Editing BBC Radiophonic Workshop

{{Short description|Produced sound effects and programme scores from 1958-1998}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Radiophonic|Radiophonic (song)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2020}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2017}}
[[File:BBC Radiophonic Workshop (1958-98) machines - Tape Recorder with tape loop equipment, Beat Frequency Oscillator & EMS Putney VCS3.jpg|thumb|A collection of equipment from the Radiophonic Workshop, on display at the [[Science Museum, London|Science Museum]], London]]

The '''BBC Radiophonic Workshop''' was one of the [[sound effect]]s units of the [[BBC]], created in 1958 to produce [[Incidental music|incidental sounds]] and new music for radio and, later, television. The unit is known for its experimental and pioneering work in [[electronic music]] and [[music technology]], as well as its popular scores for programmes such as ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and ''[[Quatermass and the Pit]]'' during the 1950s and 1960s.<ref name="Am">{{cite web |last1=Ankeny |first1=Jason |title=BBC Radiophonic Workshop – Biography & History |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bbc-radiophonic-workshop-mn0000071374 |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=5 December 2017}}</ref>

The original Radiophonic Workshop was based in the BBC's [[Maida Vale Studios]] in Delaware Road, [[Maida Vale]], London.<ref name="revival" /> The Workshop was closed in March 1998,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/39f0d457-37ba-43b9-b0a9-05214bae5d97 |title=The BBC Radiophonic Workshop – New Songs, Playlists & Latest News – BBC Music |website=BBC |access-date=17 April 2017}}</ref> although much of its traditional work had already been outsourced by 1995.<ref name="revival">{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19568120 | title=BBC Radiophonic Workshop revived online |work= BBC News | date=12 September 2012}}</ref> Its members included [[Daphne Oram]], [[Delia Derbyshire]], [[David Cain (composer)|David Cain]], [[John Baker (Radiophonic musician)|John Baker]], [[Paddy Kingsland]], [[Glynis Jones (composer)|Glynis Jones]], [[Maddalena Fagandini]], [[Richard Yeoman-Clark]] and [[Elizabeth Parker (composer)|Elizabeth Parker]], the last to leave.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.soundonsound.com/people/elizabeth-parker-flexible-working
 |title=Elizabeth Parker - flexible working |website=Sound on Sound |access-date=13 July 2023}}</ref>
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==History==
The Workshop was set up to satisfy the growing demand in the late 1950s for "radiophonic" sounds from a group of producers and studio managers at the [[BBC]], including [[Desmond Briscoe]], [[Daphne Oram]], [[Donald McWhinnie]], and [[Frederick Bradnum]].<ref>[[John Tydeman]], "Frederick Bradnum, Master dramatist whose prolific output sustained radio's great era" in ''[[The Guardian]]'' dated 22 February 2002</ref><ref>''An Electric Storm'', Ned Netherwood, [[Obverse Books]], Chapter 1</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Reynolds|first1=Simon|title=For 40 Years, the BBC's Radiophonic Workshop Created "Special Sound' for Programmes from Doctor Who to Woman's Hour|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> For some time there had been much interest in producing innovative music and sounds to go with the pioneering programming of the era, in particular the dramatic output of the [[BBC Third Programme]]. Often the sounds required for the atmosphere that programme makers wished to create were unavailable or non-existent through traditional sources and so some, such as the musically trained Oram, would look to new techniques to produce effects and music for their pieces. Much of this interest drew them to [[musique concrète]] and tape manipulation techniques, since using these methods could allow them to create [[soundscape]]s suitable for the growing range of unconventional programming. When the BBC noticed the rising popularity of this method they established a Radiophonic Effects Committee, setting up the Workshop in rooms 13 & 14 of the BBC's Maida Vale studios with a budget of £2,000. The Workshop contributed articles on their findings to magazines,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|title=BBC – Research and Development: Audio on the Web – Rediscovering the era of the Radiophonic Workshop|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/researchanddevelopment/2012/05/web-audio-radiophonics-1.shtml|first=Oliver|last=Thereaux|date=23 May 2012|website=BBC|access-date=31 May 2023|quote=the workshop team did not publish its own journals, but had, through the years, contributed a number of articles to magazines such as Practical Electronics, Studio Sound and the Dr. Who Magazine}}.</ref> leading to some of their techniques being borrowed by sixties producers and engineers such as [[Eddie Kramer]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mENvBQAAQBAJ&q=Kramer&pg=PT507|title=Jimi Hendrix. Una foschia rosso porpora|last1=Shapiro|first1=Harry|last2=Glebbeek|first2=Caesar|date=17 November 2014|publisher=LIT EDIZIONI|isbn=978-88-6231-758-0|language=it}}</ref>

===Early days===
[[File:Detail of Maida Vale Studios - geograph.org.uk - 962915.jpg|thumb|Maida Vale Studios|200px]]
In 1957, Daphne Oram set up<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170522-daphne-oram-pioneered-electronic-music|title=The woman who could 'draw' music|website=BBC}}</ref> the Radiophonic Workshop with Desmond Briscoe, who was appointed the Senior Studio Manager with Dick Mills employed as a technical assistant. Much of The Radiophonic Workshop's early work was in effects for radio, in particular experimental drama and "radiophonic poems".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ieMm4_aaZi8C&pg=PA294|title=The Digital Musician|last=Hugill|first=Andrew|date=25 June 2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-27988-1|language=en}}</ref> Their significant early output included creating effects for the popular science-fiction serial ''[[Quatermass and the Pit]]'' and memorable comedy sounds for ''[[The Goon Show]]''. In 1959, Daphne Oram left the workshop to set up her own studio, the ''Oramics Studios for Electronic Composition'', where she eventually developed her "[[Oramics]]" technique of electronic sound creation. That year [[Maddalena Fagandini]] joined the workshop from the BBC's Italian Service.

