Doctor Who wins theme tune accolade

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British science fiction drama Doctor Who has come top in a poll looking at the best sci-fi TV theme tunes of all time.

The poll, which was conducted by leading sci-fi website Totalscifionline.com, put Doctor Who ahead of theme tune rivals Red Dwarf and The X Files.

Matt McAllister, editor of Totalscifionline.com said: “The poll result proves that in addition to being one of the most popular science fiction shows ever created, Doctor Who also boasts the most iconic sci-fi theme tune. Grainer and Derbyshire's theme manages to convey the outlandish quality of the show and is instantly recognisable to fans throughout the world just by its opening bars."

The original Doctor Who theme was composed by Australian-born composer, Ron Grainer in 1963 and arranged by Delia Derbyshire. Derbyshire produced the iconic theme tune by combining a tape loop of a struck piano string with the sound of test oscillators and filters. The theme tune has been reworked a number of times over the years, with the current version arranged by Murray Gold.

Doctor Who first aired on the BBC in 1963 and ran for 26 years starring a succession of different actors in the title role. It was picked up again by the channel in 2005 when first Christopher Eccleston and then David Tennant took on the role of the mysterious Doctor.

The Theme Tune Top Ten:

1) Doctor Who

2) Red Dwarf

3) The X-Files

4) Buffy the Vampire Slayer

5) Star Trek

6) Thunderbirds

7) The Twilight Zone

8) Battlestar Galactica

9) Quantum Leap

10) The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy