer of stage musicals he was noted for writing songs with a complete narrative arc. A new studio album by Matthew Strachan titled ''Serious Men'' was released by Lonely Goat Records in August 2016. He was also the creator of the comic fictional 1970s composer Klaus Harmony. In March 2017

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...

announced that it would be publishing a series of crime fiction books co-written by Strachan and his wife,

Bernadette Strachan Bernadette Strachan (' Gaughan, born 27 December 1962) is an English author of popular women's fiction and among the more popular writers of "chick lit". Biography Strachan was born in Fulham, London, into an Irish Catholic family. Her Irish ...

. In October 2020, he appeared at Lavender Hill Magistrates Court in London, charged with one count of arson. On 22 September 2021, the BBC reported that Strachan had died at his home in Twickenham, London, at the age of 50.

Discography

;Albums *''A Quiet Place I've Waited'', Nono Records (2017) * ''Serious Men'', Lonely Goat Records (2016) * ''Perfect World Now Possible'', Nono Records (2014) * ''Live at the St James Theatre'', Nono Records (2013) * ''25 Year Songbook Part II'', Nono Records (2012) * ''25 Year Songbook'', Nono Records (2012) * ''37203'', Nono Records (2004) * ''Even Warren Beatty'' (with

Tim Whitnall Timothy Charles Whitnall (born 27 June 1961) is an English actor, playwright and screenwriter. He is known for playing Angelo in the long-running CITV series ''Mike and Angelo'' and narrating the BBC children's TV programme ''Teletubbies'' fro ...

), Nono Records (2002) * ''Save The King's Head'', Nono Records (2000) * ''Fallen Angels'', Nono Records (1999) * ''The Rock Serious Electric Roadshow'', Nono Records (1993) ;Compilations * ''Speed Limit Monkey'', Nono Records (2008) * ''Flot Some, Jet Some'', Nono Records (2008) ;Covered by other artists * ''I Never Left You at All'' – J. Fred Knobloch, ''Hear Here'', J. Fred Knobloch Music, (2015) * ''Journeyman'' –

Catherine Porter Catherine Porter (born 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She is a former member of Brian May#The Brian May Band, The Brian May Band and has appeared in several musicals and films. To date, Porter has released one album of ...

, single, Nono Records, (2011) * ''Any More of You'' –

, ''37203'', Nono Records, (2004) * ''Love is Enough'' – J. Fred Knobloch, ''37203'', Nono Records, (2004) * ''The Note'' – Don Henry, ''37203'', Nono Records, (2004) * ''Mama 'n' Them'' – J. Fred Knobloch, single, Nono Records, (2008) * ''Just Because I Want To'' – Tommy Blaize, ''Even Warren Beatty'', Nono Records, (2008) ;Soundtracks and Musicals * ''As Is & Passing By'', Nessus Records (2013) * ''About Bill'', Nessus Records (2011) * ''Music for Theatre'', Nessus Records (2011) * ''Silk'', Nessus Records (2009) * ''

'', Nessus Records (2006) * ''

'' – Soundtrack, Celador Records (2000) * ''

'' – Interactive Game, Sony PlayStation, Disney Interactive (2000) * ''

Toy Story ''Toy Story'' is a 1995 American computer-animated comedy film directed by John Lasseter (in his feature directorial debut), produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The first installment in the '' Toy Story ...

Sing Along'', Disney (1997) ;A.k.a Klaus Harmony * ''Oeuvre Cinq'', HarmonSink (2010) * ''Oeuvre 4'', HarmonSink (2009) * ''Oeuvre Derde'', HarmonSink (2008) * ''Oeuvre Zwei'', HarmonSink (2007) * ''Oeuvre I'', HarmonSink (2006)

Music for motion pictures

* ''Mostly Dead'', UkFilm.co * ''Love Is a Four Letter Word Worth Seven Points'', Boxfly Media, (2015) * ''In Limbo'', Nine Ladies Films, (2015)

Music featured in motion pictures

* ''

'', Composer – ''Wundercrotchen'',

Miramax Films Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey Weinstein, Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. It was ...