From the early sixties the Workshop began creating television theme tunes and jingles, particularly for low budget schools programmes. The shift from the experimental nature of the late 50s dramas to theme tunes was noticeable enough for one radio presenter to have to remind listeners that the purpose of the Workshop was not pop music. In fact, in 1962 one of Fagandini's interval signals "Time Beat" was reworked with assistance from [[George Martin]] (in his pre-[[The Beatles|Beatles]] days) and commercially released as a single using the pseudonym Ray Cathode. During this early period the innovative electronic approaches to music in the Workshop began to attract some significant young talent including [[Delia Derbyshire]], [[Brian Hodgson]] and [[John Baker (Radiophonic musician)|John Baker]], who was in fact a jazz pianist with an interest in reverse tape effects. Later, in 1967. they were joined by [[David Cain (composer)|David Cain]], a jazz bass player and mathematician.<ref name="PierceD82">{{cite magazine|last=Pierce|first=Derek|title=A History Of Electronic Music|url=https://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/a-history-of-electronic-music/4275|magazine=Electronics & Music Maker|date=May 1982|via=Mu:zines |access-date=18 January 2024}}</ref>

In these early days, one criticism{{citation needed|date=September 2012}} the Workshop attracted was its policy of not allowing musicians from outside the BBC to use its equipment, which was some of the most advanced in the country at that time not only because of its nature, but also because of the unique combinations and workflows which the Workshop afforded its composers. In later years this would become less important as more electronic equipment became readily available to a wider audience.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/the-women-who-invented-electro-inside-the-bbc-radiophonic-worksh/|title=The women who invented electro: inside the BBC Radiophonic Workshop|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=22 June 2016|access-date=17 April 2017|last1=Hewett|first1=Ivan}}</ref>

===''Doctor Who''===
{{main|Doctor Who theme music}}

{{Listen|filename=|title=''Doctor Who'' theme excerpt|description=An excerpt from Delia Derbyshire's original arrangement of the theme music to ''Doctor Who''}}

In 1963 they were approached by composer [[Ron Grainer]] to record a theme tune for the upcoming BBC television series ''[[Doctor Who]]''. Presented with the task of "realising" Grainer's score, complete with its descriptions of "sweeps", "swoops", "wind clouds" and "wind bubbles", [[Delia Derbyshire]] created a piece of [[electronic music]] which has become one of television's most recognisable themes.<ref name=PierceD82/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2006/dec/19/guardianobituaries.media|title=Obituary: Desmond Briscoe|last=Niebur|first=Louis|date=19 December 2006|work=The Guardian|access-date=20 September 2017|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Over the next quarter-century the Workshop contributed greatly to the programme providing its vast range of unusual sound-effects, from the [[TARDIS]] dematerialisation to the [[Sonic screwdriver]], as well as much of the programme's distinctive electronic [[incidental music]], including every score from 1980 to 1985.

In 2018 [[Matthew Herbert]], creative director of The New Radiophonic Workshop, composed the sting used alongside the reveal of the new [[Doctor Who]] logo debuting later that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/cult/a850464/doctor-who-series-11-logo/|title=Doctor Who series 11 gets new logo and image|first=Morgan|last=Jeffery|date=20 February 2018|website=Digitalspy.com}}</ref>

===Changes===
{{multiple images |direction=vertical |width=150
|image1   = EMS The Putney (VCS3).jpg
|caption1 = [[EMS VCS 3]] (Putney)
|image2   = EMS Synthi 100.jpg
|caption2 = [[EMS Synthi 100]] (Delaware)
}}

As the sixties drew to a close, many of the techniques used by the Workshop changed as more electronic music began to be produced by synthesisers. Many of the old members of the Workshop were reluctant to use the new instruments, often because of the limitations and unreliable nature of many of the early synthesisers but also, for some, because of a dislike of the sounds they created. This led to many leaving the workshop making way for a new generation of musicians in the early 1970s including [[Malcolm Clarke (composer)|Malcolm Clarke]], [[Paddy Kingsland]], [[Roger Limb]] and [[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]]. From the early days of a studio full of tape reels and [[electronic oscillator]]s, the Workshop now found itself in possession of various synthesisers including the [[EMS VCS 3]] and the [[EMS Synthi 100]] nicknamed the "Delaware" by the members of the Workshop.

In 1977, Workshop co-founder Desmond Briscoe retired from organisational duties with Brian Hodgson, returning after a five-year gap away from the Workshop, taking over.

