The Doctor Who Incidental Music Poll: The FINAL

[SiHart]

Yes, welcome to the final of Planet Skaro's Doctor Who Incidental Music Poll. Over the last few weeks you've voted for your favourite composers for the show from it's various eras, and now it's time for you to choose who you think is Doctor Who's Ultimate Composer!

Your choices are:

Dudley Simpson in the 60s
Dudley Simpson in the 70s
Paddy Kingsland in the early 80s
Mark Ayres in the late 80s
and Murray Gold NOW!

Who is the best? You decide! Vote now!

Si xx

[Ralph]

now it's time for you to choose who you think is Doctor Who's Ultimate Composer!

Does that mean you'll total up Simpson's votes from the 60's and 70's then?

[Lord President]

Murray Gold has delivered some of the best music DW has ever had, and he's more consistently good than any of his predecessors!

[Si Hunt]

I would really love to be controversial, but it's very obvious who's going to win here and quite rightly so - Dudley is as much an icon of the series as the TARDIS and Leela's shammy leather, thanks to dozens and dozens of era-defining scores. He's not my favourite composer, and I'd struggle to pick a score that has really done it for me, but in terms of sheer volume and consistency it's hard to imagine the Tom Baker era without him.

For the rest, Murray does a grand job but the music is just over-used; It remains to be seen whether the lack of any silent scenes at all this year will annoy me as much as last year, but it's likely.

Si.

[Wayne]

Gold's done some good stuff, but some of it sounds a bit generic. It would be as much at home in a Hollywood blockbuster as it would in Dr.Who.
Like Si says Dudley Simpson is Dr.Who. I know fashions have changed with regard to how much incidental music dominates things, but i maintain that Dudley understood the function of incidental music, which is to enhance the mood & underscore the drama of what's happening on the screen. It's not there to be too distracting & ever present. Something which started right back with 'The Leisure Hive', never mind Murray Gold.

[Si Hunt]

I agree with Wayne.

I love Gold's new series theme but the times when the music is clashing away in the background of a scene when you really just need a bit of quiet...

Si.

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

Oh my God!!!
I can never decide between Paddy K and Mark Ayres (I am talking about music here, by the way)!!!

Both of them have their own distinct style and unlike Peter Howell don't use every sound on the sythesizer

Aaarrrrggghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I think it should be......... oh no, I've changed my mind again!!!!

Ok, here goes.............my vote is for Pa.....Mar......Pad........

PADDY KINGSLAND - if I'm honest it's the nostalgia that slightly puts him above Ayres.

For the record I aggree with the comments about Murray Gold - overall I rather like his music, but it does sound like a blockbuster film score and no matter how flashy it looks these days I'll always think of Doctor Who as a TV program - if I'm honest I hope it's never turned into a blockbuster film!!!

[Larry]

Murray Gold has delivered some of the best music DW has ever had, and he's more consistently good than any of his predecessors!

certainly agree with that unlike his predercessers Murray's musical scores have been full of feeling and emotion his scores fore End of The World, and the final two episodes of series 1 were IMO haunting feel to them while his score for the end of Doomsday when both the Doctor and Rose ear to the wall was a thing of beauty.

[Dave Tudor]

I just can't decide!!!

[SiHart]

I'm having the same problem Dave... all the finalists are great.

Si xx

[Dirk Gently]

Its just between two of them...but I can't decide whichway to go.

[Andrew Curnow]

I'm finding this really tricky - focussing on their best stuff means that I'm choosing between the score to "City of Death", the score to "Logopolis", and the score to "The Curse of Fenric" all three of which I like to hum; and the composer of the groovy music at the start of "Rose" which I've been humming all week.

I fear we may have to resort to the hat to decide this one...

[Pip Madeley]

Gold's music has moved me to tears, so he's my winner!

[Milky Tears]

I voted for the winner.

[Lord President]

I'm finding this really tricky - focussing on their best stuff means that I'm choosing between the score to "City of Death", the score to "Logopolis", and the score to "The Curse of Fenric" all three of which I like to hum; and the composer of the groovy music at the start of "Rose" which I've been humming all week.

I fear we may have to resort to the hat to decide this one...

I agree completely, City of Death has my all time favourite score, but some of Gold's music has caused me to blubb like a baby , especially at the end of School Reunion, Parting of the Ways and Doomsday! With emotion like that, I had to vote for Gold!

[Dirk Gently]

Going for GOLD!!!!

Although I must say that 70's Dudley was a close second.

[SiHart]

In the end I went with Dudley in the 70s. Just becuase his is the only Doctor Who music I've hummed as I've wondered round Sainsburys when its raining outside. Or something.

Si xx

[Nathan]

Out of that lot Mark Ayres.

I'd rather vote for the far more talented Malcolm Clarke, Peter Howell or Dominic Glynn, but they aren't on the list.

That's democracy for you!

[Andrew Curnow]

I'm still a-dithering.

No, I'm going for Paddy Kingsland. Not the most prolific, perhaps, but what he produced is as good as any other incidental score. I feel bizarrely guilty about not voting for Dudley, though, but Paddy it is!

[Antony Cox]

I've only just seen this thread and it's too late to vote!

Just for the record, I would have gone for 70's Dudley!

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

Really?

I thought you were an early 80's man when it came to incidental music???