I no longer cower behind the sofa at the opening bars of the Dr Who theme tune, but it still summons up something of the frisson I remember from Saturday nights in my childhood. Interestingly, I just learned that the melody was composed by an Australian, Ron Grainer, for the first series back in 1963.
So it was a thrill to join some 2,000 “Whovians” at the BBC’s launch of the new Dr Who series in Sydney’s beautiful art deco State Theatre yesterday. We saw a screening of the first episode then, to screams of delight from the audience, brand new Dr Who Peter Capaldi and his assistant Jenna Coleman came onto the stage to chat. Capaldi talked about the pleasure and challenge of becoming the 12th actor to play the much loved role.
The Dr Who series is one of many BBC programmes that have become hugely popular around the world, though few can match it for longevity. BBC Worldwide is a significant export earner and Australia is one of its most important markets. Just this month the BBC have launched a new cable channel here called BBC First, presenting some of the best of their most recent offerings, including Peaky Blinders and The Musketeers.