Doctor Who Prom (2008)

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"Prom 13: Doctor Who Prom"
SeriesThe BBC Proms
Running time95 minutes [1][2]
First broadcastBBC Radio 3: 27 July 2008
BBC One: TBA
Chronology
← Preceded by
Doctor Who: A Celebration 		Followed by →
—

Prom 13: Doctor Who Prom[1][2][3] was a concert showcasing incidental music from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, along with classical music, performed as part of the BBC's annual Proms season on 27 July 2008 in the Royal Albert Hall in London.[3] The Proms are a series of classical concerts presented yearly at the Royal Albert Hall, aimed at a broader and more populist audience than typically attends classical music concerts, with tickets available at a low cost.[4] The Doctor Who Prom was the thirteenth concert in the 2008 Proms season, and was "expressly designed to introduce young children to concert-going."[5]

The Doctor Who Prom showcased the incidental music of Murray Gold, who has composed the incidental music for Doctor Who since its return in 2005.[6] Other classical pieces were also played. The concert was presented by actress Freema Agyeman, who played companion Martha Jones on Doctor Who. Other Doctor Who actors and performers dressed as Doctor Who monsters also made appearances on stage and in the audience. The concert included a specially filmed "mini-episode" of Doctor Who called "Music of the Spheres".[7]

The Doctor Who Prom was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and recorded for later television broadcast. It was positively reviewed in several newspapers.

Development and purpose

In 2006, the Doctor Who production team had presented a concert titled "Doctor Who: A Celebration" at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, as a fundraiser for Children in Need. The success of that concert encouraged Doctor Who producer Julie Gardner and David Jackson (then Head of Music at BBC Wales) to meet with BBC Proms Festival Director Roger Wright and suggest a Doctor Who-themed Proms concert.[8]

The Doctor Who Prom was part of an ongoing drive to make the Proms more accessible and inclusive.[9] Although some critics accused Wright of "dumbing down" the Proms,[10][11] Wright defended the programme against the charges, saying "I think once people saw what was in the programme, they backed down. It's hard to talk about dumbing down when we're hosting a concert for families that include pieces by Holst, Wagner and Prokofiev."[9]

The official price for pre-booked tickets was £10 for adults and £5 for children.[3] The tickets which were available before the day of the performance sold out, and 3,000 people signed up for a waiting list in the event of any cancellations.[5][9] Prior to the concert, tickets were touted on eBay for up to £250.[9] As at all Proms concerts, 500 tickets were sold for £5 on the day of the event.[5] The line for £5 tickets for the Doctor Who Prom began at 5:00 in the morning.[9] 6,000 people attended the sold-out concert.[9][12] The audience included many families with children, as well as older Doctor Who fans.[13]

Programme

Act One

Composer[3][7] Title[3][7] Time[3] Description[7]
Murray Gold "Concert Prologue" 3 minutes "Concert Prologue" is made up from Gold's "The Doctor’s Theme" and features a soloist (Melanie Pappenheim)[14] backed by orchestra. "The Doctor's Theme" was heard first in Doctor Who episode "Rose" (2005)[15] and has been used as a regular motif in Gold’s scores for numerous episodes since.[7]
Aaron Copland "Fanfare for the Common Man" 3 minutes Composed in 1942, "Fanfare for the Common Man" was premièred by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 1943.
Murray Gold "All the Strange, Strange Creatures" 4 minutes Parts of "All the Strange, Strange Creatures" were used in the trailers for Series 3 of Doctor Who (2007). Arrangements of it featured in the scores for the Doctor Who episodes such as "Gridlock" (2007),[16] "The Sound of Drums" (2007)[17] and "Journey's End" (2008).[18] During the Prom performance, performers dressed as Cybermen, Judoon, Sontarans and Ood appeared on stage and in the audience.[14]
Mark-Anthony Turnage "The Torino Scale" 4 minutes Titled after the Torino Scale, a measuring system used when predicting the likelihood of asteroids hitting Earth, "The Torino Scale" is the first movement of Turnage's Three Asteroids. "The Torino Scale" was premièred in the United Kingdom at the Doctor Who Prom.[7]
Gustav Holst "The Planets - Jupiter" 8 minutes "Jupiter" is the fourth movement of Holst's The Planets suite. It was first heard at the end of the First World War in 1918. During the Prom performance, three performers dressed as Ood entered the hall.[14]
Murray Gold "The Doctor Forever" 4:30 minutes "The Doctor Forever" was first heard in Doctor Who episode "The Runaway Bride" (2006)[19] and was used extensively throughout Series 3 (2007) and Series 4 (2008). It begins as a "celestial anthem for solo vocal and then choir, backed by strings...[and] becomes an out-and-out adventure theme."[7]
Murray Gold "Rose" 1:30 minutes Written for the Ninth Doctor's companion Rose Tyler, "Rose" (also known as "Rose's Theme"[20]) was first heard in Doctor Who episode "The End of the World" (2005).[21] Extracts from "Rose" have been used in numerous episodes since with the melody becoming "one of the series’ strongest musical identities".[7]
Murray Gold "Martha vs The Master" 4:30 minutes "Martha vs The Master" was composed for Doctor Who episode "Last of the Time Lords" (2007) which saw the Tenth Doctor's companion Martha Jones save the world from the Master.[22] It includes the Master's theme, as well as sequences from the themes of other characters from the series, notably that of Martha Jones.[7]

