Silva Screen, out now

 

Silva Screen’s ongoing series of releases dedicated to a single story reaches Season 19’s story The Visitation.

Paddy Kingsland and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop composed the score for this four-parter, clocking in at 41 minutes over 25 tracks, two of which are the opening and closing credits of the Ron Grainer theme as rearranged by Peter Howell.

Kingsland wrote music for 21 episodes of Doctor Who, alternating with fellow Radiophonic Workshop members Peter Howell and Roger Limb. This, the fourth story of Season 19 was his first Peter Davison serial, though his later Castrovalva would be aired first. In the CD notes, Kingsland shares that he played all the parts in the score – synths plus bass guitar, drums, cymbals and Fender Mustang guitar.

Verdict: The score, like the serial, fuses period with modern, with tracks like The Sonic Booster and The Great Fire standouts and comfortingly reminiscent of the range of work that the composer was blasting out at the time. 8/10

Nick Joy

Click here to order The Visitation from Amazon.co.uk