Doctor Who at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Volume One - The Early Years (1963-1969)

• Compact Disc Tracklisting and Credits
• Programme notes The CD comes with an illustrated booklet; an abridged version of the text is reproduced here.
• Annotated Tracklist Additional internet-only programme notes: a complete tracklist of the CD with extra information as appropriate.

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Compact Disc Tracklisting & Credits

1	Doctor Who (Original Theme) (02'21)	The famous Doctor Who theme plus Music, Effects and Atmospheres from: "AN UNEARTHLY CHILD" (Pilot Episode) "AN UNEARTHLY CHILD" (Serial A) "THE DALEKS" (Serial B) "THE EDGE OF DESTRUCTION" (Serial C) "THE KEYS OF MARINUS" (Serial E) "THE SENSORITES" (Serial G) "THE CHASE" (Serial R) "GALAXY FOUR" (Serial T) "THE DALEKS' MASTERPLAN" (Serial V) "THE SAVAGES" (Serial AA) "THE TENTH PLANET" (Serial DD) "THE POWER OF THE DALEKS" (Serial EE) "THE UNDERWATER MENACE" (Serial GG) "THE MACRA TERROR" (Serial JJ) "THE WEB OF FEAR" (Serial QQ) "FURY FROM THE DEEP" (Serial RR) "THE WHEEL IN SPACE" (Serial SS) "THE DOMINATORS" (Serial TT) "THE MIND ROBBER" (Serial UU) "THE INVASION" (Serial VV) "THE KROTONS" (Serial WW) "THE SPACE PIRATES" (Serial YY) "THE WAR GAMES" (Serial ZZ) 76 Tracks Total Playing Time: 78:23 All tracks composed and realised by Brian Hodgson except 1, 5 composed by Ron Grainer, realised by Delia Derbyshire assisted by Dick Mills 25, 26 composed and realised by Brian Hodgson and Dick Mills 27, 36 composed by Dudley Simpson, realised by Brian Hodgson 29 composed by Dudley Simpson, realised by Delia Derbyshire 31, 61 composed and realised by John Baker 33, 76 composed by Ron Grainer, realised by Delia Derbyshire All tracks produced at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop All tracks published by BBC Music except: 1, 5, 33, 76 Warner Chappell 27, 29, 36 Dudley Simpson (MCPS/PRS) Compiled, produced and digitally remastered for compact disc by Mark Ayres Original mono recordings digitally remastered. The sound quality may vary.
"AN UNEARTHLY CHILD" (Pilot Episode)
2	TARDIS Exterior Hum and Door (original) (00'23)
3	Entry into the TARDIS (00'40)
4	TARDIS: Original Takeoff Sequence (01'47)
5	Doctor Who (Original Titles Music) (02'09)
"AN UNEARTHLY CHILD" (Serial A)
6	TARDIS Takeoff (01'23)
"THE DALEKS" (Serial B)
7	Skaro: Petrified Forest Atmosphere ("Thal Wind") (01'46)
8	TARDIS Computer (01'08)
9	Dalek City Corridor (01'01)
10	Dalek Control Room (00'26)
11	Capsule Oscillation (Dalek Destructor Fuse/Bomb Countdown) (00'19)
"THE EDGE OF DESTRUCTION" (Serial C)
12	Explosion, TARDIS Stops (01'10)
"THE KEYS OF MARINUS" (Serial E)
