The new year was only three days old when a new series from Central bids fair to be one of the most successful of the year.  “Kavanagh QC” has as its master card John Thaw in his first series for ITV since the justly famous “Inspector Morse”.  Indeed, Thaw is very rarely off the screen, so much does this series depend on him.

Kavanagh is a top advocate, with a wife, Lizzie [Lisa Harrow], who recently had an affair with one of Kavanagh's colleagues.  She organises charity affairs, he is too busy with his work, yet is still trying to make his marriage work.  It has to be said that most of the characters we have seen before; there are of course very few original plots left to TV producers.  The interesting thing is to see what they manage to come up with using familiar plots and characters.  “Kavanagh QC” works because John Thaw is such a compelling actor, and, surrounded by the best UK acting talent, he really can't fall.  In the first long story, “Nothing but the Truth”, the guest stars include Alison Steadman, Robin Bailey, and Paul Rogers, and regulars include the aforementioned Lisa Harrow and the ever reliable Geraldine James.

The excellent music was by Anne Dudley, who last year provided differing scores for LWT's “Anna Lee”, starring Imogen Stubbs.  I recently asked Anne about her music for “Kavanagh QC”.  “l had never worked with any of the producers or directors before, but it was a very happy relationship.  I worked on it from a very early stage and then as every episode came up.  We used basically a 20-piece string orchestra with harp and piano, but on each episode I used a different element.  For example, on episode two, I used a trumpet and on no.  three, a glass harmonica, but it's basically pretty traditional scoring.”

I ventured to mention that the newspaper reports the next day were not that flattering.  “Well, I think the viewing figures prove them wrong.  I heard it got twelve-and-a half million views.  The producers have deliberately gone for realism in the courtroom scenes and, of course, that is not exactly action-packed.  I think it’s interesting that Kavanagh has to work for whoever is employing him and he may be defending the wrong guy.  It just has to do his best.”

Before moving on to pastures new, I thought I would ask Anne about “Anna Lee”, which I for one reckoned was a very good series indeed, let alone the score, which, again was excellent.  I hoped there would have been an album of the score.  “We had a couple of singles released, which were the songs, but because quite honestly the series didn't do terribly well, we haven't released the album yet.”

“I've just done a very interesting film, an animated feature called ‘Felidae’, and it was a European co-production, which is quite unusual for them to do an animated feature.  I had a huge orchestra on that, 74-75 piece orchestra, and I enjoyed it tremendously.  That's been released in Germany and in time will be released everywhere.  A soundtrack album was picked up immediately by a German company, Poly Media.

“I also have an album of my own music due out at the end of January called ‘Ancient & Modern’.  It's choral and orchestral.  Basically modern, but based on ancient melodies.’

I hope there may be an album from “Kavanagh QC”, but it's too early to say yet.  I think the record company will put a photo of John Thaw on the front, and maybe they'll sell 200.000 copies.

I am increasingly annoyed about announcers who talk over end credits on TV, I am glad to say Anne Is firmly with me on this.  “I hate that.  I think it's horrible and you can print that.  I think all composers should rally around and protest about the fact that over the end title music they announce the next programme to be shown.  It's terrible, and I mean, the end credits now are very short.  You are very lucky if you get 40 seconds and they talk over it as well.  I think our television is the best in the world, but if they erode the quality by doing things like that, our television becomes like America.”

Anne Dudley, quite rightly, thinks we have some of the best television in the world.  Listening to “Kavanagh QC”, it is also apparent, we have some of the best composers in the world as well.