Murray Gold
Encyclopedia
Murray Gold is an English
composer
for stage, film, and television and a dramatist for both theatre and radio.
(2000), Casanova
(2006) and Doctor Who
(2008). His score for the BAFTA winning film Kiss of Life was awarded the 'Mozart Prize of the 7th Art' by a French jury at Aubagne in 2003. He has also been nominated four times by the Royal Television Society
in categories relating to music for television.
He has worked with Russell T Davies, the former writer and executive producer of Doctor Who, many times in the past on projects such as Casanova
(starring David Tennant
), The Second Coming
(starring Christopher Eccleston
) and Queer as Folk 1 & 2. He has also provided the incidental music for the 2000s version of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
alongside James Bond
composer David Arnold
, who provided the theme tune. None of his incidental music was released on the soundtrack CD for that show.
He wrote the theme tune for the Channel 4
series Shameless and scored the period drama The Devil's Whore
. More recently Gold scored another David Tennant
series, in BBC1's Single Father. In this, Gold opted for a more popular music style ensemble rather than writing for orchestra.
for the BBC
. In this capacity, he created a new arrangement of the show's theme (originally composed by Ron Grainer
) and also composes the show's incidental music. Silva Screen released a compilation of Gold's Doctor Who incidental music from the first
and second
series, entitled Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack
, on December 11, 2006. A second CD, Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 3
, was released on November 5, 2007 and a third, Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 4
, was released in November 2008. He has also been seen very briefly in the show itself, making a cameo appearance (and wearing a false moustache) in the 2007 Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned
".
Also, music from the 2008-2010 specials was released on October 4, 2010, entitled Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 4: The Specials
, and on November 8 music from Series 5, entitled Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 5
, was released.
Gold's initial arrangement of the Doctor Who theme
did not include "middle eight
" portion originally used in the theme, although he later reinstated it for a rearrangement of the theme introduced in the series' 2005 Christmas episode
and subsequently used in the 2006 series of the programme.
Gold has created many themes to be associated with various elements of the show, creating two themes for The Doctor ("The Doctor's Theme" and "The Doctor Forever"), Rose Tyler
, Martha Jones
, Donna Noble
, Gallifrey
, The Master
, Astrid Peth
, the Cybermen, and the Daleks.
Gold re-arranged the Doctor Who opening theme in 2010 for Series 5. With the 2010 series, Gold also created two new musical identities for the Eleventh Doctor
("I Am The Doctor" and "A Madman With A Box," replacing themes previously associated with the Ninth and Tenth Doctors), a theme for Amy Pond
, the Silurians and the Daleks. He also continued to use the theme for the Cybermen, as well as several action cues such as "Corridors and Fire Escapes" and "All the Strange, Strange Creatures."
Although his music for the 2005 series of Doctor Who relied largely on sampled sounds, his later arrangements for the show, beginning with "The Christmas Invasion
," have been more orchestral, often being recorded by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, supplemented by vocal performances with Melanie Pappenheim
and others. By contrast, music for the classic 1963-1989 series of Doctor Who, as produced by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
, Mark Ayres
et al., generally had an electronic feel, with innovative instrumentation.
Gold also wrote the theme tunes for Doctor Who spin-offs The Sarah Jane Adventures
and Torchwood
, and composes music for the latter series alongside Ben Foster
. A selection of their compositions, entitled Torchwood: Original Television Soundtrack
, was made available during August 2008. He arranged the theme tunes to Totally Doctor Who
and Doctor Who Confidential
, both of which are variations on the Doctor Who theme.
Gold has created, arranged and orchestrated two special live concerts for the music from Doctor Who. The first, "Doctor Who: A Celebration
", was played at the Millennium Centre
in Cardiff in 2006; the second, the Doctor Who Prom, was part of the BBC Proms on 24 July 2008 at the Royal Albert Hall
in London
.
Two further concerts featuring Gold's music were announced as part of the BBC Proms season for 2010, once again at London's Royal Albert Hall
.
In March 2010, his Doctor Who soundtrack entered UK radio station Classic FM's
Hall of Fame as that year's second highest new entry. In 2011, it remained in the Hall of Fame, but three places lower at number 228 out of 300.
and Mischief Night, directed by Penny Woolcock. Other projects include Ant & Dec
's 2006 film Alien Autopsy and the forthcoming film Veronika Decides to Die
.
His radio play Electricity was awarded the Michael Imison award for best new play after its broadcast on Radio 3 in 2001. It subsequently transferred to the West Yorkshire Playhouse
in 2004 and was performed with Christopher Eccleston
in the lead role. Others of his plays include 50 Revolutions performed by the Oxford Stage Company at the Whitehall Theatre, London in 2000 and Resolution at Battersea Arts Centre
in 1994.
