RADIO TIMES

BBC Radiophonic Workshop pioneer Delia Derbyshire's archive is in the custodianship of a prestige Manchester archive. Steve Burniston visited in his tardis

- Steve Burniston

What's the best way to curate someone's artistic and personal history? Take a look at the John Rylands Research Institute & Library, Manchester, for an exemplar. Based in a stunning neo-Gothic building, one of the institution's many Special Collections is a substantial archive of Delia Derbyshire's life and work.

Born in Coventry, in 1937, she was an innovative composer of electronic music who worked at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in the 60s and 70s, and created numerous works for theatre, film, festivals and more. While she's best-known for her memorable electronic realisation of Ron Grainer's Doctor Who theme, that's just a part of her huge, illustrious portfolio.

Jessica Smith is the curator responsible for the Lirbary's literary, performing arts and visual arts archive, encompassing the Derbyshire collection. She reflects that, "Derbyshire was a pioneer of her field, at the forefront of the birth of electronic music in Britain, and the techniques that she conceived continue to be studied and replicated by musicians. She's an inspiration to young women in terms of what can be achieved in the world of electronic music and composition."

Derbyshire's long-term partner, Clive Blackburn, compiled the archive's core collection of material after her death in 2001. This included working papers and tape reels. In 2007, the University Of Manchester, partnering with the NOVARS Research Centre, acquired her papers on permanent loan from the Derbyshire Estate and Mark Ayres, their former custodian. The material includes 267 tapes, mainly 10.5" reels, relating to some BBC productions, but primarily her freelance work. Featured projects include Peter Hall's 1967 RSC production of Macbeth and Ron Grainer's 1966 musical, On The Level. Further donations have been made to the archive, including from Blackburn, as well as Derbyshire's close friends and collaborators, such as Brian Hodgson.