1982: Peter Howell gives the DOCTOR WHO THEME an 80s REMIX | Making of | BBC Archive

Peter Howell of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop demonstrates how he reimagined Ron Grainer's classic Doctor Who theme - which was first realised so startlingly by Delia Derbyshire and Dick Mills in the 1960s - to make it 'brighter and more modern sounding' for the 1980s. He uses modern polyphonic analogue synthesisers like the Yamaha CS-80, an ARP Odyssey Mk3 and a Roland Jupiter-4, a vocoder and an old, malfunctioning phase shifter unit he found in the back of the Workshop.
Gent that he is, he then pops over to the Music Arcade studio to demonstrate the extraordinary new Fairlight CMI Series II synthesiser to the some kids from St Mary's Balham Primary School and hosts Tim Whitnall and Lucie Skeaping.
This clip is from The Music Arcade: Electricity in Music. Originally broadcast 2 February, 1982.
The BBC has thrown the TARDIS doors wide open to celebrate 60 years of Doctor Who, and there's a huge amount of archive inside. Interviews, photos and documents sit alongside hundreds of programmes from the Whoniverse on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds. Begin your journey at www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho
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[@RennieAsh]

"To make it more modern sounding" People 40 years later : This vintage stuff is so cool!

[@mariareed5238]

I was young when it came out and I was rather stunned how different it was from the old version - I loved it.

[@Legxnd]

lmao exactly

[@free-birdrocker8809]

Without the past, you wouldn't exist...Food for thought.

[@RennieAsh]

@@free-birdrocker8809 same for the future.

[@free-birdrocker8809]

@@RennieAsh que?

[@schubertuk]

I love this! I particularly like when Peter Howell points to an ENORMOUS box and says that is "the computer, and it is rather smaller than you might imagine..."

[@kanedNunable]

and its like a million times less powerful than your phone :D

[@schubertuk]

@@r.kapaun01 A good point, and perhaps one that points to money, no matter how much spent, is no guarantee of quality. I cherish Peter Howell's electronic version of the Doctor Who theme - still better than most if not all contemporary versions, but still prefer the cheaper, more home-made musique concrete version that Delia Derbyshire et al produced.

[@sbaxter4207]

@@schubertuk genetically modified people will think the same of our latest slim line smartphones in few generations with wifi interfaces embedded in their corporate controlled brains. Well, if they are lucky enough to be allowed to think, of course.

[@schubertuk]

@@sbaxter4207 I completely get this is a relative time pleasure. Although if you want dystopian futures, we will probably have wiped ourselves out long before genetic manipulation on any scale, indeed that might be preferable to us all ultimately aiming for exactly the same set of perfect (read: dull) genes...

[@TruthTortoise81]

It looks like it's powered by coal

[@meltedplasticarmyguy]

6:00 "We never throw anything away" The lost episodes have something to say

[@Fcutdlady]

There's a difference between the radiophonic workshop and the tv sectuon of The BBC

[@rax816]

@@Fcutdlady glad someone pointed that out. Clearly with a vast organisation like the Beeb was you have contradictory work practices lol.

[@yogibarista2818]

Delia Derbyshire's sheer genius in the original pre-synthesizer version still sets the standard.

[@romper6698]

Absolutely! You can see her talking about it here kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6S1ppt5m9GFr8k

[@hjalfi]

Anyone who hasn't heard her album is in for a treat. Search for _An Electric Storm_ by White Noise.

[@michaelbauers8800]

I love her version best

[@marzzz1]

@@michaelbauers8800 Utterly agree. Too bad she didn't get credit until years later.

[@TheFith67]

Scared the crap out of me as a kid.😱

[@inaccuraterecords8477]

They never throw anything away, except dozens of episodes.

[@WimpyKelv12]

Savage…

[@paulashe61]

Due to copyright running out and no one wants B&W 405 line grumpy images. The images even in the production office was grainy. Worse than video tape images. Computer imagining has cleared up the images that were never seen at the time

[@MirlitronOne]

Of course, eventually they threw away the EMS Synthi 100. And then the whole Radiophonic Workshop...

