The Doctor Who theme music was created in 1963, composed by Ron Grainer and "realised" with electronics by Delia Derbyshire of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. The theme was one of the first electronic music signature tunes for television. Its haunting and ethereal sound has become as indelibly associated with the programme as the TARDIS or the Daleks, and the theme has endured over four decades. Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC about a mysterious time-travelling adventurer known only as The Doctor, who explores time and space with his companions, fighting evil. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Ron Grainer (August 11, 1922 in Atherton, Queensland, Australia - February 21, 1981), Australian born composer who worked for most of his professional career in the United Kingdom. ... Delia Derbyshire (May 5, 1937 - July 3, 2001) was a British musician and composer who was a pioneer of electronic music. ... The BBC Radiophonic Workshop, one of the sound effects units of the BBC, was created in 1958 to produce effects and new music for radio, and was closed in March 1998, although much of its traditional work had already been outsourced by 1995. ... Electronic music is a term for music created using electronic devices. ... The Third Doctor emerging from the TARDIS in the 1970 serial Spearhead from Space. ... The Daleks (pronounced DAH-lecks; IPA: ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ...

History

1960s

The original 1963 arrangement of the Doctor Who theme is widely regarded as a significant and innovative piece of electronic music. Recorded before the introduction of synthesisers, Delia Derbyshire used musique concrète techniques. Each and every note was painstakingly handcrafted using pre-recorded individually struck piano strings as well as electronic equipment such as wave signal generators, noise generators, filters and square- and sine-wave oscillators (which were themselves rare at the time), with the results pitch-shifted if necessary. Finally each note, on magnetic tape, was cut up and joined together in the correct order. Musique concrète (French; literally, concrete music), is the name given to a class of electronic music produced from editing together fragments of natural and industrial sounds. ... Oscillation is the periodic variation, typically in time, of some measure as seen, for example, in a swinging pendulum. ...

Grainer was amazed at the resulting piece of music and when he heard it, famously asked, "Did I write that?". Derbyshire replied that he mostly had. Unfortunately, the BBC — who wanted to keep members of the Workshop anonymous — prevented Grainer from getting her a co-composer credit and a share of the royalties.

The theme can be divided into several distinctive parts. A rhythmic bassline opens and underlies the theme throughout, followed by a rising and falling set of notes that forms the main melody which is repeated several times. The bridge, also known as the "middle 8", is an uplifting interlude that usually features in the closing credits or the full version of the theme. During the early years of the series, however, the middle 8 was also often heard during the opening credits (most notably in the first episode, An Unearthly Child). In popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section. ... An Unearthly Child (also known as 100,000 BC, among other titles, see below) is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 23 November to 14 December 1963. ...

The theme has been often cited as being both memorable as well as frightening, priming the viewer for what was to follow. During the 1970s, the Radio Times, the BBC's own listings magazine, announced that a child's mother said the theme music terrified her son. The Radio Times was apologetic, but the theme music remained. Current Radio Times logo Radio Times is the BBCs weekly television and radio programme listings magazine. ...

Derbyshire created two arrangements in 1963: the first was released as a single, but was rejected by the producers. The second arrangement was used on the first episode of the programme. The two 1963 arrangements served, with minor edits and additions requested by the producers — most notably the addition of reverberation during the Patrick Troughton era and an "electronic scream" at the start of the closing credits during the Jon Pertwee years — as the theme tune up to 1980 and the end of Season 17. In 2002, Mark Ayres used Derbyshire's original masters to mix a full stereo version of the theme. Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor Patrick George Troughton (March 25, 1920 – March 28, 1987) was a versatile and prolific British actor best known in his role as the second incarnation of the Doctor in the long running British sci-fi TV series Doctor Who, which he played from 1966... John Devon Roland Pertwee (July 7, 1919–May 20, 1996), better known as Jon Pertwee, was a British actor. ... This is a list of Doctor Who television serials. ...

