Patrick Bennett set a record this year and is hoping to build on his success
Patrick Bennett was surprised when he received an unexpected phone call from his agent(Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
A teenager made television history without even realising it. Patrick Bennett, 19, from Liverpool city centre, was encouraged by his dad Greg to try his hand at the guitar as a child after it became clear any dreams of being a footballer wouldn’t be realised.
Patrick went on to study music at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA). Though he is from Cambridge originally, he has many family members from Merseyside.
At the start of the year, Patrick got a phone call from his agent Roag Best, a Liverpool musician and brother of former Beatle Pete Best. Roag told him Colin McKeown, who leads Liverpool-based LA Productions, was happy for him to write the music of a few scenes for series two of its BBC crime drama Granite Harbour.
Colin was so impressed by Patrick’s work he asked him to score the entire series. However, the teenager had to keep this secret from everyone bar close family given he was seeing full episodes before their official broadcast. In May he was finally able to talk about his role in the show.
Speaking to the ECHO this month about that phone call, Patrick said: “It was mad. I’d just come out of a lecture. I was standing outside the gates and Roag rang me up and the first thing he said wasn’t hello. It was, ‘an amazing opportunity had just come your way’.
“Those were his exact words. I said, ‘what?’ And then he just explained it all. I wasn’t expecting it all to come so soon but it did. It’s just the best thing ever. It’s my dream.”
When Granite Harbour was released in May, Patrick’s story made headlines as he was dubbed the youngest composer in British broadcasting history. However, the musician says he was completely unaware of this statistic until a few months into his role.
Patrick said: ”I wasn’t aware of it at all when I started. It was actually Roag who told me when we were nearly done and the music was getting finalised. He said, ‘I’ve done some research and you’re going to be the youngest composer in British television history.’ And I was like, ‘you’re joking?’ Then the media caught on and it all kicked off, but it was amazing.
“I wasn’t onto it at all initially. My head was in the music, and I was just focused on that, because at the end of the day, the most important thing is the project and the music. All the other bits are just bonuses.”
Patrick Bennett was unaware that he had made history(Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
Patrick is still studying at LIPA as well as sitting in talks about scoring other projects. He also hopes to release his own music on streaming platforms soon. He has had to adjust to his new found responsibilities though.
Patrick said: “It is quite surreal. There are moments where you think, this is too good to be true. But I just had to overcome that kind of nervousness and just crack on because this is exactly what I want to do in my life. This is my thing and I love it.”
Looking back, Patrick is delighted he listened to his dad when he suggested getting into music and has been able to prove his doubters wrong. He said: “I picked up a guitar when I was 10 and I’ve never thought of anything else.
“There were no backups, no plan B’s, nothing. I just put my head straight into the music. There’s a long way to go yet, I think at the moment it’s going pretty well. My dad was very encouraging of me as were lots of others. I had the odd teacher and the odd person who said, no you can’t do that.
“I had a music teacher at school who told me I was a one trick pony and a waste of space, and that I wasn’t going to be a musician. I was only like 14, 15. I think in those moments you can’t just shy away and you can’t get disheartened. I could have just given up then. But I just thought, no way, I can show him. Now I I have, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Patrick is relishing being part of Liverpool’s burgeoning creative scene too and was invited to speak on a panel at the Sound City music conference last year. He also feels he is learning from the best with Roag.
Patrick said “I was chucked in the deep end but the film and the TV scene here is just massive and I wasn’t aware of it when I moved up. All these different opportunities that have just risen from that. It’s fantastic.
“I love working with Roag. He’s to the point. He knows what he’s doing. He’s the best critic ever. I’m eternally grateful because none of this would have happened without Roag.
“We’re going to have a great time on this wonderful, creative journey. There’s a long way to go yet but I think at the moment it’s going pretty well. I can’t wait, it’s going to be fantastic.”