[@konrad_m_rataj]

That vocoder part tho! I've never realised that bit was actually sung. Amazing!

[@woodybob01]

The tardis sound... I can't believe it hasn't changed all these years. It is truly the most iconic part of the entire show.

[@Alkaris]

Oh it's changed over the years, they updated the sound with a cleaner sound of keys scraping on piano keys strings.

[@woodybob01]

@@Alkaris True, but the idea remains the same.

[@DJ-Brownie-UK]

did you know that it is derived from the sound of an old propeller aircraft engine starting up , you can reverse engineer the sound easily with simple free software

[@domspeller6474]

Scared the cr*p out of me!

[@LEGOpachinko]

@@DJ-Brownie-UK nope..."The vworp-vworp sound effect has been a staple of the Doctor Who franchise since its beginnings. It was created by a BBC Radiophonic Workshop sound designer named Brian Hodgson, who was also the mind behind dozens of other iconic sounds from the show, including the voices of the Daleks. Later in life, Hodgson wryly noted in an interview that he couldn't exactly look up the sound of a time machine in the effects library, so he struggled for some time to come up with ideas for the sound cue. Free experimentation led him to try running his mother's front door key along the bass string from a disassembled piano" kzbin.info/www/bejne/aojddoaBoat2qpo

[@NINETEEN8T0YS]

Love this. In my opinion, the Peter Howell mix has been the best theme to date - even now in the year 2022.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

It sounds more modern than today!

[@derekhart3308]

@@RideAcrossTheRiver totally

[@sbaxter4207]

Was it not the same as the last of Tom Bakers? Or very similar?

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

@@derekhart3308 Rap is conservative music to me.

[@stephcrane]

@@sbaxter4207 : Yes - this theme came in with the ascendancy of JNT in 1980.

[@JDeolumen]

First used in Tom Baker's final season ['The Leisure Hive' 1980.. I was at school]. I asked in a record shop "Do you have the new Doctor Who single in?".. I was given 'Dr Hook' .. "Erm no, nearly right.. I mean the theme tune to the show with Tom Baker on the cover.".. She says "You're the first person to ask for this!".. I then fell in love with the b-side 'The Astronauts'.. Cheers

[@robertstuart5260]

I had exactly that experience a few years earlier in Preston, trying to buy the original version of the theme. I wonder how many Dr Hook singles have been bought by embarrassed youngsters, too shy to correct the shop assistant.

[@LeShark75]

My mother picked it up for me, I was 5 years old at the time. I still have it right here, and I too love The Astronauts, amazing bit of music.

[@JDeolumen]

@@LeShark75 Thanks for saying, that is superb.. I hope you went on to be a musician or 'creative' [or expressed the talent you have into reality].. All the best [in an uncertain world].. cheers

[@JDeolumen]

@@robertstuart5260 Hehe [I don't think you are old enough to buy the 1963 single, that my dad bought.. he collected records .. not knowing that his son would go on to work for the show.].. During John Devon Roland Pertwee's era a remaster of Delia Ann Derbyshire's was released .. memories .. all we have.. good ones.. Cheers

[@Elwaves2925]

My intro to Doctor Who was with the theme before this one, used for most of Tom Baker's era, but Howell's is definitely my favourite. I loved it from the moment I first heard it with the new titles. It has punch, all the pieces are in place and recognisable, plus a great middle 8, which is my favourite part. For me, I don't see it ever being topped.

[@James-ql9nl]

Love how understated and humble he is. Just a straightforward guy enjoying his craft, loving the experimentation of it all.

[@robambrose4199]

Spice craft.

[@senianns9522]

BBC license payers paying for him to 'mess about' in this studio enjoying himself everyday? Accountability?

