Self Esteem has recorded the theme song for Mog's Bad Thing, Channel 4's animated Christmas adaptation of Judith Kerr's picture book. The song is called I Wish That Things Could Be That Way Again. Channel 4 announced the music on November 5, with the film due to air this Christmas.
The broadcaster's announcement names Rebecca Lucy Taylor, who performs as Self Esteem, alongside composer David Arnold and lyricist Don Black. These are different jobs on the same song. Taylor recorded the vocals; Arnold wrote the music; Black wrote the lyrics. Arnold also composed the film's original score.
The song belongs to Mog's dream
Channel 4 says the theme plays over a specially animated section showing Mog's dream. The cat has hidden in the attic after doing a bad thing, while the Thomas family hosts a cat show in the garden. Her retreat means she misses the beginning of the show.
That placement gives listeners something specific to look for when the film airs. This isn't simply a singer's name attached to a Christmas programme: the announcement identifies a sequence in which the song helps tell the story. It doesn't, however, provide a track length or let us judge the finished recording. We have not heard or reviewed it.
The distinction between the theme and the score matters too. Arnold's score credit covers music for the film, while the named theme has its own vocal and lyric credits. Taylor's involvement should not be read as a claim that she composed the entire soundtrack.
Our guide to scores and soundtrack albums explains why music within a screen work and an audio release sold separately need checking on their own terms. A confirmed television song does not by itself give us an album track list.
Christmas is the window, not a confirmed broadcast time
Lupus Films is making the hand-drawn animation, directed by Robin Shaw and written by Joanna Harrison. Returning cast members include narrator Adjoa Andoh, Benedict Cumberbatch as Mr Thomas and Claire Foy as Mrs Thomas. Their credits place the music announcement within the film's wider production.
For a viewing reminder, the confirmed UK detail is Channel 4 this Christmas. The announcement does not supply an exact day or time. Outside the UK, it names Serious Kids as the worldwide distributor for television and theatrical rights, with theatrical details still to come; it does not set one international viewing date.
There is also no standalone song or soundtrack release date in this notice. Anyone hoping to save the theme in a music app should wait for a separate listing or announcement. The film's Christmas window is useful viewing information, but it cannot yet serve as a streaming-single release date.