Doctor Who legend reveals his exit from show in 2017 wasn't his choice

Doctor Who composer Murray Gold has revealed that his exit from the show in 2017 wasn't his decision.

Gold originally joined the BBC sci-fi series alongside showrunner Russell T Davies when the show was revived in 2005.

He went on to serve as composer on Doctor Who between 2005 and 2017, before announcing his departure in 2018 ahead of season 11, which saw Chris Chibnall replace Steven Moffat as showrunner.

Segun Akinola replaced Gold from 2018 to 2022, producing scores for the Thirteenth Doctor, before Gold returned for Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary specials in 2023 – which also marked the return of Davies – and the 14th and 15th seasons.

Asked on Who Knew?: A Doctor Who Podcast what was behind his decision to leave and come back, Gold told host Josh Carr: "Well I wasn’t given a choice in 2017. And I’ll only say that. I don’t blame Chris and I completely understand."

He went on to say that it ended up working out quite well and "felt like a good time to go and focus on family".

He continued: "That was quite a fertile time. I ended up doing A Very English Scandal, Gentleman Jack and Years and Years, [which are] I want to say, classic shows of their time, and I would never have wanted to have missed out on either of those. And even It's a Sin, you know."

Asked whether he's interested in continuing to serve as composer for the sci-fi series, Gold said: "I never say no to Doctor Who."

The release of Gold’s Doctor Who season 10 soundtrack was finally confirmed a few weeks ago.

While nine of the 10 seasons Gold worked on between 2005 and 2017 have received a soundtrack release, the scores for season 10 had yet to get an official release, leaving fans’ collections incomplete.

But that all changed last month, as a video on the official Doctor Who social media accounts confirmed: "It's happening."

A release date has not yet been announced, so fans will have to wait for more news on that front.

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