[@midinotes]

Peter didn’t realise then how famous that Yamaha CS80 analog synth would become now, not to mention used prices! Also nice to see the ARP Odyssey in action, as well as an early Roland vocoder. The Fairlight piece thrown in at the end was definitely a trip back to the 80s, the amazement on those kid’s faces when hearing a human voice being sampled!

[@fuq3369]

And now it can all be done in the palm of our hands...... That sounds wrong out loud

[@lazzer408]

I had a CS50. Oscillator ICs were damaged due to a regulator failure. Fixed the supply but the ICs are unobtainium. Parted it out. I would have loved to hear it.

[@douro20]

They are notoriously unstable. But one of the best sounding- and most versatile- analog synths ever built.

[@Ndlanding]

@@fuq3369 It doesn't even read too well. Maybe if you add "hairy".

[@Durwood71]

This stuff was like pure magic in the 1980s.

[@Kryojenix]

Wait - WHAT?! The "electric guitar" bit was actually Peter Howell howling?!??!?!?! 🤯

[@MrEvers]

Howelling

[@DMB1138]

No way. Had no idea

[@al201103]

@@MrEvers Nicely done!

[@VJFranzK]

7:15 Interesting! Not really "howling", but singing: "vowel-ing".

[@thromboid]

Amazing, huh? That sound has fascinated me for decades, and I was never 100% sure it was guitar..though it could easily pass for it.

[@wakazuzu]

5:21 how could he be so unimpressed by the epic vocoder-ness!

[@lostboys_uk]

As a music producer, this is beyond fascinating and educational

[@JimUK]

Delia Derbyshire deserves a lot more recognition than she currently gets.

[@AustenRedman]

She got a drama made about her life.

[@gravityissues5210]

She gets plenty of recognition. She gets credited more than the actual composter. Just because she didn't get a shout-out in this video doesn't mean she gets no credit, or not enough. She's really not some "hidden figure" that needs white knighting.

[@JimUK]

@@gravityissues5210 Ask your average Joe and they won't have heard of her, credit for a lot of her work was taken from her by the BBC, pointing that out isn't white knighting.

[@gravityissues5210]

​@@JimUK Ask your average Joe who wrote the theme to Dr. Who and they won't know, either. They probably also won't know Gershon Kingsley wrote _Pop Corn_ or that he co-wrote the music used for the _Main Street Electric Parade_ with Jean-Jacques Perrey, or who Robert Moog was, or even the proper way to pronounce his name, or that Wendy Carlos produced the best-selling classical album, or who Tomita was, or Larry Fast, or for that matter, Peter Howell. But the people who *do* know all that know who Delia Derbyshire is. So what exactly is it you want, for her to be a household name like, say, Mick Jagger? And as for the BBC, no one at the Radiophonic Workshop got much credit, by design, as it was supposed to be "anonymous"...yet everyone who cares knows who she is anyway. So....I'm still not getting the complaint that she somehow "deserves a lot more recognition."

[@SM-dt1pr]

@@JimUK Anyone who knows who Ron Grainer was also knows who Delia Derbyshire was.

[@ivorybow]

I never cease to be moved and excited by the Dr. Who theme after all these decades. In the early days of electronic music there were thankfully some geniuses around who knew immediately how to maximize the medium. Thank goodness for Ron Grainer and those who followed. Dr. Who forever!

[@raksh9]

When this new theme was introduced, it was utterly thrilling. As someone who was previously immersed in Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, the new theme was different and yet so much better. Incredible to see how this was created, decades and decades after.

[@Sean-me4fv]

I don't know why but I absolutely adore the sounds that come out of synthesisers, especially when they are used so cleverly

[@Beregorn88]

"Peter Howell, one of the six composer, will now show how he made it. Or else." I don't know what was better, his deadpan, threatening voice, or the horrified look in Peter's eyes

[@dewey70]

He was giving us Henry/One/Vecna vibes, surely.

