A hidden hoard of recordings made by the electronic music pioneer behind the Doctor Who theme has been revealed – including a dance track 20 years ahead of its time. Delia Derbyshire was working in the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop in 1963 when she was given a set of written instructions for a theme tune for a new science fiction series. She turned those guidelines into the swirling, shimmering Doctor Who title music – although it is the memo’s author, Ron Grainer, who is credited as the composer. Now David Butler, of Manchester University’s School of Arts, Histories and Cultures has revealed for the first time the existence of 267 tapes found in Ms Derbyshire’s attic when she died in 2001. They were, until last March, in the safekeeping of Mark Ayres, archivist for the Radiophonic Workshop – and have lain unheard for more than 30 years.
Amongst the recordings is some ethereal whooshing from a 1969 production of Hamlet at the Roundhouse in London; an extraordinary kit of parts for one of her most-admired pieces; and the theme for a documentary set in the Sahara which shows how she used her voice as an instrument. Link & Audio extracts.
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