Ok so I am a bit of a noob at these kinds of games and I am getting killed very, veeeery quickly. I could do with some beginner tips! :)

When it comes to BG1, two words above all for beginners: ranged weapons. You get 2 attacks per round with a bow, and you also get to keep the big bad wolves away from your toon's delicate hide. I know kiting is lame/cheesy, but if you really are struggling, that is the way to go.

This. Absolutely this. Also, if you've noticed, the game is over if your character dies. It can be helpful to let your companions engage enemies first (if you're a melee class) and then you chip away at their health with a bow from afar, or a specialized weapon if that's your thing.

But the ranged thing is so helpful it bears repeating. Give everyone a ranged attack option - bows are great because of the 2 attacks per round, and magical slings aren't too hard to come by either.

Also, stay on the main road until you've picked up more party members - going off into the wilderness is dangerous at low levels but you can return with more help/higher levels and be more successful

And don't be afraid to run away, especially at low levels. Novice adventurers make tasty morsels.

So if I restart my game what would get me a good start?

Restarting is probably not necessary; the first two or three levels are pretty bullshitty regardless of what you do because almost anything can one-hit-kill some of your more fragile characters. It's probably best to just keep your distance from enemies (i.e. using ranged weapons) until you hit level 3 or 4. Do a few quests; they give decent XP on top of what you get from killing enemies, so it's win-win.

Telling us your race/class wouldn't hurt either. Fighters and paladins have it much easier early on compared to thieves, mages and the like. Also making you sure you start with some decent ability scores helps!

I don't mean to be a pain but don't suppose you can recommend some ability scores etc. I am going to restart anyway so more help the better :)

You really should read the manual that comes with the game to get some idea of the rules involved. However, as a general guide:

High Strength needed for Fighters/Paladins/Rangers/Barbarians.
High Dexterity needed for Thieves/Ranged fighters/Armour Class and Reaction adjustment
High Constitution needed for Fighters (non fighter classes get NO bonus from CON above 16)
High Intelligence needed for Mages.
High Wisdom needed for Priests/Druids.
High Charisma needed for Paladins/Bards/NPC influence (shop prices etc.)

What class/race do you want to play?

IIRC, Fighters make pretty badass archers in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, way better than Rangers.

For an archer just create a fighter with strength, dex and con (and if possible cha) maxed, put 2 proficiency points into bows (add a 3rd point at level 3), buy a composite longbow and arrows, you start with 2.5 attacks per round for 5-10 damage each.

This would fit right in with the great advice given earlier in the thread (i.e. using ranged weapons, at least at the beginning). I'd suggest a Fighter with pips in ranged weapons and a melee weapon. This will be a hardier character in the beginning than a spell caster due to more HPs and will allow you a much better survival chance. If you want, you can go with a Human character and after level 3 or so, when you have a good pool of hit points, you could dual class to a mage (only humans can dual class).

Be aware though that you lose all your Fighter abilities until your mage level surpasses your Fighter level (so if you dual class when your character reaches level 3 Fighter, you won't have your Fighter abilities restored until you hit mage level 4). This can be a decent option though if you really want to play a caster but have trouble surviving at lower levels.

You need to set your character up properly for this to be possible though. To dual class, you must have a score of at least 15 in the primary stat of your base class and 17 in your intended second class. In the case of the FTR/Mage, that means at least 15 in STR and 17 INT for the character.

Once you gain back your Fighter abilities, keep in mind you still can't cast spells while wearing armor, but you'll get your weapon proficiencies back and you can make a pretty effective self-buffing melee character or a decent spell-chucking archer, whichever strikes your fancy. It's a fun way to go.