[@GregBreden]

I was pleased to get a look around the Radiophonic workshop in the early 1990s and one of the guys I chatted to happened to create the controlled video feedback used in the original Doctor Who opening credits which gave that time tunnel effect. Another guy showed me how he was testing a system that put clock pulses onto audio tape so the non compatible electronically instruments could synchronise with tracks already recorded. Some of the things that are standard and the most simple now used to seem incredibly difficult particularly when you had a mix of old and new kit trying to work together. I remember having to sync a tape once by taking the back off the player and finding the variable resistor on the circuit board and tweaking it tiny amounts back and forth for the whole length of the recording. Something as simple as a pitch control being a standard on a DJ record deck was miraculous.

[@Benjamoose]

Fascinating video. I really wish television presenters were this calm and clinical today. I know some may find it boring, but it's so great just letting Peter talk instead of babying the audience and talking over/for him. The only thing that was a bit of a cop out was at 7:00 when instead of actually letting Peter recreate the theme, they just played the "official" recording over the top. I would have loved to hear him do a quick recreation, even if it didn't sound as perfect as the first and final version.

[@BM-jy6cb]

Absolutely. And not a "WOW!" or "THAT'S AMAZZZING!" to be heard. Treating kids as intelligent individuals instead of infantilising them.

[@Cassp0nk]

I love how detailed this is. These days they would never explain the effects and settings. Fantastic.

[@deldridg]

As a Cubase user, I think it's both a fascination and a good thing to be reminded of how much capability we have these days at our fingertips (and in my case, how little of it we utilise). This was an excellent journey and thank you for sharing! Cheers from Sydney - Dave

[@Excellentness]

Good one dingo dave

[@nigelcarren]

"Very modern, it plays eight notes at the same time!" This is amazing, thank you 🇬🇧🎹🏆

[@MrJordandurrant]

The arp Odyssey retailed for about 750 dollars in 79. That's about $3000 today. Something of that complexity would cost 300-400 today and be a fraction of the size. The future is awesome.

[@WarriorPoet01]

I believe a Behringer is now producing copies for around $800? What’s old is what’s new, and newly affordable!

[@intiorozco5063]

The Yamaha CS-80 remains legendary. Vangelis built almost his whole discography around it.

[@richc848]

Looks like he's playing a Yamaha CS-80, famously used by Vangelis for Blade Runner and now one of the most sought-after synths in the world. They sell for about $150,000 these days. In the second part he's using a Fairlight CMI, which was one of the first commercial samplers.

[@zafod101]

The lovely Yamaha CS80... favourite synthesizer of Vangelis

[@Arthur_Hastings]

3:07 “The bum bumbum sound.” - Peter Howell

[@caitlinomalley80]

I'm surprised! I always thought the high-pitched section was a theramine in each version of the theme, to see it done with a synthesizer is impressive!

[@jammin023]

A theramin basically just produces a sine wave; its sound can easily be replicated on any synth with a sine oscillator shape and glide capability (or you could even do it without glide, by holding a single note and turning the tune knob of the oscillator, but it would be harder to get the exact right pitch at each stage).

[@minimoog4236]

The computer is the CMI Fairlight - and its much bigger on the inside that it is on the outside.

[@eccremocarpusscaber5159]

😂

[@almostfm]

We might as well all go home-we're not going to top that.

[@euanreavie4899]

"Rather a smaller box than you'd expect for a computer." Awesome.

[@NicholasHerriman]

I was born in 1973. When this theme song came on telly, I would hide behind the armchair in our loungeroom. It sounded so scary to me, but I loved it at the same time.

[@bennicus4901]

I love how that awesome vocoder sound comes out and his reaction is just "hm" 😄

[@sixstanger00]

_"Over there is the computer section, which is actually a smaller box than you'd expect for a computer."_ Golly, how times have changed. Today people carry supercomputers in their pockets.

[@tabularasa0606]

And most people don't even realize it.

[@migueldoliveiracomposer]

Peter is an incredibly nice chap. It was a priviledge to have him as teacher at the National Film and TV School 15 years ago.

