A new Doctor Who title sequence for a new era! ‘The Star Beast’ saw a revamped intro for the 60th anniversary specials, packed with references to previous series. How many did you spot?
1) The time vortex
The time vortex has been a staple of the Doctor Who title sequence for many years. Perhaps the most famous example is the one which spanned the original Russell T Davies era from 2005 to 2010, which saw the TARDIS tumble down a time tunnel. In this iteration, the general rule was that if the vortex glowed blue, they were travelling into the past. If it was red, they were travelling into the future.
And whilst the version in the latest Doctor Who title sequence seems to have dispensed with these rules, it channels a lot of the same energy, and is reminiscent of the time vortex seen during the Jodie Whittaker era (even though that particular one was never seen in the title sequence.)
But of course, it’s worth remembering that the 2005 Doctor Who title sequence was inspired by the vortex that appeared in the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie, which in turn was inspired by the slit-scan tunnel of the Tom Baker era, which in turn was inspired by the slit-scan tunnel of the Pertwee era. Phew. In short, vortexes and tunnels have been a mainstay of the Doctor Who title sequence since the mid 70s.
Interestingly, the Jodie Whittaker title sequence was the first one since 1974 to (more or less) abandon the ‘travelling’ feeling altogether, save for the sudden rush through space at the titles’ conclusion.
2) Thunder clouds
Matt Smith’s Doctor Who title sequence introduced a peculiar new phenomenon to the time vortex – thunder and lightning! And whilst it’s not entirely clear why the time vortex was rocking up a storm (or indeed if this cloudy tunnel was the time vortex at all) it was certainly striking.
Now, the 2023 Doctor Who title sequence might not contain the flurry of lightning bolts which besieged the Eleventh Doctor’s TARDIS, but there are the subtlest of hints, with bursts of light pulsing beneath the clouds. Indeed, the 60th anniversary sequence has a lot in common with the Matt Smith era, with the far-off shots of the distant TARDIS throwing us back to the 50th anniversary titles which debuted in ‘The Snowmen.’ In that particular version, we saw the iconic phone box whizzing through a dazzling array of shapes and colours, similar in many ways to what was depicted in ‘The Star Beast.’
3) The diamond logo
‘The Star Beast’ Doctor Who title sequence also saw the debut of the ‘new’ Doctor Who logo for the 60th anniversary (unless you count the brief appearance in ‘Destination: Skaro.’) But of course, as many of you will know, this is not the first time this logo has made an appearance in the Whoniverse. The same design was used for the Third Doctor’s title sequence in 1974, and was then retained for the majority of the Fourth Doctor’s era. The on-screen version even used the same colour scheme as the 2023 version, despite the fact that the print version was tinted in reds, yellows and blues.
So the image of the classic diamond logo travelling through the time vortex is one that is burned into many a Doctor Who fan’s mind, and it’s exciting to see it reinstated for the show’s 60th anniversary. Presumably, this reworked logo will be retained for the Ncuti Gatwa era, too.
Interestingly, this particular logo only came about out of necessity. When Bernard Lodge designed the 1974 Doctor Who title sequence, he constructed a diamond-shaped time tunnel and needed a logo that would fit into it. The logo was (quite literally) designed so that it would fit into the ‘vortex.’ And for many people, this is the definitive version of the logo, having spanned a good number of the Target novelisations and VHS releases.
4) The music
The iconic, electronic sound effects permeated the Doctor Who title sequence throughout the 60s and 70s, and again when the series was relaunched in 2005. Originally realised by Delia Derbyshire of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, these eerie tones were most prominent in Jodie Whittaker’s title sequence, and this particular version of the theme was as close to the 60s original as we’ve ever gotten.
And they’re still present in the 2023 version, although this particular arrangement is closer to the orchestral version which played about between 2007 and 2010. It’s a fast, bombastic, adrenaline-filled rendition which builds excitement for the stories to come, unlike the wonderful (but admittedly terrifying) arrangement which accompanied the Thirteenth Doctor.
But the 2023 Doctor Who theme also includes a subtle nod to the 1996 TV movie, with this arrangement featuring similar piano chords to the ones which appeared in the Eighth Doctor‘s first adventure. Whether this was a conscious decision on composer Murray Gold‘s part or not is unclear, but it’s still nice to hear. Indeed, the ‘tumbling piano’ section which features in the end credits sounds like it was lifted straight out of the TV movie, in the best possible way.
For more on the Doctor Who theme, check out our handy guide to all the renditions.
5) The 3D lettering
Finally, how could we do a post on the new Doctor Who title sequence without mentioning David Tennant and Catherine Tate’s names emerging from the time vortex and flying past the camera? This was a convention which made its debut in the 1996 TV movie, and has stayed with us ever since.
For the most part, anyway. The lettering in Series 7B and Series 8 – 13 wasn’t exactly 3D, but it did fly towards the camera. Mostly.
Anyway, the big question is – how long will we have to wait until the Doctor’s face is reintroduced into the Doctor Who title sequence? The debate starts here.
In the meantime, what do you love most about the new Doctor Who title sequence? And did you spot any references that we missed? Let us know in the comments below.
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