"Music of the Spheres" - specially filmed scene[3][7]

Interval

Act Two

Composer[3][7] Title[3][7] Time[3] Description[7]
Richard Wagner "Die Walküre - The Ride of the Valkyries" 5 minutes "The Ride of the Valkyries" was written about Nordic goddesses transporting fallen heroes to open Act 3 of Wagner's opera Die Walküre and was first performed in 1870. It is well-known for its use in scores for films such as Apocalypse Now.[23]
Murray Gold "The Daleks and Davros" 8 minutes "The Daleks and Davros" comprises music that has underscored the Daleks, the Dalek Emperor and Davros in various appearances since Series 1 of Doctor Who (2005). The suite features the choir and orchestra performing music from episodes "Bad Wolf" (2005)[24] and "Doomsday" (2006)[25] and a march from "The Stolen Earth" (2008)[26] before continuing with music from "Daleks in Manhattan"/"Evolution of the Daleks" (2007)[27][28] and "The Parting of the Ways" (2005),[29] respectively. Prior to the Prom performance of this music, an introduction by Noel Clarke and Camille Coduri was interrupted by Daleks (voiced by Nicholas Briggs) and Davros (played by Julian Bleach).
Murray Gold "Donna - The Girl in the Fireplace - Astrid" 4 minutes This suite combines "Donna's Theme"[30] and music from Doctor Who episode "Journey's End" (2008)[18] written for Tenth Doctor companion Donna Noble, Reinette's theme, "Madame de Pompadour"[20] from "The Girl in the Fireplace" (2006)[31] and Tenth Doctor companion Astrid Peth's theme from "Voyage of the Damned" (2007).[32]
Sergey Prokofiev "Romeo and Juliet - Montagues and Capulets" 5 minutes "Montagues and Capulets" features in Act 1 of Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet based on William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It was composed in the mid 1930s and since 2005 has become associated with television series The Apprentice; according to The Times’ reviewer, Caitlin Moran, the recognition of this piece as "the music from The Apprentice" went "round the room like a Mexican wave."[13]
Murray Gold "This is Gallifrey" 3:30 minutes Also known as "This is Gallifrey: Our Childhood, Our Home",[30] "This is Gallifrey" is Gold's anthem for the Doctor's home planet Gallifrey used throughout Series 3 of Doctor Who (2007).
Murray Gold "Doomsday" 5 minutes Accompanied in this concert by composer Murray Gold on keyboard and a full orchestra and choir, original vocalist Melanie Pappenheim provides the vocals for "Doomsday", which was featured in the Doctor Who episode "Doomsday" (2006) after Rose Tyler was trapped in a parallel universe.[25] Following the emotional performance, Freema Agyeman commented, "Not a dry eye in the house, I should imagine".
Murray Gold "The Doctor's Theme/Song of Freedom" 5:30 minutes "The Doctor's Theme/Song of Freedom" combines "The Doctor's Theme", a recurring theme in Doctor Who, with the anthem "Song of Freedom" which featured in the Series 4 finale, "Journey's End" (2008) as both Doctors, the Doctor-Donna, Rose, Martha, Captain Jack Harkness, Sarah Jane Smith, Mickey Smith and Jackie Tyler travelled in the TARDIS as it towed Earth back to its rightful place, with help from Torchwood, Luke Smith, Mr Smith and K-9 Mark IV.[18] "Song of Freedom" is derived from "Ood Song" written for earlier Series 4 episode "Planet of the Ood" (2008)[33] as "a moving and triumphant refrain for the newly freed slaves", the Ood. The Royal Albert Hall audience was encouraged to clap along.
Murray Gold "Song for Ten" 4 minutes "Song for Ten" was the first original song written by Gold for Doctor Who and it featured in the first Doctor Who Christmas special, "The Christmas Invasion" (2005).[34] Original vocalist Tim Phillips provides the vocals accompanied by the orchestra and choir. The audience was encouraged to sing along.
Ron Grainer "Doctor Who Theme" 1:30 minutes "Doctor Who Theme" was composed by the late Ron Grainer and electronically realised by Delia Derbyshire and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in 1963. For the return of Doctor Who in 2005, Gold rearranged the theme tune, adding strings, brass and more sounds. In 2007, Gold rearranged the theme tune once more and it was introduced to the series in Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned" (2007),[32] with this version featuring electric guitar and heavier drum sounds. Gold's later arrangement is the one featured in this concert.