[@nik9737]

Fabulous! Great to see all of the 'modern' equipment they were using. Would love that CS80 and arp! Well done BBC radiophonic workshop (shame they don't have it anymore) and Peter Howell :)

[@patkelly8309]

Crazy to look at my modern set-up of basically a laptop and synth emulations compared to what was happening back then. That cs80 is a beast!

[@JellyMelodies]

@@patkelly8309 closest I can get to it for now is a free cs-80 plugin lol

[@notreallydavid]

I think there's a New Radiophonic Workshop, Nick (haven't checked - slacking).

[@ajs41]

The Fairlight Computer produced some of the most interesting music ever in my opinion. I think that was what they were using here.

[@thegoodolddayz6183]

Just goes to show how difficult it was back then to record something like this with the technology they had. Fast forward to now, it can be done a lot quicker and easier. Totally appreciate the work gone into this!

[@JimUK]

It was even harder in the early 60's, wave generators and splicing tape together to create loops was about all they had, it was a different world.

[@christianrottler]

No offense but back then you actually learnt your trade from the ground up. The first time I sat next to an 48-track tape machine and the mixing console feeding it it was awesome! Now everything I'd learnt in audio technology began to make sense 🤓

[@dougle03]

@@christianrottler You sure it wasn't a 24 track 2" tape machine? 48 Track 4" machines only ever got to prototype stage, the tape was too unstable to manage. Was more common to sync two 24 track machines together with the advent of SMPTE time code and machine control.

[@christianrottler]

@@dougle03 Ugh... of course you're correct, mate! Dunno how I got that mixed up but it was a 2 inch 24-track tape machine. Thanks for the correction 🤓!

[@SaintKimbo]

A lot quicker and easier but maybe not better, those old Master tapes are like gold nowadays, with specialist studios going back to recording that way and charging a premium for their product.

[@johntaylor6345]

Peter Howell is a genius. I love his 80s version from season 18 to Season 22. Brilliant music. Great star field that makes up the Doctor's face. Tom,. Peter, and of course Colin. Great.

[@DJ-Daz]

I once had a recording of the Delia Derbyshire covers. Mind blowing stuff.

[@toriawelsh7274]

So?

[@schubertuk]

Please clarify; covers by Delia Derbyshire or covers _of_ Delia Derbyshire? What was the album called?

[@johnIZaUWL]

Link please

[@francessimmonds5784]

Nice how her name wasn’t even mentioned when talking about the original theme. Another example of women not being recognised or given credit for their accomplishments.

[@francessimmonds5784]

DD was a genius of sound, very underrated. This, unused piece she created for “out of the unknown” tv series is far superior than the theme they eventually went with, imho. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWW8fJp8nqh1a80

[@albakes6128]

Amazing version, stayed with all this time. This was the type of BBC i respected.

[@redpillreloaded369]

BBC today is in shambles along with everything else that used to be respected

[@zanderman004]

3:56 - absolutely beautiful, mate.

[@phillipdarlington]

Peter Howell was also behind one of my favourite Children's/Schools themes - Merry-Go-Round from the mid-70s onwards. It's only 24 seconds long but it's a classic! (In fact RTP used in Portugal in the early 80s as well).

[@DoctorJjay]

The first “verse” of the tune is the most iconic part (oo-wee-ooo) but what I enjoy the most when listening with different version of the song is the second “verse” that only plays during the end credits in the show

[@sonicfan3230]

That's called the Middle 8

[@alexc8114]

I always loved that bit as a kid watching the 2005 reboot!

[@Big_Bad_Gammon]

Its a shame that’s not present with Jodie’s theme :(

[@thedoconscratch]

@@Big_Bad_Gammon it is, actually. they added it back in s12

[@themusicboy9766]

5:12 somthing about this just feels very magical to me and i dont know why

[@pauljoneseyboy9615]

Love the interviewer genuinely interested in the subject

[@Thunderpuddle]

The best version of the theme. I have been lucky enough to see BBC Radiophonic Workshop live 3 times over the years, their montage and live playing of the Doctor Who themes throughout the classic years, just awesome.

