Who is Behind the Doctor?

Too often we focus on the imaginary characters of a production – and not on the people that make it all possible.

For over 25 years I have been an ardent fan of the television series ‘Doctor Who‘. Between his regenerations, his varied companions, his choice in clothing genre’s, plus the amazing evolution of the interior of the TARDIS, I eagerly looked forward to every episode. Well, most of the time. Like everyone else I re-established my enjoyment in the series when David Tenant took on the role about ten years ago.

But what caught my attention this time round is the music. It is colossal, inspiring and, most importantly, it is different for every episode. Yes, much of it sounds the same – but it is tailored for the production. The key music is played when the Doctor is about to play his hand and attempt to win the day – and we notice it. The man responsible for the current music is Murray Gold. With a name like that, he will be unforgettable.

Today ‘The Day of the Doctor‘ aired around 94 countries – but because of family commitments I had to watch it online. In fact, I watched it twice on iView.

But it was what I watched after that got me thinking (and got me writing this article) … Who are the people behind the scenes? Why were they not given more credit in the earlier days? We all know Steven Moffatt now, he is synonymous with the series, as is Murray Gold. Steven Moffatt goes to ComiCon each year with the current Doctor and companion.

BUT there is one person more important than all:

Verity Lambert, what an amazing woman. The tenacity, ‘piss & vinegar‘, the balls of this woman, we need to be much more thankful for her amazing desire to make the series. Were it not for her, the Daleks would have remained a bug-eyed-monster stuck to celluloid in a container buried in the BBC bunkers!

So don’t forget those people who put in the hard-yards, effort, and many years. Fifty years so far. We are counting, plus keeping an eye or two on everyone who is involved.

So should you.