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Christopher Gunning

Christopher Gunning

Composer · Died March 25, 2023, aged 78 · Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK

Christopher Gunning (born 5 August 1944) is an English composer of concert works and music for films and television. Gunning was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where his tutors included Edmund Rubbra and Richard Rodney Bennett. Gunning's film and TV compositions have received many awards, including the 2007 BAFTA Award for Best Film Music for La Vie en Rose, as well as three additional awards for Agatha Christie's Poirot, Middlemarch, and Porterhouse Blue. He has also won three Ivor Novello Awards, for the TV miniseries Rebecca, and the film scores for Under Suspicion (1991), and Firelight (1997). His other film scores include Goodbye Gemini (1970), Hands of the Ripper (1971), Ooh... You Are Awful (1972), the film version of Man About the House (1974), In Celebration (1975), Rogue Male (1976), Charlie Muffin (1979), Rise and Fall of Idi Amin (1981), Knights of God (1987), When the Whales Came (1989), Lighthouse Hill (2004) and Grace of Monaco (2014). In the 1970s and 1980s, Gunning collaborated with rock musician Colin Blunstone and was responsible for the distinctive string arrangement on Blunstone's 1972 hit "Say You Don't Mind". He also provided the haunting string arrangements on "Won't Somebody Dance With Me", the Ivor Novello award-winning song written and performed by Lynsey De Paul as well as another of de Paul's hit singles "My Man and Me" and her 1974 album "Taste Me... Don't Waste Me". Gunning's scores for The Big Battalions, Wild Africa, Cold Lazarus and When the Whales Came also received nominations for BAFTA and Ivor Novello Awards, and his music for the Martini advertising campaign, heard around the world for thirty years, won three Clio Awards. Gunning composed the music for nearly all of the Poirot TV films starring David Suchet, and worked on all three series of Rosemary and Thyme featuring Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris. In addition to performances of his television and film scores, Gunning's Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra and The Lobster have been performed at various venues including London's Southbank Centre. The Saxophone Concerto, played by John Harle with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, has been released by Sanctuary Classics, The Lobster is available on the Meridian label, and the Piano Concerto, Symphony No. 1 and Storm have been released by Albany Records. Recent works include concertos for the oboe and clarinet and the CD Skylines. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performed the premiere of Symphonies No.3 and No.4, coupled with Concerto for Oboe and String Orchestra. This has been released by Chandos Records. Gunning has now completed twelve symphonies, several of which have been recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the composer and released on Signum Classics. In recognition of Gunning's unique contribution to music, he received a BASCA Gold Badge Award 19 October 2011. Gunning has four daughters and lives in Hertfordshire. One of his daughters is a professional oboist. Another runs the travel blog wanderlustchloe.com. Source: Article "Christopher Gunning" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 5, 1944
Died
March 25, 2023 (aged 78)
From
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK
Works as
Composer
Titles
22 on Motif · 36 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 50% in 30 days

What are Christopher Gunning's films like?

Across their 19 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama5 titlesTypical Motif score: 77th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Motif score: 50th percentile
: browse their Biography movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Motif score: 40th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Motif score: 58th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Motif score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
23%
Morality
21%
Power
18%
Self
15%
Survival
10%
Society
9%
Ideas
4%
Class5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 4 · Dark 6

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 5 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 4 · Charged 4 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 5 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 2

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 6 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
12
Melancholic
9
Contemplative
7
Joyful
2
Hopeful
3
Other
15

How their films linger

Bittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous5
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Christopher Gunning's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 22 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Christopher Gunning's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

36 credits, 22 with a Motif page.

  • Grace of Monaco(2014)

    Composer

    Motif score: 28th percentile of all films

  • La Vie En Rose(2007)

    Composer · as Orchestra conductor

    Motif score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Lighthouse Hill (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2004)

    Composer

  • Pollyanna(2003)

    Composer

    Motif score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Wild Africa(2001)

    Show Composer

    Motif score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • The Cater Street Hangman(1998)

    Composer · Conductor

    Motif score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Firelight(1997)

    Composer

    Motif score: 84th percentile of all films

  • The Life and Crimes of William Palmer (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1998)

    Composer

  • Rebecca(1997)

    Show 2 episodes · Composer

    Motif score: 50th percentile of all shows

  • Reckless(1997)

    Show Composer

    Motif score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • Cold Lazarus (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 4 episodes · Composer

  • Karaoke (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 4 episodes · Composer

  • The Affair (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    Composer

  • Wings Over the Serengeti (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    Composer

  • The Glass Virgin(1995)

    Show 3 episodes · Composer

    Motif score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • Middlemarch(1994)

    Show Composer

    Motif score: 70th percentile of all shows

  • The Big Battalions (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 5 episodes · Composer

  • Under Suspicion(1991)

    Composer

    Motif score: 54th percentile of all films

  • When the Whales Came(1989)

    Composer

    Motif score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Poirot(1989)

    Show 12 episodes · Composer

    Motif score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Knights of God (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 13 episodes · Composer

  • Porterhouse Blue(1987)

    Show Composer

    Motif score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • The Alamut Ambush (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1986)

    Composer

  • The Brack Report (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 10 episodes · Composer

  • The Day of the Triffids (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1981)

    Show 6 episodes · Composer

  • Amin: The Rise and Fall(1981)

    Composer

    Motif score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Running Blind (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1979)

    Composer

  • Rogue Male(1976)

    Composer

    Motif score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones(1976)

    Conductor · Songs

    Motif score: 8th percentile of all films

  • In Celebration(1975)

    Composer

    Motif score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Man About the House(1974)

    Composer

    Motif score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Get Charlie Tully(1972)

    Composer

    Motif score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Nicholas and Alexandra(1971)

    Additional Music

    Motif score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Hands of the Ripper(1971)

    Composer

    Motif score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Goodbye Gemini (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1970)

    Composer

  • Memorial (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Composer

Career shape

A full career of 31 titles, 30 of them dated from 1970 to 2014.

Biggest box office

La Vie En Rose (2007)

$87M worldwide

Highest rated

La Vie En Rose (2007)

Motif 93rd

Most popular right now

Under Suspicion (1991)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 31: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleMusic30 of 31: 28 only music, 2 with another role · typical Motif score55thOther crew2 of 31: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1970s9 · crew1980s7 · crew1990s11 · crew2000s2 · 1 acting · 2 crew2010s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do Christopher Gunning's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 56th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 57th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Motif score across 22 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 22 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed5

Most loved · composer

Poirot (1989)

Motif 98th · 93% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 63/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles; fans 67, detractors 47. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Christopher Gunning's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 Motif titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 54 · moderateMedian of all films: 31

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Christopher Gunning work with?

People who share at least 2 of Christopher Gunning's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Brian Eastman shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles