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SYFY WIRE Forgotten Women of Genre

Forgotten Women of Genre: Delia Derbyshire

By Sara Century
delia derbyshire

March is Women's History Month. And while here on SYFY FANGRRLS we celebrate women's achievements throughout the year, we're going above and beyond for the upcoming month with a limited podcast series called Forgotten Women of Genre.

Delia Derbyshire is a women who has been pushed aside and disregarded by not one but two mediums: science fiction and electronic music. One of the early supporters of microphones as an instrument and of using tape and sound samples to create simulated orchestration, Derbyshire also co-wrote the iconic Doctor Who theme song, but was never credited within her lifetime. 

Known to history as a troubled soul whose perfectionism drove her to ruin, that version of events leaves out the important fact that she was repeatedly thwarted in realizing her dreams as a composer by lack of support and credit from a male-dominated industry. Still, she contributed a great deal of work to British TV and film through the late '60s, and her whole story is fascinating, if tragic. This one's for you, Delia.

Science fiction, fantasy, and all associated genres have finally evolved from a niche interest into a mainstream staple. But the women who have been instrumental in creating and shaping the nerdverse have largely gone unrecognized. Until today. Forgotten Women of Genre tells the stories of the women who helped some of the most famous fantasy worlds become a reality.

New episodes of this series will be released each day in the month of March, in addition to regularly scheduled episodes of STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS.

Subscribe to STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS and get these amazing stories in your feed all month.