Doctor Who is known almost as much for its iconic theme music as its blue-box TARDIS and traveling Time Lord protagonist. The theme has regenerated along with the Doctor over the last 55 years, but has retained the same basic tune — even after it went on an extended hiatus from 1989 to 2005.
One of the new elements added to the mix when the show returned in its 21st century form was a separate theme tune for the Doctor himself (and, now, herself). From the Tenth Doctor’s “The Doctor’s Theme”/”Song for Ten,” to the Eleventh’s stirring “I Am the Doctor” and Twelfth’s “A Good Man,” this second-tier theme has never eclipsed the eerie and archetypal opening/closing fanfare (nor should it try), but has helped add a heroic flourish to the Doctor’s greatest moments.
The tradition continued with the just-ended 11th season of the refurbished series, starring Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor and the first woman in the role. Her personal theme, so far dubberd “The Thirteenth Doctor’s Theme” or “Thirteen,” gets a music video montage ahead of the Jan. 11, 2019, release of the Doctor Who Series 11 soundtrack release, which will get a release on CD and streaming services as reported by the unofficial but spot-on Doctor Who News. You can listen to the new character theme above and here; it’s electrifying and wonderful, a great reflection of the show’s new spirit of adventure and companionship.
It’s a notable release for all these reasons and more: Segun Akinola is the first composer to take the reins of Doctor Who’s score in 13 years, replacing the irreplaceable Murray Gold with a tour de force establishing himself respectably in the pantheon of Doctor Who composers that began in the early 1960s with the late Ron Grainer, who still gets credit for the series’ haunting main theme.
Doctor Who returns on New Year’s Day for “Resolution,” its traditional holiday special (moved from Christmas) before taking the rest of 2019 off and returning in early 2020.
