23 Facts About Murray Gold

Murray Jonathan Gold was born on 28 February 1969 and is an English composer for stage, film, and television and a dramatist for both theatre and radio.

Murray Gold went to Corpus Christi College and studied History.

Murray Gold has been nominated for a BAFTA five times in the category Best Original Television Music, for Vanity Fair, Queer as Folk, Casanova and twice for Doctor Who.

Murray Gold has been nominated four times by the Royal Television Society in categories relating to music for television.

Murray Gold composed the musical score for the drama series Last Tango in Halifax which ran from 2012 to 2020.

In 2019, Murray Gold reunited with Russell T Davies for his series Years and Years, a drama based around a family and how the political, cultural and technological changes around the world affected them.

Murray Gold composed the music for the BBC and HBO series Gentleman Jack.

In 2021, Murray Gold reunited again with Russell T Davies for his series It's A Sin, a drama focused on the 1980s AIDS Crisis.

Murray Gold scored the music for Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders, mystery series adapted by Anthony Horowitz from his own eponymously named novels.

From 2005 to 2017 and since 2023, Murray Gold served as musical director of science fiction drama Doctor Who for the BBC under executive producers Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat.

Murray Gold has been seen very briefly in the show itself, making a cameo appearance in the 2007 Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned".

Murray Gold appeared again as a pianist in the series 14 episode "The Devil's Chord".

Murray Gold has created many themes to be associated with various elements of the show, creating two themes for the Doctor, Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Gallifrey, the Master, Astrid Peth, the Cybermen, and the Daleks.

Murray Gold re-arranged the Doctor Who opening theme in 2010 for Series 5.

Murray Gold continued to use the theme for the Cybermen, as well as several action cues such as "Corridors and Fire Escapes" and "All the Strange, Strange Creatures".

Murray Gold wrote the theme tunes for Doctor Who spin-offs The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood, and composed music for the latter series alongside Ben Foster.

Murray Gold arranged the theme tunes to Totally Doctor Who and Doctor Who Confidential, both of which are variations on the Doctor Who theme.

Music written for Doctor Who by Murray Gold has been performed in live concerts.

Murray Gold announced in February 2018 that he would step down as the programme's composer, having served as the musical director since 2005, and that he would not be composing the music for the eleventh series, which would be instead composed by Segun Akinola.

Murray Gold composed The Goblin Song for the 2023 Doctor Who Christmas special A Church on Ruby Road, which reached Number 1 on the UK iTunes Top Songs chart upon release on 11 December 2023.

In 2024, Murray Gold appeared in a cameo role in Doctor Who episode The Devil's Chord.

Murray Gold has scored a number of British and American films, including the BAFTA-winning Kiss of Life directed by Emily Young, Death at a Funeral directed by Frank Oz and Mischief Night, directed by Penny Woolcock.

Murray Gold wrote the radio play Kafka the Musical, broadcast on Easter Sunday 2011 on BBC Radio 3, starring David Tennant.