‘The Lord of the Rings’ voted nation’s favourite film score in Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame
https://www.classicfm.com/composers/shore/lord-of-the-rings-voted-best-film-score
Howard Shore, award-winning Canadian composer of The Lord of the Rings, said it’s “an honour” to have his music voted the nation’s favourite.
Howard Shore’s blockbuster score to The Lord of the Rings trilogy has been voted the nation’s most popular film music!
On Monday 25 August we unveiled the Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame in partnership with Radio Times, a countdown of the nation’s 100 favourite film scores featuring nine hours of epic music which captured the memories and emotions of cinema’s best loved movies.
More than 10,000 votes were cast in this year’s chart, and the number one was revealed just before 7pm by Jonathan Ross. The countdown will be available via catch up on Global Player for seven days.
Since its release in 2001, The Lord of the Rings trilogy has enjoyed phenomenal worldwide success, becoming one of the highest grossing film series ever and winning the hearts of Middle-earth fans across the world. This is the third consecutive year that Shore’s multi award-winning score has been voted the nation’s favourite.
Howard Shore said: “It’s an honour that The Lord of the Rings has topped the Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame for the third year running. I’m deeply grateful to all the Classic FM listeners who voted. It is wonderful that audiences continue to enjoy this musical journey through J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, and I am thrilled the music resonates so strongly today.”
The Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame 2025 has also revealed the chart’s most dramatic climbs. John Williams’ iconic score for the film Jaws, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, has jumped 27 places to number 13. When it was released in 1975, Steven Spielberg’s groundbreaking film won three Academy Awards, including one for Williams’ score. To mark the movie’s monumental milestone, the original blockbuster has been re-released in cinemas, including IMAX.
Michael Giacchino’s score for the 2009 Disney Pixar animation Up also jumped 27 places to No.66.
Although John Williams narrowly missed out on the chart’s number one, he took both second and third places with his seminal themes for Schindler’s List and Star Wars respectively. Jurassic Park – another legendary score from John Williams – is at number five. The latest film in the franchise, Jurassic World: Rebirth, was released last month, featuring a score that pays homage to Williams’ original theme.
This year, both Hans Zimmer and John Williams celebrate joint first place as the nation’s favourite film music composers, with 11 entries each in the countdown. Williams has three entries in the top 10 alone, and Hans Zimmer has two, with Interstellar up seven places to number nine. The launch of his new orchestral tour The World of Hans Zimmer – A New Dimension next month is testament to the growing popularity of his music.
The top 10 also features acclaimed composers John Barry (Dances with Wolves, Out of Africa) and Ennio Morricone (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). Plus, Classic FM’s Composer in Residence Debbie Wiseman reenters the Top 10 with her music to Wilde.
New entries for 2025 include Stephen Schwartz’s Wicked, fresh from its major-screen adaptation, entering the chart at number 55. Mission: Impossible has also made its first chart entry in the Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame, boosted by the release of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which was billed as the franchise’s finale.
Jonathan Ross, who presents Classic FM’s twice weekly film music programme Classic FM at the Movies, said: “The Lord of the Rings is legendary in every sense, the storytelling, the world-building, and of course, Howard Shore’s unforgettable music. It’s a score that sweeps you away to another world, and I’m not surprised that our listeners have crowned it number one again.”
The Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame 2025 – top 20:
- The Lord of the Rings – Howard Shore
- Schindler’s List – John Williams
- Star Wars – John Williams
- Gladiator – Hans Zimmer
- Jurassic Park – John Williams
- Out of Africa – John Barry
- Dances with Wolves – John Barry
- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – Ennio Morricone
- Interstellar – Hans Zimmer
- Wilde – Debbie Wiseman
- Chariots of Fire – Vangelis
- Harry Potter – John Williams
- Jaws – John Williams
- The Mission – Ennio Morricone
- The Godfather – Nino Rota
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl – Klaus Badelt
- Titanic – James Horner
- Doctor Zhivago – Maurice Jarre
- How to Train Your Dragon – John Powell
- Indiana Jones – John Williams
Explore the full Top 100 here, and catch up with the countdown on Global Player.
