IT'S a show that has captivated and terrified youngsters for over 50 years, with some claiming it's too scary for young children.

 

However, Doctor Who composer Murray Gold believes you're never too young to start watching Doctor Who.

Gold was introduced to the Timelord at the age of four and remembers watching a story called The Green Death in which Jon Pertwee's Doctor tackled a hoard of mutating maggots.

He said: "I always remember that when parents tell me my five-year-old or my six-year-old's isn't quite ready for Doctor Who yet and I say, yes they are, I remember watching it at that age."

Gold, who grew up watching Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, has been writing music for the hit BBC show since it returned to screens in 2005.

As a fan of the show, he jumped at the chance to get involved.

He said: "I got an email one day in October 2004 that said "Dear Murray, should've asked you a long time ago but do you want to do the music for Doctor Who? I understand if you're busy." I wrote back immediately and just said I'd love to and that was it.

"I watched the show semi-religiously from about 1974 to 1980 and stopped around the time that Peter Davison took over, which I never tire of telling him. He just wasn't Tom Baker, he was the guy from All Creatures Great and Small, not Doctor Who."

During his ten years with the show Gold has written music for some of its biggest moments, including the 50th anniversary episode last year, which saw the return of David Tennant and the introduction of John Hurt as the War Doctor.

His soundtracks are now being brought together for a stage show called the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular, with fans and YouTube playing a big role in deciding the final set list.

Gold said: "It's such an interesting time because social media means that feedback on the music for each episode starts almost as soon as it goes out. Fans tend to put the music on YouTube and start marking it so I can actually find out how popular everything is.

"When we put the programme for the concert together I was actually really busy writing something so I said to my assistant can you just go through YouTube and find the tracks that all of the audience want to hear more of, it was an extremely democratic process."

The stage show combines Gold's music, played by an orchestra live, with some of the show's favourite and most feared monsters.

Gold said: "I think it'll blow people's minds because wherever we've played it people have reacted explosively.

"It's a spectacular, it's like a massive rock gig with all of that big emotion and massive screens showing highlights and clips from Doctor Who with the music alongside it."

The show, which began in 1963, has become one of the BBC's biggest exports, with an army of fans worldwide.

Gold said: "I think it's loved because it's really optimistic. It's one of the most optimistic kind of creations because it's a character who wants to use charm, humour and wit to defeat the bad guys who choose violence. It's got a pretty decent view of the world and I think in this day and age people respond really well to that kind of idea."

However, its iconic pepper pot villains, the Daleks, are as important to the show's success as the Doctor and his police box shaped Tardis.

Gold said: "I love the Daleks. For whatever reason they've just got this thing that captures people's imaginations.

"Whenever there's an episode with the Daleks everybody goes mad, everyone on the crew goes mad. I don't know why, they're knobbly little machines with toilet plungers on their noses."

The show also has a strong Scottish connection, with former Doctors Sylvester McCoy and David Tennant, current incarnation Peter Capaldi and show-runner Steven Moffat all hailing from Scotland.

Gold said: "I think Peter's brilliant, you just never know what way he's going to go. He's a real sparky character."

However, he's remaining tight lipped on what the new series will hold for Capaldi's Doctor.

He said: "I think it's going to be enormous fun with the Doctor running away with a companion down corridors being pursued in the dark. I've no idea what will happen, he said lying. It will be brilliant."

The Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular will visit the Hydro on Friday, May 29.