Pet Shop Boys have collaborated with Alan Turing biographer Andrew Hodges on a musical composition including songs, spoken word and electronic and orchestral music. Called A Man from the Future, the work explores eight significant chapters in the life and death of Alan Turing.
Alongside music and lyrics by Pet Shop Boys is a narration, spoken by actress Juliet Stevenson, taken from Andrew Hodges’ book Alan Turing: the Enigma, which has been edited and extended by Neil Tennant and Andrew Hodges. The music is a combination of electronics and strings with string arrangements by Sven Helbig performed by the Manchester Camerata Octet. Boys from Manchester Grammar School choir also sing on four tracks. The album was produced by Pet Shop Boys and Sven Helbig.
The eight tracks explore the life, death and influence of the pioneering British mathematician and cryptanalyst who laid the foundations of modern computing. Turing’s story unfolds chronologically from his school days, with his initial interest in mathematics and science and his realisation of his sexuality, to his university days at Cambridge, his leading role working for the British Government unlocking the German Enigma machine’s encrypted messages during World War II, his place in the invention of the digital computer, his prediction of Artificial Intelligence, his trial and conviction for a homosexual relationship, and then his suicide in 1954.
The last track features a passage recorded by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown from his 2009 statement acknowledging Turing’s ground-breaking work in helping the UK win the war and apologising for the inhumane treatment he received when he was convicted under homophobic laws, which is followed by the posthumous royal pardon granted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2013. The final words evoke the significance of his work for today’s digital world, and leave the listener with questions for the future.
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe originally wrote the work with Andrew Hodges in 2012-13 and performed it with the BBC Concert Orchestra and the BBC Singers at a late-night BBC Prom in July 2014 at the Royal Albert Hall. Over a decade later they decided to revise the piece to give it more of an electronic emphasis and Sven Helbig suggested reworking his orchestrations in a more intimate arrangement for eight string players. Andrew Hodges suggested updates to the spoken text.
Pet Shop Boys say: “Our motive in creating this work was to make a musical memorial to Alan Turing who gave so much to his country and the world and was rewarded for it by being prosecuted for his sexuality. Alan made a massive contribution to the defeat of Germany in World War II and was a pioneer of computing, imagining a world with intelligent computers. He also looked forward to a time when being gay would be accepted as normal. In both his professional and private lives, he was ahead of his time.”
The BBC will premiere A man from the future as a world exclusive this October. BBC Radio 6 Music will broadcast the 2026 edition on Sunday 4th October within Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone (8-10pm), and Stuart will hear from Pet Shop Boys and Andrew Hodges about the creative process behind the reworking, and their interest in blending electronic and orchestral music. The piece will then broadcast on BBC Radio 3 later that evening within Unclassified (11.30pm-12.30am) as the Pet Shop Boys and Andrew Hodges join presenter Elizabeth Alker in the studio to reflect on the original performance and its 2026 evolution. Both programmes will be available on BBC Sounds for 30 days after transmission. Audiences outside the UK can listen live on bbc.com/audio.
Pet Shop Boys and Andrew Hodges will also take part in a listening and conversation event for A man from the future on Thursday 8th October at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester. The museum explores the impact of conflict and the individuals whose actions helped shape the modern world, and has an Enigma machine on display, creating a powerful connection to Turing’s pioneering wartime work. The event will feature a full playback of the album followed by a discussion about the work by Pet Shop Boys and Andrew Hodges. Tickets for the event go on sale on Monday 7th September at 10am BST here. The conversation will also be filmed and made available online shortly afterwards.
Pet Shop Boys “A Man from the Future”
Tracklist:
1. Natural wonders every child should know
2. He dreamed of machines
3. The Enigma
4. Other ranks
5. The memory and the control
6. The trial
7. Only in his death
8. A man from the future
When is Pet Shop Boys album ” A Man from the Future ” released??
“A Man from the Future” is released on 9th October and can be pre-ordered now. It will be available on vinyl, CD, Blu-ray audio and digitally.
Photo credit: Eva Pentel
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