MTS 2020: At nearly 60 years old, the Doctor Who theme had been the calling card for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop ever since Delia Derbyshire brought Ron Grainer's original composition to life, in a way that very few had ever before imagined possible, even surprising Grainer himself.
Despite the dissolution of the RWS by the BBC in 1998 (although operating as Radiophonics into 2000) and Delia's untimely passing in 2001, it would be some 11 years before The Radiophonic Workshop would reform.
A few personnel changes occurred for live shows that saw Bob Earland (Clor) and Kieron Pepper (The Prodigy) join the ranks alongside the original lineup of Radiophonic denizens Dick Mills, Roger Limb, Paddy Kingsland, Mark Ayres and Peter Howell.
Pushing the boundaries in music technology is something that has always come naturally to this small team of electronic musicians and this latest show is no different.
As with most groups and musicians struggling with the pandemic, The Radiophonic Workshop needed an outlet and was keen to do a lockdown internet show, but with such problems with playing live together from different locations, they needed to find an alternative solution.
"We tried a few things, and in the end, Bob Earland came up with a neat trick which takes us back to the old days by reinventing tape delays using the latency built into the internet.
"So that is how our Latency show was born and we will be performing that live on YouTube on 22 November at 8pm."
We tried a few things, and in the end, Bob Earland came up with a neat trick which takes us back to the old days by reinventing tape delays using the latency built into the internet.
In this video, we got to sit down with all the RWS members to chew the fat about Latency and feature some never-before-seen footage of the upcoming show along with some jam sessions.
Of course, it wouldn't be an RWS performance without a bit of Doctor Who and there's also an excerpt from a conversation between Dick Mills and Roger Limb talking about the old BBC Radiophonic Workshop days.
You too can take part in an online Q&A session that will follow the full performance live on YouTube on Sunday 22 November.
The Radiophonic Workshop would like to dedicate the Latency show to the memory of their dear friend Delia Derbyshire and hope viewers will make a donation directly to one of these charities.
The Girls Network - Mentoring for disadvantaged girls, working with more than 1,000 girls each year.
Delia Derbyshire Day - Their work is centred around the Delia Derbyshire Archive in Manchester, UK.
In the meantime subscribe to The Radiophonic Workshop YouTube channel.
