Next weekend the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular – a live performance of music from the show – begins touring the UK.
CultBox recently caught up with Murray via Skype in New York to discuss the concerts, composing for Doctor Who, and just about everything else…
Last question. It’s a fluff question, but I have to ask.
“That’s ok.”
If you could take the TARDIS back in time and have the opportunity to write the score for a story for any of the classic Doctors, who would you pick?
“Tom Baker.”
Any particular reason?
“Just because he’s Tom Baker. I mean, he’s my favourite Doctor, not including my ones. He’s my favourite classic Doctor.
“Peter Davison’s presenting the Symphonic Spectacular, so I should give him a shout out – the truth is I love Peter Davison, he’s so charming, so handsome. I could, in exchange for that, say ‘But I would watch you religiously on All Creatures Great and Small’ and I was always rooting for Tristan Farnon.”
I love Tristan, and his little sweater vests.
“You’re way too young to watch All Creatures Great and Small.”
I used to watch it with my grandmother on our local public broadcaster in Canada in the ‘80s.
*we sing a few bars of the theme tune together*
“Was that how it went?”
Yes! My gran used to always call it All Creatures Small and Big. It was the cutest.
“Aww. It was the kind of series that made you feel like everything was all right.”
It’s a very comforting series. Just seeing Peter Davison with his hand up a cow.
“You always knew it was teatime at the weekend – it was incredible how much time he had to spend like that.”
It just goes to show, I think, that the practitioners of bovine medicine are the real heroes in the world.
“Well, I think they actually enjoyed doing what they were doing.”
I think, honestly, you would have to, because my god…
“There’s always those hard-nosed farmers, ‘I don’t know what’s been goin’ on Mr. Farnon, she’s not been eatin’ these last three days.’ I mean, how many stories can you actually create based on the fact that your cow hasn’t been eating?”
I mean, they got years out of the concept – clearly they were onto something.
“Was it the war years?”
It was sort of that vague period, I think, of, quite a few decades ago where people dressed a bit tweedier.
“Yeah.”
Okay, I think I’ve more or less exhausted my supply of interesting questions off the top of my head. Is there anything else you’d like to say?
“In your defence?”
In my defence!
“I dunno, it’s funny – sometimes I think, you know, when I spoke to – I always say I don’t do many interviews, but then like, I’ve just done four. And I always think, what can people ask? I mean, I’m really doing it because I want to get people to come to the show, I want to help promote the show, the Symphonic Spectacular.
“I just sometimes wonder how much anyone can really ask of me. I just wonder how much it can be interesting to hear me say anything about the music of Doctor Who. I mean, it does stuff to people, it does stuff to me. I make it because I know what it does to me, and it’s toxic, it’s very very hopeful, it’s got a lot of love in it, you know?
“I think that’s what makes it break through people’s barriers, because they’re like, I need that in my life. I got that feeling when I first read Walt Whitman. At first I was like, what’s this guy going on about? I had no idea what he’s talking about, but I love it.”
I think that really comes through.
“That’s the main thing.”
The secret ingredient is love.
“It is, however misanthropic and sad I can be when I’m writing it.”
Aww.
“It’s fine. I do my best.”
And you do good. I should let you feed yourself.
“It’s been lovely talking to you.”
So nice to talk to you too, thank you so much for taking the time to chat today.
“You’re welcome, take care.”
The Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular starts on Saturday 23 May and tickets can be bought online here.