[@SoNextJenn]

It's great to finally see this in better quality. I watched the older video 50 times at this stage

[@GreatBallsOfAcid]

I absolutely love the organic nature of the original. The melody is gorgeous, it seeks its own tempo and the buildup of each sound seems to dictate the movement. A perfect work contributing to the atmosphere of the show and a creative masterpiece.

[@hugoelias1392]

I still get shivers when I hear that tune played. It's timeless.

[@markstammers1923]

All that time I thought there was electric guitar in the theme, and it turns out it's his voice.

[@prototype9904]

yeah, I'm a guitarist, I don't know why I just assumed it was an electric guitar with some complex stomp box routing all this time haha

[@alancheatley4378]

This is great bit of early synth and DR WHO, love that they use Vangelis Yamaha CS80 and the Fairlight

[@terrianne6077]

Angelo looks so young here🤣Had a huge crush on Tim Whitnall when he played Angelo in Mike and Angelo😍

[@rebeccaschade3987]

OMG. Yamaha CS-80. The ultimate synthesizer. Thank you for your service.

[@MuzixMaker]

The Analog King.

[@jamescpalmer]

Still banging, use to listen to this on repeat when I was like 17. I'm 36!

[@morebasheder]

Such a good piece of music. Even Orbital did a cover, which is fantastic as well

[@2112jonr]

Agreed, Orbital's version is cracking, and they still play it live from time to time. Including once at Glastonbury.

[@morebasheder]

@@2112jonr haha yup. I've seen them 26 times since 1991. Getting old... 🤔🙄🤣

[@a.katherinesuetterlin3028]

Ohh, I love what Orbital did with the Doctor Who theme! 😁😁

[@terenceokane]

the orbital cover was the first time i ever heard the theme! love it!

[@rexterrocks]

They did a new 'synthesizer' theme tune previously in 1972 using a custom built EMS synth. The John Pertwee era used synthesizer sound effects which I think sound great.

[@Flashback_Jack]

One of the greatest electronic tunes of all time.

[@rajgill7576]

I love how his "audience" all stand there stoic at the end watching him demonstrate a computer to them but it's probably like watching witchcraft

[@ajs41]

They're stoical because they're British. I remember being exactly the same at the time when I was at school. People, including children, were like that until about 1995. Since then they've become the opposite of stoical.

[@Durwood71]

@@ajs41 The kids in this video are acting like kids did in the 80s. Today's kids are conditioned to perform when they're on camera due to the influence of things like KZbin and TikTok.

[@neilbowers6956]

I absolutely loved this! Thank you for posting it as it's fascinating stuff.

[@MePeterNicholls]

Ah finally a higher quality version of this seminal segment!

[@StealthCloudchaser]

Dankpods got me there and I couldn't be happier.

[@Broadercasting]

[@DistantCousin]

The theme version I grew up with, and still my favourite! Absolutely thrilling!!!

[@DougMcDave]

I still like this version of the Doctor Who theme. I found it fascinating to see how he did it.

[@skyfall-uh7ut]

I find all this frankly fascinating i have no experience with synthesizers so i wouldn’t know where to start with trying to get any useable tv show or movie quality music from one is amazing to me. Using one to make one of my favorite doctor who theme’s just shows the talent and skill of Peter Howell!

[@Cu-Co]

I always loved watching Mike and Angelo

[@hughjarrse]

I like the notion that the tune is inside the computer "waiting" for a sound 🙂

[@ajs41]

The Fairlight Computer had only been available for about 18 months at this time, and hardly anyone could afford to buy one because they cost tens of thousands of pounds to buy. People like Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, Mike Oldfield, Trevor Horn (the producer) were the only ones who had them for a long time. Totally revolutionary sampling computer and keyboard. I love the magic pen they included. Even my laptop today doesn't do that.

[@daniellebrunel2960]

Peter make's it look so easy, brilliant, love it.

