COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

He wrote music for the show in the '60s and '70s



Prolific Doctor Who composer Dudley Simpson has passed away aged 95.

The Australian-born composer wrote music for around 290 episodes of the long-running BBC sci-fi series in the early days of the show,during the 1960s and 1970s.

Alongside his work on Doctor Who, Simpson wrote the theme music to Blake's 7 and The Tomorrow People, and was also principal conductor at the Royal Opera House for three years.

Simpson's work in TV began in 1961 on a BBC drama called Jack's Horrible Luck, and he was later noticed by Doctor Who, who brought him on board to write the music of the First Doctor adventure 'Planet of Giants'.

He went on to work on a huge amount of the show's episodes, and even managed a cameo in episode 4 of 'The Talons of Weng-Chiang'.

However, a change-up in the show in 1980 with new producer John Nathan Turner meant that Simpson was let go from the series.

After Doctor Who, he went on to work for a number of other shows including Goodbye Mr Chips, Dombey & Son and The Diary of Anne Frank.

Simpson retired in the 1990s and returned to Australia, though helped celebrate Doctor Who's 50th anniversary in the UK in 2013.

Doctor Who returns this Christmas with special 'Twice Upon a Time', during which Peter Capaldi's Doctor will regenerate into Jodie Whittaker.