Has Delia Derbyshire been badly treated?

[Larry]

Am I the only one who feels that Delia Derbyshire, dose not get enough recognition for her part in composing the iconic theme tune all the plaudits go to Roy Grainer, for writing it but it was Delia, who brought it to life yet to my knowledge she never received an on screen credit that IMO she deserved. The sad thing is that I suspect unless you are over a certain age or seen the relevant documentaries on the dvd extras there are probably a lot of Doctor Who, fans who have never heard of Delia Dertbyshire.

[SiHart]

Delia wasn't credited for her work on theme because, in line with Radiophonic Workshop policy at the time, all work was credited to the Workshop as a whole rather than individuals.

However, from the 1973 single release onwards, she was at least credited with the arrangement on all recordings available of the original version of the theme.

In the wider world of electronic music, she's incredibly well known and very well regarded for her work, especially for her arrangement of the theme which nearly 50 years on still sounds like nothing else that's ever been recorded from sampled sounds (which basically it is).

So while she may not have had the credit she deserved on the closing titles of Doctor Who, she is fairly well known to this day, many years after her death and the mere fact that her version of the theme is still incredibly well known says something rather wonderful about her work.

[Anthony Williams]

Was she badly treated?

Well, she was pretty much murdered by the 2010 Murray Gold version of the theme

[SiHart]

And even more so by the new 8th Doctor theme for Big Finish!

[Si Hunt]

It depends on how you look at it. Like Ray Cusick, she was paid to do a job and she did it, very well. I do my job every day and I don't expect anyone to remember it or pay me royalties in years to come.

Si.

[J.R. Southall]

There was even a sixty-minute documentary on Delia Derbyshire, with the creation of the Doctor Who theme as its signature moment, broadcast on BBC Four (and repeated several times since) a year or three ago.