A true pioneer in audio exploration and psycho-acoustics, Delia Derbyshire conceived one of the most familiar compositions in science fiction, the Doctor Who theme, while working in a BBC basement. Her soundscapes felt like they connected to another realm. Kicking off with the discovery of 267 tapes in an attic, along with a treasure trove of journals hidden in her childhood bedroom, this film tunes in to Derbyshire’s frequency; that of a life-long non-conformist, whose peals of laughter in an archive interview tickle with delight and eccentricity. Featuring a rich archive, interviews, fictional embodiment and Cosey Fanni Tutti’s psycho-sonic channelling, director Caroline Catz traces acoustic pathways on her archeological dig into Derbyshire’s resonant life.
Sound
Derbyshire's tape manipulations still sound alien 60 years later.
Direction
Catz channels her subject through fiction, documentary, and pure frequency.
Production
267 attic tapes resurrected like buried treasure.
Director
Caroline Catz
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Derbyshire created the Doctor Who theme before synthesizers existed—she spliced tape by hand, note by note, sometimes using her own voice slowed to a growl.
The BBC denied her composer credit on Doctor Who, listing 'Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop' instead. She didn't fight it. She just kept building universes in the dark.
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