Production

Conductor Ben Foster at the Doctor Who Prom.

The concert was conducted by Ben Foster and Stephen Bell, and featured the BBC Philharmonic, with solo performances by Tim Phillips and Melanie Pappenheim.[1][35] Freema Agyeman, who played Martha Jones in the third and fourth series of Doctor Who, presented the programme with guests Noel Clarke and Camille Coduri, who played Mickey Smith and Jackie Tyler, respectively.[1][2] Catherine Tate, who played the Doctor's most recent companion Donna Noble, made a surprise guest appearance to introduce "Donna's Theme", not having been listed as being a presenter in the lineup.[8][36][37] Sarah Walker presented BBC Radio 3's coverage of the concert.[14]

The monsters and aliens who appeared on stage and in the audience were played by artists who had portrayed them on television, including Dan Starkey as the Sontaran Commander Skorr.[8] During the showing of the mini-episode "Music of the Spheres", Jimmy Vee appeared on stage as the Graske; at the point in the episode when the Doctor threw his composition through the portal, sheets of manuscript paper fell onto the orchestra.[14] Prior to the piece "Davros and the Daleks", a Dalek (operated by Barnaby Edwards, voiced by Nicholas Briggs) appeared on stage, and Davros (Julian Bleach) appeared in the audience, announcing that the Royal Albert Hall would become his new palace, and the audience his "obedient slaves".[14][38]

Broadcast

The Doctor Who Prom was broadcast simultaneously on BBC Radio 3.[3][7][2][39][14] BBC Radio 3's recording of the concert could be streamed or downloaded via BBC iPlayer for a week after transmission[1] and the concert will be shown on BBC One at a later date.[3]

During the interval of the concert, BBC Radio 3 broadcast "Let's Do the Time Warp Again", a 25-minute commentary by science fiction writer Justina Robson. In the essay, Robson discussed the moral contradictions of Doctor Who and compared the programme with religious texts as a cultural touchstone.[14]

Reception

Composer Murray Gold at the concert

Writing in The Times, Caitlin Moran called the event "the hottest ticket in town this week," and added, "As a child’s introduction to orchestral recitals, it is peerless." Moran also noted "a moment of squirming shame" at the realisation that composer Murray Gold has not won a BAFTA.[13]

Bruce Dessau, writing in the Evening Standard, felt that the classical compositions "jostled for attention" with Gold's work, and called "The Torino Scale" "cacophonous". Of the Doctor Who pieces, Dessau called "Doomsday" "haunting" and said that it "hoisted the emotional level to a peak unsurpassed even when the team saved Earth, accompanied by the soaring 'Song Of Freedom'." Dessau's sole complaint was that the concert gave insufficient attention to the work of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, and that the programme's conclusion with the Doctor Who theme "felt more like an afterthought than a climax."[35]

In The Guardian, Nicholas Lezard praised the idea behind the concert: "One can imagine no better way to get children interested in classical music than by plonking them down in front of an orchestra belting out music from Doctor Who." Lezard noted that the non-Doctor Who music "was received with baffled tolerance"; he said that the BBC Philharmonic played "Montagues and Capulets" "crisply and excitingly", but felt that "Ride of the Valkyries" "tends to sound a little underpowered unless played by two orchestras at once". Lezard called Gold's work "a little derivative" but "perfectly suited to the task"; however, he complained that Gold's orchestration of the Doctor Who theme "drowned" Delia Derbyshire's original arrangement. He wrote that "the hundred-strong choir and soloist Melanie Pappenheim performed flawlessly," and also praised the technical execution of the complex programme.[6]

