Doctor Who theme The " Doctor Who " theme was composed by Ron Grainer and made its debut with the first episode of the " Doctor Who " series in 1963 . Although it has undergone many rearrangements , this piece of music has remained the sole theme for the series throughout its history , making it one of the most recognisable themes in television . It is also one of the longest continually - used pieces of theme music in Western entertainment history , surpassed only by the theme from " Coronation Street " ( in use since 1960 ) , and the " James Bond Theme " ( in use since 1962 ) . It has also been used for most licensed works featuring the central " Doctor Who " characters , with the exception of the two Peter Cushing films of the mid - 1960s , spin - off programmes , and the occasional audio production that has not featured any theme music . The original version of the theme ( heard from 1963 - 1967 , and in a modified arrangement from 1967 - 1980 ) is considered a milestone in electronic music and a predecessor of the electronica genre of music . Although Grainer has always been credited as the theme ' s sole composer , several histories of the series indicate that , due to Delia Derbyshire ' s involvement in creating the theme ' s iconic initial arrangement , Grainer attempted , without success , to have her credited as co - composer . Theme format . The " Doctor Who " theme consists of several sections which appear variously in the different arrangements , sometimes in different order , and sometimes omitted or modified : Original series . Origins . Although Ron Grainer has always received sole credit for the theme music , Delia Derbyshire with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop was responsible for all the arrangements for Seasons 1 through 17 . She was given the composition by Grainer and asked to create the music . The method she chose was to create each sound from scratch using a variety of methods from pure tones to . Each sound was then changed in pitch and duration using purely analogue equipment . The final arrangement of the theme was made by making a recording of each section ( , , etc . ) and putting them together to form the final mono track . Her first arrangement was released as a single , but never used as the opening title music . It consists of the main theme and the " middle eight " in an ABABA pattern . Two versions of this arrangement exist , one with the TARDIS ' dematerialisation sound and one without . In addition , a variant version was used for the unbroadcast pilot episode version , which incorporates the sound of a thunderclap at the beginning . Seasons 1 - 4 . The studio requested some changes and the second arrangement , used until the middle of Season 4 , features some wind / wave effects . The master recording for this arrangement has a section that comes after the second repeat of the main melody ( which in turn follows the first instance of the middle eight ) where the bassline start a loop of two bars each instead of repeating the main theme or the ' middle eight ' . This version was heard through the start of the repeated bass in " An Unearthly Child " . On subsequent episodes , it just faded out as needed . Grainer attempted to obtain co - writer credit for Derbyshire , but was prevented from doing so by BBC rules . Derbyshire , as a result , never received screen credit for this work , although the BBC Radiophonic Workshop did . Seasons 4 - 18 . Version one . With Patrick Troughton now playing the Second Doctor in Season 4 , came a new title sequence and another request for Derbyshire to change the arrangement of the music . This arrangement would be used for by far the longest . She returned to the first arrangement and added what has been called a " spangle " sound effect . Again , this arrangement was just faded out as needed for the opening title sequence . This third arrangement formed the basic theme from mid - Season 4 through Season 17 , although as noted below there were some modifications . The opening video was the first to feature the Doctor ' s face in the opening credits ; this would continue until the end of the classic series in 1989 . Due to a production error , however , the 1963 arrangement continued to be used from Episode One of " The Macra Terror " ( when the new open was introduced ) through Episode One of " The Faceless Ones " . Version two . In Season 7 , Jon Pertwee took over from Troughton as the Third Doctor . The music was now an edit of the 1967 arrangement . An overlap edit shortened the lead - in by about 8 seconds and , after the main theme , the music moves to a repeat - to - fade ending . Early episodes have a stutter effect at the start , which disappears after Season 9 . For unknown reasons , several episodes at the beginning of Season 8 reverted back to the 1967 arrangement . In addition to editing the opening theme , the closing theme was edited too . Until Part 1 of " The Ambassadors of Death " , the closing credits had faded in to the main theme and then faded out after the credits . Four new edits were created for Season 7 . The first was used in the first few episodes . The other three , were the same except in length . They were 42 seconds , 52 seconds , and 72 seconds long . Each started with a scream sound that was created by using a generated tone falling in pitch and the first few notes of the theme rising to pitch ; this sound effect ( or variations thereof ) would be used to lead into the closing credits of most episodes up until 