COMEDY classics such as the Lumberjack Song and Spam are known to millions - and they stem from the pen of an East Lancashire composer.

For Fred Tomlinson is the man responsible for the music of many of Britain's most humorous songs.

Fred, from Rawtenstall, has forged a career as a top composer for a number of TV shows as well as stage musicals.

But his work with the Monty Python team has been highlighted after Eric Idle's musical Spamalot, based on the film the Holy Grail opened in London.

Fred worked with Idle, John Cleese and Co between 1969 and 1972 and not only wrote the music but appeared in a number of sketches.

He even appeared on Top of the Pops in the early 1990s as part of the backing group as the Pythons sang Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, from the film Life of Brian.

Fred, now 78, also produced material for the Two Ronnies, Dad's Army, Are You Being Served? and Only Fools and Horses.

He said: "I had done a few things on various programmes.

"I worked with David Croft on some episodes of Dad's Army and after that I did Are You Being Served? and I had made a bit of a name for myself.

"Michael Palin phoned me up. At the time they had not got a name for the show, it was just called the Circus.

"Michael Palin gave me a rough outline of what was the Lumber-jack Song and I arranged it.

"Over the next few years I did a few things including Spam and the Policeman sketch."

Fred, who has two older brothers Ernest, 91, - also a renowned composer who has won two Ivor Novello Awards - and Jim, 90, as well a sister Frieda, 93, grew up in Derby Terrace.

His parents May and Fred founded the Rossendale Male Voice Choir.

After he was evacuated during World War II to Thornton in Cleveleys and Cambridgeshire, Fred, who was a member of Manchester Cathedral Choir, returned to Rawtenstall to study at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School.

In 1947 he went to Leeds University to study maths where he unearthed his musical talent.

He said: "Both of my brothers went to Manchester University and I did not want to be in their shadow so I went to Leeds "Ernest was the musical one and it was not until I got to Leeds I realised how musical I was."

After completing his national service in the RAF Fred moved to London in 1953 where he got a job with George Mitchell, the man behind the Black and White Minstrel Show.

He added: "When I came out of the RAF I wanted to do something musical so I moved to London.

"Ernest was already down there and he put me in touch with various people and I got a job with George Mitchell.

"At first it was part-time, running around for him then I was made full-time and I learnt a lot about writing for choirs and quartets and composing and eventually I started getting my own bookings."

As well as working with the Pythons Fred's other material includes: Appearing as a member of the choir in the 1969 episode of Dad's Army episode The Bullet Is Not for Firing; the Morris Dancers sketch in the Two Ronnies; composing music for the Billy Cotton Bandshow which ran on TV in the 1950s and 1960s; the 1972 musical the Good Old Bad Old Days starring Anthony Newley; recreating the works of classical composer Peter Warlock who died in 1930; and whistling in the opera scene of the 1986 Only Fools and Horses Christmas special.