, (2009) * ''

Slumdog Millionaire ''Slumdog Millionaire'' is a 2008 British drama film that is a loose adaptation of the novel '' Q & A'' (2005) by Indian author Vikas Swarup. It narrates the story of 18-year-old Jamal Malik from the Juhu slums of Mumbai. Starring Dev Patel ...

'', Composer – ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'',

Fox Searchlight Searchlight Pictures, Inc. is an American film production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is part of the Walt Disney Company. Founded in 1994 as Fox Searchlight Pictures, Inc. for 20th Century Fox (later 20th Century St ...

, (2008) * ''Millions'', Composer – ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'',

, (2004) * ''Celador Films Theme'', Celador Films * '' About a Boy'', Composer – ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'',

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

, (2002) * ''A Kind of Hush'', Composer/lyricist – ''Confusions'', First Film Company/Metrodome, (1998)

Music for stage

* ''Twitstorm'',

Park Theatre (London) The Park Theatre opened in Finsbury Park, north LondonCecilia Sundstrom"Psychopaths, nudity and Maureen Lipman launch new Finsbury Park theatre" ''Hackney Gazette'', 27 March 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-01. in 2013. It describes itself as "a neighbo ...

* ''The Roundabout'',

59E59 Theaters 59E59 Theaters is a curated rental venue located in New York City that consists of three theater spaces or stages. It shows both off-Broadway (in Theater A) and off-off-Broadway plays (in Theaters B and C). The complex is owned and operated by ...

, New York * ''Acorn'',

Courtyard Theatre The Courtyard Theatre was a 1,048 seat thrust stage theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England operated by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). It temporarily replaced The Other Place theatre during the redevelopment of the Roya ...

, London * ''The Man Called Monkhouse'',

Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

/National Tour * ''

As Is As is, when employed as a term with legal effect, is used to disclaim some implied warranties for an item being sold. Certain types of implied warranties must be specifically disclaimed, such as the implied warranty of title. "As is" denotes tha ...

'',

Trafalgar Studios Trafalgar Theatre is a new West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It is set to open in spring 2021 following a major multi-million Pound sterling, pound restoration project aiming to reinstate ...

* ''Passing By'',

Tristan Bates Theatre Sir Alan Arthur Bates (17 February 1934 – 27 December 2003) was an English actor who came to prominence in the 1960s, when he appeared in films ranging from the popular children's story '' Whistle Down the Wind'' to the " kitchen sink" dram ...

* ''

'',

Finborough Theatre The Finborough Theatre is a fifty-seat theatre in the West Brompton area of London (part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) under artistic director Neil McPherson. The theatre presents new British writing, as well as UK and world p ...

* ''Yours for the Asking'',

Orange Tree Theatre The Orange Tree Theatre is a 180-seat theatre at 1 Clarence Street, Richmond in south-west London, which was built specifically as a theatre in the round. It is housed within a disused 1867 primary school, built in Victorian Gothic style. Th ...

* ''About Bill'',

Landor Theatre The Landor Theatre is a pub theatre in Clapham, South London. Originally the Cage Theatre upon its opening in 1994, the Landor became "Upstairs at the Landor" in 1995 and finally the Landor Theatre in 1998, following a refit of the building. I ...

* ''Hungry Ghosts'',

* '' The Promise'',

* ''

The Making of Moo ''The Making of Moo'' is a play by Nigel Dennis satirizing religion. It was first performed by the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre on 25 June 1957, and starred George Devine, John Osborne, John Moffatt and Joan Plowright. The pla ...

'',

* ''Silk'', Workshopped at the

* ''Last Train to Nibroc'',

* ''

'',

* ''Happy Birthday Dear Alice'',

* ''The Lodger'',

Theatre Royal, Windsor The Theatre Royal is an Edwardian era, Edwardian theatre on Thames Street in Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in Berkshire. The present building is the second theatre to stand on this site and opened on 13 December 1910. Built for Sir Wiliam Shipley an ...