1980 , and be revived in the 2005 revival . This was followed by the main theme . Each one ends with the same whirling sound effect . Unused arrangement . In 1972 , the BBC played with another arrangement , the first not based on the work done in 1963 , using the Delaware synthesiser that the Radiophonic Workshop had . Brian Hodgson and Paddy Kingsland , with Delia Derbyshire created what has become known as the Delaware Theme . It was not well received and was not used on any BBC Broadcast in the UK . However , it had already been applied to several episodes before being replaced . At least two episodes sent to Australia and broadcast on ABC still had the Delaware Theme . ; these were " Carnival of Monsters " , part 2 , ( a longer edit than the one used for uk broadcast ) and " Frontier in Space " , part 5 ( which is a few seconds longer than the uk broadcast ) . Black and White test footage , made for the original Pertwee titles in 1969 , were coupled with this arrangement on the " The Pertwee Years " VHS release . Seasons 18 - 22 . Season 18 saw a new producer ( John Nathan - Turner ) and many changes . The first was a new arrangement of Grainer ' s theme and a new opening sequence . The new theme was arranged by Peter Howell using his , and synthesisers as well as his EMS Vocoder , and some additional processing to that recording . He created three recordings — the opening theme , the closing theme , and an extended cut for release as a single . The opening and closing themes followed the pattern set in 1970 with the opening doing a repeat to fade and the closing starting with a scream , the only significant change being that the opening now also started with a scream . However , Howell ' s theme began in the key of . This obligated incidental music composers to end their final cue of the episode in the highly unusual key , or something complimentary . Howell therefore has called himself " the guy who just made it difficult for everybody " . ( DCOM : " Meglos " ) Beyond this unusual feature , his opening remained unchanged aside from some very minor alterations to coincide with the revised Sixth Doctor opening sequence from The Twin Dilemma and his closing included the " middle eight " and ended with an explosive sound . This theme was used from Season 18 through Season 22 unchanged , save for a variation created especially for the twentieth anniversary story The Five Doctors . The extended theme also contains a section which Howell himself refers to the Howell Trombone . This section comes after the middle eight plays for the second time and the triads change chords up to the next octave . The Howell opening arrangement would be revived in the 2000s when BBC Video chose to standardise the menu music for its original - series " Doctor Who " DVD releases . most classic - series releases continue to use the Howell arrangement . Season 23 . Season 23 saw another new arrangement by Dominic Glynn . It was more haunting and ethereal than the previous themes , but very similar to Peter Howell ' s arrangement in most respects ( enough so that the opening graphics remained unchanged from the final Howell season ) . The theme was in the E Minor key . Again three versions were created : opening , closing , and extended for release as a single . Seasons 24 - 26 . The arrival of the Seventh Doctor called for a new title sequence . Keff McCulloch ' s arrangement , in the key of A Minor , was the first to feature the " middle eight " as a default part of the opening ( although the rejected " Delaware Theme " and the theme used in TV : " An Unearthly Child , Part 1 " also featured the " middle eight " ) . The opening and closing themes are very similar , with the opening being longer . No version was made for release as a single . It was used from Season 24 to the end of the regular series at Season 26 . The wilderness years . Remixes and variants . After the original series ended , a number of wildly variant renditions of the " Doctor Who " theme were recorded . An EP release , " Doctor Who - Variations on a Theme " ( released in vinyl , standard CD , and an unusual square - shaped CD variant ) featured new arrangements of the theme by Mark Ayres , Glynn and McCulloch . One of these , a Latin - based arrangement , was adopted by BBC Video and used as the theme for its series of " Years " retrospective " Doctor Who " videos ( i . e . , " The Hartnell Years " , etc . ) . Another CD release , " The Worlds of Doctor Who " , included several more arrangements , including a dance mix that featured Sylvester McCoy playing the spoons ! Ayres also recorded a unique arrangement of the theme to lead off the soundtrack album for the music he composed for " The Curse of Fenric " . In 1988 , a dancehall group called The Timelords had a hit single with " Doctorin ' the TARDIS " , which melded together a pop arrangement of the " Doctor Who " theme with " Rock n ' Roll Part 2 " by Gary Glitter . Back on the BBC itself , a very brief new arrangement was used for the 1993 charity " Doctor Who " mini - episode " Dimensions in Time " which was created by Cybertech . According to " The Television Companion " by Howe & Walker , this was Mike Fillis ( who appeared as a Sea Devil in the special ) and Adrian Pack , and was chosen by John Nathan - Turner during filming of the special after the Pet Shop Boys and Erasure had declined invitations to create their own arrangements . In the early 2000s , the electronica group Orbital recorded a new version of the theme that proved