Doctor Who: We need to talk about the new title sequence

The Doctor finally finds her TARDIS in The Ghost Monument. But how? Read our recap to find out.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC. Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

After waiting an extra week, we finally saw Doctor Who’s brand new intro on Sunday at the start of The Ghost Monument. Was it worth the wait?

There were a few key things that a lot of us were looking forward to with The Ghost Monument. There was the return of the TARDIS, for one thing. The first alien world of the new series of Doctor Who for another.

But something that really leapt out, perhaps because we simply didn’t see it at all last week, was the new intro. The Doctor Who intro is a big part of the show. Even today, while many TV series are content to just show the title and nothing more, Doctor Who is a show that simply wouldn’t feel right if it didn’t have a full-length title sequence.

So of course, Chris Chibnall decided to delay the reveal of it, at least by a week. I guess I can see why he did it – leave the fans eager for one more thing once the hype for Jodie’s first episode calmed down. Still, the episode not having the iconic theme music towards the start made it feel just that little bit emptier.

So expectations were high when it was finally shown on screen. Was the new sequence worth the extended wait?

Theme tune

Let’s get the most important part of the intro out of the way – the theme tune. I’ve gone into great detail about why the theme tune is so important to the show before.

There have been many variations of the theme made over the years. Murray Gold made no less than five key variations of the theme during his long run on the show. His strongest version was probably his first. It was very simple – just the original Delia Derbyshire version with an orchestra added – but it worked.

However, the longer his run on the show went on, the more he moved away from Derbyshire’s version. It’s not surprising, really. He had to revive the theme every couple of years or so to help make the show seem fresh.

But his theme for Capaldi’s era was definitely his weakest. The core part of the theme was noticeably too high-pitched, and it sounded like it had moved too far away from the original.

But Segun Akinola’s new arrangement is, thankfully, a huge breath of fresh air. It’s closer to the original than the series has been in years, which is a noticeable improvement.

He still provides his own take on it, and he’s keen to make it sound spookier than it has been in a long time. But everything’s the right pitch, and he knows to keep it as close to Derbyshire’s version as possible while only adding a touch of variation to stand out. Sometimes, that’s all you need, especially with a theme tune as iconic as Doctor Who‘s.

We did get to hear this last week, during the ending credits. But it’s nice to hear it towards the start. One key thing that’s noticeable about it? It’s shorter. Not too short, in fact, it’s about as short as the theme was for most of the Classic Series from the Third Doctor’s era onwards. But it’s still surprising, especially how long it’s been for over a decade.

The Ghost Monument gave us our first glimpse of the new Doctor Who intro. Was it worth the wait?

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC. Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Visuals

Another key part of the title sequence is, of course, the visuals. Since the very start of the show in 1963, Doctor Who has always been incredibly imaginative when it comes to creating visuals that match the theme tune.

This is true in the case of the new visuals. Created by visual effects artist John Smith, the new intro, with a time vortex that looks far more organic than what we’ve seen before, is certainly an interesting new take.

However, if there’s one complaint I have about it, it’s the lack of a TARDIS, or even a face. Now, I’m aware that most intros in the original series didn’t have a TARDIS. But whether it’s because that was balanced out by including the Doctor’s face in the intro, or whether it’s because it’s something that we’ve become used to, the lack of the Doctor’s TARDIS stands out, and not in a good way.

It’s a small complaint, especially as the intro is visually interesting, otherwise. But without it, it doesn’t quite feel Doctor Who-ey enough like the theme tune currently does.

You’ve read our site expert’s thoughts, now the other writers give their own take on last week’s opening episode.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC. Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

A fitting intro?

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Combined together, it’s not a bad intro. I still wish it could’ve been longer, like other intros have been over the past decade. But I like that we still get to hear the theme tune, at least, and not completely skip it as far too many series are keen to do these days.

It’s also impressive that a very talented fan was brought in to create it. John Smith has made a number of great, high-quality effects videos over the past decade, and his work on YouTube is well worth checking out. It’s good to see the BBC recognizing talent when they see it and using it for the main series.

Interestingly, it’s not the first time a fan has been a key part of creating the title sequence. For the Twelfth Doctor’s intro, Steven Moffat was heavily inspired by a fan-made video created by Billy Hanshaw. It’s nice to see the fans leave their mark on the show like this.

What did you think of the new Doctor Who intro? Were you impressed by it? Did you enjoy the new theme tune? Let us know in the comments below.