13	Sleeping Machine (00'52)
"THE SENSORITES" (Serial G)
14	Sensorite Speech Background (01'10)
"THE CHASE" (Serial R)
15	Dalek Spaceship Lands (00'16)
16	TARDIS lands (00'11)
"GALAXY FOUR" (Serial T)
17	Chumbley (constant run) (00'27)
18	Chumbley at rest (00'28)
19	Chumbley sends message (00'07)
20	Chumbley dome (rises/falls/rises/falls) (00'19)
21	Chumbley dies (00'11)
"THE DALEKS' MASTERPLAN" (Serial V)
22	Activity on Dalek Ship Control Panel (00'46)
"THE SAVAGES" (Serial AA)
23	Energy Escapes (00'22)
"THE TENTH PLANET" (Serial DD)
24	Machinery in TARDIS Goes Wild (Regeneration) (01'03)
"THE POWER OF THE DALEKS" (Serial EE)
25	Regeneration Runs Down (00'09)
26	The Doctor's Transitional Trauma (00'52)
"THE UNDERWATER MENACE" (Serial GG)
27	The Fish People (Incidental Music) (00'37)
"THE MACRA TERROR" (Serial JJ)
28	Heartbeat Chase (01'57)
29	Chromophone Band (01'56)
30	Controller Chimes (00'10)
31	Musak (from "Time in Advance") (03'19)
32	Propaganda sleep machine (1'08")
33	Doctor Who (New Opening Theme, 1967) (00'51)
"THE WEB OF FEAR" (Serial QQ)
34	Sting & Web (Cocooning Interior)/Cobweb Pulsates (02'04)
35	4 Stings (00'18)
"FURY FROM THE DEEP" (Serial RR)
36	Mr Oak and Mr Quill (Incidental Music) (00'39)
"THE WHEEL IN SPACE" (Serial SS)
37	Lead-in to Cyber Planner (00'14)
38	Cyber Planner Background (00'37)
39	Cyberman Stab & Music (01'32)
40	Rocket Stab (00'08)
41	Birth of Cybermats (00'44)
42	Cybermats attracted to Wheel (00'39)
43	Rocket in Space (01'49)
44	Interior Rocket (Suspense Music) (01'55)
45	Servo Robot Music (1'28")
46	Wheel Stab (00'14)
47	Cosmos Atmosphere (01'08)
48	Alien Ship Music (01'00)
49	Jarvis in a Dream State (00'47)
50	Floating Through Space (01'14)
51	2 Stabs (00'11)
"THE DOMINATORS" (Serial TT)
52	TARDIS (New Landing) (00'18)
53	Galaxy Atmosphere (01'04)
54	Tension Builder (a) (00'45)
55	Tension Builder (c) (00'40)
56	Tension Builder (d) (01'06)
57	Low Sting (00'10)
"THE MIND ROBBER" (Serial UU)
58	TARDIS: Extra Power Unit Plugged In (01'53)
59	Zoe's Theme (01'19)
60	White Void (01'16)
"THE INVASION" (Serial VV)
61	Muzak (from "Time in Advance") (02'48)
62	Cyberman brought to life (1'12")
63	Cyber Invasion (02'11)
"THE KROTONS" (Serial WW)
64	The Learning Hall (02'40)
65	Entry into the Machine (01'33)
66	Sting (00'19)
67	Machine and City Theme (01'49)
68	Kroton Theme (02'13)
"THE SPACE PIRATES" (Serial YY)
69	TARDIS Land (00'25)
"THE WAR GAMES" (Serial ZZ)
70	Alien Control Centre (00'27)
71	Time Zone Atmosphere (00'40)
72	Dimensional Control (SIDRAT dimensions contract) (00'49)
73	War Lord Arrival (00'16)
74	Silver Box (The Doctor calls for help) (01'02)
75	Time Lord Court Atmosphere (01'18)
76	Doctor Who (Closing Titles) (00'41)

