Director Joe Pearlman

Showrunner Duncan Coates

Produced By RSA Films

Broadcast Netflix

Year 2023

Duration 4 x 60’

After 25 years of his record-breaking solo career, Robbie looks back on his younger self and reflects on a lifetime spent in the spotlight.

We wanted to score to act as a gateway into Robbie’s head. The series revolves around Robbie looking back at clips of his younger self and reflecting on what were often very dark times, so we wanted the score to have a reflective and melancholic feel, without becoming saccharine (as Joe put it, too ‘Poor Rob’).

We also wanted to play with the idea of a fairytale story of celebrity, in contrast with the reality of fame that almost destroyed Rob. The score therefore often has a magical quality in counterpoint to what Rob is talking about, e.g. the cue at the start of the highlights reel has an almost childlike simplicity to it whilst we see clips of Rob having a mental breakdown on stage.

For the overall sound of the score, we wanted to make it distinct but related to Robbie’s music so that it didn’t draw too much attention to itself.  So we decided to only use instruments that you’ll find in Robbie’s music, using 90’s/00’s synths and as the series progresses, more and more use of strings.

We also recorded the strings directly onto tape and ran textural sounds through cassette tapes, using the warped effect to depict Robbie’s descent into mental illness and addiction.

The score was recorded at Air Edel Studios featuring the Chamber Orchestra of London, harpist Olivia Jageurs and guitars/additional synths from Olly Shelton.