By this point the output of the Workshop was vast with high demand for complete scores for programmes as well as the themes and sound effects for which it had made its name. By the end of the decade the workshop was contributing to over 300 programmes a year from all departments of the BBC and had long since expanded from its early two-room setup. Its contributions included material for programmes such as ''The Body in Question'', ''[[Blue Peter]]'' and ''[[Tomorrow's World]]'' as well as sound effects for popular science fiction programmes ''[[Blake's 7]]'' and ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' (in both its [[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Primary and Secondary Phases|radio]] and [[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (TV series)|television]] forms) by [[Richard Yeoman-Clark]] and [[Paddy Kingsland]] respectively.

{{Listen|filename=Whale Theme from HitchHikers TV series sample.ogg
|title=BBC Radiophonic Workshop, "SoundHouse", Whale Theme excerpt|description=An excerpt from ''Whale Theme'' from the [[Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy]] TV series (music only), BBC Radiophonic Workshop}}

===Latter days===
By the early 1990s, BBC Director General [[John Birt]] decided that departments were to charge each other and bid against each other for services and to close those that couldn't make enough revenue to cover their costs. In 1991 the Workshop was given five years in which to break even but the cost of keeping the department, which required two dedicated engineers, a software developer (Tony Morton) and a secretary (Maxine) as well as the composers, proved too much and so they failed. Dick Mills, who had worked on ''Doctor Who'' since the very beginning, left in 1993,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20131121-dr-who-as-vital-as-the-beatles|title=Doctor Who: The most important electronic music ever?|first=Andrew|last=Harrison|website=BBC}}</ref> along with Ray White, Senior Engineer, and his assistant, Ray Riley, with the Maida Vale technical team taking on their role, and engineer Fiona Sleigh smoothing the transition.

In 1995, despite being asked to continue, organiser Brian Hodgson left the Workshop, and his role was carried out remotely from Broadcasting House by people with other priorities and little enthusiasm. Malcolm Clarke and Roger Limb left. By the end, only one composer, [[Elizabeth Parker (composer)|Elizabeth Parker]], remained.  The Workshop officially closed in March 1998, but Elizabeth stayed on for a couple of months to complete her last job.  John Hunt, (who took over much of the specialist editing side of the workshop previously done by Dick Mills) continued working in Studio E, now called "Radiophonics" until well into 2000, occasionally managing to fit in a bit of traditional Radiophonics work.  Mark Ayres recalls the Workshop's tape archive being collected on 1 April, exactly 40 years after the department had opened.

===Legacy===
Following the decision to close the Radiophonic Workshop, the studios were cleared and most remaining equipment was disposed of, with some of it being sold to the composers. The tape library was largely forgotten until the room was ordered to be "cleared".  Fortunately the Maida Vale studios technical team became aware of this and were able to hide the tapes away in various dark corners of the building before they could be thrown away. Eventually Mark Ayres and Brian Hodgson were commissioned to catalogue its extensive library of recordings with help from other composers.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}}

In October 2003, ''Alchemists of Sound'', an hour-long [[television documentary]] about the Radiophonic Workshop, was broadcast on [[BBC Four]].<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/music/features/alchemists.shtml |title=Alchemists of Sound |website=BBC |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20031020012624/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/music/features/alchemists.shtml | archive-date= 20 October 2003 | date=20 October 2003 |access-date=14 September 2012}}</ref>

[[The Magnetic Fields]] titled the first track of their album ''[[Holiday (The Magnetic Fields album)|Holiday]]'', after the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

In February 2025, [[Spitfire Audio]] released a [[Sampling (music)|sample library]] featuring sounds from the Radiophonic Workshop for public purchase. The library featured audio sourced from the original Workshop archives, as well as newly-recorded performances by the Workshop members. Archivist [[Mark Ayres]] noted the team's age as a motivating factor for this collaboration, stating, "We're not going to be around for ever. It was really important to leave a creative tool, inspired by our work, for other people to use going forward."<ref name="TheHollywoodReporter_Szalai2025">{{Cite magazine |last=Szalai |first=Georg |date=2025-02-19 |title=‘Doctor Who’ Theme and More: The Legendary BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s Archive Is Now Available |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/bbc-radiophonic-workshop-archive-doctor-who-theme-spitfire-audio-1236138745/ |access-date=2025-02-20 |magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="TheGuardian_BeaumontThomas2025">{{Cite news |last=Beaumont-Thomas |first=Ben |date=2025-02-19 |title=‘We’re projecting into the future’: sounds of BBC Radiophonic Workshop made available for public use |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/feb/19/were-projecting-into-the-future-sounds-of-bbc-radiophonic-workshop-made-available-for-public-use-spitfire-audio |access-date=2025-02-20 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

===Live reunions since 2009===

[[File:Dick Mills, BBC Radiophonic Workshop at the Roundhouse, 2009-05-17.jpg|thumb|upright|Dick Mills, BBC Radiophonic Workshop reunion live at the Roundhouse in 2009.]]
In May 2009, Dick Mills reunited with former BBC Radiophonic Workshop composers [[Roger Limb]], [[Paddy Kingsland]] and [[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]] with archivist [[Mark Ayres]] for a live concert at [[The Roundhouse]], Chalk Farm, London, performing as "The Radiophonic Workshop". The composers, backed by a small brass section and a live drummer, performed a large number of their BBC-commissioned musical works including sections of incidental music from ''The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy'' and ''Doctor Who'' (including a medley of Mark Ayres's work) as well as some collaborative compositions written specifically for the Roundhouse concert.

