Small Prophets soundtrack: Who wrote the theme song?

Mackenzie Crook returns to the BBC with his third project, Small Prophets, a six-part series about one man's quiet hope of discovering whether he'll ever see his missing girlfriend again.

Clea vanished seven years ago on Christmas Eve, and Michael's life has been in stasis ever since. She's gone, clearly – but is it really the end?

He never gives voice to it, but Michael is still hanging on, just in case she might one day return – and one day, a solution presents itself, courtesy of his dear old dad: homunculi, or magical spirits said to predict the future.

Despite his scepticism, Michael follows a precise alchemical recipe – complete with some questionable chanting – dredged up from one of his father's old sketchbooks, in the hope of conjuring the homunculi and finally getting an answer, one way or another.

Crook was inspired to write Small Prophets after discovering "a footnote in an old book about Paracelsus, a 16th-century Swiss philosopher and alchemist". He then brought Detectorists star Pearce Quigley on board, and teamed up with animator Ainslie Henderson alongside long-time collaborator Will Anderson, of Manchester-based studio Mackinnon & Saunders, to bring the homunculi to life.

The final piece of the puzzle was the music: a melancholic, evocative original theme song and score that, alongside Crook's writing, gives the series its emotional pull.

Read more:

• Small Prophets' Pearce Quigley on Mackenzie Crook comedy: 'It's the perfect TV show'
• I'm Mackenzie Crook, and this is the 16th-century inspiration for my new comedy Small Prophets – and how we brought it to life

You can read all about the soundtrack below.

Small Prophets soundtrack

Crook told Radio Times magazine that he worked with one of his favourite artists, Cinder Well – "whose music has bewitched me for years" – to create the soundtrack.

"I think her specially composed theme tune, The Wise Man’s Song, will become a heartbreaking classic," he added. She is also hoping to release it as a single in due course.

Cinder Well, also known as Amelia Baker, is a Los Angeles-based songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist whose "starkly emotive vocals and surrealistic lyrics are framed by cinematic arrangements drawing from traditional and experimental music", as described on her website.

"It's atmospheric, haunting, and quietly powerful," said Small Prophets' Instagram page of the show's score and original theme song.

Small Prophets airs on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on Monday nights at 10pm from 9th February. All six episodes are also available to stream on iPlayer.

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