Delia Derbyshire, who was best known for her work as a composer with the BBC Radiophonic workshop and in particular for the theme tune for Dr Who on which she worked with Ron Grainer, died on July 3, aged 64. For more than 20 years she was the foremost creator of and authority on electronic music and her distinctive sound could he heard in everything from science fiction programmes to documentaries and later with commercial records.
Born on May 5, 1937, in Coventry, she trained as a pianist and later studied Mathematics and Music at Cambridge University. She joined the BBC in 1960 as a studio manager and became part of the radiophonic workshop team in 1962. The Dr Who theme tune was famously created in a roller-skating rink in Maida Vale. London. using oscillator swoops and tape splices.
In 1966 Derbyshire worked with the Beatles on The Carnival of Light Show at the Roundhouse Theatre, and she also produced an album with Anthony Newley. Although she left the medium for some years to run a bookshop, she had recently begun composing electronic music again.
She is survived by her partner, Clive Blackburn.
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