--- name: "Delia Derbyshire" canonical: "https://film.one/person/delia-derbyshire" roles: ["Composer"] born: "5 May 1937" died: "3 July 2001" reviewed_on_fi1m: 1 average_over: 1 updated: "2026-09-18T10:47:40.840901+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Delia Derbyshire Composer. Born 5 May 1937 in Coventry, West Midlands, England, UK. Died 3 July 2001. ## Details - **Work:** Composer - **Born:** 5 May 1937, Coventry, West Midlands, England, UK - **Died:** 3 July 2001 - **Also known as:** Delia Ann Derbyshire - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delia_Derbyshire, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q29544, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0220262/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/79922 ## Streaming the US now - **AMC+:** [*Doctor Who*](https://film.one/tv/doctor-who-2005.md) (78) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Biography Delia Ann Derbyshire was an English composer and musician specialising in electronic music. She was born on 5 May 1937 in Coventry and died on 3 July 2001 in Northampton. After studying music and mathematics at Girton College, Cambridge, she joined the BBC in 1960 and worked at the Radiophonic Workshop from 1962 until 1973. Her best-known work is the electronic realisation of Ron Grainer's theme for the original *Doctor Who* series in 1963, which served as the main title music until 1980. Elements of her arrangement were incorporated into the revived series from 2005. She also composed the score, with Brian Hodgson, for the film *The Legend of Hell House* (1973). After leaving the BBC she worked briefly at Electrophon studio before largely withdrawing from music composition in the mid-1970s. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (1) - *Doctor Who* (2005), Fi1m 78, Music — [page](https://film.one/tv/doctor-who-2005.md) ## Complete filmography (125) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *dust collector* (2025), Music - *Doctor Who at the Proms* (2024), Music - *Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker* (2024), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Abominable Snowmen* (2022), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Evil of the Daleks* (2021), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Web of Fear - Episode 3* (2021), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Macra Terror* (2019), Theme Song Performance - *Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and Legendary Tapes* (2018), Music - *Doctor Who* (2005), series, Original Music Composer — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/doctor-who-2005.md) - *Doctor Who: The Horns of Nimon* (1980), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Nightmare of Eden* (1979), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Creature from the Pit* (1979), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: City of Death* (1979), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Destiny of the Daleks* (1979), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Armageddon Factor* (1979), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Power of Kroll* (1979), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Androids of Tara* (1978), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Stones of Blood* (1978), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Pirate Planet* (1978), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Ribos Operation* (1978), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Invasion of Time* (1978), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Underworld* (1978), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Sun Makers* (1977), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Image of the Fendahl* (1977), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Invisible Enemy* (1977), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Horror of Fang Rock* (1977), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Talons of Weng-Chiang* (1977), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Robots of Death* (1977), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Face of Evil* (1977), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Deadly Assassin* (1976), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Hand of Fear* (1976), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Masque of Mandragora* (1976), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Seeds of Doom* (1976), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Brain of Morbius* (1976), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Android Invasion* (1975), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars* (1975), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Planet of Evil* (1975), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Terror of the Zygons* (1975), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Revenge of the Cybermen* (1975), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Genesis of the Daleks* (1975), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Sontaran Experiment* (1975), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Ark in Space* (1975), Theme Song Performance - *About Bridges* (1975), Music - *Doctor Who: Robot* (1975), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Planet of the Spiders* (1974), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Monster of Peladon* (1974), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Death to the Daleks* (1974), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Invasion of the Dinosaurs* (1974), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Time Warrior* (1974), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Green Death* (1973), Theme Song Performance - *The Legend of Hell House* (1973), Original Music Composer, Sound Effects - *Doctor Who: Planet of the Daleks* (1973), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Frontier in Space* (1973), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Carnival of Monsters* (1973), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Three Doctors* (1973), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Time Monster* (1972), Theme Song Performance - *Circle of Light* (1972), Music - *Doctor Who: The Mutants* (1972), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Sea Devils* (1972), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Curse of Peladon* (1972), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Day of the Daleks* (1972), Theme Song Performance - *Ways of Seeing* (1972), series, Music - *O Fat White Woman* (1971), Music - *Doctor Who: The Dæmons* (1971), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Colony in Space* (1971), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Claws of Axos* (1971), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil* (1971), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Terror of the Autons* (1971), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Inferno* (1970), Music Score Producer, Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Ambassadors of Death* (1970), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who and the Silurians* (1970), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Spearhead from Space* (1970), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The War Games* (1969), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Space Pirates* (1969), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Seeds of Death* (1969), Theme Song Performance - *The Naked Sun* (1969), Original Music Composer - *Doctor Who: The Krotons* (1969), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Invasion* (1968), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Mind Robber* (1968), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Dominators* (1968), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Wheel in Space* (1968), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Fury from the Deep* (1968), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Web of Fear* (1968), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Enemy of the World* (1968), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Ice Warriors* (1967), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Abominable Snowmen* (1967), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Evil of the Daleks* (1967), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Faceless Ones* (1967), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Macra Terror* (1967), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Moonbase* (1967), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Underwater Menace* (1967), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Highlanders* (1967), Theme Song Performance - *The Prophet* (1967), Original Music Composer - *Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks* (1966), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Tenth Planet* (1966), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Smugglers* (1966), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The War Machines* (1966), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Savages* (1966), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Gunfighters* (1966), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker* (1966), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Ark* (1966), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve* (1966), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan* (1965), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Myth Makers* (1965), Theme Song Performance - *Out of the Unknown* (1965), series, Original Music Composer - *Doctor Who: Galaxy 4* (1965), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Time Meddler* (1965), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Chase* (1965), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Space Museum* (1965), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Crusade* (1965), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Web Planet* (1965), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Romans* (1965), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Rescue* (1965), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion of Earth* (1964), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Planet of Giants* (1964), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Reign of Terror* (1964), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Sensorites* (1964), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Aztecs* (1964), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Keys of Marinus* (1964), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: Marco Polo* (1964), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction* (1964), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who: The Daleks* (1964), Theme Song Performance - *Doctor Who* (1963), series, Theme Song Performance — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/tv/doctor-who.md) - *Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child* (1963), Theme Song Performance - *Went the night well?*, Music ## Gallery - ![Delia Derbyshire Plaque Inscription: BBC Music Day Delia Derbyshire 1937 - 2001 BBC Radiophonic Workshop Pioneer who influenced the course of electronic music l (2018)](https://film.one/media/person/226619/gallery-7b69bb1a46b3.jpg) Delia Derbyshire Plaque Inscription: BBC Music Day Delia Derbyshire 1937 - 2001 BBC Radiophonic Workshop Pioneer who influenced the course of electronic music l (2018) — 360Libre, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Delia_Derbyshire_1.jpg/1280px-Delia_Derbyshire_1.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Plaque commemorating Delia Derbyshire, on the Ellen Terry building at Coventry University, England. (2019)](https://film.one/media/person/226619/gallery-3f4cac0f2de7.jpg) Plaque commemorating Delia Derbyshire, on the Ellen Terry building at Coventry University, England. (2019) — Andy Mabbett, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Delia_Derbyshire_Plaque_-_2019-07-17_-_Andy_Mabbett.jpg/1280px-Delia_Derbyshire_Plaque_-_2019-07-17_-_Andy_Mabbett.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/delia-derbyshire