popular with audiences . Orbital ' s theme would be reused by US talk show host Craig Ferguson for his lyrical version of the theme ( see below ) , and during his time as the Doctor , Matt Smith helped the group perform the theme at the Glastonbury Festival . The TV movie . The next new " Doctor Who " did not appear until 1996 . For the made - for - TV movie , composer John Debney did the incidental music and arranged Ron Grainer ' s theme . Unlike all other versions , Debney ' s arrangement begins with a building introduction ( to coincide with the on - screen narration setting up the tale ) , before opening with the Middle 8 ( in similar fashion to the Delaware theme ) . The familiar bassline was somewhat muted in its melody and did not drive the theme the way it did in previous arrangements . The closing theme is a similar but different arrangement . Again , no extended version was created . Two different accounts are circulating regarding the disposition of the theme in the TV , with some accounts suggesting that Debney wanted to replace the Grainer composition with one of his own , but was overridden by the producers and the BBC , and others claiming that licensing costs for the theme were considered too high and a replacement was considered before it was decided to go with the original . Grainer did not receive screen credit for composing the theme , leading to some reference works - - as well as reviews of the film - - erroneously crediting Debney with composing the theme . This theme was published onto CD as part of a promotional CD featuring all the incidental music from the TV movie . Big Finish . Three new arrangements were made for the Doctor Who Unbound range . The first , unofficially referred to as " Unbound A " , was used for " Auld Mortality " and " Full Fathom Five " . The second , known as " Unbound B " , was used for " Sympathy for the Devil " and " He Jests at Scars . . . " . It was composed by Lee Mansfield . The " Unbound B " theme was remixed for " Exile " by Nicholas Briggs . A new " Unbound " theme was composed by Blair Mowat for " The Unbound Universe " . Another arrangement of the theme was commissioned for the Eighth Doctor audio adventures produced by Big Finish Productions starting in 2001 . Instead of licensing the Debney arrangement ( which was unpopular with some fans ) , David Arnold — best known for his association with the James Bond film series — created a sombre new arrangement . Nicholas Briggs created a remix of Delia Derbyshire ' s version for the second through fourth series of Eighth Doctor adventures with Lucie Miller . From 2011 and forward , starting with " The Silver Turk " , a new theme by Jamie Robertson was used for Eighth Doctor episodes in the Main Range . A slightly remixed version of the Arnold theme , however , was used for the Dark Eyes series . Robertson also created a new theme arrangement for the fiftieth anniversary special " The Light at the End " which incorporated many different elements from previous arrangements , but kept the same style as his previous arrangement . The Novel Adaptation " Damaged Goods " premiered a unique theme tune , composed by Howard Carter which was used for as the theme tune for all of the following New Adventures Novel adaptations . Big Finish began their War Doctor series with a new theme arrangement , also composed by Carter . Webcast . In 2003 , Creation Music devised a new theme arrangement for the " Scream of the Shalka " webcast , which , like the later Murray Gold arrangement , incorporated Delia Derbyshire ' s original electronic melody from the 1960s . Revived series . Preliminary themes . The return of " Doctor Who " to television required a new arrangement of the theme . An advance version of the series 1 debut episode , " Rose " , not intended for broadcast , used a version of the original 1963 Delia Derbyshire arrangement , which had been recreated by Mark Ayres in 2002 . Ultimately , BBC Wales commissioned Murray Gold to create a new theme arrangement . A trial arrangement , bass - dominated and bearing little resemblance to what came later , appeared on TV ads promoting the series ( and can be heard on the " Series 1 " DVD release of these trailers ) , most notably the " Trip of a lifetime " trailer . It ' s unclear whether this version was ever actually intended for use on the series proper . Series 1 - 3 . Version one . For the broadcast versions , Gold went back to basics . Gold ' s theme is based on the electronic melody sound sampled from the original 1963 Derbyshire arrangement with rapidly upward - and downward - arpeggiating strings added as a counter melody , later nicknamed by fans as the " chase " . The opening theme follows the normal pattern of the main theme and a repeat to fade . The closing theme again has the scream followed by the main theme and an ending effect . Although the revived series , unlike the TV movie , did give Grainer screen credit for his composition , some reviewers of the new series , unfamiliar with its history , erroneously considered the theme music a Murray Gold composition . Version two . Initially Gold was reluctant to use the " middle eight " , so during series 1 only the main theme " chorus " is heard in the opening and ending . For " The Christmas Invasion " and almost all future episodes , the music was performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales , and a new version of the closing theme was recorded by the orchestra . For this version , Gold restored the " middle eight " to