A composer and vocalist based in Macclesfield has been nominated for a BAFTA.

Sophy Purnell is in the running for Original Music: Factual at the 2026 BAFTA Television Craft Awards.

She received the nomination for the score she produced for Moon: Nature's Secret Force, which aired on Sky Nature last year.

Sophy said: "Moon: Nature's Secret Force has been a special experience.

"The moon is a quiet yet powerful force – shaping tides, migrations and the rhythms guiding life on Earth.

"I wanted the music to feel organic, ethereal and alive, blending orchestral colour with experimental sound worlds, vocals and unique instruments such as the Yaybahar and a Moon-tuned crystal singing bowl to create something both cosmic and grounded in nature."

Sophy used a wide range of equipment when writing the score for Moon: Nature's Secret Force, which is comprised of three 55-minute episodes.

One of the most distinctive was the Yaybahar – a unique acoustic instrument with an innovative spring-based bridging system connecting its body and strings.

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She also recorded a Meinl Sonic Energy Planetary Tuned Crystal Singing Bowl, tuned using the calculations of mathematician and musicologist Hans Cousto to match the Moon's frequency (210.42 Hz).

Meanwhile, Sophy's vocals were recorded with a Neumann U87 microphone and she often improvised, experimenting with breathwork, ad-libbing, and exploring what unusual sounds she could create through vocal experimentation.

She also processed some of these recordings through 'Portal' by Output, a VST plugin that manipulates and re-synthesises audio into experimental, glitchy and dream-like textures.

Below, Sophy explains her process for creating the score for each episode in more detial.

Moon: Nature's Secret Force aired on Sky Nature last year (Credit: Supplied)

Episode one - Dining by Moonlight

Rooted in duality, Dining by Moonlight called for music navigating light and dark, beauty and strangeness, danger and stillness. I included rumbling lunar textures, harmonic twists and expressive vocals to create evolving colour and immersive soundscapes. The Waterhole became the emotional anchor – tense string textures and soundscapes with shifts in colour when the baby elephant appeared or behaviours changed under moonlight. A recurring three-note motif, the Moon's theme, reoccurs throughout the series, carrying wonder, scale and gentle gravitational pull. Film sequence Cactus & Moth is vibrant and luminous, built with rich layers and warped textures, while another sequence, Fluorescent Forest & Colugo embraced "psychedelic ninja" writing: sharp percussion, discordant tones and staccato vocals. Macaques, Plankton and Mantas move between quirky character writing, atmospheric electronics and expansive string-led beauty.

Episode two - Moonlit Romance

Focusing on courtship and timing, the music for episode two is more rhythmic and percussive with a sway of romance. Moon moments use ticking percussion, drones, bowls and vocals to convey rhythm and celestial steadiness. The Arctic Fox storyline becomes the emotional centre point of the episode, with motifs evolving across seasons. Solo cello, icy strings and breath-like textures evoke the landscape, while warmer, playful writing highlights cubs' innocence. Nurse Sharks required a delicate but dynamic approach – subtle violin motifs for her vulnerability while rising percussion builds tension. Sage Grouse and Tree Frogs bring playful, romantic colours. The Grunions push into bold electronic tones, softening when hatchlings emerge and I wanted the Coral sequence to sound like a shimmering "cosmic symphony", honouring lunar-led renewal.

Episode three - Guided by the Moon

The final episode covers delicacy, drama and character-led storytelling. I drew on mystery, tenderness and tension in The Alpine Newt, Japanese Shield Bug, Nightjar and Dung Beetle sequences through rich orchestration and expressive vocals. For the Humpback Mother and Calf, a five-note motif begins with my vocals and expands as the calf matures. Leatherback Turtles blend emotive instrumentation with synths and staccato vocals to echo their magnetic sensitivity and "Moon Moments" are expansive and dramatic, using the Yaybahar, reverb-washed vocals and deep percussion to evoke aurora, volcanic energy and the vast scale of lunar influence"

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