Doctor Who (1963) - Original Theme music video

[Yetaxa]

No instruments, no computers, no synthesisers, made purely by messing around electronically with the sound of a single plucked string. Masterful.

[wild14me]

In 1969 I was 4 years old. My older brother put me in front of the TV and raised the volume, when this was on. The flashing lights caused me to convulse and pass out. The Doctors prescribed Phenobarbital, which is a Barbiturate. It caused me to have the most hallucinogenic nightmares for 4 year old. Now when I hear and see this video, chills run down my spine.

[reidrules45]

Well, who ever disliked this video is OBVIOUSLY a Dalek!

[elppa284]

I like how you can hear the drums even in this.

[RepublicOfAntartica]

A dalek must have watched this...

[diogeneslaertius666]

one day, such songs will be a war-cry and battle hymn

[diogeneslaertius666]

@diogeneslaertius666 and perhaps that day has even arrived or is closer than one might think!

[diogeneslaertius666]

such transgression against my children will not be tolerated #NWO

[diogeneslaertius666]

my offspring are legion, you have transgressed

[diogeneslaertius666]

I AM COMING FOR YOU #NWO 

[DerrickthePinecone]

Roger Waters borrowed this opening for Pink Floyd's "One of These Days." Good stuff.

[ozoneocean]

She created a real piece of art here. It's such a shame the current version is such an overblown piece of crap, including needless flourishes and horrible unsubtle use of full orchestration, completely missing the point of the otherworldly, modernist original here.

Anyway, you could probably do a reasonable facsimile of this using a glass harp, an electric bass, and a reverse loop off... something?

[therealKINDLE]

@ozoneocean Hi there! I think you're speaking for the entire series there. The Nu theme suits the Nu show. Totally lacking subtlety, artistic solution, innovation ..It's not even science fiction anymore. Awful.

It's not really about re-creating this masterpiece, but learning the lessons that Delia herself has locked inside her material. I've had a muck about, but nothing serious.

But my own Music I do take seriously, & beloved Delia is there with me every step of the way! :D

[fonga902]

best mysteries theme ever like the british would say brilliant absolutely brilliant

[bedhead1167]

i seriously have a problem and i cant stop listening to this

[crazytown106]

I was so excited when Dr. Who reappeared on television. It was a fave as a kid. I was disappointed when I viewed it 20 years later.Turns out...I had only been watching it FOR THIS THEME SONG! Fair enough.

[InsertNameHere297]

am I the only one who likes the first doctor's theme better than eleventh doctor's theme?

[ScunneredMan]

What could Delia have done today with modern synths??? girl was genius.

[DasGrausam]

@ScunneredMan

sadly she practically loathed synths when they first became popular, which is why she left the electronic music scene. I think I read that she felt they inhibited true creativity and freedom.

Amazing musician, and apparently she wasn't at all big-headed or arrogant about it either.

Modern artists could learn a lot from the likes of her, when they say "oh I need x amount of equipment and instruments, and they must be this particular brand"

[DasGrausam]

@DasGrausam I have to agree, with all the synths in FL Studio, I probably struggle MORE to compose with them, than I do with a simple piano, choir and strings.

[ScunneredMan]

@DasGrausam Hi, Didn't know of her dislike of synths, but do know she sadly died very young.

[Crispolivia]

It's fantastic!

[moreliacore]

Back in  Mexico when I was teenager(Late 70's) This tv show was very popular,this theme stuck in my brain,un tema muy chingon de la serie Dr Misterio del canal 13 de Mexico.Original de Inglaterra.

[CrusherX1000]

all comenters sing along commenters 1-30 are in charge of the diggidy das

commenters 30-60 incharge of woo wooooooooooossssssssss

comenters 60-90 in charge of every thing else

[Tubeuserthefirst]

its so beautiful and serene!

[TheScorpionMK37]

The doctor has been regenerating since the 60's, that must be a pain in the ass.

[SOLDIERF1]

before even Kraftwerk!

[Brido1888again]

never liked dr who but always loved the theme

[Dyaxxis]

This era up to 1987 is what I consider the "golden age" of Dr. Who music and visual effects. Whilst I do like the Sylvester McCoy era episodes that came after, somehow the music and visual theme appeared a bit "sterilised by computer."

Now I do work in the field of software and systems control, however I'm a bit partial towards idiosyncratic electronic sound generation and visual effects (e.g. tapes, film, electromechanical sound generation, analogue circuits, etc.)

