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Biography
Mark Ayres is an electronic musician, composer and audio engineer.
Ayres studied music and electronics at Keele University. He also worked as a sound engineer at TV-am between 1982 and 1987.
As a television composer, he became known for providing incidental music on the original series of Doctor Who. Ayres's work on broadcast Doctor Who was during Sylvester McCoy's era as the Seventh Doctor, comprising The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, Ghost Light and The Curse of Fenric. Ayres was hired after he sent producer John Nathan-Turner a demonstration video containing music he had written to accompany Remembrance of the Daleks. Like most Doctor Who incidental music composers during the 1980s, Ayres created the music electronically, principally using digital synthesisers and samplers.
Ayres was also involved in the last days of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, cataloguing and archiving their recordings for future use. As part of the BBC's unofficial Doctor Who Restoration Team, Ayres has also done much of the audio restoration work for the later VHS Doctor Who releases, as well as many of the DVD releases, and all of the "Missing Soundtrack" CD releases since 1999.
Ayres studied music and electronics at Keele University. He also worked as a sound engineer at TV-am between 1982 and 1987.
As a television composer, he became known for providing incidental music on the original series of Doctor Who. Ayres's work on broadcast Doctor Who was during Sylvester McCoy's era as the Seventh Doctor, comprising The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, Ghost Light and The Curse of Fenric. Ayres was hired after he sent producer John Nathan-Turner a demonstration video containing music he had written to accompany Remembrance of the Daleks. Like most Doctor Who incidental music composers during the 1980s, Ayres created the music electronically, principally using digital synthesisers and samplers.
Ayres was also involved in the last days of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, cataloguing and archiving their recordings for future use. As part of the BBC's unofficial Doctor Who Restoration Team, Ayres has also done much of the audio restoration work for the later VHS Doctor Who releases, as well as many of the DVD releases, and all of the "Missing Soundtrack" CD releases since 1999.
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The Devil of Winterborne
Music
event 1995 star_border 8.3
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When P.R.O.B.E. is summoned to investigate the savage murder of a retired headmaster, Liz Shaw is disturbed to find evidence of satanic rite near the scene of the crime. She soon discovers a web of deceit and corruption that extends back in time, threatening the current occupants of nearby Winterborne School. With P.R.O.B.E. under threat from within and the death toll mounting, Liz finds herself under increasing pressure from all sides to produce results... The Devil of Winterborne is at large and only Liz can stop it!
Myth Makers 53: Patrick Troughton
Sound Designer
event 2002
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Patrick Troughton was born and raised in North London. During a long and successful career he appeared in countless television dramas, including Doctor Finlay's Casebook, and The Old Curiosity Shop, plus feature films including Laurence Olivier’s acclaimed Hamlet. But it is probably his role as the second Doctor Who that he will be most remembered for. Eccentric, childish, comic, whimsical... the list of facets within his portrayal is long and complex and this reflected much of Patrick’s own personality. In this tribute Myth Makers we concentrate on what exactly made PATRICK’s second Doctor so successful. And for the first time we include an exclusive interview with Patrick shot at his only UK convention appearance at PanoptiCon VI! The only such interview shot in the UK.
Myth Makers 5: Janet Fielding
Sound Designer
event 1985
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Janet Fielding played the Australian air stewardess Tegan in Doctor Who from 1980 to 1983. She started with Tom Baker and then did every Peter Davison story except his last two! Janet is a founder of Women in Film and Television UK which she ran for the first four years. When legendary London agent Marina Martin was ready to retire she recruited Janet to take over her eponymous agency. As an agent, Janet represented Paul McGann when he was offered the part of The Doctor in the 1996 Doctor Who TV pilot. In 2008, she moved to Ramsgate and started Project MotorHouse, which is a charity and social enterprise that works with local youths and specializes in photographic projects. This unique Myth Makers combines two interviews recorded with Janet in 1985 and 2020.
Scar Tissue
Music
event 2013 star_border 5.5
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When Luke wakes up and finds a mutilated corpse in his bathroom, his life changes for ever. Stalked by a terrifying psychopathic serial killer, he has to place his trust in the hands of a smart but volatile female cop, Sam Cross. The secret they uncover shatters Luke s life and brings Sam face to face with demons from her tragic childhood..
Who on Earth Is... Tom Baker
Sound
event 1991
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Away from the cameras, Tom can be both reclusive and elusive and finding out about the man behind the myth can prove extremely difficult. Until now! In this unique production, ten years after he left the show, Tom agreed to give us his view of tom Baker. Shot on location in and around his home and filled with Tom’s views on Doctor Who, life and (more importantly) death, it could be called an autobiography, but it’s a whole lot more than that!
