In 1979, John Nathan-Turner took over the producer’s seat of Doctor Who and set about making sweeping changes to the show’s visual look, storytelling style, and even the signature sound effects and music. Dudley Simpson had been composing almost all of the music for every episode since 1970, but Nathan-Turner was concerned that, as Simpson was also doing the music for the BBC’s other SF series, Blake’s 7, the two shows now sounded too similar. The producer approached the BBC’s own Radiophonic Workshop, which had provided the series’ sound effects and main theme since 1963, to provided incidental music as well – and the change in sound was drastic. Dudley Simpson’s simple but elegant acoustic ensemble gave way to the Radiophonic Workshop’s expansive, all-electronic synth-orchestra, and nowhere was this contrast as evident as with the first story of Nathan-Turner’s reign, The Leisure Hive. Peter Howell, who also arranged the new version of the show’s famous theme music, let loose with a barrage of music that fits the definition of a “wall of sound,” with thick, Vangelis-style texture drenching much of the action. In his small portion of the liner notes, Howell confesses that The Leisure Hive’s music was, perhaps, “too omnipresent” – and he does have a point, as Leisure Hive may have been the most music-heavy Doctor Who until The Curse Of Fenric or, perhaps, The Five Doctors. But it’s a ton of good, solid analog-synth fun, and in the context of what had come before it was certainly a great shock.
Also included, with a dedication to the late Delia Derbyshire, is a newly-reconstructed stereo mix of the original theme music assembled by Mark Ayres from tapes of the original elements Derbyshire used to build 
the theme in 1963. Maybe I was expecting a little more wild, surround-sound-style stereo separation of those elements, but most of the stereo enhancement seems to be focused on the persistent “whooshing” sounds and not the music itself. There’s also a selection of sound effects from Leisure Hive, Meglos and Full Circle; music from the latter two stories is presented on Volume 4 of the Radiophonic Workshop collection.
- Doctor Who: Opening Theme (0:38)
- Brighton Beach / K9 Kaput (2:54)
- Into Argolis (2:36)
- The Generator / Intruders (3:20)
- “His Time Has Come” / Earth Shuttle Arrives (1:55)
- Tachyon Terror (0:56)
- Into The Generator (4:16)
- The Hive / Mena Fades (3:04)
- Looking For Mr. Brock (3:57)
- Testing Time (5:09)
- The Limitation Program (1:56)
- The West Lodge (2:03)
- The Child Of The Generator (1:39)
- The Foamasi (4:59)
- The Argolin Dawn (3:05)
- “We, Pangol” (3:55)
- Re-Creation (4:11)
- Rebirth (3:19)
- Back To Work (0:46)
- FX: Argolis Exterior Planet Atmosphere (2:05)
- FX: Earth Shuttle Arriving (1:04)
- FX: Generator Hall (1:30)
- FX: Boardroom (1:38)
- FX: Hologram (0:32)
- FX: Corridor Background (0:57)
- FX: Generator And Screen (0:31)
- FX: Tachyon Drive Engaged (0:30)
- FX: The Screens Of Zolpha-Thura (1:01)
- FX: Laboratory Ascends (1:11)
- FX: Dodecahedron Energy Beams (0:31)
- FX: Mistfall Mist (0:51)
- FX: Operating Room (1:02)
- FX: Starliner Instrument Panel (1:02)
- Doctor Who Theme: Original Version, 2002 Stereo Remix (2:21)
Released by: BBC Music
Release date: 2002
Total running time: 73:11