Gold also wrote the radio play Kafka the Musical, broadcast on Easter Sunday 2011 on BBC Radio 3, starring David Tennant
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
for stage, film, and television and a dramatist for both theatre and radio.
Television
Gold has been nominated for a BAFTA four times in the category Best Original Television Music, for Vanity Fair (1999), Queer as FolkQueer as Folk (UK TV series)
Queer as Folk is a 1999 British television series that chronicles the lives of three gay men living in Manchester's gay village around Canal Street. Both Queer as Folk and Queer as Folk 2 were written by Russell T Davies...
(2000), Casanova
Casanova (2005 TV serial)
Casanova is a 2005 British television comedy drama serial, written by television scriptwriter Russell T Davies and directed by Sheree Folkson...
(2006) and Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
(2008). His score for the BAFTA winning film Kiss of Life was awarded the 'Mozart Prize of the 7th Art' by a French jury at Aubagne in 2003. He has also been nominated four times by the Royal Television Society
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
in categories relating to music for television.
He has worked with Russell T Davies, the former writer and executive producer of Doctor Who, many times in the past on projects such as Casanova
Casanova (2005 TV serial)
Casanova is a 2005 British television comedy drama serial, written by television scriptwriter Russell T Davies and directed by Sheree Folkson...
(starring David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
), The Second Coming
The Second Coming (TV serial)
The Second Coming is a two-part British television drama first screened on ITV in the UK in February 2003. It concerns the realisation of Steve Baxter that he is in fact the Son of God, and has just a few days to find the human race's Third Testament and thus avert the Apocalypse.It was written...
(starring Christopher Eccleston
Christopher Eccleston
Christopher Eccleston is an English stage, film and television actor. His films include Let Him Have It, Shallow Grave, Elizabeth, 28 Days Later, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Others, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra...
) and Queer as Folk 1 & 2. He has also provided the incidental music for the 2000s version of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall & Hopkirk is a British television series, produced by Working Title Films for BBC One. It is a remake of the 1960s television series Randall and Hopkirk and stars Vic Reeves as Hopkirk and Bob Mortimer as Randall, Emilia Fox as Jeannie, and Tom Baker as Wyvern.- Background :Two series...
alongside James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
composer David Arnold
David Arnold
David Arnold is an English film composer best known for scoring five James Bond films, the 1994 film Stargate, the 1996 film Independence Day, and the television series Little Britain.-Film and television career:...
, who provided the theme tune. None of his incidental music was released on the soundtrack CD for that show.
He wrote the theme tune for the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
series Shameless and scored the period drama The Devil's Whore
The Devil's Whore
The Devil's Whore is a four-part television series set during the English Civil War, produced by Company Pictures for Channel 4 in 2008. It centres on the adventures of the fictional Angelica Fanshawe, and the historical Leveller soldier Edward Sexby...
. More recently Gold scored another David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
series, in BBC1's Single Father. In this, Gold opted for a more popular music style ensemble rather than writing for orchestra.
Doctor Who and related series
Since 2005, Gold has served as musical director for the new series of Doctor WhoDoctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. In this capacity, he created a new arrangement of the show's theme (originally composed by Ron Grainer
Ron Grainer
Ronald Erle “Ron” Grainer was an Australian-born composer who worked for most of his professional career in the United Kingdom. He is mostly remembered for his film and television music.- Biography :...
) and also composes the show's incidental music. Silva Screen released a compilation of Gold's Doctor Who incidental music from the first
Doctor Who (series 1)
The new first series of British science fiction series Doctor Who began on 26 March 2005 with the episode "Rose", which marked the end of the programme's 16-year absence from episodic television following its cancellation in 1989, and aired its finale episode "The Parting of the Ways" on 18 June 2005...
and second
Doctor Who (series 2)
The second series of British science fiction series Doctor Who began on 25 December 2005 with the Christmas special "The Christmas Invasion". Following the special, a regular series of thirteen episodes was broadcast, starting with "New Earth" on 15 April 2006...
series, entitled Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack
Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack
Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack is a soundtrack album released on 4 December 2006, containing incidental music composed by Murray Gold and used in the 2005 and 2006 series of Doctor Who....
, on December 11, 2006. A second CD, Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 3
Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 3
Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 3 is a soundtrack album that was released on 5 November 2007, containing incidental music that was used throughout the third series of the BBC science fiction television programme Doctor Who...
, was released on November 5, 2007 and a third, Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 4
Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 4
Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 4 is a soundtrack album released on 17 November 2008, containing incidental music that was used throughout the fourth series of the BBC science fiction television programme Doctor Who...
