Who composed the theme music for Doctor Who?

The Doctor Who theme music was composed by Ron Grainer.

Grainer wrote the original melody for Doctor Who when the programme was being developed in 1963. The finished sound, however, depended on the pioneering electronic realisation created by Delia Derbyshire at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, with assistance from Dick Mills. This distinction explains why both Grainer and Derbyshire are strongly associated with the theme.

Derbyshire built the original recording from analogue tape: individual sounds were cut, spliced, sped up and slowed down to create the pulsing bass, melody and otherworldly effects. Commercial synthesisers and modern multitrack production were not available, making the result an important early example of electronic television music.

Brian Hodgson worked on Doctor Who sound effects and later experiments with the theme, while Murray Gold composed later incidental music and arrangements for the revived series. Delia Derbyshire realised the famous original recording, but Ron Grainer remains its credited composer. The melody has continued through many arrangements and Doctor incarnations.