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B-Sides & Compilation Tracks

Dover Castle/The Axons Approach

Various Artists: Sounds From... EMS
7" Flexidisc / Cassette, 1972
Electronic Music Studios

featuring Dover Castle Dudley Simpson
featuring The Axons Approach Dudley Simpson

Released in 1972 was a rare promo flexi called 'Sounds From ... EMS', compiled to publicise Electronic Music Studios, a company formed by ex-BBC Radiophonic Workshop personnel Brian Hodgson and Delia Derbyshire. This contained a couple of incidental tracks from the Doctor Who stories The Mind of Evil and The Claws of Axos, both composed by Dudley Simpson. These were among the first of his compositions to be realised entirely on synthesisers (although many of his scores throughout the late '60s had employed a combination of live musicians and Radiophonic sounds), and were used to demonstrate the impressive range of electronic music and the proposed commercial output of EMS.

Both tracks were verbally introduced as follows: "And now for some music, mainly in a lighter vein. The majority of these pieces were written for television or radio, and the first two, by Dudley Simpson, were created for the BBC's 'Dr. Who' series. This one is 'Dover Castle'. / The second piece by Dudley Simpson is 'The Axons Approach'. The flexidisc version of the latter piece was slightly edited due to time constraints. Both were later issued on CD as part of the Doctor Who at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop series.

Minds of Evil

BBC Radiophonic Workshop: 21
LP, April 1979
BBC Records BBC REC 354

featuring Minds Of Evil Dudley Simpson

This anniversary LP was intended as a light-hearted compilation of the Radiophonic Workshop's 21 year output, and although the sleevenotes admit that the electronic incidental music for Doctor Who was undoubtedly it's largest continuing project, only one short piece was included alongside the original Doctor Who theme and Brian Hodgson's TARDIS Take-off effect. Closing the first side (a retrospective trawl through Radiophonic history before the contemporary, stereo pieces on Side Two), Dudley Simpson's theme for the Keller Machine in The Mind of Evil represented the Workshop's daring use of distinctive electronic synthesisers in the early 1970s, as realised by Brian Hodgson.

The composition had already been rerecorded by Dick Mills, incorporating Simpson's Master theme and sound effects from Planet of the Daleks as The World of Doctor Who, a b-side to his Moonbase 3 single in October 1973, and the original track was reissued in 2000 on Doctor Who at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop Volume 2 - New Beginnings, retitled Keller Machine Theme.

The Sea Devils

Jon Pertwee: Who Is The Doctor
US 7" Vinyl, 1983
BBC/Gemcon BBC 453

1. Who Is The Doctor Jon Pertwee
2. The Sea Devils BBC Radiophonic Workshop

One of three American singles reissued simultaneously by BBC Records / Gemcon to celebrate Doctor Who's twentieth anniversary. Malcolm Clarke's atmospheric suite from The Sea Devils was selected as a b-side to Jon Pertwee's 1972 novelty record Who Is The Doctor, as promotion for the recently released Doctor Who - The Music.

The Leisure Hive

BBC Radiophonic Workshop: Space Invaded
12" LP, September 1982
BBC Records BBC REC 442

featuring The Leisure Hive Peter Howell
Peter Howell: K9 And Company
US 7" Vinyl, 1983
BBC/Gemcon BBC 456

1. K9 And Company
2. The Leisure Hive

Released on a BBC themes LP prior to it's appearance on Doctor Who - The Music, alongside Peter Howell's extended versions of Doctor Who and K9 and Company, and later issued as a b-side to one of three American singles reissued simultaneously by BBC Records / Gemcon to celebrate Doctor Who's twentieth anniversary.

Timelash/The Paradise of Death

Doctor Who - 30 Years At The Radiophonic Workshop
CD, July 1993
BBC Records BBC CD 871

featuring Timelash: Music Suite Elizabeth Parker
featuring Paradise Of Death Peter Howell

See full listing - Sound Effects Discography


Dick Mills' compilation of Radiophonic Workshop highlights focused primarily on special sounds and atmospherics, although several versions of the theme tune and two previously unreleased suites of incidental music were also included. The Timelash suite was mostly composed of Parker's less-tuneful music, stressing the dark side of this story, while three lengthy cues from Peter Howell's retrospective score for the radio serial The Paradise of Death brought the CD up to date, with the same story's closing theme edit concluding the disc - over a month before the first episode was broadcast on BBC Radio 5. It seems likely that this will be the radio soundtrack's only commercial release.