Dick Mills (born 1936) is a British sound engineer, specialising in

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

sound effects which he produced at the

BBC Radiophonic Workshop The BBC Radiophonic Workshop was one of the sound effects units of the BBC, created in 1958 to produce incidental sounds and new music for radio and, later, television. The unit is known for its experimental and pioneering work in electroni ...

. Mills was one of the original staff at the Radiophonic Workshop, joining in 1958 as a technical assistant. At first he was employed to handle the hardware of the Workshop but soon found himself recording effects. Some of his earliest, uncredited sound work was on the 1958 BBC science-fiction serial ''

Quatermass and the Pit ''Quatermass and the Pit'' is a British television science-fiction serial transmitted live by BBC Television in December 1958 and January 1959. It was the third and last of the BBC's ''Quatermass'' serials, although the chief character, Prof ...

''. Another of his prominent early recordings was the " Major Bloodnok's Stomach" sound effect, a significant part of the popular ''

The Goon Show ''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September ...

''. Although he recorded much in those early years, it is his later work on ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

'' for which he is most remembered. In 1972, he took over from fellow BBC Radiophonic Workshop sound effects producer

Brian Hodgson Brian Hodgson (born 1938) is a British television composer and sound technician. Born in Liverpool in 1938, Hodgson joined the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in 1962 where he became the original sound effects creator for the science fiction program ...

, whom he had sometimes previously assisted, and continued providing "special sound" for every episode of the programme, with the exception of two four-part stories, until it ended in 1989. He also provided special sound for the ''Doctor Who'' spin-off ''

K-9 and Company ''K-9 and Company'' is a one-episode television pilot, for a proposed 1981 television spin-off of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It features former series regulars Sarah Jane Smith, an investigative journalist p ...

''. As such, he has the distinction of having more on-screen credits than anyone else in the history of the series. Owing to his technical know-how, he managed to bring to the position new methods of recording sound effects quicker than before. Besides his sound effects on ''Doctor Who'', he also produced and compiled the first of the programme's music compilations, ''

Doctor Who - The Music ''Doctor Who: The Music'' is a 1983 compilation of music from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop featuring incidental music from the popular science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The album was the first full-length to feature solely musi ...

'' and ''

Doctor Who - The Music II ''Doctor Who: The Music II'' is a 1985 BBC Records album which is a sequel to '' Doctor Who: The Music'' released in 1983. Once again, it featured a selection of BBC Radiophonic Workshop The BBC Radiophonic Workshop was one of the soun ...

''. Over the years, many of his own sound effects have also appeared on various compilations. Other sound effects he provided included material for the cult series ''

Moonbase 3 ''Moonbase 3'' is a British science fiction television programme that ran for six episodes in 1973. It was a co-production between the BBC, 20th Century Fox and the American ABC network. Created by ''Doctor Who'' producer Barry Letts and s ...

'', produced in 1973 by then-''Doctor Who'' producer

Barry Letts Barry Leopold Letts (26 March 1925 – 9 October 2009) was an English actor, television director, writer and producer, best known for being the producer of ''Doctor Who'' from 1969 to 1974. Born in Leicester, he worked as an actor in theatre, ...

, and also occasionally sounds for ''

The Two Ronnies ''The Two Ronnies'' is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from April 1971 to December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo sections, ser ...

''. Mills' work was acknowledged in a ''Doctor Who'' documentary broadcast on '' The Lively Arts'' in 1977. The same year, he appeared on the BBC's children's magazine programme ''

Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Te ...

'' to demonstrate how some of the ''Doctor Who'' effects were realised and how children could make their own sound effects at home. He also appeared in the 2004 BBC Radiophonic Workshop

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

documentary ''Alchemists of Sound''. He is also the author of many books on aquaria and tropical fish, as well as a former editor of ''The Aquarist and Pondkeeper'' magazine and a member of the Federation of British Aquatic Societies Council.

References

www.fbas.co.uk

External links

* 1936 births BBC Radiophonic Workshop English audio engineers English male composers Living people {{DoctorWho-stub