David Arnold in Conversation

In this intimate conversation, composer David Arnold shares stories from his 30-plus years writing for the screen, how it all began and insights into his craft.

From Bond to Sherlock via Independence Day and The Stepford Wives, David Arnold has been enjoying quite the ride on screen.

Starting out in the early ’90s with The Young Americans, the British composer quickly made a name for himself in Hollywood thanks to his breathtaking, action-packed score for Roland Emmerich’s Stargate (1994). That was followed in 1996 by Emmerich’s global phenomenon Independence Day and the director’s 1998 take on Godzilla.

It was in 1997 that Arnold set out his stall as one of 007’s most recognisable musical voices. Tomorrow Never Dies was the first of five James Bond films to feature Arnold’s music, and with The World is Not Enough (1999), Die Another Day (2002), Casino Royale (2006) and Quantum of Solace (2008), he proved time and again that he was a natural successor to the great John Barry.

Since then, the composer has enjoyed a wide variety of musical adventures, including Amazon’s Good Omens and small-screen delights such as The Tiger Who Came to Tea and Mog’s Christmas.

This event is hosted by Sean Wilson (Scoreheads and Frame to Frame podcasts; author The Sound of Cinema) and follows our opening night celebration of David Arnold’s music at the Barbican on Thursday 9 April.

This event is sponsored by