Murray Gold | |
|---|---|
 Gold in his London studio in 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Murray Jonathan Gold[1] (1969-02-28)28 February 1969 (age 56)[2] |
| Occupation | Composer |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels | Silva Screen |
Murray Jonathan Gold (born 28 February 1969) is an Englishcomposer for stage, film, and television and a dramatist for both theatre and radio. He is best known as the musical director and composer of the music forDoctor Who from 2005–2017 and since 2023. Gold's other television work includesQueer as Folk,Last Tango in Halifax andGentleman Jack. He has been nominated for fiveBAFTAs.
Born inPortsmouth,Hampshire to aJewish family, Gold initially pursued drama as a vocation, while writing and playing music as a hobby, but switched to music when he became musical director for theUniversity of Cambridge'sFootlights society.[4] He went toCorpus Christi College and studied History.[5]
Gold has been nominated for a BAFTA five times in the category Best Original Television Music, forVanity Fair (1999),Queer as Folk (2000),Casanova (2006) and twice forDoctor Who (2009 and 2014). His score for theBAFTA winning filmKiss 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 theRoyal Television Society in categories relating to music for television.[3]
He has worked withRussell T Davies, the lead writer and executive producer ofDoctor Who, many times in the past on projects such asCasanova (starringDavid Tennant),The Second Coming (starringChristopher Eccleston) andQueer as Folk 1 & 2.[3] He has also provided the incidental music for the 2000s version ofRandall & Hopkirk (Deceased) alongsideJames Bond composerDavid Arnold, who provided the theme tune.
He wrote the theme tune for theChannel 4 seriesShameless and scored the period dramaThe Devil's Whore. More recently Gold scored anotherDavid Tennant series, inBBC One'sSingle Father. In this, Gold opted for a more popular music style ensemble rather than writing for orchestra.
Murray Gold composed the musical score for the drama seriesLast Tango in Halifax[6] which ran from 2012 to 2020. In 2014, Gold scored theBBC seriesThe Musketeers.
In 2019, Gold reunited withRussell T Davies for his seriesYears and Years, a drama based around a family and how the political, cultural and technological changes around the world affected them. He also composed the music for the BBC andHBO seriesGentleman Jack.[7][8]
In 2021, Gold reunited again withRussell T Davies for his seriesIt’s A Sin, a drama focused on the 1980sAIDS Crisis. The show would go on to win numerous awards.
Gold scored the music forMagpie Murders (2022)[9] andMoonflower Murders (2024),[10] mystery series adapted byAnthony Horowitz from his own eponymously named novels.[11][12]
From 2005 to 2017 and since 2023, Gold served as musical director of science fiction dramaDoctor Who for theBBC under executive producers Russell T Davies (2005–2010; 2023–present) andSteven Moffat (2010–17). In this capacity, he created a new arrangement of the show's theme (originally composed byRon Grainer andDelia Derbyshire) and also composed the show's incidental music. Silva Screen released a compilation of Gold'sDoctor Who incidental music from thefirst andsecond series, entitledDoctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack, on 11 December 2006. A second CD,Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack – Series 3, was released on 5 November 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". He appeared again as a pianist in the series 14 episode "The Devil's Chord". He was credited as playing himself.[13]Also, music from the 2008–2010 specials was released on 4 October 2010, entitledDoctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack – Series 4: The Specials, and on 8 November music from Series 5, entitledDoctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack – Series 5, was released.
Gold's initial arrangement of theDoctor Who theme did not include the "middle eight" portion originally used in the theme, although he later reinstated it for a rearrangement of the theme introduced in the series' 2005Christmas 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, theCybermen, and theDaleks.
Gold re-arranged theDoctor Who opening theme in 2010 forSeries 5. With the 2010 series, Gold also created two new musical identities for theEleventh Doctor ("I Am The Doctor" and "A Madman With A Box", replacing themes previously associated with theNinth andTenth Doctors), a theme forAmy Pond, theSilurians and theDaleks. He also continued to use the theme for theCybermen, 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 ofDoctor Who relied largely on orchestral samples, his later arrangements for the show, beginning with "The Christmas Invasion", have been more acoustic, often being recorded by theBBC National Orchestra of Wales, supplemented by vocal performances withMelanie Pappenheim and others.[14] One of the most well-known orchestral numbers is "Abigail's Song", sung byKatherine Jenkins, from the 2010 Christmas special"A Christmas Carol",whose soundtrack was released in March 2011. The orchestral scoring (partly reflecting a larger budget) contrasts strongly with music for the classic 1963–1989 series ofDoctor Who, as produced by theBBC Radiophonic Workshop,Mark Ayreset al., which generally had an electronic feel, with innovative instrumentation.[15]
Gold also wrote the theme tunes forDoctor Who spin-offsThe Sarah Jane Adventures andTorchwood, and composed music for the latter series alongsideBen Foster. A selection of their compositions, entitledTorchwood: Original Television Soundtrack, was made available during August 2008. He arranged the theme tunes toTotally Doctor Who andDoctor Who Confidential, both of which are variations on theDoctor Who theme.
Music written forDoctor Who by Murray Gold has been performed in live concerts. These have included "Doctor Who: A Celebration" at theMillennium Centre in Cardiff in 2006; the Doctor Who Prom at theRoyal Albert Hall in London in2008,[16]2010,[17]2013, and2024;[18] andDoctor Who @60: A Musical Celebration at the Millennium Centre in 2023.[19]
In March 2010, his Doctor Who soundtrack entered UK radio stationClassic FM's Hall of Fame as that year's second highest new entry.[20] In 2011, it remained in the Hall of Fame, but three places lower at number 228 out of 300.[21]
Gold announced in February 2018 that he would step down as the programme's composer, having served as the musical director since 2005, and that he would not be composing the music for theeleventh series,[22] which would be instead composed bySegun Akinola (under new executive producerChris Chibnall).[23][24]
In April 2023, it was announced that Gold would again return toDoctor Who as composer.[25][26]
Gold composedThe Goblin Song for the 2023 Doctor Who Christmas special A Church on Ruby Road, which reached Number 1 on the UK iTunes Top Songs chart upon release on 11 December 2023.[27] The track peaked at 12 in theUK Official Singles Chart on 15 December 2023.[28] Proceeds from the single were donated to the BBC's charity, Children in Need.[29]
In 2024, Gold appeared in a cameo role inDoctor Who episodeThe Devil's Chord.[30]
Gold has scored a number of British and American films, including theBAFTA-winningKiss of Life directed byEmily Young,Death at a Funeral directed byFrank Oz andMischief Night, directed byPenny Woolcock.[3] Other projects includeAnt & Dec's 2006 filmAlien Autopsy and the 2009 drama filmVeronika Decides to Die.
In 2001, his radio playElectricity was given theImison Award[31]—named after former BBC radio drama script editorRichard Imison—for best new play after its broadcast on Radio 3 in 2000.[32] It subsequently transferred to theWest Yorkshire Playhouse in 2004 and was performed withChristopher Eccleston in the lead role. Others of his plays include50 Revolutions performed by theOxford Stage Company at theWhitehall Theatre, London in 2000 andResolution atBattersea Arts Centre in 1994.
Gold also wrote the radio playKafka the Musical, broadcast on Easter Sunday 2011 onBBC Radio 3, starringDavid Tennant.[33] It won the 2013Tinniswood Award for the Best Original Radio Drama.[34]
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