Hello everyone I’m back. You might be interested in what I’m here to discuss today. I’m not usually a guy who talks of music, yet seeing we’ve had a few music pieces for the blog, I thought I’d come and discuss what music I like. I like lots of music, of animated films, movies, video games, and you can’t forget anime. But if there’s a music which has been ringing in my ears, the universe of Doctor Who has given me lots of music to enjoy.
Ever since Big Finish began their Doctor Who audios music was a essential piece to make the audios work to drive the atmosphere, their dark and scary music pieces fills you with fear. Then the series returned in 2005 with a whole new face to it, with a new music piece delivered by Murray Gold. With this fans were introduced to many music pieces and character themes, not just under Murray Gold but under Big Finish and Segun Akinola. Hence I thought I’d do a countdown of my favourite Doctor Who music pieces.
I will note you may not agree with me.
Let’s start with.
We Are Not Finished
From the Thirteenth Doctor’s final episode. For context, the Doctor has been trapped by the Master in a chamber and he’s taken over the Doctor’s body. With the Doctor’s body now the Master’s, the Doctor is trapped within her mind. It’s here we see her reunite with the First, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Doctors, who have lived on inside the Doctor’s mind, serving as Guardians of the Edge of the Doctor’s consciousness during the process of regeneration, urging the Thirteenth Doctor to try and fight back.
The music is just so soothing, ironic with the utter chaos going on outside of the Doctor. It’s this cool, soothing tone which works right with this being in the mind of the Doctor, with it majestically welcoming back some of the Classic Doctors, treating them with this old and noble music which feels forever and old but still so young, just like the Doctor themself. There’s the slight hint of dread as the Eighth and Fifth Doctors explain what the Edge means, if the incarnation goes over the Edge, there’s no way back, there’s a somber feel to it for you then think of the Doctors who aren’t there, did they go over the Edge feeling they could finally be at peace now?
Segun Akinola did a great job at capturing this angelic, somber feel to the Doctor’s mind, going well with the barren landscape we see of the Doctor’s mind, it’s bright, yet has this old look to it the music just gives us so well with.
The Power of the Doctor to me is a fun mess. There’s much wrong with the episode but there’s so much to love from it, and Segun Akinola is just one of the many things you love from the episode.
The Daleks
The Daleks’ theme is something introduced in series 1 with it making brief returns in the following series.
The music starts with this strange, spine tingling sharp piece which feels like the air has been cut open with a feeling of dread, growing intensely until you feel like you’re seeing a door open to reveal your worst nightmare. This was done well in the Daleks’ return in “Dalek”. The Ninth Doctor enters a dark room, believing he’s helping an alien who has been captive. The atmosphere changes the very moment the Dalek talks, the Doctor almost feels that music piece ripping into him as he’s horrified to realise what it is he’s facing. The lights revealing the Dalek goes neatly with the increased sharpness of the music, it’s telling you the Doctor himself is scared, he’s afraid, instead of facing down the bad guy, he’s running from it. The music captures the Doctor’s fear so well.
The rest of the theme has this dreading block like sound, as if you’re having to ready yourself to fight these mutated creatures in their casings. Then it shifts to this godly sounding music, used well for the Daleks as they show their powers, you see them fly, they calmly assess their surroundings, looking at their enemies as if they’re mere insects they can easily crush. The music rises and you think the Daleks truly have become the supreme beings.
It’s like this steady build up in which you try to understand what you’re facing only you end up facing this huge wave of frightening monsters, you try to fight but the Daleks don’t stop. They just keep on coming. This was used for one Dalek, then it was used for the entire Dalek fleet. If you want to back up your iconic enemy, you need music which makes you fear them and feel their strength.
The War Master theme
Continuing with the villains of Doctor Who, we come to the Doctor’s best enemy. The Master. Or more specifically the War Master.
Credit to the YouTuber.
The music was made by Ioan Morris. It’s this dark opposite of the Doctor Who theme, you have this sense they are giving you the complete dark mirror of the Doctor. The theme works for it being the Master’s stories in the Time War, matching the utter destruction the Time War caused and combining it with the Master’s sinister side, going well with how the War Master was by far the most cruelest of the Master’s, this sense of horrid joy in the music with the Master happy to cause chaos and dread while throwing in these little references to Murray Gold’s music with the drumbeat.
This music just tells you though the Time Lords resurrected the Master to help them win, he was a loose cannon who wreaked havoc on the Daleks, the Doctor’s friends and other species in the Time War to get what he wanted.
The Dark and Endless Dalek Night
Yeah, back to the Daleks.