, was released in November 2008. He has also been seen very briefly in the show itself, making a cameo appearance (and wearing a false moustache) in the 2007 Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned
Voyage of the Damned (Doctor Who)
"Voyage of the Damned" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. First broadcast on 25 December 2007, it is 72 minutes long and the third Christmas special since the show's revival in 2005...
".
Also, music from the 2008-2010 specials was released on October 4, 2010, entitled Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 4: The Specials
Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 4: The Specials
Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 4: The Specials is a 2-Disc release from Silva Screen Records featuring music from the 2008-2010 specials of Doctor Who. It was released on 4 October 2010 in the United Kingdom. When purchased from the iTunes store, it also includes a digital...
, and on November 8 music from Series 5, entitled Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 5
Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 5
The soundtrack for series 5 of Doctor Who was released on November 8, 2010, and is the second 2 disc edition to be released by Silva Screen Records since the series was revived in 2005. As with the Specials soundtrack, iTunes UK offered two bonus tracks and a digital book download. Series 5...
, was released.
Gold's initial arrangement of the Doctor Who theme
Doctor Who theme music
The Doctor Who theme is a piece of music composed by Ron Grainer and realised by Delia Derbyshire at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Created in 1963, it was one of the first electronic music signature tunes for television and after nearly five decades remains one of the most easily...
did not include "middle eight
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
" portion originally used in the theme, although he later reinstated it for a rearrangement of the theme introduced in the series' 2005 Christmas episode
The Christmas Invasion
"The Christmas Invasion" is a 60-minute special episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is Christmas, but there is little cause for celebration as planet Earth is invaded by aliens known as the Sycorax...
and subsequently used in the 2006 series of the programme.
Gold has created many themes to be associated with various elements of the show, creating two themes for The Doctor ("The Doctor's Theme" and "The Doctor Forever"), Rose Tyler
Rose Tyler
Rose Marion Tyler is a fictional character portrayed by Billie Piper in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was created by series producer Russell T Davies...
, Martha Jones
Martha Jones
Martha Jones is a fictional character played by Freema Agyeman in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. She is a companion of the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, replacing Rose Tyler...
, Donna Noble
Donna Noble
Donna Noble is a fictional character played by Catherine Tate in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A secretary from Chiswick, London, she is a companion of the Tenth Doctor, appearing in one scene at the end of the final episode of the 2006 series,...
, Gallifrey
Gallifrey
Gallifrey is a fictional planet in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and is the homeworld of the Doctor and the Time Lords...
, The Master
Master (Doctor Who)
The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
, Astrid Peth
Astrid Peth
Astrid Peth is a fictional character played by Kylie Minogue in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She is a one-off companion of the Tenth Doctor who appears in the episode "Voyage of the Damned", which was first broadcast in the UK on 25 December 2007...
, the Cybermen, and the Daleks.
Gold re-arranged the Doctor Who opening theme in 2010 for Series 5. With the 2010 series, Gold also created two new musical identities for the Eleventh Doctor
Eleventh Doctor
The Eleventh Doctor is the eleventh incarnation of the protagonist of the BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. Matt Smith plays this incarnation, replacing David Tennant's Tenth Doctor in the 2010 episode "The End of Time, Part Two"...
("I Am The Doctor" and "A Madman With A Box," replacing themes previously associated with the Ninth and Tenth Doctors), a theme for Amy Pond
Amy Pond
Amelia Jessica 'Amy' Pond is a fictional character portrayed by Karen Gillan in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, the Silurians and the Daleks. He also continued to use the theme for the Cybermen, as well as several action cues such as "Corridors and Fire Escapes" and "All the Strange, Strange Creatures."
Although his music for the 2005 series of Doctor Who relied largely on sampled sounds, his later arrangements for the show, beginning with "The Christmas Invasion
The Christmas Invasion
"The Christmas Invasion" is a 60-minute special episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is Christmas, but there is little cause for celebration as planet Earth is invaded by aliens known as the Sycorax...
," have been more orchestral, often being recorded by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, supplemented by vocal performances with Melanie Pappenheim
Melanie Pappenheim
Melanie Pappenheim is an English soprano singer and composer, notable for her vocal work with various British cross-disciplinary composers, with avant-garde theatre companies and on soundtracks .-Contemporary music:Pappenheim is a frequent collaborator with contemporary composer-performers Simon...
and others. By contrast, music for the classic 1963-1989 series of Doctor Who, as produced by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
BBC Radiophonic Workshop
The BBC Radiophonic Workshop, one of the sound effects units of the BBC, was created in 1958 to produce effects and new music for radio, and was closed in March 1998, although much of its traditional work had already been outsourced by 1995. It was based in the BBC's Maida Vale Studios in Delaware...