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Programme Notes

The CD comes with an illustrated booklet; an abridged version of the text is reproduced here.

This first volume of music, effects and atmospheres from Doctor Who at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop covers the years 1963-1969.

Some four months before the new Saturday teatime science fiction serial Doctor Who hit BBC Television on November 23, 1963, producer Verity Lambert approached composer Ron Grainer to provide the theme music. It was suggested he work with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, with whom he had previously collaborated on the television series Giants of Steam. Using basic tone generators and tape-cutting techniques, thw Workshop's Delia Derbyshire turned Grainer's manuscript into a timeless piece of work with a magically organic quality to it that belies the many hours of patient work it took to create.

Please also see A History of the Doctor Who Theme.

While Delia was working on the theme, Brian Hodgson was building the sound of the ether being ripped apart by a machine able to cross the barriers of space and time: the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space). The basis of this sound was created by torturing the strings of a retired upright piano with a front-door key, and treating the resulting groans. The initial take-off sequence as used in the untransmitted pilot episode (band 4) was later remade to form the sound as we now know it (band 6). This effect stayed pretty much the same throughout the period covered here, but numerous variations on the TARDIS landing (or "materialising") were tried. There is no doubt that the TARDIS has become as much a signature for the programme, and as instantly recognisable, as Grainer's theme music. In the 1970's this was recognised by it being registered as a piece of electronic music in its own right.

Where used, the incidental music for the series at this time was taken either from "stock" or "library" music disks or, when budget would allow, written by freelance composers. The most prolific of the freelancers was Dudley Simpson. In the 1970's he would for a while collaborate exclusively with the Workshop to realise his scores, but the seeds for this were sown as early as 1967, with his music for The Underwater Menace.

Brian Hodgson was responsible for the "sound design" of these early Doctor Who adventures. But, with music budgets tight, the sound effects were frequently much more than that. Brian's "Special Sounds" for stories such as The Web of Fear, The Wheel in Space, The Dominators, The Mind Robber and The Krotons are in effect the music score.

Wherever possibly I have gone back to the original masters for these recordings. Of course, the techniques of the time relied on repeated tape copying for overdubs, so the masters are often very noisy - and digital reproduction does expose them to scrutiny they were never expected to receive.

Listen on to Volume Two for the continuing story...

Mark Ayres

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Annotated Track List

Some tracks contain more than one sound, marked by "index points" (displayed on players that read them) and indicated in these notes, where necessary, in square brackets with the corresponding track time. Note that many of the looped effects and background ambiences run for many minutes on the master tapes; if I'd included every sound in its entirety we'd only have had room for about 20 tracks. This release is intended to be entertaining, not a resource (a true sound effects collection is planned for the future), so I've truncated many of these sounds; this is only indicated in these notes if it is of particular interest. Not all tracks have additional notes!