The live performances were mixed in surround sound and interspersed with musical video montage tributes of deceased members of the Workshop including [[Daphne Oram]], [[Delia Derbyshire]] and [[John Baker (Radiophonic musician)|John Baker]]. The two and a half-hour event climaxed with live performances of the Derbyshire and Peter Howell arrangements of ''Doctor Who'', segueing into a new Radiophonic version of the theme tune. Celebrated attendees included actor/writer/composer [[Peter Serafinowicz]] and satirist/writer/broadcaster [[Victor Lewis-Smith]]. Multiple cameras recorded the event but it has yet to be broadcast or released in any form, although amateur footage of the event can be seen on YouTube.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}}

In 2013 the original members of the Workshop regrouped again for a more concerted programme of live appearances. Performing as 'The Radiophonic Workshop' (dropping the BBC prefix) they were joined by drummer Kieron Pepper (The Prodigy, Dead Kids, OutPatient) and Bob Earland from Clor. They also embarked on a new recording project set for release in Autumn of 2014. This involved collaborations with contemporary electronic musicians, video artists, DJs, remixers, poets, writers and singers. Live appearances in 2013 included Festival Number 6 at Portmeirion, Wales in September and The London Electronic Arts Festival in November. The shows featured archive TV and visuals from many of the TV and film soundtracks that the Radiophonic Workshop contributed to between 1958 and 1998 when the unit was deactivated. The Radiophonic Workshop appeared on BBC television's The One Show on 20 November 2013 playing a unique version of the Doctor Who Theme that combined Delia Derbyshire's original source tapes and Peter Howell's 1980 realisation of the Ron Grainer composition. Radio 6 Music's Marc Riley played host to a Radiophonic Workshop session where they delivered live versions of Roger Limb's Incubus, Paddy Kingsland's Vespucci, the Doctor Who Medley and a new composition – Electricity Language and Me (by American poet Peter Adam Salomon), featuring DJ Andrew Weatherall as the narrative voice for this classic piece of Radiophonic sound design. There were a number of radio, online and print interviews done at the time to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who.

The Workshop's early archive recordings were also reissued on vinyl in November 2013 to accompany this renewed activity. In 2014, "The Radiophonic Workshop" appeared at festivals including [[End of the Road Festival]], and the reissue programme of earlier work from their extensive catalogue continues along with a planned exploration of previously unheard or rare archive recordings.

=== 2012 online revival ===
In September 2012 Arts Council England and the BBC announced a joint venture whereby the concept of the Radiophonic Workshop would be revived as an online venture, with seven new, non-original composers and musicians. The new Workshop was based online at '''The Space''',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thespace.org/faqs|title=FAQs: Studio 30, Fazeley Studios, 191 Fazeley Street, B5 5SE, Birmingham|date=27 April 2016|work=thespace.org|access-date=17 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/user/thespaceincubate/videos|title=The Space|website=YouTube|access-date=17 April 2017}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=January 2024}} a joint venture between the BBC and [[Arts Council England]]. Composer [[Matthew Herbert]] was appointed the new Creative Director, and worked alongside [[Micachu]], Yann Seznec, [[Max de Wardener]], Patrick Bergel, James Mather, theatre director Lyndsey Turner and broadcast technologist Tony Churnside.<ref name="revival" />

<blockquote>Composer Matthew Herbert's first work for The New Radiophonic Workshop takes audio from 25 previous projects featured on the website – from theater performances to poetry readings, creating a "curious murmur of activity". It can be heard by clicking on a button labeled "listen to The Space" at the top of any page on the website.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thespace.org/ |title=The Space – The Arts live, free and on demand |work=archive.org |access-date=17 April 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924141221/http://thespace.org/ |archive-date=24 September 2012 }}</ref></blockquote>

'''The New Radiophonic Workshop''',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenewradiophonicworkshop.com/|title=The New Radiophonic Workshop|work=thenewradiophonicworkshop.com|access-date=17 April 2017}}</ref> not to be confused with the reactivated Radiophonic Workshop<ref>{{cite web|url=https://webaudio.prototyping.bbc.co.uk/|title=Recreating the sounds of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop|website=BBC}}</ref><ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/researchanddevelopment/2012/11/audio-on-the-web---explore-the.shtml|title=BBC – Research and Development: Audio on the Web – Explore the BBC sound of the 1960s|website=BBC|access-date=17 April 2017}}</ref> whose members are original BBC personnel,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/researchanddevelopment/2012/02/prototyping-weeknotes-97.shtml|title=BBC – Research and Development: Prototyping Weeknotes #97|website=BBC|access-date=17 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/researchanddevelopment/2012/07/web-audio-radiophonics-2.shtml|title=BBC – Research and Development: Audio on the Web – Knobs and Waves|first=Olivier|last=Thereaux|website=BBC|access-date=17 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/researchanddevelopment/2012/10/irfs-weeknotes-125.shtml|title=BBC – Research and Development: IRFS Weeknotes #125|first=Chris|last=Lowis|website=BBC|access-date=17 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="bbc.co.uk"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/researchanddevelopment/2012/11/irfs-weeknotes-128.shtml|title=BBC – Research and Development: IRFS Weeknotes #128|first=Pete|last=Warren|website=BBC|access-date=17 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/researchanddevelopment/2012/11/irfs-weeknotes-130.shtml|title=BBC – Research and Development: IRFS Weeknotes #130|first=Tristan|last=Ferne|website=BBC|access-date=17 April 2017}}</ref> an entirely separate entity from the original unit, was assembled by Mathew Herbert as an online collective of composers for [[The Space (Theatre)|The Space]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thespace.org/resources|title=Build skills|date=5 April 2016|work=thespace.org|access-date=17 April 2017}}</ref> arts project.

