Director: Peter Moffatt
What's the score?
Paddy Kingsland's other contribution to this season, after (or before?) Castrovalva. The DVD release of this story offers an amusing difference of opinion between composer and director. In interview with Mark Ayres, Kingsland says that Peter Moffatt was his favourite director because of the clear instructions and positive response he gave; meanwhile, on the commentary track (just as the end credits for Part Two are rolling), Moffatt announces his dislike of the "turgid" score for this story, on the grounds that its synthesized sound isn't a suitable match for the historical setting.
In an effort to match the historical setting that apparently didn't satisfy Peter Moffatt, Kingsland employs harpsichord, drum and recorder sounds. The harpsichord, together with the generally sombre tone, has the side effect of making parts of this score sound quite similar to his score for Logopolis.
Musical notes
- The cliffhanger to Part One (and its reprise in Part Two) could almost be a quote from Part Four of Logopolis - the cue that plays as the Doctor's companions find themselves cornered by the Terileptil android sounds remarkably like the cue that played as the Doctor began to fall off the Pharos telescope.
- And it's not just Logopolis breaking through in this score. The bubbling sound from Full Circle makes several repeat appearances here, generally in scenes that take place below the manor house - of the Terileptil experimenting in the control room, for example, or of any activity in the cell. The significance of this sound to these scenes is a mystery to your humble blogger.
- A prominent feature of this score is Kingsland's use of the drum in dramatic/confrontational scenes, typically in 4-beat or 5-beat phrases. Notable examples of the Fight Scene Knock can be heard during the showdown between the Squire's family and the Terileptils at the start of Part One, the woodland rumble between the TARDIS crew and the villagers in Part One, the confrontation between the villagers and the Doctor and Richard Mace in Part Three, and the big fight against the Terileptils in Part Four.
- There's another prominent theme in this score, a kind of earnest pavane, but it's not obvious whether it's supposed to stand for a particular character or group of characters. It seems to adhere to Richard Mace, but it's significantly absent from his introductory scene. It plays in several scenes that feature the mind-controlled villagers, but not consistently. It may simply be a mood piece, included for historical flavour.
- With the period setting in mind, Kingsland holds the electric guitar firmly in check, but it finally kicks in during the ruckus towards the end of Part Four.
- This week's "oo-wee-oo" moment is reserved for the very end of the final episode, as the TARDIS fades away to reveal the "Pudding Lane" street sign and the fact that the Doctor's just started the Great Fire of London. It seems to carry the force of a comic fanfare - d'oh, you've done it again, Doctor! Part Four of Earthshock will feature a similar musical moment.
Vox pop
Peter Moffatt may have overstated it somewhat, but I think it'd be fair to say that this is below average fare from Paddy Kingsland. The repeated knocking sounds are interesting, the underground bubbling sounds bewildering, the period theme pleasant if a little wearing, but mostly this score seems to meander along until Kingsland picks up the pace (and his electric guitar!) in the final minutes of Part Four. It's a comfortable fit for the story, but in isolation it's not a knockout.
Availability
- The BBC DVD release includes the full isolated score as an audio option.
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