November 10, 2026
The legendary composer speaks to Doctor Who Magazine about revisiting classic themes and composing for an all-new Doctor...
Doctor Who's 60th Anniversary Specials will be getting their own official soundtrack release this coming Doctor Who Day, allowing fans to bring home the music from The Star Beast, Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle for the first time. Composer Murray Gold returned to Doctor Who in 2023 to score the three specials, as well as two full seasons of Ncuti Gatwa's run as the Fifteenth Doctor.
Ahead of the official soundtrack's release, Murray Gold speaks to Doctor Who Magazine about his experience scoring the series, leaning on references to old favourites, and composing a theme with "amazing energy" to match the new Time Lord...
Doctor Who Magazine issue 636 is on sale now. You can order it here.
Murray Gold on composing the 60th Anniversary Specials soundtrack:
“The Star Beast had little nods to the original Doctor’s theme and bits of references to Donna’s theme. I was trying to get a sense of it being new, with little nods to the kind of things that fans would recognize. Wild Blue Yonder is very different: slightly dystopian, with a hard sci-fi edge. Then you’ve got The Giggle, it’s sort of fairground like, but sinister, with a touch of 'Ghost Town'. I mean The Specials are one of my favourite bands. And then, suddenly, we’re introducing a new Doctor.
“Ncuti Gatwa has this amazing energy. They all do. You can’t be the Doctor and not have an amazing energy. But his energy is different from David’s. Ncuti has this beautiful, dazzling grace about him, and I wanted to capture some of that. It just had such drive, so I wanted to feature a few instruments that haven’t had much of a look in over the years with Doctor Who. So we get this bass clarinet and a baritone sax. This kind of honking ostinato all the way through it. I just wanted it to sound a bit different and have the same mad energy.”
Read the full interview in issue 636 of Doctor Who Magazine.
IN THE MAGAZINE:
- Director JAMES STRONG, editor CHARLIE LOWE and brand manager JAMES PAGE talk about the new cut of The Satan Pit coming to cinemas for Doctor Who day.
- Musician MURRAY GOLD on returning to score the 60th Anniversary Specials.
- The Key to Time Prelude! Original fiction from novelist JAMES GOSS depicting a scene that precedes his new novelisation of The Ribos Operation…
- The Pirate Planet’s Kimus aka actor DAVID WARWICK remembers his time on Doctor Who and his friendship with MARY TAMM who played Romana.
- CARL RIGG from The Power of Kroll recalls life as a Swampie!
- Restoring MESTOR – we look at the process of rescuing the crumbling prop from the Sixth Doctor’s debut story.
- Recording the final scene of anniversary story The Day of the Doctor…
- We investigate the mystery of the Tenth Doctor and Agatha Christie adventure THE UNICORN AND THE WASP.
- This Month in 1981… An early glimpse of new Fifth Doctor PETER DAVISON.
- The Seventh Doctor and Ace in the comic strip.
Regular features
- GALLIFREY GUARDIAN: our monthly round-up of news, including details of a special Christmas audio treat starring CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON and CAROLE ANN FORD as the Ninth Doctor and Susan.
- Reviews of the latest books, audio drama and action figures.
- Other Worlds – the essential guide to new stories in Doctor Who’s expanded universe.
- Prizes to be won! Including Season 3 of Blake’s 7 on Blu-ray.
Doctor Who Magazine issue 636 is on sale now. You can order it here.
