2008 to 2012: Prom Ticket to the Olympic Torch

JAMIE LENMAN continues to catalogue one object for every year of Doctor Who’s existence – including props, collectables and mementos.

Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill at the 2010 prom.

2008 Prom ticket

Dating back to 1895, the Proms are a series of orchestral classical music presentations. They’ve been staged at London’s Royal Albert Hall since 1941, after the previous ! venue – the Queen’s Hall – was destroyed in the Blitz.

In 1998 the concept of a ‘family’ prom was introduced, centred around the children’s magazine show Blue Peter. But in 2008, after the success of a recent Children in Need concert, the theme was switched to Doctor Who. These less formal evenings boasted a relaxed atmosphere, audience participation, and – crucially – more affordable tickets. Sara Richards of

Cambridgeshire still treasures hers. “My mum bought them when they went on sale – she sat for so long staring at the computer screen,” she recalls. “I was 11 years old and I was absolutely obsessed with Doctor Who.”

Concentrating mainly on extracts from Murray Gold’s scores for recent series, conductors Ben Foster and Stephen Bell also led the BBC Philharmonic through works by Holst, Wagner and Prokofiev. “Whoever decided on the pieces clearly has similar taste to me, as so many of my favourites were played,” says Sara. “My highlight was Song for Freedom [from 2008’s Journey’s End]; there’s something special about that part of the episode… Having that played by a live orchestra and with live singers and the whole audience clapping along was really magical.”

The TARDIS-shaped souvenir programme, and the orchestra playing at the concert.

A ticket for the 2008 Doctor Who prom. Photo courtesy of Sara Richards.

The prom included Music of the Spheres – a new scene featuring the Doctor (David Tennant).

The event was presented by Freema Agyeman, Noel Clarke, Camille Coduri and Catherine Tate. It was invaded by a Sontaran, a Dalek and even Davros himself, all played by the original actors from the television show. Most exciting of all was Music of the Spheres, written by showrunner Russell T Davies to compensate for David Tennant’s unavailability. In this specially produced interactive episode, the Doctor delivered his own musical manuscript to the auditorium via a time portal, whereupon it cascaded over the orchestra, who attempted to play it as it fell. “It was a really great moment of the show, to have something new and connecting the on-screen parts with the audience,” remembers Sara. “It was so cool and so special and just so Doctor Who.”