Courtesy of a report from Cultbox, Doctor Who’s current composer Segun Akinola has confirmed the upcoming Centenary Special will be his last episode to score. The 29-year-old composer took over the reins from Murray Gold who exited the series in 2017.
In an interview with Doctor Who Magazine, Akinola confirmed that he would depart following Jodie Whittaker’s final story. “I always said I would be there for as long as [showrunner] Chris [Chibnall] and Jodie [Whittaker] were there, and when they moved on, it would be time for me to go as well.” Akinola said.
“Three Series, One Doctor, Four companions. The last few years on #doctorwho have been an amazing experience,” Akinola said via Twitter. He thanked the fans “for welcoming me so warmly, I’ve always been grateful for that.”
Three Series, One Doctor, Four companions. The last few years on #doctorwho have been an amazing experience. I’d planned to stay for as long as Chris & Jodie were staying so the next episode will be my final one. There are too many people to thank but here are a few: Chris…(1/2) pic.twitter.com/C2Xr3Xh6gX
— Segun Akinola (@segunakinola) July 20, 2022
Akinola, who has further composed music for ITV’s Stephen, described the Centenary Special as “end of an era,” and called it a “great send-off.”
“Obviously the trailer has shown that the Master is back. The Daleks are in the trailer as well. As are the Cybermen… I think. If they’re not, somebody stop me!,”
“Not just for Jodie, but for the whole era. And for me as well. It was a very fun but emotional episode to work on.” Akinola continued. He later touched upon the score for the finale, and hailed it as “the great, long goodbye. Just a really good, exciting joyride. And it was lovely to work on.”
Attention, naturally, turns to who could succeed Akinola as the show’s new composer. Murray Gold, hired by Russell T. Davies in 2005 to write the music for the series revival, is an obvious contender.
In other Doctor Who news, FlickLuster reported that Christopher Eccleston had confirmed his involvement in the sci-fi series’ 60th-anniversary special. The 58-year-old actor confirmed that he had “recorded something very special for the 60th anniversary.”
