Change is in the air on Gallifrey, and it’s not just who’s holding the sonic screwdriver. Doctor Who’s upcoming season will feature a new showrunner, a new Doctor, and a new composer—since the composer who’s been there since the revival’s beginning won’t be coming back to the TARDIS.
During a panel at Gallifrey Con, composer Murray Gold confirmed that he won’t be returning for Season 11, and that the Christmas special “Twice Upon a Time” was his final episode for the series. During the panel, Gold reflected on 13 years of creating music for Doctor Who, and panelists reportedly gave a minutes-long standing ovation for the legendary composer.
Gold’s name might not be familiar to every Doctor Who fan, but his music has been a vital part of the show in its modern-day format, since he’s been creating scores for the BBC series since the series reboot in 2005. He not only brought new life and energy into the iconic Doctor Who theme song, but he also composed some of the show’s best music, like “Amy’s Theme,” “I Am The Doctor,” and the score for “Doomsday,” featuring one of the show’s most heartbreaking companion farewells.
There’s no word who will be replacing Gold for the next season, which has also seen the exit of longtime writers and the VFX department, but Broadchurch composer Ólafur Arnalds has confirmed that it definitely won’t be him. Doctor Who returns sometime in 2018, with Jodie Whittaker taking on the role of the Doctor and Chris Chibnall (Broadchurch) running things behind the scenes.
We’ve reached out to BBC America on this development and will update should we hear back.
[Syfy]