After a three-season hiatus, Murray Gold is back to compose Doctor Who! Why wouldn’t Russell T. Davies bring back the man who created the sounds of an entire generation? Murray Gold created the music for seasons 1-12 of the Doctor Who revival and he’s now adding another thing to his discography: season 14.
I mean, it’s no surprise returning given that we’re in a Doctor Who renaissance. Ever since Davies returned, he’s brought everyone who revived the show back to do it again. We’ve got David Tennant, Catherine Tate, and we’ve even got Julie Gardner with her Bad Wolf production company. Gold just felt like the final missing piece in this mission to make the Whovians miss the revival.
Honestly, if there’s a sound you associate with Doctor Who, it’s probably because Gold put the song in your head. Oh, you need a pump up to your day? Reach for “I Am The Doctor” from season five. The strings on that song are the best soundtrack to a good run. If you’re not sold, here’s me trying to convince you to listen to it:
Gold was in fact the master of emotions. Maybe instead you need a good cry? “Doomsday” could make anyone cry, or maybe it’s just me remembering my first companion leaving the show. Someone pass the tissues.
Don’t even get me started on the theme song. Gold managed to make each new era of The Doctor sound both refreshed and nostalgic at the same time. Quite frankly, I haven’t been able to get over the season four opening since 2008. That version said, can I get a side of rock with my sci-fi?
Gold managed to make every moment of Doctor Who as magical as the show itself. So of course, we’re excited, and of course, we want to hear his music again. He’s great at creating personalities with his music alone. He managed to encapsulate personalities so easily because pairing horns with the sassy Donna Noble was definitely the way to go.
But, there is something I must confess. Segun Akinola is the composer of my favorite Doctor Who theme song. There, I said it.
He managed to get me excited by Doctor Who again at a time when a lot of us doubted the show. The energy his music brought felt refreshed and helped make moments that already struggled emotionally hit. Gold knows how to assist an already great show. Akinola managed to find feelings in moments that were lacking in the writing. Sometimes we forget, even though it’s just background music that scores do make a moment. That’s why composers are hired!
This was an opportunity to give the spotlight to someone new. Why not give that Disney money to someone who is just as magical? The point of the revamp for the show is to yes, bring the nostalgia back to everyone who grew up on SuperWhoLock. We want to commemorate RTD’s return! Yay! But when we had a new composer for the show, you could argue, it, in some ways, did the show a great service.
So while I’m happy Murry Gold has returned, I still need the sense of a revival. There’s a reason I’m still here 18 years later talking about the show. Let’s not just repeat history. Trust me, the show can transcend time as The Doctor can, so I have hope that Doctor Who will still thrive in this new era.
Doctor Who returns to our screens this November.