==Techniques==
{{multiple image |direction=vertical |width=150
|image1   = Radiophonic Workshop Tape Machine, Science Museum London.jpg
|caption1 = '''Tape manipulation tools''': <br />tape recorder, tape splicer, and mending tapes.<!-- used by Radiophonic Workshop -->
|image2   = Sine Wave Oscillator - BBC Radiophonic Workshop, 1958-98.jpg
|caption2 = Sine wave oscillator <!-- used by Radiophonic Workshop -->
}}

The techniques initially used by the Radiophonic Workshop were closely related to those used in ''musique concrète''; new sounds for programmes were created by using recordings of everyday sounds such as voices, bells or gravel as raw material for "radiophonic" manipulations. In these manipulations, audio tape could be played back at different speeds (altering a sound's pitch), reversed, cut and joined, or processed using [[reverb effect|reverb]] or equalisation. The most famous of the Workshop's creations using 'radiophonic' techniques include the ''Doctor Who'' theme music, which [[Delia Derbyshire]] created using a plucked string, 12 oscillators and a lot of tape manipulation; and the sound of the TARDIS ([[Doctor (Doctor Who)|the Doctor's]] [[time travel|time machine]]) materialising and dematerialising, which was created by Brian Hodgson running his keys along the rusty bass strings of a broken piano, with the recording slowed down to make an even lower sound.<ref name="EMM81">{{cite magazine|title=Radiophonic Workshop: A Glimpse of Current Activities|url=https://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/radiophonic-workshop/2579|magazine=Electronics & Music Maker|via=Mu:zines |date=March 1981|access-date=18 January 2024}}</ref>

Much of the equipment used by the Workshop in the earlier years of its operation in the late 1950s was semi-professional and was passed down from other departments, though two giant professional tape-recorders made an early centrepiece. Reverberation was obtained using an [[echo chamber]], a basement room with bare painted walls empty except for loudspeakers and microphones. Due to the considerable technical challenges faced by the Workshop and BBC traditions, staff initially worked in pairs with one person assigned to the technical aspects of the work and the other to the artistic direction.

== Influence on popular music ==
The Radiophonic Workshop published "Radiophonics in the BBC" in November 1963,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/archive/pdffiles/monographs/bbc_monograph_51.pdf|title="Radiophonics in the BBC", ''BBC Engineering Division Monograph'' #51 |date=November 1963 |website=BBC}}</ref> listing all equipment used in their two workshops, diagrams of several systems, and a number of anecdotes. The Radiophonic Workshop also contributed articles<ref name="auto"/> to magazines of its experiments, complete with instructions and wiring diagrams.<ref name="auto"/>

British psychedelic rock group [[Pink Floyd]] made a memorable trip to the workshop in 1967. They had employed tape loops, sound effects, found sounds and the principles of musique concrete on their debut album ''[[The Piper at the Gates of Dawn]]'' from that same year.  Other fans of the Radiophonic Workshop included [[The Rolling Stones]]' [[Brian Jones]] – who visited in 1968 – and [[Roger Mayer (engineer)|Roger Mayer]], who supplied [[guitar pedal]]s to [[Jeff Beck]], [[Jimmy Page]] and [[Jimi Hendrix]]. [[Phil Manzanera]] has also cited the Workshop as an influence on the sound of his group [[Roxy Music]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/nov/23/radiophonic-workshop-bbc-doctor-who|title=Radiophonic Workshop: the shadowy pioneers of electronic sound|first=Joe|last=Muggs|date=23 November 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=30 July 2016}}</ref>

In 1997 the [[electronic dance music]] magazine ''[[Mixmag]]'' described the Workshop as, "the unsung heroes of British [[electronica]]".<ref>''[[Mixmag]]'', March 1997.</ref> Their work has been [[sample (music)|sampled]] extensively by contemporary electronic artists.<ref name="Am"/>

==Members of the Radiophonic Workshop==
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2012}}

===1958–1998===
{{div col}}
*[[Desmond Briscoe]] (1958–1983)
*[[Daphne Oram]] (1958–1959)
*Dick Mills (1958–1993)
*[[Maddalena Fagandini]] (1959–1966)
*[[Brian Hodgson]] (1962–1972), Organiser (1977–1995)
*[[Delia Derbyshire]] (1962–1973)
*[[John Baker (Radiophonic musician)|John Baker]] (1963–1974)
*[[David Cain (composer)|David Cain]] (1967–1973)
*[[Malcolm Clarke (composer)|Malcolm Clarke]] (1969–1995)
*[[Paddy Kingsland]] (1970–1981)
*[[Richard Yeoman-Clark]] (1970–1978)
*[[Roger Limb]] (1972–1995)
*[[Glynis Jones (composer)|Glynis Jones]] (1973–?)
*[[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]] (1974–1997)
*[[Elizabeth Parker (composer)|Elizabeth Parker]] (1978–1998)
*[[Jonathan Gibbs (composer)|Jonathan Gibbs]] (1983–1986)
*[[Richard Attree]] (1987–1998)
{{div col end}}