1	Doctor Who (Original Theme) (02'21)	This original version of Ron Grainer's famous theme music, realised by the legendary Delia Derbyshire, is the first band on the earliest Doctor Who master recording of any kind. It was later licensed to Decca for release as a single (Decca F.11837, 1964), and formed the basis of the 1972 stereo version released by BBC Records (see Volume 2, track 38). But this version was not destined for use on the actual programme, and the theme was remixed for that purpose (track 5). Please also see A History of the Doctor Who Theme.
"AN UNEARTHLY CHILD" (Pilot Episode)		Effects from the untransmitted pilot episode An Unearthly Child.
2	TARDIS Exterior Hum and Door (original) (00'23)	The original TARDIS "Exterior Hum". This is presented here, as on the pilot, played at double speed (so that the effect sounds an octave higher than originally recorded). It appeared on the BBC's 30 Years at the Radiophonic Workshop CD (1993) at its recorded speed. At [Index 2; 0.18] there is the original door opening effect. Both sounds were replaced for the transmitted episode.
3	Entry into the TARDIS (00'40)	An ambient piece underlining Ian and Barbara's shock on first entry to the TARDIS. The background whine that this sound mutates into runs for nearly 12 minutes on the original master tape and underscores most of the TARDIS interiors in the pilot. It was felt to be too insistent, and was replaced by a more subtly warm humming for the transmitted programme. However, a short clip of it was used as the final "door" effect. I've mixed this track into the next...
4	TARDIS: Original Takeoff Sequence (01'47)	This sequence consists, as in the programme, of a mix between two effects: "Lights/Motors TARDIS" and "Original TARDIS Take Off".
5	Doctor Who (Original Titles Music) (02'09)	From a master tape made a few weeks after the original theme recording, here is the theme as it found its way onto the final episodes. The rhythmic "hissing" has been altered, and the structure is different, with a repeated bass line that fades under the action of the first episode. This (as used on the series) is a second attempt at this version - a less successful edit was actually used on the pilot and was released on the BBC Radiophonic Workshop's 21 LP in 1979 (with the repeated bass line shortened). See A History of the Doctor Who Theme.
"AN UNEARTHLY CHILD" (Serial A)
6	TARDIS Takeoff (01'23)	From the final transmitted version of An Unearthly Child, the original archive master recording of the TARDIS takeoff, final version, complete. This effect stayed pretty much unchanged throughout the programme's history, although rarely were more than a few seconds heard. For Invasion (1968), a deep flanging was added to the sound, and it also became common practice to remove the opening "thump".
"THE DALEKS" (Serial B)
7	Skaro: Petrified Forest Atmosphere ("Thal Wind") (01'46)	The atmosphere on the planet Skaro as first encountered by the TARDIS crew. The original catalogue name is perhaps a touch unfortunate.
8	TARDIS Computer (01'08)	Generic background for the TARDIS computer. First heard about 12 minutes into The Dead Planet as the Doctor and Ian examine the instruments on their return to the TARDIS. This is the complete master recording.
9	Dalek City Corridor (01'01)	The original Dalek city corridor atmosphere.
10	Dalek Control Room (00'26)	The original Dalek Control Room atmosphere as used (sometimes in modified form) throughout the programme's history. Just a few pulses are reproduced here - the original master loops for 3'25. This effect was also reused as the Rill ship background in Galaxy Four.
11	Capsule Oscillation (Dalek Destructor Fuse/Bomb Countdown) (00'19)	The Dalek bomb counts down. "Capsule Oscillation" is the title in the original effects catalogue. Also reused as "Dalek Destructor Fuse" in The Chase.
"THE EDGE OF DESTRUCTION" (Serial C)
12	Explosion, TARDIS Stops (01'10)
"THE KEYS OF MARINUS" (Serial E)
13	Sleeping Machine (00'52)	A very early example of a functional sound effect becoming atmospheric "music" - this is the complete recording.
"THE SENSORITES" (Serial G)
14	Sensorite Speech Background (01'10)
"THE CHASE" (Serial R)
15	Dalek Spaceship Lands (00'16)	Later also used as "Dalek time machine land" in The Daleks' Masterplan. The takeoff effect was, essentially, this sound played backwards.
16	TARDIS lands (00'11)	The earliest TARDIS landing effect in the library. Fades in on a few "groans", then dies into heavy reverberation.
"GALAXY FOUR" (Serial T)
17	Chumbley (constant run) (00'27)	A selection of "Chumbley" effects from this story.
18	Chumbley at rest (00'28)
19	Chumbley sends message (00'07)
20	Chumbley dome (rises/falls/rises/falls) (00'19)
21	Chumbley dies (00'11)
"THE DALEKS' MASTERPLAN" (Serial V)
22	Activity on Dalek Ship Control Panel (00'46)	This effect is presented, as used on the original episodes, with the master tape played at half speed.
"THE SAVAGES" (Serial AA)
23	Energy Escapes (00'22)
"THE TENTH PLANET" (Serial DD)