[@ZestySea]

So good - and he’s such a nerd, but loving that music he is making

[@blackie75]

So many great memories triggered hearing this song. It takes me straight back to being 7 or 8 years old.

[@TayoEXE]

I love the sound of 80s synth.

[@Durwood71]

My favorite version of the _Doctor Who_ theme along with my favorite title sequence. I had no idea that Peter Howell had incorporated his own voice into it!

[@MINIMOTOMADNESS]

0.44 i think he was my music teacher at ashmead school.where Ricky Gervaise went.bloke was bloody epic....blew us all away

[@Feldspar__]

Absolutely amazing seeing him with the CS80 and Odyssey making this track.

[@MikeyRussell88]

Amazing today how all that synth hardware can now be combined and used within a computer programme, very similar to the early adaptations shown at the end only now so much more powerful.

[@zz-nx6dy]

" ... now so much more powerful" Dude, no. lol

[@7DD9Music]

look mum, no presets...

[@haydenbeauchamp3369]

Yes presets

[@iraceruk]

1:42 🙄

[@l0riz624]

I'm so glad, i found this video on KZbin! It's so interesting to see how Howell breaks down the Song using different Analog Synthesizers from that era.

[@treadstone1970]

My all time favourite version of the famous Doctor Who theme tune. Pure nostalgia. Instantly takes me back to my youth in the early 1980s.

[@eldiablo8580]

Amazing theme tune. The vocoded section of the theme tune just blew my mind to bits 💥

[@eldiablo8580]

Peter Howell deserves more credit for his interpretation. On Spotify the 1980 Who theme is still solely credited to Ron Grainer, whereas the 1963 theme is jointly credited to Grainer and Derbyshire.

[@autotoyexchangegarage7053]

I went to a comic book store in the mid 80s & bought a 45rmp record of this theme music. I still have it & it is still as powerful now as it was then. Very neat to see how it was made. Lots of powerful memories.

[@bmmaaate]

As a DJ who plays at sci fi conventions I was overjoyed to find a copy with Peter Davidson on the cover in a charity shop. The B side is fantastic too.

[@ariekanibalie]

I waited by the TV with my mom's Sony Professional to record it from the speaker when the show aired. And I listened to it countless times, despite my babysitter saying 'Are you recording the TV?' in the background?

[@thekaniack]

This is wonderful! The beginnings of electronic music were so complex, inspiring, and intriguing. Thank you for this, now I'm off to the studio to play...

[@KaitainCPS]

I remember watching this at school.

[@neilsg2001]

The fairlight synth at the end was a formidable piece of kit from Australia with a vast library of samples including orchestral instrument samples, editor and sequencer. Used for Miami vice theme. Wikipedia says £18 -60k

[@AutPen38]

I was about the same age as the kids in this clip and I was fascinated by the early samplers. The Fairlight was like some alien technology that could perform actual magic. I remember being amazed by the price of it and how rare they were. I loved all the Trevor Horn and Art of Noise stuff, but perhaps the most famous user was Kate Bush. "Running Up That Hill" wouldn't exist in the form we know and love without the Fairlight.

[@paulchoccyt1303]

Always the best version of the theme.

[@TheUnclepete]

Do stick with this clip all the way through as the real gold for me is the demonstration of a genuine Fairlight at the end. Wow.

[@Speed-Of-Light-By-Meter]

This really brings me back - thank you BBC Archive!

[@tsrgoinc]

This is my favourite version of the Dr Who theme, I remember when I first heard in the 80’s as kid, I was already in love with the program but this put the icing on! 🤣

[@path1024]

KLF version was best ;)

[@PsychedelicGoo]

They can remix it all they like but they'll never beat the original

[@DMSProduktions]

Well, there was only 1 'Doctor': Number 4!

[@kevinmichael2593]

Agreed. Delia never liked the remixes either

[@PsychedelicGoo]

@@kevinmichael2593 Interesting. I don't know if they ever gave Delia the job of remixing it. If not, why not?! Her realisation and interpretation of that score, I think, was a defining moment in music history. Yet she didn't even get a credit.

