Radiohead guitarist given BBC role

Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood will become the BBC's new composer in residence and will write a new work for one of its radio stations.

Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood will become the BBC's new composer in residence and will write a new work for one of its radio stations.

The assignment, expected to last three years, will allow Greenwood to use the BBC's musical resources, including the BBC Concert Orchestra.

His manager, Bryce Edge, said on Tuesday that the appointment would allow him to learn how an orchestra works. "He will have access to the resources, the archives, the scores" Mr Edge said. "He will be able to workshop things he has written with the full orchestra. It is an incredibly flexible arrangement."

The role was previously held by Anne Dudley, keyboard player for the 80s ambient band Art of Noise and the winner of a 1997 Oscar for composing the score of the comedy The Full Monty.

The Radiohead guitarist is a trained viola player but has not been educated in classical composition. He is committed to writing a piece for the BBC, to his own length and style.

He will remain a member of Radiohead, a popular band known for its unique cacophonies of rock-pop-electronica.