Murray Gold and BBC NOW compose and perform the music for the fifteenth Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, who will take control of the TARDIS over the festive period.
TUCKED away at the back of Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, sits BBC Hoddinott Hall. An unimposing four-storey building, it can be very easy to walk straight past on your way into a show in the centre and not know the depth of creativity that takes place within its walls.
But for more than ten years, this has been home to the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales (BBC NOW) and has been the recording studio for some very popular BBC soundtracks.
From the sweeping epic soundscapes of the recent Planet Earth Three series with Sir David Attenborough and pop band Bastille, to the chilling soundtrack of hit Welsh TV series The Pact, to the brooding music of the smash BBC Wales TV hit of 2023 Steeltown Murders – all were recorded by BBC NOW at their home in the heart of Cardiff Bay.
And throughout 2023, BBC NOW have been recording - under top secret conditions! - the soundtrack for the upcoming new series of Doctor Who.
This isn’t the first time that BBC NOW have been so heavily involved in the making of the music for Doctor Who.
Back in 2005, the orchestra was used by composer Murray Gold and orchestrator-conductors Ben Foster and Alastair King from series two, to perform the incidental and theme music.
During this period of the show’s history, Mr Gold revamped the theme tune with BBC NOW performing, and created the music for the Daleks and Cybermen to name just a few.
Mr Gold is widely celebrated for his role in forging a new musical identity for the show, and has returned once again to compose the music for three special episodes this November celebrating the shows 60th anniversary, with David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor.
Mr Gold and BBC NOW also composed and perform the music for the Fifteenth Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, who will take control of the TARDIS over the festive period.
On returning to Doctor Who, Murray Gold said: “I’m so happy to be invited back for another joyful ride in the TARDIS. I didn’t think twice. Working with Russell T Davies and his team is just a pleasure.”
Ahead of the three special episodes, BBC NOW and the BBC Singers recently performed music from across 60 years of the show for a BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds special hosted by Jo Whiley and filmed for BBC Four to a packed out audience of fans at BBC Hoddinott Hall.
Sassy Hicks, head of marketing for BBC NOW said: “The recent Doctor Who @60: A Musical Celebration concert was a great opportunity for fans of the show to be the first to hear the new music BBC NOW has recorded for the Fifteenth Doctor. People came to the concert from all over the world, and it was amazing to meet them all!
"We managed to fit nearly 400 fans into BBC Hoddinott Hall and it was so lovely to hear their appreciation for the music – especially the first performance of the brand new Doctor Who theme tune for the new series.”
Conducting this concert was Alastair King, a renowned conductor and orchestrator, best known for his musical contributions to film and television including Prince of Persia, Wonder Woman, The Meg and Aquaman, but this 60th anniversary concert was a personal highlight for Mr King.
“Doctor Who has been a part of my life since as long as I can remember and so to get to work on the show made my inner (and outer) child very happy," he said.
"And to add to that joy I also had the privilege of working with the Doctor Who orchestra - BBC NOW, a group of incredible musicians who embrace every action and emotion we throw at them and return them with interest.
"Curating and conducting the concert to celebrate the 60th anniversary could only have been done with this amazing orchestra and they seemed to enjoy romping through the catalogue of Doctor Who’s greatest hits -and brand new hits - almost as much as I did.
"If only we could celebrate like this every year!”
You can watch BBC NOW perform Doctor Who @60: A Musical Celebration on the BBC iPlayer. Doctor Who returns to BBC One and iPlayer this Saturday, November 25, on BBC1.
To find out more about BBC NOW and see them in concert, visit: bbc.co.uk/bbcnow
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