Doctor Who – The History Mix

Here’s something that brings back memories to me – a mix of all the various versions of the Doctor Who theme tune. In the forty-odd years of the series, it’s interesting to hear how the versions reflect some of the musical fashions of the time; the "Telstar" influence is very prominent in one version. I’m not so sure about the slowed-down version of the theme; it sounds very bombastic and Nuremberg Rallyish to me.

 

I hadn’t appreciated, until I saw the credits on this, that Delia Derbyshire was responsible for the orchestration and production of the very first version, which remains as startling today as it was all those years ago. She was a terrific composer and champion of electronic music. Her theme for another BBC series, about Tutankhamun’s Egypt, continues to haunt me*.

 

 

* Unfortunately, at the time of writing, that music clip no longer seems to be available. Even though it is listed on this page, whoever is responsible for the page has put in the wrong hyperlink, so what you hear when you click on the "Tutankhamun’s Egypt" link is, in fact, Derbyshire’s "Music of the Spheres" piece.