The music of Doctor Who

Innovative and iconic, Doctor Who’s score has breathed life into monsters, mysteries and mind-blowing moments.

While the theme tune is probably the most recognisable music from Doctor Who, the show has always used soundtracks or incidental music to enhance its storytelling.

Incidental music in the early days of Doctor Who was often performed by small chamber groups playing traditional instruments. It was extremely atmospheric, often used in moments when scenes changed or to enhance on-screen action. But seldom does the music underscore any dialogue, due to the limited sound mixing capabilities of the technology at the time.

Many well-regarded composers wrote music for the early years of Doctor Who, including Richard Rodney Bennett, who scored the 1964 story The Aztecs. Bennett was a musical polymath, performing and composing jazz as well as film scores and classical works.

In this archive clip, Radio 3 presenter Matthew Sweet talks to percussionist Alasdair Malloy about The Aztecs’ score, its contemporary feel for 1964 and how the music is used to highlight moments within the story. The BBC Concert Orchestra then perform a rarely heard suite from the work.

From the early 1970s nearly all the music for Doctor Who was written by Australian composer Dudley Simpson, who was the show’s in-house composer for the majority of the decade.

Simpson had first written music for Doctor Who in the 1960s with his compositions for 1964's Planet of Giants, but it was the eras of Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker that his music would become most associated with. The specially commissioned scores were performed by just six musicians, playing both traditional and modern electronic instruments, to provide the soundtrack to 1970s Doctor Who.

The handwritten scores for this Doctor Who story are still held in the BBC Music Library.

Dudley Simpson continued composing music for Doctor Who until the end of 1979 when the decision was made to use the BBC Radiophonic Workshop to supply both the music and the sound effects for the series. The BBC Music Library also holds the full score for this story, written in pencil, possibly by Dudley Simpson himself.

The soundtrack to 1980s Doctor Who was dominated by these electronic sounds.

When Doctor Who returned in 2005, composer Murray Gold became the series resident composer. He had previously worked on several television dramas written by Russell T Davies, so they shared a similar view on the role of music and how it could enhance storytelling. In this archive clip from a Radio 2 documentary, they explain how that first series came together.

As the show’s popularity grew, so did interest in the music. This time, instead of just six musicians, the music was now performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. It was not long before the orchestra performed concerts of Doctor Who’s music, as well as recording the soundtracks. The first of these concerts was Doctor Who: A Celebration, held in the Wales Millennium Centre in 2006.

The concerts have continued with four Doctor Who Proms, held at the Royal Albert Hall in 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2024 as part of the BBC Proms seasons. Murray Gold continued to write music for Doctor Who until 2018, when Segun Akinola took over as the show’s composer. Murray Gold returned to write music for Doctor Who, beginning with the anniversary specials in November 2023.