, Mark Ayres
Mark Ayres
Mark Ayres is a television composer who is best known for his work on Doctor Who.Ayres's work on broadcast Doctor Who was during Sylvester McCoy's era as the Seventh Doctor, comprising The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, Ghost Light, and The Curse of Fenric.Ayres was hired after he sent producer John...
et al., generally had an electronic feel, with innovative instrumentation.
Gold also wrote the theme tunes for Doctor Who spin-offs The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science fiction television series, produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies and starring Elisabeth Sladen...
and Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
, and composes music for the latter series alongside Ben Foster
Ben Foster (orchestrator)
Ben Foster is a British composer, orchestrator and conductor who is best known for his work as an orchestrator on the BBC series Doctor Who.- Career :...
. A selection of their compositions, entitled Torchwood: Original Television Soundtrack
Torchwood: Original Television Soundtrack
Torchwood: Original Television Soundtrack is a soundtrack album which was released on 22 September 2008, containing incidental music composed by Ben Foster and Murray Gold and used in the first and second series of the British science fiction television programme Torchwood.Ahead of the official...
, was made available during August 2008. He arranged the theme tunes to Totally Doctor Who
Totally Doctor Who
Totally Doctor Who is a children's television series produced by the BBC that was originally broadcast between 13 April 2006 and 29 June 2007, accompanying the second and third revived series of Doctor Who. No episodes have been produced following the third series...
and Doctor Who Confidential
Doctor Who Confidential
Doctor Who Confidential is a documentary series created by the British Broadcasting Corporation to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode was broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly...
, both of which are variations on the Doctor Who theme.
Gold has created, arranged and orchestrated two special live concerts for the music from Doctor Who. The first, "Doctor Who: A Celebration
Doctor Who: A Celebration
Doctor Who: A Celebration was a concert performed for the BBC's annual Children In Need charity appeal at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff on 19 November 2006. It featured suites of incidental music composed by Murray Gold from the first two series of the revived television show Doctor Who,...
", was played at the Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre is an arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of the 26–28 November 2004 and phase 2 opened on 22 January 2009 with an inaugural concert...
in Cardiff in 2006; the second, the Doctor Who Prom, was part of the BBC Proms on 24 July 2008 at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Two further concerts featuring Gold's music were announced as part of the BBC Proms season for 2010, once again at London's Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
.
In March 2010, his Doctor Who soundtrack entered UK radio station Classic FM's
Classic FM (UK)
Classic FM, one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations, broadcasts classical music in a popular and accessible style.-Overview:...
Hall of Fame as that year's second highest new entry. In 2011, it remained in the Hall of Fame, but three places lower at number 228 out of 300.
Film, stage and radio
Gold has scored a number of British and American films, including Death at a Funeral directed by Frank OzFrank Oz
Frank Oz is a British-born American film director, actor, voice actor and puppeteer who is known for creating and performing the characters Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear in The Muppet Show, Cookie Monster, Bert and Grover in Sesame Street, and for directing films, including the 1986 Little Shop of...
and Mischief Night, directed by Penny Woolcock. Other projects include Ant & Dec
Ant & Dec
Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly , known collectively as Ant & Dec, are an English comedy and TV presenting duo from Newcastle upon Tyne, England...
's 2006 film Alien Autopsy and the forthcoming film Veronika Decides to Die
Veronika Decides to Die (film)
Veronika Decides to Die is a 2009 drama film directed by Emily Young and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jonathan Tucker, Melissa Leo, David Thewlis and Erika Christensen, adapted from the novel of the same name by Paulo Coelho....
.
His radio play Electricity was awarded the Michael Imison award for best new play after its broadcast on Radio 3 in 2001. It subsequently transferred to the West Yorkshire Playhouse
West Yorkshire Playhouse
The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, England is a theatre which opened in March 1990 as part of the regeneration of the Quarry Hill area of the city...
in 2004 and was performed with Christopher Eccleston
Christopher Eccleston
Christopher Eccleston is an English stage, film and television actor. His films include Let Him Have It, Shallow Grave, Elizabeth, 28 Days Later, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Others, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra...
in the lead role. Others of his plays include 50 Revolutions performed by the Oxford Stage Company at the Whitehall Theatre, London in 2000 and Resolution at Battersea Arts Centre
Battersea Arts Centre
The Battersea Arts Centre is a performance space near Clapham Junction in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth that specialises in music and theatre productions.-History:...
in 1994.
Gold also wrote the radio play Kafka the Musical, broadcast on Easter Sunday 2011 on BBC Radio 3, starring David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
.