Doctor Who theme

Doctor Who Theme Arrangements

The Doctor Who Theme was composed by Ron Grainer and has served as the opening and closing theme of all stories aired by the BBC and is credited on each one. Through the years it has been arranged by various individuals. Following is a list of the major arrangers of the theme.


 * Delia Derbyshire - "An Unearthly Child" to "Shada"
 * Peter Howell - "The Leisure Hive" to "Revelation of the Daleks"
 * Dominic Glynn - "The Mysterious Planet" to "The Ultimate Foe"
 * Keff McCulloch - "Time and the Rani" to "Survival"
 * John Debney - 1996 made-for-TV movie
 * Murray Gold - "Rose" to present

With the exception of Delia Derbyshire and Murray Gold, the arrangers have only made a single arrangement. Only Delia Derbyshire is not given screen credit for her arrangement. Instead, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, where Derbyshire worked, receives the credit.

Delia Derbyshire was responsible for all the arrangements for the first 17 seasons. She was given the composition by Ron Grainer and asked to create the music. The method she chose was to create each sound from scratch using a variety of methods from pure tones to piano strings. Each sound was then changed in pitch and duration using purely analog equipment. The final arrangement of the theme was made by making a recording of each section (base line, melody, etc.) then putting the sections together to form the final mono track. Her first arrangement was released as a single, but never used as the opening title music. It consists of the main theme and the 'middle eight' in an ABABA pattern. Two versions of this arrangement exist, one with the TARDIS dematerialization sound and one without.

The studio requested some changes and the second arrangement, used until the middle of Season 4, features some wind/wave effects. The master recording for this arrangement has an extended section of the base line instead of repeating the main theme or the 'middle eight'. This version was heard through the start of the repeated base in An Unearthly Child. The subsequent episodes it just faded out as needed.

With the change in actor playing the Doctor in Season 4, came a new title sequence and another request for Derbyshire to change the arrangement of the music. She returned to the first arrangement and added what has been called a 'spangle' sound effect. Again, this arrangement was just faded out as needed for the openting title sequence. This third arrangement is the basic theme from mid Season 4 through  Season 17.

The next change in actor again brought a change in opening sequence for Season 7. The music created this time around wasn't so much a new arrangement as an edit of the 1967 arrangement. An overlap edit shortened the lead-in by about 8 seconds and, after the main theme, the music moves to a repeat-to-fade ending. Early episodes have a stutter effect at the start which disappears after Season 9. For some unknown reason, several episodes at the beginning of Season 8 reverted back to the 1967 arrangement.

In addition to changing the opening theme, the closing theme was also edited. Previously the closing credits had faded in to the main theme and then faded out after the credits. Four new edits were created for Season 7. The first was used in the first few episodes. The other three, were the same except in length. They were 40 seconds, 52 seconds, and 72 seconds long. Each started with a scream sound that was created by using a generated tone falling in pitch and the first few notes of the theme rising to pitch. This was fallowed by the main theme. In the 40 second version it was repeated once before the ending. In the 52 second version it was repeated twice. The 72 second version features the main theme, the 'middle eight', and the main theme again. Each one ends with the same whirling sound effect. The 72 second version was only used on a few of the Fourth Doctor's stories including The Invasion of Time. Otherwise the 52 second version was used on all other broadcast episodes with the 42 second version only appearing on the audio LP of Genesis of the Daleks.

In 1972, they played with another arrangement, the first not based on the work done in 1963, using the Delaware synthesizer that the Radiophonic Workshop had. Brian Hodgson and Paddy Kingsland, with Delia Derbyshire created what has become known as the Delaware Theme. It was not well received and was not used on any BBC Broadcast in the UK. However, it had already been applied to several episodes before being replaced. At least two episodes sent to Australia and broadcast on ABC still had the Delaware Theme.

Season 18 saw a new producer and many changes. The first was a new theme and opening sequence. The new theme was arranged by Peter Howell using his Yamaha CS80 synthesizer and some additional processing to that recording. He created three recordings, the opening theme, closing theme, and an extended cut for release as a single. The opening and closing themes followed the pattern set in 1970 with the opening doing a repeat to fade and the closing starting with a scream. The closing includes the 'middle eight' and ends with an explosive sound. This theme was used from Season 18 through Season 22 unchanged.

Season 23 saw a new arrangement by Dominic Glynn. It is more haunting and ethereal than the previous themes, but very similar to Peter Howell's arrangement in most respects. Again three version were created, opening, closing, and extended for release as a single.

A new Doctor called for a new title sequence. Keff McCulloch's arrangement is the first to feature the 'middle eight' as a default part of the opening. The opening and closing themes are very similar with the opening being longer. No version was made for release as a single. It was used from Season 24 to Season 26.

The next new Doctor Who did not appear until 1996. For the made-for-TV movie, composer John Debney did the incidental music and arranged Ron Grainer's theme. Unlike all other version, his arrangement for the opening has a small intro before going straight to the 'middle eight' and then the main theme. The closing theme is a similar but different arrangement. Again, so extended version was created.

In 2002, just before the new series started, Mark Ayres went back to the original master tapes from 1963 and painstakingly recreated the mixing originally done by Derbyshire, but this time in stereo. When a copy of the first episode of the new series, Rose, was leaked, it contained this theme.

For the new series, a new theme was needed. Composer Murray Gold was hired to do the music. Initially he was reluctant to use the 'middle eight', so during Series 1, only the main theme is heard in the opening and ending. Gold's theme is based on the melody sampled from from the original 1963 arrangement with rapidly rising and falling strings. The opening theme follows the normal pattern of the main theme and a repeat to fade. The closing theme again has the scream followed by the main theme and an ending effect. For the The Christmas Invasion, the music was performed by BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Gold added the 'middle eight' to the closing theme. For Series 2, the same opening as Series 1 was used with a new closing theme featuring the 'middle eight'.

For Voyage of the Damned and Series 4, Gold did a second arrangement. It still features the original melody, but the strings are different and drums and piano have been added to dramatically change the feel.

Other arrangements of the theme exists for the audio adventures and the like, but they have not been part of the regular series broadcasts.