Audio CD review
Composed by Malcolm Lockyer and Bill McGuffie (electronic effects by Barry Gray)
Silva Screen Records
Release date Out now

The soundtracks of the two 1960s Dalek movies with added sound effects…

The big screen versions of Doctor Who may have been bigger in scale than the TV series, but they lacked the rights to use the show’s distinctive theme music, which had already become iconic by the time of Dr. Who & The Daleks’ 1965 release.

Malcolm Lockyer’s music gets around this by presenting a bold, brassy score very much akin to the work of John Barry. It’s epic stuff, with the sounds that chronicle the Thals’ journey to the city displaying all the hallmarks of classic adventure movie music. The main theme is a fine example of big screen mystery, with a jaunty single release version also included on the disc.

Fans of Bill McGuffie’s score for Daleks’ Invasion Earth will probably be disappointed by the brief amount of time afforded to his work here. Produced by Doctor Who music archivist Mark Ayres, this score has been taken from the actual movie, with sound effects included in places. As the original tapes don’t exist (sadly a common occurrence in Doctor Who’s history) this is the best we can expect; and to Ayres's credit, it’s not such a bad compromise. Jonathan Wilkins

VERDICT: 8/10
An excellent release, all the more so as it’s clearly been given the love and attention ‘proper’ Doctor Who gets from the restorers.