1970s

During the Third Doctor's era beginning in 1970, the "sting", an electronic shriek, was added to punctuate the episode cliffhangers and serve as a lead-in to the closing theme. A few episodes such as Spearhead from Space also used a slight rearrangement of the Derbyshire theme for the closing credits; the "middle 8" section was not heard very often during the Third Doctor era; during the era of the Fourth Doctor, the "middle 8" was usually only heard during the closing credits of the final episode of the season. For unexplained reasons, the first three serials of Season 8 reverted to the 1967 arrangement before reinstating the Third Doctor's arrangement for the last two serials of that year. The Third Doctor is the name given to the third incarnation of the Doctor seen on screen in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. ... A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in which a movie, novel, or other work of fiction contains an abrupt ending, often leaving the main characters in a precarious or difficult situation. ... Spearhead from Space is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from January 3 to January 24, 1970. ... The Fourth Doctor is the name given to the fourth incarnation of the Doctor seen on screen in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. ... This is a list of Doctor Who television serials. ...

In 1972, there was an attempt by Brian Hodgson and Paddy Kingsland, with Delia Derbyshire acting as producer, to modernise the theme tune using the Radiophonic Workshop's modular "Delaware" synthesiser (named after the Workshop's location at Delaware Road). The "Delaware" arrangement, which had a distinct Jew's harp sound, was not well received by BBC executives and was abandoned, with the master tapes being lost and the episodes that used it redubbed with the old Derbyshire arrangement. However, the Delaware version was accidentally left on some episodes which were sold to Australia, and survives today in this form. (The complete version of this arrangement of the music is included as an extra on the DVD release of Carnival of Monsters.) Brian Hodgson is a British television composer and sound technician. ... Paddy Kingsland is a composer of electronic music best known for his incidental music for science fiction series on BBC radio and TV, including two versions of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: the second radio series and the TV adaptation, as well as several serials of Doctor Who. ... The EMS Synthi 100 was a large synthesizer made by Electronic Music Studios (London) Ltd. ... Jews harp, from an American Civil War camp near Winchester, Virginia The Jews harp is one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. ... An assortment of Region 1 and Region 2 Doctor Who DVD releases. ... Carnival of Monsters is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from January 27 to February 17, 1973. ...

1980s

In 1980, the show's new producer, John Nathan-Turner, wanted to modernise the theme music for Season 18. Radiophonic Workshop staffer Peter Howell provided a new arrangement performed on analogue synthesisers, giving a more dynamic and glossy, but less haunting feel. Its bassline was created on a Yamaha CS-80 synthesizer, with added echo. The 1980 arrangement added the sting to the opening theme as well, while the "middle 8" was included in the closing theme arrangement of all episodes. John Nathan-Turner. ... This is a list of Doctor Who television serials. ... Peter Howell is a television composer who is best known for his work on Doctor Who. ... An analog synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. ... The Yamaha CS-80 was an analog polyphonic synthesizer (first marketed in 1977) that represented a milestone in the history of sound synthesis. ...

The Howell theme was eventually replaced by a new arrangement by Dominic Glynn for Season 23's The Trial of a Time Lord (1986). This synthesizer-driven version was arranged to sound more mysterious than previous renditions, but was only used for this single season of the series. Dominic Glynn is a British composer, known for his new arrangement of the Doctor Who theme music which served as the series theme for Season 23 of the programme. ... This is a list of Doctor Who television serials. ... The Trial of a Time Lord is the name used on screen for all fourteen episodes comprising the 23rd season (1986) of the original Doctor Who series. ...

The Glynn arrangement was itself replaced by a new arrangement by Keff McCulloch for the Seventh Doctor's era beginning with Season 24 (1987), with the sting in this version being replaced by a crashing note instead of a shriek. Nathan-Turner stated that the new music, logo and title sequence were to signal a fresh start to the programme. This was the first version of the theme since the arrangement used in 1963-66 to incorporate the "middle 8" into the opening credits. Keff McCulloch is a British composer. ... The Seventh Doctor is the name given to the seventh incarnation of the Doctor seen on screen in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. ... This is a list of Doctor Who television serials. ...

1990s

The 1996 Doctor Who television Movie used a fully orchestrated version, arranged by John Debney (although Debney later revealed that he had originally intended to replace the original theme with one of his own design). This contained a new introduction, being a quieter piece of music over which part of the Eighth Doctor's (Paul McGann) opening narration was read, building up to a crescendo as it began with the "middle 8", a departure from previous versions of the theme. Doctor Who is a television movie based on the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... John Debney (born Glendale, California, 18 August 1956) is a prolific American film composer who received an Oscar nomination for his score for Mel Gibson`s The Passion of the Christ. ... The Eighth Doctor is the name given to the eighth incarnation of the Doctor seen on screen in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. ... Paul McGann Paul McGann (born November 14, 1959 in Surrey) is an English actor who made his name on the BBC serial The Monocled Mutineer, in which he played the lead role. ... In music, dynamics refers to the volume or loudness of the sound or note, in particular to the range from soft (quiet) to loud. ...

