Best and worst 1980s Dr Who incidental music

The best for me are...

1. Mindwarp - Richard Hartley
Richard Hartley’s score to Mindwarp was brilliant, cinematic and atmospheric and apart from Peri’s death scene was the best thing about Mindwarp. I’ve no idea what his re-recording for the Blu-ray is like yet.

2. Logopolis - Paddy Kingsland
Very atmospheric and catchy music from Paddy Kingsland.

3. Planet of Fire - Peter Howell
Great use of Fairlight and Elka Synthex makes for one of Peter Hkwell’s nest scores.

4. Warriors of the Deep - Jonathan Gibbs

5. Enlightenment - Malcolm Clarke
One of Malcolm Clarke’s better scores and some very moody pieces of music.

6. Earthshock - Malcolm Clarke
Chilling music that made the Cybermen even creepier.

7. The Utimate Foe - Dominic Glynn

8. Time and the Rani - Keff McCulloch
Keff’s best score to Time and the Rani which made it watchable.

9. The Leisure Hive - Peter Howell
Great Vangelis style cinematic music only beaten by Richard Hartley’s Mindwarp score.

10. Greatest Show in the Galaxy - Mark Ayres
One of the best scores from the McCoy era.

11. Revelation of the Daleks - Roger Limb
Roger Limb’s music started to shine once Greame Harper got involved.

12. Caves of Androzani - Roger Limb
As above

The Worst are...

1. Attack of the Cybermen - Malcolm Clarke
Other than the rehash of the great Earthshock score the other music on Attack of the Cybermen is utter drivel that sounds like music from a CBBC comedy show.

2. Frontios - Paddy Kingsland
Repetitive and boring but with some nice panpipes

I basically agree with all of your picks. The Enlightenment score is wonderfully atmospheric, and as dour as the Leisure Hive may be, the score, as you say, is very evocative of Vangelis’ more interesting works. Limb’s later scores are unnerving as all hell too, and I love most of Kingsland’s scores too. The BBC Radiophonic Workshop kicks the shit out of Murray Gold.

I’d probably put the scores for Ghost Light, Fenric and Survival up there too. As divisive as the era is on this forum, the music for those stories is just superb- especially the apocalyptic vibe of Glynn’s Survival score generated by those guitars.

I like all the scores by Keff, Dominic and Mark. I have no real interest in the rest anymore.