[solidgroove01]

maaaaagic sounds ! sooo lovely ! respect !

[WarriorAngel001]

Just saying, watching the images could really trip you out, especially if you were high.lol =P

[wvdb2217]

@WarriorAngel001 how did they even animate that?

[chuchotarantino]

I still can't believe that someone got scared because of this once

[xXLunagrrl]

Wow, amazing. Sending chills down my spine.

[Django5198]

more sixties than a Doors concert in San Fran

[AnthonyUK]

On the DVD there is also a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround version;I have listened to this through a Dolby Digital 5.1 amp and speakers it sounds great!

[JHollowayNetwork]

Does Anybody Have, The full-length video, for Patrick Troughton, and Jon Pertwee?

[fakeo]

any1 know da instruments dey were playing?

[unstrungzero]

@fakeo As the most recent comment references, there WERE no instruments as such. From Wikipedia: It was the first TV theme entirely realised through electronic means. [...] The various parts were built up by creating tape loops of an individually struck piano string and individual test oscillators and filters.

[fakeo]

@unstrungzero arent u forgetting the theremin... hmmm?

[unstrungzero]

@fakeo lol I know it sounds like it, but there was no theremin used on this original version. If you go to Wikipedia's "Doctor Who theme music" entry, it's really fascinating stuff. It was literally made note by note electronically and taped together.

[sgtelzilcho]

@unstrungzero

i think I heard that the bass line was a piece of string plucked then sped up

I think that was said in 'The Alchemists of Sound' documentary

[dalekcaanman]

@fakeo They use a sine wave and an organ not a theremin

[fakeo]

@dalekcaanman dude dat was covered 3weeks ago read da comments

[Django5198]

@unstrungzero surely that's a bass playing the bassline

[Weidenfee]

@fakeo

/watch?v=NDX_CS3NsTk

[SgtTravisBickle]

@fakeo dey wuz playin' fine crystal glasses, mate.

[panos78gr]

@fakeo I think it is "Oramics" synthesizer by Daphne Orams...

[Silversun634]

@fakeo In the New Series it seems like an electronic valve instrument or evi.

[waretape]

@fakeo It is well known to all of vintage synth collectors (and myself of course). It is a british EMS Synthi 100 (the monster... ). As far as I can remember one of this sold for 60.000$... and I think it is overestimated...

I prefer moog modular, although I only have a modern voyager...

OK the sound is unique, but you know, reel to reel tapes can make everything sound amazing! Young guys have no idea about it... this is the fucking new era

[XxShadowvalkyriexX]

@fakeo mostly MIDI audio synthetic files.. like the bottom comment, most music around this era was wholly generated by MIDI Synthesizers.

[reidrules45]

@fakeo No instruments. This was one of the first things to be made using completely computers.

[lothartheterrible]

I still find it fascinating that Delia Derbyshire accomplished this without a synthesizer. The sheer patience it took to splice all those individual pieces of tape and run them through analog oscillators is something that I know I do not possess. Timeless magic.

[unstrungzero]

@lothartheterrible Absolutely agree with everything you said. Times like those I think having OCD would be an advantage. LOL

[DasGrausam]

@unstrungzero

nah lol - I have OCD, and I'm pretty good with music and very experimental, what she did takes something special and pure skill lol

I'd highly recommend the album called "An Electric Storm" - if you haven't already heard it, by a shortlived band she was in called White Noise.

[DasGrausam]

@DasGrausam OCD kind of makes it worse haha - too much anxiety.

[philecops]

avant-garde * * * * *

[Phernanthus]

im faving this thank you for uploading :-)

[funkydrummer14]

This sounds like it was written by Kraftwerk

[xtinaknox]

:-)))

[MegaRKK]

The original is the best !!!

[SLX10]

This is the theme I find myself listening to most. I'm just trying to break into the Dr. Who phenomena! Watching some of the very first series. Exceptional stuff!

[Pulpdood]

So awesome. Just pure brilliance.

[VirtualGamer42]

Thanks for uploading this, hope BBC won't take this video down too.

[Jarren202]

Eternal respect to Delia Derbyshire!

[TheThotPran]

@Jarren202 and Ron Grainer for writing it.

Don't over credit her, she only recognised the score Ron wrote.

[sha1om]

@TheThotPran Grainer himself wanted to give Derbyshire co-writing credit, but the BBC wouldn't allow it...

[greattools]

I could listen to this all day and all night.