Doctor Who At The Proms 2013 Review

A musical celebration of spectacular proportions, or an injustice to the 50th Anniversary? Our verdict on the 2013 Proms.
Throughout Doctor Who's long and illustrious history, it's become clear that we viewers can all too easily get complacent, overlooking the supposedly minor elements of the show in favour of the eye candy presented on the screen itself. In no respect is this regularly more apparent than with Murray Gold's stellar soundtrack, a key factor of the new series' success since 2005 that really should be given more attention at times than it regularly receives.

At least we have the BBC Proms, though, a now-regular instalment of Doctor Who's annual programming that pays tribute to one of the most influential teams behind the camera. This year's edition of the Who-dedicated concert is doubly significant, housing not only some of the most iconic tunes from Series Seven, but in addition a selection of classic tracks from the 1963-1989 era in honour of the 50th Anniversary. Compiling such melodies under one conceptual roof must have been an unenviable challenge for BBC Worldwide, and inevitably there's going to be potential disappointment to be had for a variety of the show's followers.

In the case of this particular review, what doesn't work quite so efficiently in the Doctor Who At The Proms 2013 BBC One programme is the general structure of proceedings. Initially, it must have seemed an inspired idea by the episode's editors to intersperse behind-the-scenes footage of rehearsals and costume dressings between the various performances, yet as the broadcast progressed, that these minor interlude segments were taking the place of omitted musical sequences was notable and irritating given their complete inclusion on the original BBC Radio 2 broadcast. That's not to say that Song For 50, for example, won't appear on the inevitable Christmas Red Button service edition of the programme, yet when that particular inclusion was teased on a recent Proms video preview programme, its omission here seems completely hypocritical on the part of the programme's marketing team.

However, every cloud has a silver- in this case a Cyber-clad silver- lining, a cliché which remains completely apt here thanks to Gold's brilliantly rendered compilation of his Series One-Seven work. The highlights here for this reviewer were All The Strange Strange Creatures, I Am The Doctor, The Long Song (arguably The Rings of Akhaten's redeeming grace for many fans) and The Name of the Doctor. It's perhaps a little telling that half of these landmark pieces were taken from seasons prior to the current one, although one could assert of this that it only serves to demonstrate the composer's incredible ability to create iconic, effortlessly catchy tracks which few viewers could ever willfully forget.

Having classic series stars like Peter Davison (the Fifth Doctor) and Carole Ann Ford (Susan) along for the ride certainly added to the sense of passion exuded by the production team for the 50th Anniversary in the programme. Both of these beloved past legends of the show are obviously still keen to maintain their connection with the Doctor's modern adventures, so we can hope and speculate that the pair still have a future with Doctor Who, even if it is confined more to their Big Finish works than the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors' ongoing travels in time and space. There's nothing wrong with the latter restriction, although wouldn't it be superb to have the man David Tennant called "my Doctor" and the Time Lord's own granddaughter back on board the TARDIS one day?

That aside, once the credits roll, Doctor Who At The Proms 2013 can't help but leave an ever-so-slightly bittersweet impression. Whether that's partly as a result of our tense wait until the 50th Anniversary Special this November is up to debate, yet the omission of key tracks from the initial Radio 2 broadcast certainly hasn't allowed the programme to fare as well with fans as it arguably should have. Once again, Murray Gold's music (plus the great BBC Radiophonic Workshop skit) remains a shining highlight of proceedings, and Matt Smith, Jenna Coleman, Neve McIntosh and Dan Starkey are fine hosts, but even if BBC One do bring us the concert in full this Christmas, this reviewer can't help but feel that'll be 'too little, too late'.
3.5/5