How do you try to top the Daleks first theme? You go bigger and golly doesn’t this music go hard with the Daleks coming back bigger. Used in series 4, we thought the Daleks were cut back to just one Dalek in Caan, yet with Earth and other planets warped out of their home in space, the humans are confused until they get a radio signal. The Daleks cry “Exterminate!” then we have the fleet descending, Daleks are everywhere, their saucers are in the sky, the music goes so well with the Daleks coming in full power, crushing anything in their way, the godly feel returning.
The music truly goes hard once you see the Daleks are this close to winning, they are close to wiping out all life in the universe. It just stops just as Donna stops the countdown. The music then shifts with the Daleks being wiped out, this sense of this almighty race just being eradicated by the Meta Crises Doctor, the fire rising well with the music as Davros seemingly burns with the ship.
It did return in The Magician’s Apprentice as the Twelfth Doctor realises Missy has brought him to Skaro, the Daleks’ home planet with there being Daleks from the show’s whole history coming upon the Doctor, the old relics of Skaro are back with this old song Murray Gold hadn’t used since series 4, for context this is series 9.
With the villains out of the way, we now come to the Doctor’s themes.
Tenth Doctor theme
Credit to the YouTuber.
The Tenth Doctor’s theme has this feeling of sadness and ancient, it has this sense you are in the presence of an alien who has lived for SO long, for billions of years. It just tells you what the Doctor has seen in their years, despite the many friends he’s had, they are still lonely.
Yet despite this loneliness and sadness, the music gives you this feeling of greatness and wonder, you feel the Doctor’s love for hope and happiness of others, you feel he’s facing everything thrown to him but won’t give up. The end of the music feels like he has triumphed, he’s done it, he’s saved the day, yet even then…it ends on a lower note. He’s still lonely. Which works so well for the Tenth Doctor.
Fifteenth Doctor theme
With Murray Gold back to score for Doctor Who, he has a brand new Doctor to score, and with this debuting before the Fifteenth Doctor comes, you have this feel of just what you’re getting with this Doctor.
Listening to it there’s this feel of magic, liveliness and joy, which fits the Fifteenth Doctor upon seeing him, it goes with his younger, energetic delight with him embracing life. It has this feel of being bold, strong and to approach things with confidence. Which fits with the Fifteenth Doctor with him free of the trauma of Thirteen’s guilt during the Flux and the Timeless Child. There’s this serious undertone though in the music, hinting how there’s more to this Doctor. He may be friendly, but he has a serious streak to him and he will do what he can to save the day or the life of a baby.
I eagerly wait to hear more of this theme in the upcoming return of Doctor Who.
There’s A Man I Know
We come back to Big Finish, with Jamie Robertson being the guy behind this beautiful; music piece for the Eighth Doctor.
Listening to it, you have this sense of sadness yet has this love for everything, just this is enough to describe the Eighth Doctor. It’s sad, it’s hurt, it’s tired and old, but still has this youthful spark to the Doctor, still wanting to do what is the right thing. It has this energetic pickup which goes well with the Eighth Doctor’s youthful character and easily bleeding into a more modern music piece, helping further prove the Eighth Doctor is the bridge between classic and modern. A under appreciated bridge in my opinion from the bosses. It helps with this being in audio you can imagine whatever the Eighth Doctor is doing and imagine the scene for the music to go with it.
I see? I see him in his coat, leaning against the TARDIS. There’s a sad look on his face for he recalls those he’s lost in his life, yet he looks up in the long ocean of stars, his smile returning. Eight jumps in action, his sonic screwdriver out, his snarky wit out there for you to grin at as the music continues. Just a beautiful bit of music.
The Shepherd’s Boy
Last on this list is a theme which is beautifully used for the Twelfth Doctor.
First used in Heaven Sent and last heard in Twice Upon a Time, it just works so well with the Twelfth Doctor, this old soul is going through lots of pain and suffering to break a glass wall, dying repeatedly, yet this old man has this young spark to get back home to save his friend. The Doctor maybe old but he’s strong and has lots of love for his friends, and he loves to live. He had wondered if it was time for him to die, to finally rest. But he couldn’t, not with so much still out there to explore. It being last played in Moffat’s last episode as showrunner, including it being Murray Gold’s last music before he returned in 2023, with the Twelfth Doctor welcoming the Thirteenth in with much advice, it feels like you’re feeling the rebirth of a character. It ends with this beautiful rise in music as the Doctor embraces everything positive for him.
For music lovers out there I hope you give these a listen. I’m the Wandering Fox. I will see ya.
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