Remembering composer Dudley Simpson on the centenary of his birth.
One of the worst decisions in the entire history of Doctor Who was JNT's to dismiss Simpson as the series' "court composer". Instead, he opted for a decade of incidental music with built-in obsolescence. Some of the music from series 18 - 26 is memorable, but the dross outweighs the diamonds.
Simpson hailed from Australia, and came to the UK to compose and conduct for ballet.
His first Doctor Who work was on Planet of Giants in 1964. He was employed intermittently through the Hartnell / Troughton years, becoming more of a regular during Jon Pertwee's time. Producer Barry Letts tried to encourage directors to use him as often as possible. He composed scores using both conventional instruments and radiophonics during this period - in stories such as Terror of the Autons, which gave us the Master theme. Philip Hinchcliffe was happy to use him all the time (though director Douglas Camfield declined due to a long-running feud, which he later confessed was based on his mistake).
If the series has a 'Golden Age', then it involves Hinchcliffe as producer, Robert Holmes as writer / script editor, Tom Baker as Doctor - and Dudley Simpson as composer. The Talons of Weng-Chiang actually has him appear on screen - as the conductor of the Palace Theatre orchestra.
After his work on The Horns of Nimon, JNT took him out for a meal and informed him his services were no longer required - part of his overhaul of the series as new producer.
As well as his work on Doctor Who he also composed for Blake's 7, and The Tomorrow People.
He retired back home to Australia, and died in November 2017. He was present in the Royal Albert Hall to hear some of his work performed as part of the 50th Anniversary Prom concert.
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