===2009–present===
*[[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]] (2009–present)
*[[Roger Limb]] (2009–present)
*Dick Mills (2009–present)
*[[Paddy Kingsland]] (2009–present)
*[[Mark Ayres]] (2009–present)
*[[Kieron Pepper]] (2013–present)
*[[Bob Earland]] (2013–present)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bobearland.com/ |title=Biography |website=Bob Earland |access-date=2022-10-03}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{main|BBC Radiophonic Workshop discography}}

===Main albums===
{{div col}}
* ''[[BBC Radiophonic Music]]''
* ''[[Fourth Dimension (Radiophonic album)|Fourth Dimension]]''
* ''[[The Radiophonic Workshop (1975 album)|The Radiophonic Workshop]]''
* ''[[Out of This World (Radiophonic album)|Out of This World]]''
* ''[[Through a Glass Darkly (album)|Through A Glass Darkly]]''
* ''[[BBC Sound Effects No. 19 - Doctor Who Sound Effects]]''
* ''[[BBC Radiophonic Workshop - 21]]''
* ''[[BBC Sound Effects No. 26 - Sci-Fi Sound Effects]]''
* ''[[Doctor Who - The Music]]''
* ''[[The Soundhouse]]''
* ''[[The Living Planet: Music from the BBC TV Series|The Living Planet]]''
* ''[[Doctor Who - The Music II]]''
* ''[[Doctor Who: 30 Years at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop]]''
* ''Doctor Who at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop''
** ''[[Doctor Who at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop Volume 1: The Early Years 1963–1969|Volume 1: The Early Years 1963–1969]]''
** ''[[Doctor Who at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop Volume 2: New Beginnings 1970–1980|Volume 2: New Beginnings 1970–1980]]''
** ''[[Doctor Who at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop Volume 3: The Leisure Hive|Volume 3: The Leisure Hive]]''
** ''[[Doctor Who at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop Volume 4: Meglos & Full Circle|Volume 4: Meglos & Full Circle]]''
* ''[[The John Baker Tapes – Volume One: BBC Radiophonics|The John Baker Tapes – Volume 1: BBC Radiophonics]]''
* ''[[BBC Radiophonic Workshop - A Retrospective]]''
* ''[[The Caves of Androzani#Soundtrack release|Doctor Who – The Caves of Androzani]]''
* ''[[The Krotons#Soundtrack release|Doctor Who – The Krotons]]''
* ''[[Radiophonic Workshop (2014 album)|Radiophonic Workshop]]''
* ''[[The Vendetta Tapes]]''
* ''[[Burials in Several Earths]]''
* ''[[The Changes (TV series)#Soundtrack|The Changes]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://recordstoreday.co.uk/releases/rsd-2018/paddy-kingsland/|title=Paddy Kingsland – Record Store Day|website=[[Record Store Day]]|access-date=9 March 2018|archive-date=10 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310074750/https://recordstoreday.co.uk/releases/rsd-2018/paddy-kingsland/}}</ref>
* ''[[The Five Doctors#Soundtrack|Doctor Who – The Five Doctors]]''
* ''[[Possum (2018 film)#Score|Possum]]''
* ''[[The Box of Delights (TV series)#Soundtrack|The Box of Delights]]
* ''[[The Stone Tape#Soundtrack release|The Stone Tape]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://recordstoreday.co.uk/releases/rsd-2019/desmond-briscoe-the-bbc-radiophonic-workshop/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302090548/https://recordstoreday.co.uk/releases/rsd-2019/desmond-briscoe-the-bbc-radiophonic-workshop/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 March 2019|title=Desmond Briscoe, The BBC Radiophonic Workshop – Record Store Day|website=Record Store Day UK}}</ref>
* ''[[The Visitation (Doctor Who)#Soundtrack|Doctor Who – The Visitation]]''
* ''La Planète Sauvage'' (with [[Stealing Sheep]])
* ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen#Soundtrack|Doctor Who – Revenge of the Cybermen]]''
* ''[[Inventions for Radio#Box set release|Inventions for Radio]]''
{{div col end}}

==Selected other works==

===Radio dramas===
* ''[[Inventions for Radio]]'' (1964-1965)
*''[[The Foundation Trilogy (BBC Radio)|The Foundation Trilogy]]'' (produced by [[David Cain (composer)|David Cain]]) (1973)
*''[[Good Friday: A Play in Verse]]'' (1974)
*''A Wall Walks Slowly'' (produced by [[Desmond Briscoe]] with music by [[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]]) (1977)
*''[[The Martian Chronicles#There Will Come Soft Rains (August 2026)|August 2026]]'' (produced by [[Malcolm Clarke (composer)|Malcolm Clarke]]) (1977)
*''Notes from Janáček's Diary'' (produced by Maxwell Steer) (1991)
**This was the only production ever to be realised at the Radiophonic Workshop completely by an external composer.

