Doctor Who: Terror of the Zygons

The first new Doctor Who soundtrack in several years, this release digs into the past, reviving two Tom Baker-era scores whose original recordings were presumed lost forever. Music from the fourth Doctor’s era is nothing new – Tom Baker’s final season is very well-documented musically, as it was the beginning of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s four-season stint at providing the show’s incidental music. Also, new synth-based recordings of several early scores were released on the now out-of-print Pyramids Of Mars CD in 1993. But original session tapes from the 1970s? Never thought I’d hear ’em.

The existence of this first volume in a series of new Doctor Who soundtracks is owed to a courtesy provided to the composers. It was customary for composers to receive a listening copy of their entire score once a project was completed, and composer Geoffrey Burgon still had his tapes of the Terror of the Zygons and Seeds of Doom scores. Bearing in mind that these tapes were almost 25 years old, and hadn’t been kept expressly for a future release, an elaborate remastering job had to be applied to the music to bring it up to CD standards. The results are fantastic – despite the caveats about the CD containing material from old analog source tapes, this stuff sounds like it was recorded recently.

All techie talk aside, the music itself is layered, moody and interesting, a marked contrast to the music of Dudley Simpson, whose music was synonymous with Doctor Who in the 70s. Director Douglas Camfield, who directed both episodes whose music is contained on this soundtrack, preferred not to hire Simpson to score his episodes. Burgon’s music tends to be more moody and dark, and less “zany” than some of Simpson’s outings from the same period.

Completists and uber-fans will definitely want to pick up this CD, but others may want to check their video collections and listen to the music that way first – these scores hail from an era when the music was truly background music.

1. Doctor Who opening title theme (0:32)

   Terror of the Zygons

2. The Destruction of Charlie Rig (0:41)
3. A Landing in Scotland (1:22)
4. Murder and Mystery on Tulloch Moor (3:28)
5. Wreckage (1:18)
6. The Zygons Attack (0:51)
7. Decompression (1:09)
8. The Zygons’ Ultimate Weapon (1:24)
9. Trance (0:50)
10. False Harry (3:59)
11. Monster On The Moor (3:27)
12. Death At The Inn / Hunt For A Zygon (3:18)
13. The Secret of Forgill Castle (1:44)
14. Ascent and Descent (1:28)
15. A Call From The Prime Minister (0:26)
16. To London / The Death of Broton (2:55)
17. The Monster Goes Home (1:10)
18. Return Ticket (0:23)

    The Seeds of Doom

19. Antarctica: The First Pod (2:20)
20. "It’s Growing!" (1:02)
21. Harrison Chase (0:42)
22. The Pod Opens (1:12)
23. The Galactic Weed (2:00)
24. The Creature Attacks (0:39)
25. A Plan For Murder / Hunt In The Snow (2:47)
26. Sabotage (1:40)
27. Chase Receives The Second Pod (1:08)
28. The Chauffeur Takes A Detour (1:28)
29. A Visit To Harrison Chase (2:11)
30. The Hymn of the Plants / Floriana Requiem (1:22)
31. Escape and Recapture (2:37)
32. The Second Pod Bursts (0:51)
33. Keeler’s Transformation Begins (0:56)
34. The Composter (1:05)
35. The Nurturing of Keeler (4:33)
36. "Get Dunbar!" / Krynoid On The Loose (2:54)
37. Amelia Ducat’s Theme (0:45)
38. Molotov Cocktail (1:26)
39. "The Plants Must Win" (2:28)
40. The Plants Attack (2:54)
41. Laser Fire (1:26)
42. Trapped (2:13)
43. The Final Assault (3:51)
44. Doctor Who closing title theme (0:55)

Released by: BBC Music
Release date: 2000
Total running time: 78:25