Mark Kermode: In Conversation with Jenny Nelson – York Theatre Royal

The stage at York Theatre Royal has seen its fair share of illustrious performers over the decades, including Martin Shaw, Judi Dench, and countless others. But on a crisp November evening, as part of the fifteenth Aesthetica Short Film Festival in the city of York, it hosted a different kind of performance act with Mark Kermode: In Conversation with Jenny Nelson.

Under the theatre’s grand roof, the audience gathered for an event that was equal parts masterclass and equal parts warm, witty fan convention. Kermode, one of Britain’s most recognisable film critics, was joined by broadcaster and fellow cinephile Jenny Nelson to discuss their new co-authored book, Surround Sound: Conversations with Filmmakers About Music (2025). The book, ten years in the making, explores the relationship between film and music through interviews with 45 composers. As Kermode joked, “It was like trying to nail jelly to a wall. On my own, it would never have happened. Thankfully, Jenny kept us on track, even managing to have a baby in the middle of writing up the manuscript.”

For both Kermode and Nelson, film scores aren’t merely accompaniment. Citing examples like The Lord of the Rings trilogy, film music can evoke an impression of another world, even before the director has revealed the entire film setting. Both discussed how music can evoke atmosphere and character, sometimes doing more narrative work than dialogue. As Kermode put it, “The best film music makes you feel before you even understand why.”

That sense of childlike wonder and enthusiasm for film still defines Kermode’s relationship to cinema. Listeners of his radio shows and podcasts will recognise Kermode’s style. He’s encyclopedic in his knowledge with a vivid verbal style that is quick to riff on audience questions and responses. When a local audience member reminded him that composer John Barry was a York native, Kermode feigned embarrassment at overlooking the fact and paid tribute to York’s musically rich history.

The pair’s conversation moved fluidly between anecdotes from their interviews with composers and critiques of the films that they composed for. They discussed David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia, whose majestic score was famously added at the last minute (1962). They also mentioned more contemporary composers, including Hildur Guðnadóttir, whose work on Joker (2019) and Tár (2022) has influenced modern cinema scores. Nelson and Kermode also touched on the industry’s systemic biases, recalling one composer’s account of being told that “women don’t have the muscle to score a Bond film.” Kermode singled out Laura Karpman, composer of American Fiction (2023), as someone helping to shatter those outdated assumptions.

Part of the evening’s charm lay in the way Kermode bridged the gap between critic and performer. Talking about his band, The Dodge Brothers, and their long-running collaborations with silent film accompanist Neil Brand, he described the thrill of performing live scores: “You’re improvising to an image that’s a hundred years old. It’s like dancing with a ghost.”

No Kermode appearance would be complete without a few good Exorcist references, and he didn’t disappoint. “The only good thing about Exorcist II,” he quipped, “is the music.” But he also made space to praise Angelo Badalamenti’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me score, which he described as “melancholy wrapped in menace.”

Throughout, Nelson’s insight and curiosity anchored the conversation, steering it through the sprawling terrain of film music with a broadcaster’s sense of timing. The pair clearly share not just professional respect but a deep friendship rooted in their mutual love of cinema. This friendship, perhaps, was the real heart of the evening. The conversation was an unabashed celebration of cinema and music and the peculiar magic that happens when the two truly enhance each other into something memorable. When Kermode opened the floor to audience questions with a grin and a warning – “Believe me, we can talk for hours” – he wasn’t exaggerating.

By the time the applause died down, it was clear the event had hit a perfect note. Mark Kermode in Conversation with Jenny Nelson wasn’t just a plug for a new book; it was a reminder of why film fans fall in love with films in the first place. The conversation brimmed with film trivia to delight any film fan and was shared with enthusiasm and memorable humour.

Reviewed on 7 November 2025