24	Machinery in TARDIS Goes Wild (Regeneration) (01'03)	A cacophonous mix of sound accompanies William Hartnell's Doctor as he collapses on the TARDIS floor and begins to change...
"THE POWER OF THE DALEKS" (Serial EE)
25	Regeneration Runs Down (00'09)	...into Patrick Troughton. The basis of this effect is an unused background from The Daleks. Dick Mills would later reuse it again as "Dalek Drill" in Destiny of the Daleks.
26	The Doctor's Transitional Trauma (00'52)	This sound is guaranteed to clean the wax out of your ears! For that reason, I've put it on here at slightly low level!
"THE UNDERWATER MENACE" (Serial GG)
27	The Fish People (Incidental Music) (00'37)	Doctor Who had pure electronic incidental music before this, of course, provided courtesy of Tristram Cary, working from his own facility (one of the very first "home studios"). But The Underwater Menace was the first full score for the programme to come out of the Radiophonic Workshop, even though it was not composed by a Workshop staff composer. Instead, it clocks up another "first" - the first collaboration between the Workshop and Dudley Simpson, fast becoming the programme's most prolific incidental music composer. This example, performed on an early electronic organ (not yet sophisticated enough to be termed a true "synthesiser") accompanies the Fish People as they go about their aquatic lives.
"THE MACRA TERROR" (Serial JJ)
28	Heartbeat Chase (01'57)	This chase cue was composed as a "special sound" by Brian Hodgson. It is one of the first examples (notwithstanding Explosion, TARDIS Stops) of a "sound effect" being tracked as "music", in that it is used in a purely atmospheric and descriptive fashion. I have shortened this from its original 3'05 running time.
29	Chromophone Band (01'56)	This source cue ("source", as in its being a part of the action, as opposed to "incidental", as in descriptive) was written by Dudley Simpson and realised by Delia Derbyshire - apart from the theme music, her only direct contribution to Doctor Who.
30	Controller Chimes (00'10)
31	Musak (from "Time in Advance") (03'19)	Music by John Baker used as a source cue in this adventure. We've traced this as far back as Time in Advance, a 1965 Out of the Unknown episode. Interestingly, the recording of this piece on the Time in Advance master tape also appears to be a copy, so it might be from even earlier, although I have been unable to trace it back. The music loops for over 8 minutes on the master, so is truncated here. See also track 61.
32	Propaganda sleep machine (1'08")
33	Doctor Who (New Opening Theme, 1967) (00'51)	This new version of the theme debuted (probably) during The Faceless Ones. Sadly, many episodes from this period no longer exist, so it is not possible to be certain. We do know, however, that episode 1 used the original theme, whilst episode 3 used this new one. This is the complete new master recording, as only the start was redone. See A History of the Doctor Who Theme.
"THE WEB OF FEAR" (Serial QQ)
34	Sting & Web (Cocooning Interior)/Cobweb Pulsates (02'04)	It is interesting to note that a high proportion of Patrick Troughton's adventures had no original music score commissioned for them, undoubtedly due to budget constraints. But the value of tailor-made descriptive sound (in addition to functional sound effects) was still recognised. So here, for the first time, we have the Radiophonic Workshop being specifically requested to provide "stings" for incidental use. Still termed "special sound", they punctuated the action when the stock library music used otherwise in this adventure was not up to the task. Seven stings were recorded, five are presented here (the other two being subtle variations). I've also included two "web" effects.
35	4 Stings (00'18)
"FURY FROM THE DEEP" (Serial RR)
36	Mr Oak and Mr Quill (Incidental Music) (00'39)	Two cues from Dudley Simpson's score, realised with the assistance of Brian Hodgson at the Radiophonic Workshop. Great use was made of an electronically-treated piano, with synthesised tones. The second cue here accompanied the terrifying scene in which two "enemy agents" poison Maggie Harris by breathing toxic fumes over her. Ironically, this is the only scene to survive from this story, as it was censored from the print shown in Australia, the trims being locked safely away while the main spool was junked.
"THE WHEEL IN SPACE" (Serial SS)
37	Lead-in to Cyber Planner (00'14)	This story has the first 100% Radiophonic Workshop "music score" (composed by Brian Hodgson) - but with some caveats. Firstly, it's still credited as "Special Sound", although it must be obvious from tracks like "Cyberman Stab and Music" and "Birth of Cybermats" that this is music. Secondly, the music was not scored to picture, or even with close reference to a camera script, but composed as a "library" of cues for ad hoc use (for instance "Cyberman Stab and Music", presented here, like most of these cues, in its entirety, is used repeatedly in the serial). Thirdly, the cues were tracked in as though they were effects, cutting in at the start of scenes, and out at the ends (a true music score would generally lead us into and out of scenes). These are wonderfully atmospheric tracks, and it's a shame that Brian's Cyberman theme wasn't used again.
