Silva Screen Records, out now

Segun Akinola’s soundtrack to Jodie Whittaker’s first season as the Doctor gets a two-disc release from Silva Screen, and it’s a cracker.

As an aficionado of both soundtracks and Doctor Who, the scores for the show have understandably represented the perfect meeting point of the two interests for me, and a new composer on the show has always been a significant event. Since its 2005 revival, 21st century Who has boasted one composer, Murray Gold, creating a consistent ‘big’ sound for Doctors Nine to Twelve, but with advent of ‘The Chibnall Years’ came the announcement that composer Segun Akinola would be assuming musical duties. I was unfamiliar with his work, but I needn’t have worried, as the British-Nigerian musician composer’s work has been for me one of the strongest elements of the 2018 series.

Silva Screen’s new release presents tracks from Season 11’s ten episodes and the New Year’s Day Special, Resolution. At two hours and 34 minutes the label aren’t skimping on the running time either, Disc 1 understandably launching with Segun’s version of the legendary Ron Grainer Theme, by way of Delia Derbyshire. I’ve been a convert since I first heard it – that whoosh a few seconds in! – and he recently told me that this was the first version he wrote for the producers, and was first choice. The remaining tracks from The Woman Who Fell to Earth establish the series’ sound, and importantly embed Thirteen’s Theme from ‘Sonic Screwdriver’ to ‘You Really Need to Get Out of those Clothes’ to ‘The Doctor’, with ethereal vocals by Hollie Buhagiar. She also appears on ‘Thirteen’, a special remix of the theme that opens the second disc.

This release doesn’t follow strict a chronology of the episodes, but before you get your scarves and sonics in a twist, just remember how easy it is to reorder tracks on a digital playlist if you need strict chronology (ironic for a show about time travel). Instead the episodes are ordered and themed in a way that focuses on the progression of the music – hence those with more of an orchestral element (Rosa and Demons of the Punjab for example) follow one another. Of course the wonderful vocal version of End Titles by Shahid Abbas Khan from the latter show is included, together with other tracks showcasing the Partition-authentic ethnic instrumentation and players (Surjeet Singh, Kuljit Bhamra). Rosa also has some wonderful string work and trumpet solos by Chris Deacon, and while it was always there, it was hidden to a large degree in the mix.

The greatest joy in immersing yourself in this release is the ability to experience the music as pure, to start recognising the individual themes that Segun has seeded into his work. His work in particular for Rosa is so moving – it’s not TV music (often used as a derogatory term) – it’s just a beautiful, moving Americana composition, performed exquisitely by Chamber Orchestra of London. Album highlights? Among the many you’d have to include Akinola’s love story to the TARDIS, ‘My Beautiful Ghost Monument’, and the multiple cellos of ‘Reverse the Polarity’ from It Takes You Away. They even snuck in some 18 cinematic minutes of Dalek music from Resolution, not that I knew they were the unnamed foe when first listening to the preview.

Verdict: Few would have wanted to fill Murray Gold’s musical shoes after his four-Doctor-spanning tenure on the show, but BAFTA Breakthrough Brit Segun Akinola has made the series sound his own, and this expansive set from Silva Screen reveals just how much you missed beneath the laser beams and sound effects. Contemporary, classical, fantastical and fantastic – your first must-buy CD of 2019. 10/10

Nick Joy

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and watch out for our exclusive interview with Segun Akinola coming soon