Peter Capaldi's entrance as the the new Doctor in the long-running science-fiction drama series will be heralded by a fan-inspired title sequence to accompany Ron Grainer's iconic theme tune.
The sequence in question has been based on one that Billy Hanshaw uploaded to YouTube earlier this year, which so impressed his fellow
Doctor Who fans that many said it should be adopted for the series itself. To date, his video has received over 700,000 hits.
Based in Leeds,
Billy Hanshaw is a motion-graphics professional, who works on television commercials and corporate presentations.
Back in September 2013 — writing on his YouTube page, billydakiduk — to accompany the upload,
Hanshaw explained:
I wrote myself a brief... it's mantra was "Journey through space and time."
First section is the Doctors watch, and we fly inside. The journey through the cog-wheels end with our exit through the untempered schism. And into an Escher-esque timey-wimey never-ending clock face (a metaphor of time travel and the time vortex).
Our journey catapults us through the vortex into a void where the seal of Rassilon is drawn in aged metal, accompanied by the Doctor Who logo, with some subtle embellishments. The seal of Rassilon burns away, reminding us of the Doctor's disdain for the Time Lords; revealing the new Doctor's reflection in the back of the watch which then tumbles away to the black hole in the distance.
I wanted it to feel ancient/steampunky :)
According to
a report in Doctor Who News, Hanshaw's title sequence came to the attention of Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat. Describing his efforts as "absolutely stunning," Moffat commissioned Hanshaw to work with BBC Cymru Wales to create the new titles for Season 8, which starts on Saturday, August 23.
Speaking from New York,
Moffat said: "Hanshaw created this title sequence, put it up on YouTube. I happened to cross it, and it was the only new title idea I’d seen since 1963. We got in touch with him, and said, okay, we’re going to do that one."
Together with Capaldi and Jenna Coleman, Moffat is in New York for the
Doctor Who World Tour.
Doctor Who fans are eagerly awaiting the finished collaborative result, which will be
unveiled on UK television on BBC One, at 8 p.m. BST, on Saturday, August 23.
In the meantime, Hanshaw's original concept clip, which grabbed the attention of fans and the production team, can be viewed above.
