Murray Gold facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Murray Gold
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Gold in his London studio in 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Murray Jonathan Gold |
| Born | 28 February 1969 Portsmouth, Hampshire, England |
| Occupation(s) | Composer |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels | Silva Screen |
Murray Jonathan Gold (born February 28, 1969) is a talented English composer. He writes music for plays, movies, and TV shows. He also writes stories for theatre and radio.
He is most famous for creating the music for the popular TV show Doctor Who. He worked on it from 2005 to 2017 and then returned in 2023. Murray Gold also composed music for other TV series like Queer as Folk, Last Tango in Halifax, and Gentleman Jack. He has been nominated for five BAFTA awards for his work.
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Early Life and Education
Murray Gold was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. He grew up in a Jewish family. At first, he wanted to study drama. He enjoyed writing and playing music as a hobby.
Later, he decided to focus on music. He became the musical director for the University of Cambridge's Footlights society. He studied History at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge.
Television Music
Murray Gold has been nominated for a BAFTA award five times. These nominations were for Best Original Television Music. He was recognized for his work on Vanity Fair (1999) and Queer as Folk (2000). He also received nominations for Casanova (2006) and Doctor Who (2009 and 2014).
His music for the film Kiss of Life won an award in France in 2003. He has also been nominated four times by the Royal Television Society for his TV music.
Collaborations and Other Works
Gold has often worked with Russell T Davies. Davies is a famous writer and producer for Doctor Who. They worked together on shows like Casanova and The Second Coming. Both shows starred David Tennant and Christopher Eccleston, who later played the Doctor.
Murray Gold also wrote the theme song for the Channel 4 series Shameless. He composed music for the historical drama The Devil's .... More recently, he scored another David Tennant series, Single Father. For this show, he used a more popular music style instead of a full orchestra.
He composed the music for the drama series Last Tango in Halifax. This show aired from 2012 to 2020. In 2014, Gold also scored the BBC series The Musketeers.
In 2019, Gold worked with Russell T Davies again on Years and Years. This drama showed how world changes affected a family. He also composed music for the BBC and HBO series Gentleman Jack.
In 2021, Gold reunited with Davies for It’s A Sin. This drama focused on the 1980s AIDS Crisis. The show won many awards.
Gold composed the music for Magpie Murders (2022) and Moonflower Murders (2024). These are mystery series based on novels by Anthony Horowitz.
Doctor Who Music
Murray Gold was the musical director for Doctor Who from 2005 to 2017. He returned to the show in 2023. He created new versions of the famous Doctor Who theme song. He also composed all the background music for the show.
Several albums of his Doctor Who music have been released. These include soundtracks for Series 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. There was also an album for the 2008–2010 specials.
Gold even made a small appearance in Doctor Who twice. He had a cameo in the 2007 Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned". He also appeared as a pianist in the 2024 episode "The Devil's Chord".
Theme Music and Characters
Gold's first version of the Doctor Who theme did not include the "middle eight" part. This is a section in the middle of a song. He added it back in for the 2005 Christmas episode.
He created many special musical themes for the show. These include themes for the Doctor himself, Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, and Donna Noble. He also wrote themes for places like Gallifrey and creatures like the Cybermen and Daleks.
For the 2010 series, Gold updated the Doctor Who opening theme again. He also created new themes for the Eleventh Doctor. He wrote music for Amy Pond, the Silurians, and new themes for the Daleks.
Orchestral Music
Early in his Doctor Who work, Gold used mostly computer-generated orchestral sounds. Later, his music became more acoustic. This means it was recorded with real instruments. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales often played his music. Singer Melanie Pappenheim and others also provided vocals.
One famous song is "Abigail's Song," sung by Katherine Jenkins. This was from the 2010 Christmas special "A Christmas Carol". The soundtrack for this special was released in March 2011.
Gold's orchestral music was a big change from the older Doctor Who music. The classic series (1963–1989) often used electronic sounds.
Spin-off Shows and Concerts
Murray Gold also wrote the theme songs for Doctor Who spin-off shows. These include The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood. He also composed music for Torchwood with Ben Foster. An album of their Torchwood music was released in 2008.
His music for Doctor Who has been performed live in concerts. These include "Doctor Who: A Celebration" in Cardiff in 2006. There have also been "Doctor Who Proms" at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2008, 2010, 2013, and 2024. In 2023, "Doctor Who @60: A Musical Celebration" was held in Cardiff.
In 2010, his Doctor Who soundtrack entered UK radio station Classic FM's Hall of Fame. It was the second-highest new entry that year.
In February 2018, Gold announced he would leave Doctor Who. He had been the musical director since 2005. Segun Akinola took over as composer for Series 11. However, in April 2023, it was announced that Gold would return to Doctor Who as composer.
Gold composed The Goblin Song for the 2023 Doctor Who Christmas special, "A Church on Ruby Road". This song reached Number 1 on the UK iTunes Top Songs chart. It also peaked at number 12 on the UK Official Singles Chart. Money from the song was given to the BBC's Children in Need charity.
Film, Stage, and Radio Work
Murray Gold has composed music for many British and American films. These include the BAFTA-winning Kiss of Life. He also scored Death at a Funeral and Mischief Night. Other film projects include Alien Autopsy (2006) and Veronika Decides to Die (2009).
In 2001, his radio play Electricity won the Imison Award. This award is for the best new play. It was first broadcast on Radio 3 in 2000. Later, it was performed on stage in 2004 with Christopher Eccleston in the main role.
Gold also wrote the radio play Kafka the Musical. It was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 2011. David Tennant starred in it. This play won the 2013 Tinniswood Award for Best Original Radio Drama.
See also
In Spanish: Murray Gold para niños
