Sir Paul McCartney on his debut ballet score

Sir Paul McCartney, whose debut ballet score has premiered in New York, has admitted that he has scant knowledge of the art form.

The musician, speaking exclusively to BBC arts editor Will Gompertz, said: "I don't know much about ballet... I kind of know Swan Lake and The Nutcracker."

He said he had accepted the challenge to write music for Ocean's Kingdom because he wanted to try something he had never done before.

The ballet, choreographed by Peter Martins, master-in-chief of the New York City Ballet, tells the story of an underwater romance.