The Radiophonic Workshop // 10.02.15

• The Radiophonic Workshop created the sound of the future, an almost mythical BBC studio from which emmenated strange electronic sounds. Last year I found myself in the midst of Peter Howell, Roger Limb, Dick Mills, Paddy Kingsland, Mark Ayres and Kieron Pepper as Real World Studios became The Radiophonic Workshop to crete a new recording for Bowers & Wilkins


• 

• The Radiophonic Workshop will be forever associated with Doctor Who, but for me it’s The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy that comes to mind. I felt some empathy as I read Paddy Kingsland’s tale of the unexpected consequence of a creative decision on The Hitchhiker Guide…

  My biggest mistake when I did the TV series, was to add squiggledy ‘computer’ noise to the book sequences as the letters drew across the screen. It looked great, though! I did it for the first episode and the director loved it. ‘Great effect,’ he said. ‘We must have it for all the other episodes,’ So I was stuck with the laborious task of cutting the sound to picture, using 16mm magnetic track, for the entire series! It took ages, doing it all by hand using an old–fashioned film splicer. Paddy Kingsland

  
  

• Related stories

  • The Power of Distortion - 31.07.14
  • Thomas Dolby - 12.09.11