* ''The Fly'', Old Fire Station Theatre, Oxford * ''Mad Dog Killer Leper Fiend'', Man in the Moon Theatre * ''Simpleton of the Unexpected Isles'',

* ''

The Good Woman of Setzuan ''The Good Person of Szechwan'' (german: Der gute Mensch von Sezuan, first translated less literally as ''The Good Man of Setzuan'') is a play written by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht, in collaboration with Margarete Steffin and Ruth Berla ...

'',

Music for television and radio

* ''

'', composer,

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

* ''Money'', Composer ''Finding Schuyler'' & ''Can You See me From Over There?''

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

* ''

'' 10th Anniversary

American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...

* ''Super Millionaire''

* ''Sketch Show Story

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

* ''

'',

Celador CPL Productions (formerly Celador) is a British entertainment company originally formed in the United Kingdom in 1981 as an independent television production company. It created and produced a number of popular light entertainment shows and is ...

Productions,

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

* ''

'',

Productions,

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

* ''Ben-Hur'' (syndicated US Radio Drama)

Focus on the Family Focus on the Family (FOTF or FotF) is a fundamentalist Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations ...

* '' Britain's Brainiest'',

Productions, International * ''

'', Mentorn Films,

* ''

Car Wars ''Car Wars'' is a vehicle combat simulation game developed by Steve Jackson Games. It was first published in 1980. Players control armed vehicles in a post-apocalyptic future. Game play In ''Car Wars'', players assume control of one or more ca ...

'', Mentorn Films,

* ''The Gemini Apes'',

* ''Mind the Gap''

* ''Nobblers'',

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

* ''The Hypnotic World of

Paul McKenna Paul William McKenna (born 8 November 1963) is a British hypnotist, behavioural scientist, television and radio broadcaster and author of self-help books. McKenna has written and produced books and multimedia products, hosted self-impro ...

'',

Productions,

* ''Diggin' the Dancing Queens''

* '' The Detectives'',

Productions,

* ''

Canned Carrott ''Canned Carrott'' is a comedy stand-up and sketch-show by Jasper Carrott. It gave rise to a spin-off series, and made the names of regular contributors Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis. Two of the regular sketches were "Wiggy" and "The Detectives". ...

'',

Productions,

* ''The Jasper Carrott Trial'',

Productions,

* ''

Children's Ward ''Children's Ward'' (retitled ''The Ward'' from 1995 to 1998) is a British children's television drama series produced by Granada Television and broadcast on the ITV network as part of its ''Children's ITV'' strand on weekday afternoons. The pro ...

'',

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

* ''World Sport Esprit'', TWI, International * ''Legends of Wimbledon'', TWI, International * ''

Scratchy and Co ''Scratchy & Co.'' Was a British children's entertainment show that aired on ITV on Saturday mornings from 6 May 1995 to 25 April 1998. Premise ''Scratchy & Co.'' starred Elliot Henderson-Boyle as "Reg" and Mark Speight as "Scratchy". Other ch ...

'', Mentorn Films,

* ''Boogie Outlaws''

Awards

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

Awards, Hall of Fame Award, 2012, London *

Awards, US TV Theme, 2011, London *

Awards, US TV Theme, 2010, London *

Awards, US TV Theme, 2009, London *

Awards, US TV Theme, 2008, London *

Awards, US TV Theme, 2007, London *

Awards, US TV Theme, 2006, London *

Awards, US TV Theme, 2005, London *

Awards, US TV Theme, 2004, London *

17th Annual Film & TV Awards, Top TV Theme, 2002, Los Angeles *

16th Annual Film & TV Awards, Top TV Theme, 2001, Los Angeles *

Awards, US TV Theme, 2000, London

References

External links

Official website
* *
Matthew Strachan at BBC Music

Just Grand Music Catalogue website

MusicBrainz entry

BASCA entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strachan, Matthew 1970 births 2021 deaths English male singer-songwriters English television composers English male composers English musical theatre composers English musical theatre lyricists English lyricists English male novelists Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Musicians from London Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London 21st-century English singers 21st-century British male singers