Spitfire Audio, in collaboration with BBC Studios, has introduced BBC Radiophonic Workshop, a new sound library based on samples taken from the pioneering BBC Radiophonic Workshop, which created sounds and music for shows from Doctor Who to Tomorrow’s World.

Here’s what they have to say about it:

For 40 years, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop was the place to go for the sound of the impossible – the unruly engine behind the music and effects of Doctor Who, the Goon Show, Blake’s 7, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Living Planet and countless other productions from the BBC. It was a place of other worlds, and of other sounds. From scraping pianos and hitting lampshades to manipulating tape loops with milk bottles, the Workshop’s unconventional methods produced a distinctive sonic signature that continues to inspire artists.

Its work paved the way for much of the popular music of the 21st century and has been cited as an influence by everyone from Brian Eno to Orbital to Hans Zimmer. The sample library will now be available to musicians and producers, preserving an important musical heritage for generations to come.

Composer, sound designer and Radiophonic Workshop archivist Mark Ayres said: “As a kid born in the 1960s, I realised there was a department at the BBC that was purely for making bonkers noises. It blew my mind!”

BBC Radiophonic Workshop Intro Video:

The library features sounds from the original tapes, as well as new recordings and experiments by Workshop members and associates, including Mark Ayres, Kieron Pepper, Bob Earland, Dick Mills, Paddy Kingsland, Roger Limb, Glynis Jones and Peter Howell.

Mark Ayres said: “I’m the youngest member of the core Radiophonic Workshop – and I’m 64! We’re not going to be around forever. It was really important to leave a creative tool, inspired by our work, for other people to use going forward. I hope we’ve made an instrument that will inspire future generations.”

Features:

• Authentic sounds from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop archives.
• Deeply sampled one-shots, loops, and multi-samples.
• New recordings and experiments by Workshop members and associates.
• Spitfire Audio’s powerful SOLAR engine with gate sequencer and vast effects suite.
• Wide range of sounds, including archival content, found sounds, junk percussion, tape loops, and vintage synthesisers.
• 13 different signal chains used for sound capture.

Pricing and Availability:

The Spitfire Audio BBC Radiophonic Workshop VST is available now with an intro price of £119/€143/$159 is available until 6 March 2025 (normally £149/€179/$199).