Manufacturer: BBC DVD / 2|Entertain

Written By: Andrew Smith, Terrance Dicks & Stephen Gallagher

RRP: £34.99

Release Date: 26th January 2009

Reviewed by: Doctor Who Online

Review Posted: 2nd February 2009

Full Circle

Full Circle kicks off The E-Space Trilogy to a flying start. The story, which is the brainchild of 17-year-old Doctor Who fan, Andrew Smith, is well paced, well placed, and features some great location shots together with some generally good acting.

Compared to the other stories in this box-set, Full Circle is definitely the tidiest DVD, with just the right amount of features to compliment the story.

'All aboard the Starliner', offers an in-depth look at the making of Full Circle. Featuring interviews with Andrew Smith (Writer), Christopher H. Bidmead (Script Editor), Max Samett (Cameraman) with Actors; Lalla Ward (Romana), Bernard Padden (Tylos), George Baker (Login) and John Leeson (K9), as well as excepts from an archived interview with Director; Peter Grimwade. The documentary length was just right and made for a thoroughly informative companion to the serial. 

'K9 in E-Space' takes a look at K9's role in The E-Space Trilogy, as well as serving some rather amusing Marmite-esque 'love him or hate him' opinions of the character from the cast and crew. It is clear, however, that this feature was recorded as part of  'All aboard the Starliner', and doesn't entirely feel big enough as a standalone feature.

'Swap Shop' features Matthew Waterhouse as interviewed on the show by Noel Edmonds back in 1980. Matthew takes calls from viewers as well as giving away some prizes for a competition on the programme.

'E-Space - Fact or Fiction?' is an intelligent look at the science and plausibility behind the idea of E-Space. Narrated by Sophie Aldred, the feature includes interviews with Christopher H. Bidmead (Script Editor), Mat Irvine (Visual Effects Designer), Patrick Moore (Presenter and Astronomer), Andrew Ball (Planetary Scientist) as well as Authors; Paul Parsons and Stephen Baxter. Particularly of interest, was Parsons breakdown of the Four different types of Multiverse, which he explains clearly.

The 'Commentary' is provided by Matthew Waterhouse (Adric), Andrew Smith (Writer) and Christopher H. Bidmead (Script Editor), and presents honest, open and entertaining perspectives of their involvement in the story. Waterhouse and Bidmead are particularly good at keeping the energy levels up in moments where conversation appears to dip. The Doctor Who DVD Commentaries seem to work best when guided by someone unconnected to the serial, as it helps bring the viewer/listener in further by not feeling so alienated.

The 'Coming Soon Trailer' gives us a look at the February 2009 release of The Rescue & The Romans box-set, and has been cut together extremely well with a good choice of music overlay that nips along at an energetic pace.

Also included on the disc are the usual Continuity announcements, Photo Galleries, Info Text and Radio Times Listings.

State of Decay

State of Decay, is, quite simply, gothic Doctor Who at its best. It has it all; vampires, creepy woodland, and an underground lair that harbors a gruesome foe. Of the three stories includes in the box-set, it is clearly this one that shines. This second disc is a little feature-heavy, and feels a bit saturated with a couple of items that focus more on themes, rather than the story in hand.

'The Vampire Lovers' looks at the making of State of Decay. Featuring interviews with Terrance Dicks (Writer), Christopher H. Bidmead (Script Editor), Peter Moffatt (Director), Christine Ruscoe (Designer) and Actors; Lalla Ward (Romana), John Leeson (Voice of K9) and Clinton Greyn (Ivo).

It touches on the turbulent relationship between Dicks and Bidmead, with frank accounts from both parties, as well as looking at some of the themes within the story such as Blood and Vampirism. There is some fascinating insight into the Design of the set and how Christine Ruscoe took inspiration from Mont St Michel in France.

The 'Film Trims' feature includes 6 minutes of mute model and effects shots including the Great Vampires' hand and subsequent staking, as well as some alternative takes of the tower.

'Leaves of Blood' is a fantastic feature, presented by Nicholas Briggs, and gives us a history of Vampires in written fiction. Featuring interviews with Dr. Tina Rath (Vampire Fiction specialist), Authors; Simon Clark, Stephen Gallagher, Kim Newman, Ramsey Campbell, Alison L. R. Davies, Chris Fowler and Pete Crowther, as well as excerpts read deliciously by Nick Scovell.

The breakdown and evolution of the Vampire character is laid bare here thanks to the opinions and ideas discussed by the interviewees which have to be the cream of the crop in this subject matter.