2000s

Murray Gold's arrangement of the theme for the 2005 series featured samples from the 1963 original with further elements added, including orchestral sounds (low horns, strings, percussion) and part of the Dalek ray-gun and TARDIS materialisation sound effects. The sting once again served as the lead-in to the theme, but Gold omitted the "middle 8" from both the opening and closing credits. Murray Gold (born 1969, Portsmouth, England) is a British composer for stage, film, and television. ... This is a list of Doctor Who television serials. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with energy weapon. ...

Gold created a variation on his arrangement for the closing credits of The Christmas Invasion which was performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Unlike his arrangement for the 2005 series, this version restored the "middle 8"; it was also used for the closing credits of the 2006 series. The Christmas Invasion is a 60-minute special episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... The BBC National Orchestra of Wales is the main full scale professional orchestra in Wales. ... This is a list of Doctor Who television serials. ...

A soundtrack of Gold's incidental music is in development. A release date has not yet been set.^[1]

Remixes, remakes, inspirations and references

In the early 1970s, Jon Pertwee recorded a version of the Doctor Who theme, with spoken lyrics, entitled "Who Is The Doctor". John Devon Roland Pertwee (July 7, 1919–May 20, 1996), better known as Jon Pertwee, was a British actor. ...

In 1988, the band The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (later known as The KLF) released the single "Doctorin' the Tardis" under the name The Timelords. The song used samples from Doctor Who, Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll (Part 1)" (or possibly "Rock and Roll (Part 2)" — the sections used are not specific enough to tell), and Sweet's "Blockbuster", with lyrics chanting about the Doctor, the TARDIS, and Daleks. "Doctorin' the Tardis" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 12 June, and also charted highly in Australia and New Zealand. The song, along with "Rock and Roll (Part 2)", was combined with Green Day's "Holiday" for "Dr. Who on Holiday", a track on the mash up album American Edit. The Justified Ancients of Mummu is one of the two protagonist secret societies in the Illuminatus! series of books by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. ... The KLF (also known as The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, The Timelords and other names) were one of the seminal bands of the British acid house movement during the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Doctorin the Tardis was a 1988 electronic novelty pop single by The Timelords (Time Boy and Lord Rock, aliases of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, now better known as The KLF). ... Doctorin the Tardis The Timelords was the name used by UK sampling outfit The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu for their 1988 novelty pop single Doctorin the Tardis, a No. ... Gary Glitter on the cover of a Greatest Hits album. ... Sweet (referred to as The Sweet on albums before 1974 and singles before 1975) were a popular 1970s British rock band. ... The Third Doctor emerging from the TARDIS in the 1970 serial Spearhead from Space. ... The Daleks (pronounced DAH-lecks; IPA: ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... June 12 is the 163rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (164th in leap years), with 202 days remaining. ... Green Day is a rockpunk band from California, consisting of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool. ... Holiday is a rock song written by singer Billie Joe Armstrong for his band Green Days seventh studio album American Idiot (2004). ... Bastard pop is a musical genre which, in its purest form, consists of the combination (usually by digital means) of the music from one song with the acapella from another. ... The mash-up album American Edit, whose creators Party Ben and team9 took the shared alias Dean Gray, pays tribute to the acclaimed Green Day album American Idiot, and was acclaimed as a landmark release in its own genre. ...

