Silva Screen, out now

Silva Screen’s ongoing series of releases dedicated to a single story reaches Season 15’s Tom Baker story The Sun Makers.

Robert Holmes’ tax satire is well regarded by fans, typically for its witty scripts and Henry Woolf’s performance as the Collector. It’s arguably less well known for its score, written by long-standing ‘house composer’ Dudley Simpson, and Silva here release one of the composer’s few complete Doctor Who works.

At 30 minutes, the 27 track disc is a brief listen, the opening and closing tracks being Ron Grainer’s titles as realised by Delia Derbyshire and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. By this time, it would be fair to assume Simpson’s output would be workmanlike, having been on this gig for over 15 year, but quite the opposite applies. It’s a fun piece, the Yamaha organ and percussion (timpani, cymbals and tambourine) adding texture to the clarinets and French horns. It bounces along, throwing in stings and crescendos, never outstaying its welcome

Verdict: A welcome addition to the individual Doctor Who scores collection, and a good opportunity to experience a complete Dudley Simpson composition. 8/10

Nick Joy

Click here to order from Amazon.co.uk