Doctor Who: The Daleks in Colour
Music
event 2023 star_border 6.3
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The very first crew of the TARDIS land in a petrified forest on an alien planet. Determined to explore, the Doctor leads his companions into the metal city, where they discover danger at every corner and what will become his deadliest enemy... the mutant Daleks. It's time to encounter the Daleks once again, but this time in a way you've never seen them before. Originally transmitted in December 1963 to February 1964, the seven original episodes of the first Dalek story have received a cosmic makeover, dazzlingly colourised and woven together into a 75-minute blockbuster with brand-new sound and a brand-new score created by Mark Ayres. The Daleks has been gloriously updated, whilst ensuring the original story remains as thrilling as it was in 1963.
Unnatural Selection
Music
event 1996 star_border 6.7
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In 1975, the British Government quietly closed down a secret evolutionary project codenamed BEAGLE, ordering the destruction of all research materials. Today, the horrific discovery of several oddly mutated bodies alerts Liz Shaw and P.R.O.B.E. to the fact that something is stalking the original site of project BEAGLE – something which may challenge the very nature of humanity itself! With a crack security team at her disposal, Liz desperately attempts to track down the perverted results of the project. But who or what is hunting whom?
Ghosts of Winterborne
Music
event 1996 star_border 6
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The Devil of Winterborne has only recently been exorcised by PROBE. But when the body of its last victim disappears, and a book of black magic spells is stolen from a local museum, Liz Shaw begins to wonder if the ghosts of the past have really been laid to rest. Forced into an unholy alliance with the school’s disgraced headmaster, Liz must fight not only her own warring emotions, but a festering evil that threatens to corrupt the Earth again after 100 years. But how do you fight a shadow from Hell?
Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans
Producer
event 1994 star_border 6.2
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The space solar yacht Tiger Moth under the command of no-nonsense Captain Lisa Deranne is on a cruise taking some rich misfits on a voyage through space. Unfortunately on their travels they have picked a stowaway, a shape-changing Rutan, a race that has been at war with another race, the Sontarans, since the dawn of time. The Rutan has important news regarding the war and the Sontarans, and upon hearing the news, attack the Tiger Moth and take it over. The Rutan hides itself among the crew and one by one the Sontarans and the human crew are murdered by the Rutan. The Sontarans plan to destroy all life on the Tiger Moth. Can Lisa find out who the Rutan is before the Sontarans destroy her ship and her life?...
Doctor Who at the Proms
Music
event 2013 star_border 8
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Doctor Who returns to the Proms to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the popular BBC series. As well as showcasing Murray Gold’s music from the past eight years, the concert also journeys back to the early days of Doctor Who and the groundbreaking work of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Featuring special guests from the series, big screens and a host of monsters ready to invade the Royal Albert Hall, this is not the year to be exterminated!
Sophie’s Choice
Music
event 2015
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In 1992, Producer Keith Barnfather and Actress/Presenter Sophie Aldred worked together on the pilot for a new children’s TV series Sophie’s Choice. The format of actuality filming using hand-held camerawork, was ground-breaking for its time and many future series developed the idea in years to come. The premise involved taking children to see the kind of careers they could take on when they left school. From Oil Rig Workers to Air Crew - the list was endless! This pilot programme, featuring a vet Francis Anthony and a soundtrack by composer Mark Ayres, was submitted to Carlton television and the series so nearly made it to commissioning! Buried in the Reeltime Pictures archive for over 20 years, we’ve now brought it out, dusted it down and present it here, with a brand new introduction from Sophie and Keith. Sit back and enjoy the pilot - and wonder at what might have been!
Myth Makers 20: David Banks
Music
event 1990
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We travel to Brighton with Nicholas Briggs to catch up with David Banks, the man behind the Cyberleader mask. We find out how in 1982 David set about popularising the Cybermen after their seven year absence from Doctor Who. Shot on location at the Theatre Royal, this Myth Makers also gives a glimpse behind the scenes of Doctor Who: The Ultimate Adventure in which David played Karl the mercenary leader. We find out about some of the problems that arise when you bring the famous Time Lord off the television screen and onto the stage.
McDonnell Douglas Information Systems
Music
event 1986
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McDonnell Douglas Information Systems was a subsidiary of the giant McDonnell Douglas aircraft company in America. In 1986 Reeltime Pictures was commissioned to make a video documentary showing the customers story.
Doctor Who: Shada
Sound
event 2017 star_border 7.3
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The Doctor visits his old Time Lord friend Chronotis in Cambridge, 1979. But the ruthless Skagra has also arrived to retrieve a book that will help unlock one of the Time Lords' greatest secrets: what is Shada? Filming for this story was never finished, and in this version the unfilmed material is completed via animation.
Wartime
Music
event 1988 star_border 5.3
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While on a seemingly routine delivery run for the Brigadier, Benton finds himself close to his childhood home, where ghosts from his past have never rested easily… Trapped in a nightmare world where past and present are one, will he be lost forever or can he fight his way back to reality, where he is desperately needed?