38	Cyber Planner Background (00'37)
39	Cyberman Stab & Music (01'32)
40	Rocket Stab (00'08)
41	Birth of Cybermats (00'44)
42	Cybermats attracted to Wheel (00'39)
43	Rocket in Space (01'49)
44	Interior Rocket (Suspense Music) (01'55)
45	Servo Robot Music (1'28")
46	Wheel Stab (00'14)
47	Cosmos Atmosphere (01'08)
48	Alien Ship Music (01'00)
49	Jarvis in a Dream State (00'47)
50	Floating Through Space (01'14)
51	2 Stabs (00'11)
"THE DOMINATORS" (Serial TT)
52	TARDIS (New Landing) (00'18)	A new version of the TARDIS landing. This version consists of a descending whine leading into the original effect treated with pre-echo. It has a very abrupt ending!
53	Galaxy Atmosphere (01'04)	Like The Wheel in Space, another Radiophonic score, still credited as "Special Sound". There were many short stings composed for this story which are not included here. Instead I have included the ambient background tracks. You may be wondering what happened to "Tension Builder (b)". It was, quite simply, a reuse of the "Servo Robot Music" from The Wheel in Space.
54	Tension Builder (a) (00'45)
55	Tension Builder (c) (00'40)
56	Tension Builder (d) (01'06)
57	Low Sting (00'10)
"THE MIND ROBBER" (Serial UU)
58	TARDIS: Extra Power Unit Plugged In (01'53)	A variation on the original TARDIS takeoff sound, played at half speed, with added echo effects.
59	Zoe's Theme (01'19)	Most of this story was scored using stock music, but episode 1 in particular used a number of ambient background tracks from the Workshop. Two of them are presented here.
60	White Void (01'16)
"THE INVASION" (Serial VV)
61	Muzak (from "Time in Advance") (02'48)	Music by John Baker used as a source cue in this adventure. This track is essentially the same as track 31, with the addition of a jazz piano. One of the reasons I suspect that these pieces originally date from earlier than Time in Advance is that this recording is also obviously a copy, yet does not appear on the Time in Advance master reel. This, from the Invasion effects archive master, is the only copy of this piece I have traced, and is of poor quality. I've done my best with it, and it is the only track on this CD to be presented in stereo, as I felt that a bit of stereo reverberation helped to diffuse the noise on the mono master.
62	Cyberman brought to life (1'12")	This adventure was scored from a library of cues by composer Don Harper (a master tape containing 31 cues, a total of around - contrary to reports elswhere - 20 minutes of music, was prepared). Brian Hodgson provided some additional "cybernetic" sounds to glue the story together and two are featured here, both in truncated form (the "Cyber Invasion" builds and holds for 8 minutes on the master tape!).
63	Cyber Invasion (02'11)
"THE KROTONS" (Serial WW)
64	The Learning Hall (02'40)	Another of the stories in seasons 5 & 6 for which Brian Hodgson provided incidental music posing as "special sounds". All of these tracks are presented in their entirety.
65	Entry into the Machine (01'33)
66	Sting (00'19)
67	Machine and City Theme (01'49)
68	Kroton Theme (02'13)
"THE SPACE PIRATES" (Serial YY)
69	TARDIS Land (00'25)	Another new version of the TARDIS landing. This time the sound starts with some sparking effects (as on the takeoff), followed by some particularly painful key-scrape groans, ending with a reverberating thump as the motors cut out.
"THE WAR GAMES" (Serial ZZ)
70	Alien Control Centre (00'27)	As on the original programmes, this effect is transferred with the master running at half-speed. I've dissolved this into the next track.
71	Time Zone Atmosphere (00'40)	Briefly used as characters travel between time zones. Segue to...
72	Dimensional Control (SIDRAT dimensions contract) (00'49)	The Doctor is trapped in a SIDRAT by the War Chief, who causes its internal dimensions to contract (end of part 6 cliffhanger).
73	War Lord Arrival (00'16)	Used at the start of part 7. As on the programme, this sound is presented here with the master tape running at double speed.
74	Silver Box (The Doctor calls for help) (01'02)	Unable to sort out the mess left by the Aliens, the Doctor collects his thoughts and places them in a box-like container which self-assembles in front of him and then disappears, carrying his plea for help to his own people, the Time Lords.
75	Time Lord Court Atmosphere (01'18)
76	Doctor Who (Closing Titles) (00'41)	This is an unused version of the new closing titles music that would be introduced in 1970. See Volume 2, and A History of the Doctor Who Theme.

Doctor Who at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop Volume 2 - New Beginnings (1970-1980)

Doctor Who at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop Volumes 3 and 4

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