Doctor Who episode Rosa makes great use of its music. Composer Segun Akinola's score is effective throughout, particularly the theme for civil rights icon Rosa Parks herself, an uplifting fanfare that's not unlike a superhero anthem (and quite right too).

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTPvmdor9lw&list=PLbs-Pk9dtKb_jzESkO1Pbcz6knzuSn1bM

But it's the final song that many viewers may be interested in – an emotional tune written and sung by Andra Day that accompanies Rosa's triumphant stand against the segregation of black people on buses in 1950s America and continues up to the moving final scenes where the Doctor and her friends open the Tardis doors to look at the asteroid named after Rosa.

Rise Up is a single from Day's debut album Cheers To the Fall and couldn't be more appropriate for those scenes lyrically, as well as musically, echoing as it does the words of Maya Angelou's famous poem Still I Rise.

Day cites her early influences as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dinah Washington, all of whom were alive during the events described in this episode of Doctor Who.

Listen to Rise Up again below...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNKu1uNBVkU

Doctor Who continues on Sundays on BBC1

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This article was originally published on 21 October 2018

Authors

Paul JonesExecutive Editor, RadioTimes.com

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Create an image depicting a festive scene with elements from the top Christmas songs, such as a snowy New York for 'Fairytale of New York', a cozy home setting for 'Last Christmas', and a glamorous Christmas party for 'All I Want for Christmas Is You'. Include musical notes and festive decorations to represent the spirit of these iconic Christmas songs.

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An image depicting a festive scene with iconic Christmas elements such as a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with twinkling lights, snow gently falling, and perhaps a cozy fireplace in the background. The image should capture the essence of popular Christmas songs, with musical notes and lyrics subtly included in the design, representing a playlist of classic Christmas tunes.

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