For once, an Eastenders happy ending

THE composer of the Eastenders theme tune has bought back his original handwritten score after it had been lost for 21 years.

Simon May wrote the music in 1985 and considered it lost until he discovered it was for sale at Hansons Auctioneers in Etwall, Derbys.

The composer, from Guildford, Surrey, who had forgotten he had donated the sheet music to a charity auction in 1999, fought off bids from Eastenders fans to secure the music for £460.

May, 75, said: “It was really exciting to bid at auction. I’d never done it before. I’m surprised the price went so high, but I suppose there are a lot of Eastenders fans out there.

“I’m really pleased to get it back. It was an important extract from the E8 musical manuscript. Now it can be returned to my family archives. I’d realised it was missing but I thought I’d lost it. It’s part of my family history.”

In the letter of authenticity, dated May 1999 and sold with the lot, May wrote: “One of my original sketched pages written in 1985 for E8, as it was then called before being renamed Eastenders. Also a recent signed CD of mine which includes music from Eastenders, Howards’ Way and Trainer.”

Auctioneer Charles Hanson said: “I’m delighted we’ve helped to reunite Simon with his music. The seller was absolutely delighted to hear the music had gone back to him.”

May’s theme tune hit the charts with a vocal version by Anita Dobson, the actress who played Angie Watts until 1988.

He also co-wrote the chart-topping Every Loser Wins, performed by Nick Berry, another Eastenders actor, for which he won an Ivor Novello Award.