Best Who-music ever?

This miniessay was written for a behindthesofa.org.uk feature that never got ran, about the best piece of music in the show. What do you think I'm gonna vote for? Any guesses?


Utopia is a very exciting episode, and that’s partly down to the music – chuntering during all the running, zwerrrrrrrrrrrrp as the Doctor what's going on upstairs. But first prize has to be the Master's theme – that jarring, offkilter violin tottering up and down scales, accompanied by the ever present a-THUMP-du-dum a-THUMP-du-dum. It was sufficiently catchy that life imitated art, as next morning saw legions of fans mildly tapping out the rhythm. Favourite use outside of Utopia is Sound of Drums, as the Master walks down the road looking for Martha and finding Tom Milligan first. Spine-tinglin’ good.

The idea of a musical motif is very powerful – I still get excited by hearing the Torchwood theme tune both in Utopia when Jack collapses next to the TARDIS, and when the ghosts appear in Army of Ghosts. The use of Martha’s theme in Reset was the highlight of the entire second series. Obviously, going back through the series reveals the sound of drums used in earlier episodes. But to cap it off, he then remixes the theme tune and points out the drums have been right there all along. The sheer cheek could only be matched by RTD digitally editing “bad wolf” back into the classic episodes – Terror of the Autons, there are the drums in the theme tune! Right from the start! Wow, who’d have thought! By using the theme tune, the idea of the Master being the Doctor's opposite, a permanent underlying menace has suddenly been woven straight back into the classic series.

Speaking thus, I'd like to give a special mention for Planet of Fire's haunting Logar theme. I always find it hard to sympathise with Doctor Who's "generic warring factions on a futuristic planet". Here, the factions are at war over religion. For this to be convincing, you have to believe Timanov's all-consuming trust in Logar, and the eerie music gives it a nudge – particularly as he describes his encounter with the god. Generally, with the exception of this and Earthshock, I feel the 5th Doctor's era was an ugly one for music. Though, it may just be the association with Logopolis, but that descending regeneration tune is unfailingly moving. Even in Curse of Fatal Death. Ahem.

Worst? The only one which comes to mind is the Three Doctors – I suspect the tinny antimatter music was supposed to sound "futuristic". And indeed, it does foreshadow an invention not yet dreamt of in the 70s. I speak, of course, of the gameboy. The 2-bit colours on the antimatter blob don't help...