[@kevinmichael2593]

@@PsychedelicGoo Delia dosny work with synthesizers particularly. She preferred her entire life to work with tape manipulation.

[@jermaineinoue4919]

@@kevinmichael2593 Link please .. Tnx

[@AutPen38]

For synth heads, this is interesting chiefly for the use of the Yamaha CS-80 (the "Bladerunner synth" used by Vangelis) that is so rare it still goes for 20 grand on eBay, and the CMI Fairlight that is topical again because Kate Bush used one for many years, including on "Running up that Hill".

[@ajs41]

CMI Fairlight was what made most pop music in the early/mid 80s so interesting IMO.

[@chr1998is]

The presenter in this piece was Angelo in the Childrens TV show called Mike and Angelo. I had a major nostalgia trip when I saw his face.

[@Blitterbug]

As someone who spent decades worshipping Ron Grainer for this masterpiece, I can't watch this video without my blood boiling, as it predates the revelation that Delia Derbyshire actually wrote it and did all the effects. Sadly, in those days (as in university research depts), the boss gets the credit.

[@duckbutcher2563]

I mean, Grainer did write it. As in he gave Derbyshire some sheet music and said do what you like. Derbyshire arranged it, with all the effects and feedback and all the rest of it as you said, and legend has it that when grainer heard her arrangement he said “did I write that?!” But like you say the fact that her contribution was downplayed for years is criminal.

[@Blitterbug]

@@duckbutcher2563 Haha indeed!

[@customsongmaker]

Delia Derbyshire has been given credit for a man's work for far too long

[@DJ-Brownie-UK]

I would opine that it is highly likely that BOTH of them did not create the final piece but worked and COLLABORATED there ideas together and quite possible there were others too who deserve the actual credit (£) but fundamentally it was the Corporation (UK Gov) whom took the actual physical Credit (££)

[@Blitterbug]

@@DJ-Brownie-UK Watch some documentaries about how Delia actually created the piece. There's no ambiguity whatsoever.

[@TheSamtheman081]

This is by far the best ever version of the DR Who theme tune.

[@toriawelsh7274]

Nah, it's pretty much pants

[@TheNickofTime]

My favorite (at least in the classic series) constantly fluctuates between this one and Glynn’s arrangement for Trial of a Time Lord.

[@pSynrg303]

Your favorite version, but nothing can touch the orignal from Delia Derbyshire & Ron Grainer.

[@Silver-rx1mh]

@@pSynrg303 Agreed.

[@simonfernandes6809]

Still prefer the 1974-1979 version. Still sends a chill up my spine.

[@ForestKicks]

I could listen to Peter play that bassline for hours

[@PigDan]

This is AWESOME! Love archival footage.

[@Bullet_Baxter]

Brilliant. My second favourite DW theme, after the reworked original which started under Patrick Troughton.

[@RichArd-vc5jp]

The sound of the future...the best remake of the original ever!

[@toriawelsh7274]

Is it????

[@RichArd-vc5jp]

Yes

[@francessimmonds5784]

Nah, the original is far superior imho.

[@michaelwilde2209]

What a magical time that was ,,thanks for posting

[@DoctorDave5]

I seem to remember watching this on the BBC when it was first broadcast. I’m old🤣.

[@Kuyjac258]

My absolute favourite version of the theme. The theme and incidental music in this era is probably the roots for my love of prog. I always thought it was discovering Mike Oldfield around the age of 13 but when watching this run I realised it went deeper than that and it was watching reruns on UK Gold with my dad.

[@markbrooks8623]

Yamaha CS-80, huge, rare, very expensive. ARP Odyssey. These are vintage analog synths.

[@kek23k]

Thanks for uploading, really enjoyed this.

[@jayadamone]

Beautiful watch, what a lovely and talented guy Peter! I recall watching this years back. Peter and Roger Limb, two absolute legends.