Well, we know the new series of Doctor Who will arrive later this year – likely at the end of August – and not only will it have a new TimeLord, it will be the first lady piloting the TARDIS in the form of Jodie Whittaker, it will have a whole new sound too.
For the first time since Christopher Eccleston brought the rogue Timelord back waaaaaay back in 2005 there will be a new composer replacing Murray Gold too.
New Doctor, new sound.
Off course, we fully expected a new take on the show’s iconic themetune as well as a new TARDIS but Gold has become a big part of the show’s character over the last 13 years.
But now he will be replaced by composer Segun Akinola ((below) continues after picture):
The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire alumni will provide an exciting and emotional score beckoning in a new era for the show, including a fresh take on the legendary theme tune.
As part of the BAFTA Breakthrough Brit program in 2017, Segun has already been recognised as one of the rising stars among British composers.
Segun’s modern, rich and varied work on programmes such as Black and British: A Forgotten History attracted the attention of Showrunner, Chris Chibnall, who said: “Welcome to the Doctor Who family, Segun Akinola! We’re over the moon Segun’s agreed to join us, to provide the score for the next phase of the Doctor Who adventure. From our very first conversations, it was obvious Segun was a passionate, collaborative and delightful human being as well as a fantastic and bold composer. We’re looking forward to introducing the world to his exciting and emotional soundtracks for the Thirteenth Doctor.”
Segun Akinola, said: “Doctor Who is woven into the fabric of British culture and recognised globally. I am absolutely thrilled to be given the privilege of working on such a beloved series and to bring my musical voice to it.”
Segun Akinola Biog
Segun Akinola is a multi-talented composer who has strengthened many projects with his musical acumen. A BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, Segun’s work will be heard in the upcoming series of Doctor Who, which features the first female Doctor, portrayed by Jodie Whittaker.
Segun’s other work includes scoring BBC Two’s landmark four-part series Black and British: A Forgotten History, written and presented by Historian David Olusoga. He also scored Shola Amoo’s debut feature film A Moving Image, which had its world premiere at the 2016 LA Film Festival, won the Special Recognition in Narrative Directing award at BlackStar Film Festival 2016 and had its European premiere at the 60th BFI London Film Festival in 2016. His score for Dear Mr Shakespeare received an Honourable Mention for the 2017 BSO Jerry Goldsmith Award for ‘Best Original Score for a Short Film’. Recently, he completed the scores for the major three-part series The Human Body: Secrets of Your Life Revealed and two-part series Expedition Volcano, both for BBC Two and PBS.
Other credits include writing original music for the BBC Panorama special The VIP Paedophile Ring: What’s the Truth?, BHS: How Did It Happen? and the 3D documentary 1 Way Up, produced by Academy Award-winning American producers Shine Global, which aired in the UK and USA. Segun has worked on a number of short films, including scoring Radix Film’s The Trip starring Sope Dirisu and Gillian Saker. His work has screened at acclaimed festivals like Sundance, the London Film Festival, LA Film Festival, BlackStar Film Festival and many others.
After initially learning the piano and drums at a young age, he later turned his attention to composition, graduating from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with first-class honours and the National Film and Television School with an MA in Composing for Film and Television. He currently resides in London.
Honestly, we have no real idea of Akinola’s work but he has big boots to fill as demonstrated by Gold’s wonderful ‘I Am The Doctor’ which we’ve embedded below for you listening pleasure.
In related news, it has been confirmed that the cast of the new series will be appearing at this year’s San Diego Comic Con!
Star Jodie Whittaker will be joined on a panel by two of her Doctor Who co-stars, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill, who play Ryan and Yasmin, as well as award-winning series showrunner Chris Chibnall and executive producer Matt Strevens.
No word yet on what day the panel will be, but we’re hoping we will get a release date and maybe trailer after the show… that’s not too much to ask, is it?
Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
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