For the first time, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s sounds are available to musicians and producers. The Workshop paved the way for subsequent electronic music sounds. It created iconic scores and themes for Doctor Who, The Goon Show, Blake’s 7, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Living Planet. This preserves the legacy of an institution that shaped electronic music and sound design.
Last Friday, industry professionals, music fans and press gathered for the launch event. It marked the release of a new sample library, created with Spitfire Audio and BBC Studios. The collection comes from the Workshop’s archive. Now, artists can access the pioneering electronic sounds that defined BBC programming.
Paul Thomson, founder of Spitfire Audio and collaborators with the BBC for this project explained more about the workshop and its history: “The Radiophonic workshop started in 1958 when electronic music was just beginning, other studios in Europe who produced electronic sounds were focused with art music. The difference with what grew at the BBC is that it was designed for storytelling for producers and directors.
Initially there was no synths or fancy gear. They hit things like bells on tape and then manipulated the tape. It was a very time intensive process. Over the years as synthesisers got designed and built they became part of the language of the Radiophonic Workshop. It was a time of intense creativity.”
Thomson told us about the new product: “We have created a virtual instrument. This when you make a whole load of recordings then you make a piece of software from a keyboard and it plays back certain recordings which are individual notes. It is a weird area of music technology. The whole point is to manipulate sound.”
The library features sounds from the original tapes, as well as new recordings and experiments by Workshop members and associates, including Mark Ayres, Kieron Pepper, Bob Earland, Dick Mills, Paddy Kingsland, Roger Limb, Glynis Jones and Peter Howell.
Paddy Kingsland told us why the electronic sound produced by the Workshop became successful.
“What interested people most is that they were sounds no one had heard before”, Kingsland said. “They were very electric sounding and it was all very unusual and I think the interest has carried on to this day”.
The Sound of the Impossible
The BBC Radiophonic Workshop became a hub of electronic sound innovation since it was established over 70 years ago The Workshop turned everyday objects into instruments. Lampshades became gongs, pianos were scraped for eerie effects and tape loops were altered with milk bottles.
This experimental approach led to unforgettable sounds. The TARDIS engine and the Daleks’ voice remain instantly recognisable. Beyond television and radio, the Workshop’s techniques influenced electronic music. Artists like Brian Eno, Orbital, and Hans Zimmer cite its impact.
Paul Hartnoll, one half electronic music pioneers Orbital, told us the influence the Radiophonic Workshop had on his music: “They were the sound of school programmes, kids TV and some adult programmes and things like Doctor Who. When I was growing up in the 70s you would hear it everywhere and you wouldn’t even know it was them. I was like ‘wow’ how are they doing this.
“As time has gone on we have grown up and got used it. Electronic sounds now are put of our musical landscape and vocabulary. It used to freak me out as a kid though! It was was part of my upbringing. I bought a Radiophonic album in the 90s and realised I don’t know much about them – I just grew up listening to them.”
A Legacy for the Future
Now, Spitfire Audio and BBC Studios are bringing these sounds to a new generation. Their sample release lets today’s musicians use early electronic experiments in their own work which Friday’s event showcased in a live performance from the original Workshop members. This ensures the Radiophonic Workshop’s legacy continues.
The event celebrated the Workshop’s impact on sound design and music. Opening this archive preserves a crucial part of music history. It also gives modern artists access to tools once at the forefront of experimental audio.
Composer, sound designer and Radiophonic Workshop archivist Mark Ayres said: “As a kid born in the 1960s, I realised there was a department at the BBC that was purely for making bonkers noises. It blew my mind!”
I’m the youngest member of the core Radiophonic Workshop – and I’m 64! We’re not going to be around forever. It was really important to leave a creative tool, inspired by our work, for other people to use going forward. I hope we’ve made an instrument that will inspire future generations.”
