Favourite (TV) versions of the Doctor Who theme song?

Television
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Of course the Doctor Who theme is iconic regardless of its arrangement, but which ones are your absolute favourites?

*I’m limiting this to TV only and also excluding one off variations like the Before The Flood and Demons of the Punjab etc. since this poll is long enough already lol

**I swear I made it so you could choose 3 but it won’t let me change it now :confused:

0 voters
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2

The OG ad McCoy ones are my favs. Followed by the OG Revival theme.

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3

Best: third Derbyshire version (s7-17) and Glynn (s23).

Worst: McCulloch (s24-26).

I find the new series ones increasingly pedestrian.

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4

I love you TV Movie theme <3 I enjoy that the middle eight is backwards and i love the little piano flourish at the end and I LOVE that Murray Gold has brought that back for the new season

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5

Personally, my Top 3 are:

  • Seasons 18-22 by Peter Howell: while nostalgia plays a big factor in this one (my first memories of classic who are of s18 when my mum finally let me start watching the reruns), the synths go absolutely hard as hell and I love the big culminating Boom at the conclusion.
  • Series 4 by Murray Gold: Murray Gold peaked here tbh. Love the emphasis on strings and the added piano towards the end.
  • Series 11-2022 Specials by Segun Akinola: Love the base drop and the use of drums to keep the beat. Also very classic who vibes which I love.
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6

5’s and 12’s are easily my faves

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7

Given only two options, the original and the McCoy themes were the obvious choices for me. I’m pretty sure third would have been the Trial of a Timelord openings…

And yes, Classic themes > New Who themes, IMO, overall.

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8

What do you mean, I can only choose 2!

The TV Movie theme is ignored and underrated. If I close my eyes listening to the first Peter Howell arrangement from the Davison Years I am instantly calmed - it’s almost meditative for me.

I would also have thrown in the rest of the 80s if I could - Season 23 and McCoy’s are also hugely nostalgic for me as it’s when I first properly watched the show.

10 Likes
9

McCoy’s theme is my favorite, definitely.

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10

The OG Revival theme will always have a place in my heart for nostalgia reasons, but McCoy is also 100% up there

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11

For me, the best one is the Series 4 “rock” version. It’s a perfected version of the original New Who theme and it always brings shivers down my spine.

The TV Movie theme is great because it dares to be different in structure and sound - that epic orchestral sound always makes me want to sing along!

The Series 5 theme is also one I’m fond of.

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12

Series 1-3 and series 11 to the 2022 specials! I’m a fan of anything bassy and “industrial” ish, and the original revival theme is so nostalgic ^ _ ^

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13

I thought I’d made it so you could choose 3 but by the time I realised it was only letting you choose 2 I couldn’t edit it unfortunately

6 Likes
14

The series 4 versions of the original theme are probably my favourite but I’m surprised I’m the only one to have voted for the Eleventh Doctor’s intro, genuinely love that one.

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15

So I of course picked the GOAT, Howell, surprised it’s as low as it is. Then I saw I had a second vote, so I went with the best modern Who one, the Series 4. Honorable mention, I actually quite enjoy the Capaldi theme, even if the title sequence and theme are desynced a different amount episode to episode. The true best though, and not listed in this poll, the Before the Flood version of the Capaldi theme. Only one I don’t like is the Dominic Glynn theme.

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16

I’m actually surprised 24-27 is at the top because I remember when that was one of the least-liked versions. I agree with you though about the Howell. Top tier!

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17

I am surprised how the McCoy takes a lead here (not negatively, I guess I am just more used to seeing it being pretty low!)
For me, it will always will be the OG and Howell Theme, while the latter is 80s as they come it’s always enjoyable listening to it. The OG? Well it’s timeless!
I always quite love the TV Movie one, just amazing!
Anyway, agree with @SweetAIBelle with preferring the classic themes over the new ones.

11 Likes