===Sound effects and music contributions===<!-- This section is linked from [[The Goon Show]] -->
*Radio
**''[[The Goon Show]]''
**''[[The Hobbit (1968 radio series)|The Hobbit]]'' (effects and music composed by [[David Cain (composer)|David Cain]]) (1968)
**''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Primary and Secondary Phases|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' (effects by [[Paddy Kingsland]] with additional effects by Dick Mills. Music (except theme music) for [[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Primary and Secondary Phases#The Secondary Phase|second series]] by Paddy Kingsland)
**''[[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|The Lord of the Rings]]'' (effects by [[Elizabeth Parker (composer)|Elizabeth Parker]]) (1981)
**''Doctor Who: [[Slipback]]'' (BBC Radio) (music by Jonathan Gibbs) (1985)
**''Doctor Who: [[The Paradise of Death]]'' (BBC Radio) (music by Peter Howell) (1993)
**''Doctor Who: [[The Ghosts of N-Space]]'' (BBC Radio) (music by Peter Howell) (1996)
*Television
**''[[Quatermass and the Pit]]'' (effects by [[Desmond Briscoe]] & (uncredited) Dick Mills) (1958)
**''[[Doctor Who]]'' (effects by [[Brian Hodgson]] (1963–1972) & Dick Mills (1972–1989). Some additional effects provided by various Workshop members)
**''[[Penda's Fen]]'' ([[Paddy Kingsland]]) (1974)
**''[[Blake's 7]]'' (effects by [[Richard Yeoman-Clark]] & [[Elizabeth Parker (composer)|Elizabeth Parker]])
**''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (TV series)|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' (music and effects by [[Paddy Kingsland]] except theme music)

===''Doctor Who'' incidental music===
The ''[[Doctor Who]]'' [[Doctor Who theme music|theme music]] was provided by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop from 1963 to 1985. From 1986 to the programme's demise the theme was provided by freelance musicians. Between 1980 and 1985 the complete incidental scores for the programme were provided in-house by the Workshop. Below is a complete{{citation needed|date=September 2012}} list of incidental music provided by the Radiophonic Workshop for the programme.
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
*1968
**''[[The Wheel in Space]]'' (music by [[Brian Hodgson]])
**''[[The Krotons]]'' (Special sounds by Brian Hodgson)
*1972
**''[[The Sea Devils]]'' (music by [[Malcolm Clarke (composer)|Malcolm Clarke]])
*1975
**''[[Revenge of the Cybermen]]'' (additional, uncredited music by [[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]] (main score by [[Carey Blyton]]))
*1980
**''[[The Leisure Hive]]'' (music by [[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]])
**''[[Meglos]]'' (music by [[Paddy Kingsland]] & [[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]])
**''[[Full Circle (Doctor Who)|Full Circle]]'' (music by [[Paddy Kingsland]])
**''[[State of Decay (Doctor Who)|State of Decay]]'' (music by [[Paddy Kingsland]])
*1981
**''[[Warriors' Gate]]'' (music by [[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]])
**''[[The Keeper of Traken]]'' (music by [[Roger Limb]])
**''[[Logopolis]]'' (music by [[Paddy Kingsland]])
**In 1981 [[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]] also supplied the incidental music for the spin-off ''[[K-9 and Company]]''.
*1982
**''[[Castrovalva (Doctor Who)|Castrovalva]]'' (music by [[Paddy Kingsland]])
**''[[Four to Doomsday]]'' (music by [[Roger Limb]])
**''[[Kinda (Doctor Who)|Kinda]]'' (music by [[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]])
**''[[The Visitation (Doctor Who)|The Visitation]]'' (music by [[Paddy Kingsland]])
**''[[Black Orchid (Doctor Who)|Black Orchid]]'' (music by [[Roger Limb]])
**''[[Earthshock]]'' (music by [[Malcolm Clarke (composer)|Malcolm Clarke]])
**''[[Time-Flight]]'' (music by [[Roger Limb]])
{{col-2}}
*1983
**''[[Arc of Infinity]]'' (music by [[Roger Limb]])
**''[[Snakedance]]'' (music by [[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]])
**''[[Terminus (Doctor Who)|Terminus]]'' (music by [[Roger Limb]])
**''[[Enlightenment (Doctor Who)|Enlightenment]]'' (music by [[Malcolm Clarke (composer)|Malcolm Clarke]])
**''[[The King's Demons]]'' (music by [[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]] & [[Jonathan Gibbs (composer)|Jonathan Gibbs]])
**"[[The Five Doctors]]" (music by [[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]])
*1984
**''[[Warriors of the Deep]]'' (music by [[Jonathan Gibbs (composer)|Jonathan Gibbs]])
**''[[The Awakening (Doctor Who)|The Awakening]]'' (music by [[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]])
**''[[Resurrection of the Daleks]]'' (music by [[Malcolm Clarke (composer)|Malcolm Clarke]])
**''[[Planet of Fire]]'' (music by [[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]])
**''[[The Caves of Androzani]]'' (music by [[Roger Limb]])
**''[[The Twin Dilemma]]'' (music by [[Malcolm Clarke (composer)|Malcolm Clarke]])
*1985
**''[[Attack of the Cybermen]]'' (music by [[Malcolm Clarke (composer)|Malcolm Clarke]])
**''[[Vengeance on Varos]]'' (music by [[Jonathan Gibbs (composer)|Jonathan Gibbs]])
**''[[The Mark of the Rani]]'' (music by [[Jonathan Gibbs (composer)|Jonathan Gibbs]])
**''[[The Two Doctors]]'' (music by [[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]])
**''[[Timelash]]'' (music by [[Elizabeth Parker (composer)|Elizabeth Parker]] (as "Liz Parker"))
**''[[Revelation of the Daleks]]'' (music by [[Roger Limb]])
*1986
**''[[Terror of the Vervoids]]'' (music by [[Malcolm Clarke (composer)|Malcolm Clarke]])
{{col-end}}

