The British comedy composer Steve Brown, who collaborated with the likes of Harry Hill, Steve Coogan and Lenny Henry, has died aged 66 from lung disease, his agent announced.
Brown was a cast member of the BBC Radio 4 comedy sketch series In One Ear before he went on to write many of the songs for Spitting Image in the late 1980s and the 1990s.
He played the fictional bandleader Glenn Ponder in Steve Coogan’s Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge, and continued to work with Coogan, including on two UK tours.
Brown also worked and appeared extensively with Rory Bremner during that time, completing UK tours and the BBC series The Rory Bremner Show. He wrote a number of songs for BBC 2’s Dead Ringers, appearing briefly as Noel Gallagher , and acted as MD for impressionists Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona.
Devastated to share the news that our much loved client Steve Brown has passed away.
— Vivienne Clore (@CloreClients) February 3, 2024
Sod fibrosis lung disease. pic.twitter.com/W7eY2wM6bj
“Devastated to share the news that our much loved client Steve Brown has passed away,” agent Vivienne Clore wrote on X on Saturday. “Sod fibrosis lung disease.”
Brown also composed music for children’s TV shows like Playaway, Play Schooland My Parents Are Aliens, and his creativity encompassed jingles. In 1995, Brown composed the theme tune for The Ant & Dec Show on Children’s BBC, and later worked on their SMTV Live programme as well as ITV show Saturday Night Takeaway.
Other TV programmes Brown worked on included Lee Mack’s Not Going Out, The Brian Conley Show, BBC 1 series New Tricks and Lenny Henry goes to Town.
He also provided all the music and arrangements for Harry Hill’s shows, films and live work from 1997. The pair collaborated on I Can’t Sing!: The X Factor Musical, which premiered at the London Palladium in 2013, and TONY!: The Tony Blair Rock Opera, which premiered at London’s Park Theatre before a run at the Edinburgh festival fringe in 2023 and a UK tour.
Brown’s other stage work included the West End musical Spend Spend Spend. He also produced two UK Top 10 records – Rumer’s Seasons of My Soul and Laura Mvula’s Sing To The Moon.
The composer leaves two sons, standup comedian Alfie Brown and musician Lenny Brown, from his first marriage to Dead Ringers star Jan Ravens. In 2010 he remarried, to actor Deborah Cornelius, with whom he lived with his stepdaughter, Manon.
Those paying tribute on social media included impressionist Kate Robbins, who said: “Steve Brown was a one-off talent. So funny, witty and kind, too. He will be much missed.”
Comedy writer and performer Michael Fenton Stevens said: “So sad to hear that the brilliant Steve Brown has died. He was a unique talent and a lovely friend. Honoured to have known him.”
