Project Detail

Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes

Synopsis

A psycho-acoustic exploration of electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire.
"Radio was the most important thing in my life and music, music, music!" A true pioneer in audio exploration and psycho-acoustics, Delia Derbyshire conceived one of the most familiar compositions in science fiction, the Doctor Who theme, while working in a BBC basement. Her soundscapes felt like they connected to another realm. Kicking off with the discovery of 267 tapes in an attic, along with a treasure trove of journals hidden in her childhood bedroom, this film tunes in to Derbyshire’s frequency; that of a life-long non-conformist, whose peals of laughter in an archive interview tickle with delight and eccentricity. Featuring a rich archive, interviews, fictional embodiment and Cosey Fanni Tutti’s psycho-sonic channelling, director Caroline Catz traces acoustic pathways on her archeological dig into Derbyshire’s resonant life. (LFF brochure copy)
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2020 - World premiere

Details

Year
2020
Type of project
Features
Running time
98 min
Director
Caroline Catz 1st Feature
Producer
Andy Starke
Editor
Luke Thompson
Screenwriter
Caroline Catz
Director of Photography
Nick Gillespie
Production Designer
Felicity Hickson
Sound
Sound Design/ Sound Re-recording Mixer: Martin Pavey
Composer
Luke Haines
Principal cast
Caroline Catz, Cosey Fanni Tutti

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

A Rook Films production

Caroline Catz

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

Art Sex Music Art Sex Music

Director: Caroline Catz

Year: 2026

A biographical documentary of the artist Cosey Fanni Tutti based on her best selling memoir.

Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes

Director: Caroline Catz

Year: 2018

A playful interview with the uncredited female creator of the Doctor Who theme music; her electronic sounds and flamboyant personality were way ahead of their time. An unconventional portrait of an unconventional British electronic music pioneer, exploring the idea that this extraordinary composer lived outside of time and space as other people experience it. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2018 - Create Strand - World premiere

Birds of War Birds of War

Director: Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak

Year: 2026

The love story of a London-based Lebanese journalist and a Syrian activist/cameraman as told through thirteen years of personal archives across revolutions, war and exile. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2026 - World premiere