Other bands have covered or reinterpreted the Doctor Who theme, such as the electronica band Orbital, the bands Dr. Pablo and Dub Syndicate, and the Australian string ensemble Fourplay. The Pogues (intentionally, according to an interview) used a bass line in their song "Wild Cats of Kilkenny" (from Rum, Sodomy & the Lash) that is similar to the Doctor Who theme, as did Pink Floyd in their song "One of These Days" (from Meddle), which featured a brief keyboard solo that echoed the theme's melody; the musical link is more obvious in the live versions on Delicate Sound of Thunder and P*U*L*S*E. Electronica is a rather vague term that covers a wide range of electronic or electronic-influenced music. ... Orbital were an English techno duo formed in 1989, consisting of brothers Paul (born 19 May 1968) and Phil Hartnoll (born 9 January 1964). ... Dub Syndicate is a dub band, formed by Style Scott, former drummer with the Roots Radics and Creation Rebel. ... FourPlay Electric Sting Quartet is a four-piece rock band from Sydney, Australia, formed in 1995. ... The Pogues are a very popular Irish folk rock band of the 1980s and 1990s. ... Pink Floyd are a British progressive rock band noted for philosophical lyrics, classical rock compositions, sonic experimentation, innovative cover art, and elaborate live shows. ... One of These Days is the opening track from Pink Floyds 1971 album Meddle. ... Meddle is a 1971 album by British progressive rock band Pink Floyd. ... Delicate Sound of Thunder is a Pink Floyd live double-album from the David Gilmour led era of the band. ... P*U*L*S*E (also referred to as Pulse) is a live double CD by Pink Floyd, released in 1995 (see 1995 in music). ...

The comedian Bill Bailey produced a humorous interpretation, "Dr. Qui", in the style of Belgian jazz; he also has a routine about incidental music from Doctor Who that ends with a more traditional version. Nu-metal band Slipknot are fans of the series, and the track "Prelude 3.0" on their third album, Volume 3: The Subliminal Verses is also based around the theme tune and dedicated to the series. In 2005, the Scottish band Franz Ferdinand appeared on stage to Peter Howell's arrangement of the theme. US band The Mars Volta, who claim Doctor Who as an influence, have played the music over the P.A. after their gigs have ended. Bill Bailey Bill Bailey, self proclaimed confused hippie and part troll, (born 1964 as Mark Bailey) is an English comedian, actor, and musician known for appearing on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, QI: Quite Interesting and Black Books. ... Nu metal (also called aggro metal, or nü metal using the traditional heavy metal umlaut) is a musical genre that has origins in the mid 1990s. ... Slipknot is a nu metal band located in Des Moines, Iowa, formed in 1992 and currently signed to Roadrunner Records. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... Franz Ferdinand are a British rock band based in Glasgow, named after the archduke of Austria whose assassination sparked World War I. As of 2006, Franz Ferdinand is composed of Alexander Kapranos (lead vocals, lead guitar), Robert Hardy (bass guitar), Nicholas McCarthy (rhythm guitar, keyboard, backing vocals), and Paul Thomson... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Some fans, which include professional and amateur musicians, have produced their own remixes of the theme music for non-commercial distribution. Many of these remixes are available for download from whomix.trilete.net.

Many bands, while not using the theme music, have used samples of dialogue or sound effects from Doctor Who, notably Spiderbait (in several tracks from Shashavaglava) and Eat Static. Spiderbait are an Australian rock band who have had two top ten albums and another three albums reach the Australian top 40. ... Shashavaglava is Australian band Spiderbaits first album. ... Eat Static are Merv Pepler and Joie Hinton, a dance music project from England formed in 1990. ...

In BBC Radio 4's topical comedy programme The Now Show, Mitch Benn mentioned hiding in his "safe place" before humming the Doctor Who theme music. BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... The Now Show is a British radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, which satirises the weeks news. ... Mitch Benn is a British musician and stand-up comedian famous for his satirical songs, many of which have been featured on BBC Radio 4 where he is a regular contributor to The Now Show, and BBC Radio 2s Its Been A Bad Week. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ Who soundtrack soon. BBC Doctor Who website. bbc.co.uk: (2006-07-17). Retrieved on 2006-07-17.

The URL bbc. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ...

See also

• Doctor in Distress

Doctor in Distress is a pop music single related to the BBC television programme Doctor Who. ... Image File history File links Doctor_Who_theme_excerpt. ...

External links

• A history of the Doctor Who theme
• BBC link to original Doctor Who theme excerpt (with video, RealMedia format)
• BBC Worldwide Doctor Who theme ringtone (commercial BBC Worldwide link)
• BBC Radiophon-A-Tron - Mix Your Own Version of the Doctor Who theme!
• The Millennium Effect Audio section - includes subpages on the theme music, sound effects, and tributes
• Doctor Who theme remixes - fan-made remixes of the theme