==Works about Radiophonic Workshop==
*Radio
**''The Sound Makers'' (1963) <ref>{{Cite AV media |title=BBC Radiophonic Workshop - The Sound Makers (1963) |via=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuI6b3LVCTBL0KKfjlAkXdzpo7zQtjj-W |access-date=2022-12-18 |publisher=David Huggins}}</ref>
**''The Electric Tunesmiths'' (1971)
***Repeated as part of ''Selected Radiophonic Works'' in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00g15x3 |title=BBC Radio 4 Extra – Selected Radiophonic Works |website=BBC |date=14 July 2012 |access-date=14 September 2012}}</ref>
**''The Space Between'' (4 October 1973)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mb21.co.uk/ether.net/radiophonics/space_between.shtml |title=mb21's page for ''The Space Between'' |website=Mb21.co.uk |date=4 October 1973 |access-date=14 September 2012}}</ref>
**''Wee Have Also Sound-Houses'' (1979)
***The title to this programme is a reference to [[Francis Bacon]]'s 1626 novel "[[New Atlantis]]".
**''Sound in Mind'' (1979)
**''The Entertainers'' (CBC 1982)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/cbc-the-entertainers-the-bbc-radiophonic-workshop-24-th-anniversary-1982 | title=CBC the Entertainers the BBC Radiophonic Workshop 24 Th Anniversary ( 1982) | year=1982 }}</ref>
**''Late Junction: 12 February 2008''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008xj4q |title=BBC Radio 3 – Late Junction, 12/02/2008  |website= BBC|date=12 February 2008 |access-date=14 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/latejunction/pip/ldxy2/ |title=Radio 3 – Late Junction – 50 years of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop |website=BBC |access-date=14 September 2012}}</ref>
**''Sunday Feature: Wee Have Also Sound-Houses'' (2008)<ref>{{cite news|author=Miranda Sawyer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2008/aug/10/radio |title=Radio review: Miranda Sawyer on the week's best listening &#124; Television & radio|newspaper=The Guardian |date= 10 August 2008|access-date=14 September 2012 |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Culture Reviews |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturereviews/3557893/On-radio-Alvin-Hall%27s-World-Of-Money.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130422065611/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturereviews/3557893/On-radio-Alvin-Hall%27s-World-Of-Money.html |archive-date=22 April 2013 |title=On radio: Alvin Hall's World of Money |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date= 5 August 2008|access-date=14 September 2012 |location=London}}</ref>
**''Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone: 26 October 2008''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00f5zv0|title=26/10/2008, Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone – BBC Radio 6 Music|website=BBC|access-date=30 July 2016}}</ref>
**''Selected Radiophonic Works'' (2008)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00g15x3|title=Selected Radiophonic Works – BBC Radio 4 Extra|website=BBC|access-date=30 July 2016}}</ref>
**''Jonny Trunk's OST Show – 2 Hours With Paddy Kingsland''
**''Jonny Trunk's OST Show – David Cain Interview''
*Television
**''The Same Trade as Mozart'' (1969)
**''The New Sound of Music'' (1979)
**''The Electric Music Machine, Five Days at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop'' (1988)
**''Alchemists of Sound'' (2003)<ref name="auto1"/>
**''What the Future Sounds Like'' (2009)
*Books
**''Special Sound: The Creation and Legacy of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop'' by Louis Niebur ([[Oxford University Press]], 2010)
**''An Electric Storm: Daphne, Delia and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop'' by Ned Netherwood ([[Obverse Books]], 2014)

==See also==
* [[Music from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop]]
* [[The Radiophonic Workshop (1975 album)|The Radiophonic Workshop]]
* [[BBC Radiophonic Workshop – 21]]
* [[BBC Radiophonic Workshop – A Retrospective]]
* [[List of Doctor Who music releases]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite magazine|title=40 years of BBC Radiophonics|magazine=[[Future Music]]|issue=42|date=April 1996 |issn=0967-0378|oclc=1032779031}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://whitefiles.org/rws BBC Radiophonic Workshop: An Engineering Perspective]
* [http://whitefiles.org/rwg Radiophonic Gallery]
* [http://whitefiles.org/rwi Ray White's Radiophonic Home Page]
* [https://www.peterhowell-media.co.uk/the-bbc-years/ Peter Howell's Radiophonic Home Page]

{{Radiophonic Workshop}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bbc Radiophonic Workshop}}
[[Category:BBC Radiophonic Workshop| ]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1958]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1998]]
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[[Category:1958 establishments in England]]
[[Category:1998 disestablishments in England]]
[[Category:Mute Records artists]]
[[Category:2012 establishments in England]]