MADONNA, Vanessa Mae and Katie Melua have all worked with him. His music has provided the soundtrack for hit films such as Watership Down and the recent box office success Miss Potter.

But Mike Batt will always be best known as the mastermind behind the Wombles.

He wrote the theme for the series and then released it as a single performed and promoted by a pop group dressed in Womble suits. The resulting success led to more singles and even a Wombles album.

As a song writer, Batt has composed songs for Madonna and released several albums of his own music. Vanessa Mae's first album The Violin Player is full of tracks by Batt and he had major musical success with Bright Eyes the theme to Watership Down (the animated classic based on Richard Adams' novel about a group of rabbits).

Today, batt still composes and conducts music but is also making a name for himself as a producer, propelling Katie Melua to stardom with her first album Call Off the Search.

Name: Mike Batt Occupation: Composer and music producer Date of Birth: February 2, 1950 LOCAL LINK: Born in Southampton