Myth Makers 6: Nicola Bryant
Location Coordinator
event 1985 star_border 10
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Undoubtedly, Nicola Bryant’s portrayal of Perpugilliam Brown has become one of the most popular assistants in the history of Doctor Who. When Nicholas Briggs first talked to Nicola in 1985, Doctor Who had been cancelled (for the first time) and its future was uncertain. Eleven years later in 1996, they met again to discuss her last season in the programme and life after Doctor Who. Both interviews are combined in this Myth Makers, giving us a fascinating insight into Nicola’s evolving life and career.
The Zero Imperative
Music
event 1994 star_border 7
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Former UNIT luminary Liz Shaw and her assistant Bayliss are investigating a series of bizarre murders, all committed near a soon-to-be-closed psychiatric hospital. When the hospital is unexpectedly reprieved by rich Industrialist Peter Russell events seem to move out of Liz's control. Are the incumbent director of the clinic, Doctor Dove and his predecessor Doctor O'Kane harboring the killer? What is the centuries-old horror hidden in the grounds? And what exactly is the secret of room zero?
Myth Runner
Music
event 1987
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A spoof of Blade Runner, built around bloopers and outtakes from the Myth Makers series of videos, featuring interviews with actors from the Doctor Who TV series.
Myth Makers 1: Michael Wisher
Music
event 1984
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Many fans will best remember the late Michael Wisher for his definitive performance as Davros, creator of the Daleks. In truth Michael was the most gifted of actors, a chameleon who could transform his voice and appearance, and who worked many times in Doctor Who during the 1970’s. Michael loved his time in the programme and appeared in several spin-off dramas including Wartime and Shakedown. In this special production we recall Michael’s life and career in the company of Nicholas Briggs, Peter Miles, and Michael’s son, Andy.
Myth Makers 2: John Leeson
Music
event 1984
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Ever wondered how to marinade a Yeti...? No? Well neither had a rather bemused Nick Briggs until he caught up with John Leeson on location for the Doctor Who drama Downtime. Ten years earlier, it was all a lot easier for Keith Harrison when he interviewed John for the second Myth Makers. Life was simple then, you just sat down and had a nice chat about life and being the voice of K9. Now, you have to run around the inside of the Doctor’s faithful robot companion, plus learn how to cook (and more importantly how to catch) a Yeti! Well these are the ingredients, its all been cooking in the oven, so take your seats for dinner. Confused...? Not half as much as Nick!
Doctor Who: Shada
Music
event 1992 star_border 5.8
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The story revolves around the lost planet Shada, on which the Time Lords built a prison for defeated would-be conquerors of the universe. Skagra, one such inmate, needs the help of one of the prison's inmates. He finds nobody knows where Shada is anymore except one aged Time Lord who has retired to Earth, where he is a professor at St. Cedd's College, Cambridge. Luckily for the universe, Skagra's attempt to force the information out of Professor Chronotis coincides with a visit by the professor's old friend, the Doctor. (Filming for this story was never finished, and in this version the story is completed via on-camera narration.)
Myth Makers 3: Nicholas Courtney
Music
event 1985
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Back in the mid 1980’s two Nicks (Courtney & Briggs) strolled around the location for the Doctor Who story Mawdryn Undead and chatted about Nick C’s life and career. Now, parked in a little red car on the shores of Rutland Water (location for Battlefield) they find not only that it’s too cold to venture outside, but also that they are surrounded by sheep! With the aid of previously unseen footage from their original Myth Makers, Mr B delves deeper and Mr C reveals a good deal more!
Doctor Who: The Curse of Fenric
Original Music Composer
event 1989 star_border 8.5
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The Doctor and Ace arrive at a secret military base during World War II, where an ancient evil from the Doctor's past prepares to make his final deadly move. As hideous vampires rise from the sea and Russian commandoes begin to close in, they are confronted not only with a mystery from the distant past but also a terrifying vision of mankind's future...
Doctor Who: Ghost Light
Original Music Composer
event 1989 star_border 8.7
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The Doctor takes Ace on an initiative test to a strange Victorian old house where she is forced to confront her darkest fears.
Doctor Who: The Curse of Fatal Death
Music
event 1999 star_border 7.4
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Before the Doctor can settle down to married life, he must face one last confrontation with his deadly enemy of certain death - the Master.
Doctor Who: The War Games in Colour
Music
event 2024 star_border 5
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The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe arrive on an unnamed planet. At first believing themselves in the midst of World War I, they realise it to be one of many War Zones overseen by the War Lords, who have kidnapped large numbers of human soldiers to form the greatest army the universe has ever seen. At the helm of this plot is the War Chief, another renegade Time Lord like the Doctor. The creeping realisation sets in that the Doctor cannot solve this problem alone, and that his days of wandering may be at an end...
Tales of the Tardis
Music (1 ep.)
event 2023 star_border 4.4
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Classic Doctor Who duos are reunited as they board a very special TARDIS on a nostalgic voyage through space and time.
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