Covering the event for Doctor Who Magazine, David Darlington noted that the stated aim of the Proms is "to encourage an audience for concert hall music who, though not normally attending classical concerts, would be attracted by the low ticket prices and informal atmosphere" and concluded that if the children in the audience had such a love for Doctor Who "that they have come all this way to spend an hour or two listening to the music from the show, and that they will happily also sit through a formal, experimental and rather abrasive piece of modern classical music and then enthusiastically applaud at the end, then all concerned can be happy with their day's work."[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Prom 13 - Part 1". BBC Programmes. BBC. 2008-07-27. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  2. ^ a b c d "Prom 13 - Part 2". BBC Programmes. BBC. 2008-07-27. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "BBC Proms – What's On – Prom 13: Doctor Who Prom". BBC Proms website. BBC. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  4. ^ Duchen, Jessica (2008-07-18). "BBC Proms: Everything you wanted to know (but were afraid to ask)". The Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  5. ^ a b c "Proms - Ticket Guide". BBC Proms website. BBC. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  6. ^ a b Lezard, Nicholas (2008-07-29). "Doctor Who Prom". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Beek, Michael (2008-07-26). "About the Music / Programme Notes". BBC Proms website. BBC. Retrieved 2008-07-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  8. ^ a b c d Darlington, David (17 September 2008 (cover date)). "Music to your Spheres". Doctor Who Magazine (399): 36–39. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ a b c d e f Taylor, Jerome (2008-07-28). "Daleks invade the Proms (while earthlings pay £250 for a ticket)". The Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
  10. ^ Williams, Sally (2008-04-10). "Proms in Doctor Who 'dumbing down' row". Western Mail. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  11. ^ "Press Quotes". Friends of Radio 3. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  12. ^ "Dr Who fans enjoy Proms special". BBC News. BBC. 2008-07-27. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
  13. ^ a b c Moran, Caitlin (2008-07-28). "Time Lord opens the Tardis to a new generation of Prom-goers". The Times. News Corporation. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h Presenters Sarah Walker (BBC Radio 3), Freema Agyeman (Royal Albert Hall) (2008-07-27). "Prom 13: Doctor Who Prom". The Proms. BBC. BBC Radio 3. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Writer Russell T. Davies, Director Keith Boak, Producer Phil Collinson (2005-03-26). "Rose". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ Writer Russell T. Davies, Director Richard Clark, Producer Phil Collinson (2007-04-14). "Gridlock". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ Writer Russell T. Davies, Director Colin Teague, Producer Phil Collinson (2007-06-23). "The Sound of Drums". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ a b c Writer Russell T. Davies, Director Graeme Harper, Producer Phil Collinson (2008-07-05). "Journey's End". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ Writer Russell T. Davies, Director Graeme Harper, Producer Phil Collinson (2006-12-25). "The Runaway Bride". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ a b Gold, Murray (2006). Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack (Media notes). Cardiff: Silva Screen Records. pp. p. 5. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |publisherid= and |mbid= (help); Unknown parameter |albumlink= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |notestitle= ignored (help)
  21. ^ Writer Russell T. Davies, Director Euros Lyn, Producer Phil Collinson (2005-04-02). "The End of the World". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ Writer Russell T. Davies, Director Colin Teague, Producer Phil Collinson (2007-06-30). "Last of the Time Lords". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "'Ride of the Valkyries' to highlight opera concerts". Record. Washington University in St. Louis. 2007-05-03. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  24. ^ Writer Russell T. Davies, Director Joe Ahearne, Producer Phil Collinson (2005-06-11). "Bad Wolf". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ a b Writer Russell T. Davies, Director Graeme Harper, Producer Phil Collinson (2006-07-08). "Doomsday". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ Writer Russell T. Davies, Director Graeme Harper, Producer Phil Collinson (2008-06-28). "The Stolen Earth". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ Writer Helen Raynor, Director James Strong, Producer Phil Collinson (2007-04-21). "Daleks in Manhattan". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ Writer Helen Raynor, Director James Strong, Producer Phil Collinson (2007-04-28). "Evolution of the Daleks". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ Writer Russell T. Davies, Director Joe Ahearne, Producer Phil Collinson (2005-06-18). "The Parting of the Ways". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  30. ^ a b Gold, Murray (2007). Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack - Series 3 (Media notes). Cardiff: Silva Screen Records. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |publisherid= and |mbid= (help); Unknown parameter |albumlink= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |notestitle= ignored (help)
  31. ^ Writer Steven Moffat, Director Euros Lyn, Producer Phil Collinson (2006-05-06). "The Girl in the Fireplace". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  32. ^ a b Writer Russell T. Davies, Director James Strong, Producer Phil Collinson (2007-12-25). "Voyage of the Damned". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  33. ^ Writer Keith Temple, Director Graeme Harper, Producer Susie Liggat (2008-04-19). "Planet of the Ood". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ Writer Russell T. Davies, Director James Hawes, Producer Phil Collinson (2005-12-25). "The Christmas Invasion". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  35. ^ a b Dessau, Bruce (2008-07-27). "Proms play second fiddle to Dr Who". Evening Standard. Associated Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
  36. ^ Nick, Breckenfield. "Doctor Who Prom". classicalsource.com. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  37. ^ Michele (2008-07-27). "Doctor Who Prom Report". Scholar's Blog. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  38. ^ Rawson-Jones, Ben (2008-07-28). "'Doctor Who' and Davros take over Proms". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
  39. ^ "BBC Proms". BBC Doctor Who website. BBC. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-26.

External links

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