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The Black Archive #78
The Devil's Chord
‘I thought that was non-diegetic.’
The Devil’s Chord (2024), 15th Doctor Ncuti Gatwa’s first journey into history, shows the Beatles eking out a living in a world that has turned its back on music. This book explores the band’s work, their historical context and the importance of music to human culture. It explains why and how Doctor Who made a Beatles episode featuring none of the Beatles’ music, and asks whether the central character can really hear the series’ soundtrack.
The Devil’s Chord (2024), 15th Doctor Ncuti Gatwa’s first journey into history, shows the Beatles eking out a living in a world that has turned its back on music. This book explores the band’s work, their historical context and the importance of music to human culture. It explains why and how Doctor Who made a Beatles episode featuring none of the Beatles’ music, and asks whether the central character can really hear the series’ soundtrack.
- GenresDoctor Who
182 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2025
About the author
Dale Smith
37 books15 followersDale Smith is a writer and playwright from Leicester but now living in Manchester, England. He is mostly know for his work in various Doctor Who spin-off material, with books written for the BBC, Telos Publications and Obverse Books.
His first work was an award-winning radio play called Hello?, and he has also written short stories for Big Finish productions.
His first work was an award-winning radio play called Hello?, and he has also written short stories for Big Finish productions.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 27, 2025
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-devils-chord-by-dale-smith/
In his typically readable and enjoyable new Black Archive, out this month, Dale Smith goes behind the spectacle which was my abiding impression of the episode and looks at its commentary on pop culture, especially on the Beatles – indeed, the book is almost as much about the Beatles as about Doctor Who, not that this is a bad thing necessarily.
The first chapter, “The Beatles and the 60s”, looks at the social and political context of post-war change, and in particular how this produced the Beatles, James Bond and Doctor Who. He looks at the extent to which different eras of Who lean towards the Beatles or Bond.
The second chapter, “‘You Can’t Use a Single Note'”, looks in detail at the surprisingly interesting question of when and how the music of the real Beatles has been and can be used in Doctor Who, both in broadcast of new stories and in the re-issuing of old ones.
The third chapter, “The Day the Music Died”, starts by examining the extent to which the episode belongs to the character of Maestro, and then takes a deep dive into music as a cultural phenomenon and the ethical questions of creativity.
The fourth chapter, “‘I Thought That Was Non-Diegetic'”, looks briefly at the circumstances of the episode’s production, and then at the breaking of the fourth wall in Doctor Who and elsewhere as an element of postmodernism.
The fifth chapter, “Beatles vs Stones”, looks at Russell T. Davies’ intentions for his second go at running the show: change, to adapt to the demands of today’s audience, while also appreciating its ‘cultural heft’. He posts out that while you can have an argument about whether the Beatles or The Rolling Stones were the better band, there is no argument about which was more culturally important. He mounts a strong defense of Davies’ approach to New Who, even in the current uncertainty about the way forward. In a sense, this is the Black Archive we need to read in the current time of confusion.
In his typically readable and enjoyable new Black Archive, out this month, Dale Smith goes behind the spectacle which was my abiding impression of the episode and looks at its commentary on pop culture, especially on the Beatles – indeed, the book is almost as much about the Beatles as about Doctor Who, not that this is a bad thing necessarily.
The first chapter, “The Beatles and the 60s”, looks at the social and political context of post-war change, and in particular how this produced the Beatles, James Bond and Doctor Who. He looks at the extent to which different eras of Who lean towards the Beatles or Bond.
The second chapter, “‘You Can’t Use a Single Note'”, looks in detail at the surprisingly interesting question of when and how the music of the real Beatles has been and can be used in Doctor Who, both in broadcast of new stories and in the re-issuing of old ones.
The third chapter, “The Day the Music Died”, starts by examining the extent to which the episode belongs to the character of Maestro, and then takes a deep dive into music as a cultural phenomenon and the ethical questions of creativity.
The fourth chapter, “‘I Thought That Was Non-Diegetic'”, looks briefly at the circumstances of the episode’s production, and then at the breaking of the fourth wall in Doctor Who and elsewhere as an element of postmodernism.
The fifth chapter, “Beatles vs Stones”, looks at Russell T. Davies’ intentions for his second go at running the show: change, to adapt to the demands of today’s audience, while also appreciating its ‘cultural heft’. He posts out that while you can have an argument about whether the Beatles or The Rolling Stones were the better band, there is no argument about which was more culturally important. He mounts a strong defense of Davies’ approach to New Who, even in the current uncertainty about the way forward. In a sense, this is the Black Archive we need to read in the current time of confusion.
Displaying 1 of 1 review