the closing theme ; the opening credits were as per series 1 . For series 2 and 3 , the same opening as series 1 was also used , but the closing theme continued to feature the " middle eight " . A modified version of this new arrangement was recorded by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales for a soundtrack CD release ( the CD version is notably missing the " howlaround " sound effect at the end ) . Yet another , abbreviated Gold arrangement of the theme was performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales at the conclusion of the 2006 " Music & Monsters " charity concert , which was broadcast on the BBC . This version focuses on the orchestra and omits the electronic sound of the TV version . Series 4 - 2009 specials . For TV : " Voyage of the Damned " and series 4 , Gold created a second theme arrangement ( although if one counts the unused trial version , it was actually his third ) , referred to by some fans as the " Riverdance Theme " due to its pacier sound and heavier emphasis on strings . It still features the original electronic Derbyshire melody , but the strings are different and drums and piano have been added to dramatically change the feel . A new ending arrangement , with " middle eight " intact , was also composed and again recorded along with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales . Reflecting new closing - credits standards introduced by the BBC in 2008 , this new arrangement is also considerably shorter than that used previously , and is more directly linked with the " Next Time " trailers at the end of most episodes ; in most cases the closing theme " plays under " the sound of the trailer , and comes to the front with the " middle eight " as the credit scroll begins . For the 2008 mini - episode , " Music of the Spheres " , while Gold ' s current theme arrangement was used in the opening credits , for the closing credits the original 1963 Delia Derbyshire / BBC Radiophonic Workshop version was played ( the DVD version of the concert , however , strips away the two credit sequences ) . The mini - episode was created for the 2008 Doctor Who Proms concert , which concluded with yet another new arrangement of the theme by Gold ( his fourth major new arrangement ) ; this version incorporated the " bridge " section which existed in the original Derbyshire , Howell and Glynn arrangements though it was never heard on TV . Unusually , the bridge in the Proms arrangement was placed between the first " verse " and the " middle eight " ( in most other arrangements the bridge occurs sometime after the first appearance of the " middle eight " ) . The series 4 arrangement was subsequently used for 2009 - 10 specials , appearing for the final time in " The End of Time " . It was also used on promotions for series 5 until the newest version of the theme was unveiled on 3 April 2010 . Series 5 - 7 Part 1 . Gold composed yet another new version of the title music for the new title sequence used from " The Eleventh Hour " to " The Angels Take Manhattan " . This version of the theme is noticeably more electronic than his previous themes , yet with the opening bass line lowered in volume in favour of a new counter - melody . This element is reminiscent of the Debney arrangement from the 1996 movie , while the main melody line is reminiscent of the Glynn " Trial " arrangement , with the added element of the melody being partially rendered by a vocal choir . As broadcast , the theme is punctuated by lightning - strike sound effects , but the version released on the BBC ' s website and the series 5 soundtrack album does not have this effect . This version , promoted as being " full length " , runs exactly one minute in duration and is by far the shortest official rendition of the theme yet released . And the closing theme on nearly all episodes ( except for The Beast Below ) has the entire interlude from the full and opening themes , but cuts right away to the closing bars instead of featuring much of the main melody . The brevity of this arrangement is due to recent changes in the BBC ' s policy on closing credits . This arrangement was performed ( with slight modifications ) at the 2010 Doctor Who at the Proms concert in July 2010 and again in " " ( also with slight modifications ) . This theme had a hostile reception from many viewers , at least at first . The opening credits for " A Good Man Goes to War " features a unique variant of the theme that incorporates TARDIS sound effects . Series 7 Part 2 - 2013 Specials . Version one . Alongside the introduction of a new title sequence , Gold created a fifth arrangement that was shown at the start of the 2012 Christmas special , TV : " The Snowmen " . This version has different drums than the previous arrangement , omits the " chase " strings counter melody that featured in all previous Murray Gold arrangements and is generally far more minimalistic in sound . The theme also incorporates the TARDIS dematerialisation sound as well as electronic noises , and in the first part of the main melody the lead slightly dips down in pitch during each sustaining note . For some reason a closing edit was not made yet by the time " The Snowmen " was first broadcast , so instead the 2010 closing theme was used . A shortened version of this arrangement was used to open TV : " The Night of the Doctor " . Both these uses would be the only uses of this theme . According to " The Official Guide to the 2013 Series ( Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition ) " , this version of the theme was " not " a new commission , but was in fact created using elements from Gold ' s 2010 arrangement ; it was a late addition to " The Snowmen " , which up until pre - production began was originally intended not to open with a credit sequence at all . Version two . A sixth Murray Gold arrangement of the theme debuted with TV : " The Bells of Saint John " in 2013 . Although it ' s otherwise identical to Version 5 , the arrangement includes additional orchestration and eliminates most of the non - musical sound effects heard in the " Snowmen " opening , as well as the downward - dipping in the first section of the melody from that arrangement . It is also reminiscent of the 1986 Glynn arrangement . The closing theme also follows a much more traditional pattern , similar to the main Derbyshire 1970 closing theme - The theme starts from the entry of the main melody , which repeats twice , before the first three notes of the main theme repeat in the closing bars , after which the theme ends . This version of the theme made its last appearance in TV : " The Time of the Doctor " . It was also used on promotions for series 8 until the newest version of the theme was unveiled on 23 August 2014 . 50th anniversary special . Yet another Murray Gold arrangement of the theme was introduced over the closing credits of TV : " The Day of the Doctor " . This version uses an electric guitar - driven entry sequence , and enters into the middle eight much earlier than some previous versions . A vocal choir element remains , but is more subtle than previous versions . Despite " Day of the Doctor " being a special broadcast , also shown in cinemas , the current BBC closing credits standards remain in place , meaning the closing theme is only 60 seconds long . It it is likely that this theme is a one - off for the 50th anniversary special , since the Version 5 . 5 theme ( along with its accompanying intro ) reappeared in the subsequent story , TV : " The Time of the Doctor " . ( Note : Gold only created a closing - theme arrangement due to " Day of the Doctor " opening with a brief reprise of the 1963 Derbyshire arrangement . ) Series 8 onwards . Gold ' s seventh arrangement was introduced in TV : " Deep Breath " , coinciding with another new title sequence . The overall theme is more electronic sounding than previously , with the opening sting and main melody being more high pitched and synthesised ( with the main melody sound now somewhat resembling that of a theremin , not unlike the main melody in Keff McCulloch ' s arrangement ) . The middle eight is not used in the opening or closing in this version . The introduction section ( which takes place through a spinning tunnel of gears ) , now incorporates the sound of bells ringing and the turning sound of the gears , befitting the image of the inside of a clock . An edit was made to this theme in TV : " Robot of Sherwood " , with the opening sting replaced by the Derbyshire sting , and a slightly more aggressive bass element throughout , reminiscent of the previous few versions . In volume 76 of " Doctor Who : The Complete History " it was stated that this version of the theme used no newly recorded orchestral material , instead relying on previously unused elements originally recorded for the series 5 theme in 2009 . A one - off modification to the theme was made in " Before the Flood " , with the Doctor playing his electric guitar over the normal theme tune . Other televised themes . Since 2005 at least four different theme arrangements have been used for subsidiary programs produced by the BBC . These include the 2009 three - episode retrospective , " Doctor Who Greatest Moments " , as well as the behind - the - scenes series " Totally Doctor Who " and " Doctor Who Confidential " , which has featured two arrangements of the theme to date . All four arrangements are faster in tempo and more " techno " than the versions used in the series proper . Although otherwise a completely different piece of music to the " Doctor Who " theme , Gold ' s theme for the spin - off series " The Sarah Jane Adventures " incorporates some sound effects originating from the " Doctor Who " theme . A unique version of the theme was intended to be used to open the 16 November 2010 edition of the American talk show " The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson " , on which Matt Smith put together a production number incorporating the Orbital version of the theme , with newly written lyrics explaining what the show was about . Minutes before taping was to begin , Ferguson learned CBS had been unable to obtain clearance for the use of the theme , and the production number was cut . On 1st December 2010 , however , the production number was posted to YouTube . Ferguson acknowledged the upload ' s existence on his show but remained silent as to whether its " leak " was intentional or not . On 6th January 2011 , however , the production number was finally broadcast on Ferguson ' s show , prior to his interview with another " Doctor Who " guest star , Alex Kingston . On 19 October 2013 , the BBC launched a 50th anniversary - themed trailer as a teaser for the then upcoming " The Day of the Doctor " . The trailer features an arrangement of the theme that is unique to this trailer . The documentary " The Science of Doctor Who " , which first aired in November 2013 , featured a unique remix of the Doctor Who Theme based upon Gold Version 5 . 5 but with some noticeable alterations .