'The Blood Show' takes a look at the make-up of blood, as well as its meaning in society. Featuring interviews with Simon Clare (Nurse Specialist in Haematology), Sir Christopher Frayling (Cultural Historian), Stefan Gates (Broadcaster and Food Writer), Emily Richards (Goth Club Promoter), Dr. Lola Martinez (from the Department of Anthropology, SOAS), Fergus Henderson (Chef and Proprietor, St John Restaurant) and Frank Baker (of Frank's Butchers). Although the feature is of interest, it feels too much like padding to a DVD that already has sufficient content.

'The Frayling Reading' offers Christopher Frayling's understanding of the Vampire legend as well as its connection to State of Decay. The feature brings us back to the Doctor Who DVD content, proper, and makes for a welcome addition.

The 'Commentary' is provided by Matthew Waterhouse (Adric), Peter Moffatt (Director) and Terrance Dicks (Writer). Right from the off we are given some detailed information on the genesis of the story from Dicks, which sets the pace for what turns out to be a fact-filled commentary. Waterhouse, however, takes a while to warm into the commentary, and rather annoyingly repeats chunks of text spoken by Tom Baker in parrot fashion.

Also included on the disc are the usual Continuity announcements, Photo Galleries, Info Text and Radio Times Listings.

Warriors' Gate

Warriors' Gate, as a story is quite complex - perhaps a little too ambitious. What is clear, however, is how much effort has gone into the production. Although it was one of the cheapest Doctor Who stories to be made, the attention to detail in many areas, has to be commended. You do get the feeling that so much more could have been made out of the adventure, however, and end up feeling a little short-changed by the end due to Romana's rushed exit.

Warriors' Gate, holds the most rewarding special features in The E-Space Trilogy box set, with some highly entertaining documentaries and interviews that all connect directly to the story.

'The Dreaming' looks at the making of Warriors' Gate, and features interviews with Christopher H. Bidmead (Script Editor), Paul Joyce (Director), Stephen Gallagher (Writer), Mat Irvine (Visual Effects Designer), and Actors; Lalla Ward (Romana), John Leeson (Voice ok K9), Clifford Rose (Rorvik) and David Weston (Biroc).

The documentary, reveals the pitfalls that the production went through before its completion, as well touching on some of the conflicts amongst the cast and crew.

'The Boy with the Golden Star' features an interview with Matthew Waterhouse, as he looks back through his time on the show. A really enjoyable feature that casts Waterhouse in a new light, whilst tackling some of the myths that followed him as a young actor.

'Lalla's Wardrobe' brings us a chronological look at the various costumes Romana wore throughout her tenure on the show. With interviews from June Hudson (Costume Designer), Louise Page (New Series Costume Designer) and Writers; Nev Fountain and Jonathan Morris.

The 'Extended and Deleted Scenes' are barely noticeable, but will no doubt appease completists. Its such a shame a longer farewell scene wasn't recorded between The Doctor and Romana.

The 'Commentary' features Paul Joyce (Director), John Leeson (Voice of K9), Mat Irvine (Effects Designer), Christopher H. Bidmead (Script Editor) and Lalla Ward (Romana).

It becomes obvious quite early on, that five people in a commentary is just too much, and surprisingly, the energy levels are relatively low throughout with some guests tending to fade into the background.

Also included on the disc is an Easter Egg, as well as the usual Continuity announcements, Photo Galleries, Info Text and Radio Times Listings.

Overall, The E-Space Trilogy DVD box set is quite satisfying, with the exception of a couple of red undant features. The commentaries, in general, were good, but needed more direction, which an external presence could have easily provided.

These serials are by no means representative of The Doctor's finest adventures, but they do show how, even with a tight budget, imagination and resourcefulness can pull through to make a trilogy of entertaining science fiction. Together with its feature-laden content, E-Space is a universe you will enjoy coming back to.

 

Manufacturer: BBC DVD / 2|Entertain

Written By: Terence Dudley

RRP: £12.99

Release Date: 14th April 2008

Reviewed by: Doctor Who Online

Review Posted: 14th March 2008

With the 2008 arrival of a brand new episode of Doctor Who set in the 1930's, what better than to see how they tackled the slightly earlier date of 1925 during Davison's time on the show.

Black Orchid as a story, presents itself extremely well, with the period captured authentically and with great success. At just 50 minutes in length it is a relatively short story, that lends itself well in comparison to the new series. The structure of the adventure is incredibly well thought-out, thanks to strong characters, great settings and a tight script, as well as some shocks and surprises along the way.

It does of course have its downsides, namely the character of Latoni. If a character has to talk, don't give them a distracting tribal Indian mouthpiece! There is added distraction in the form of the excessive heavy breathing effects attributed to George Cranleigh.

Niggles aside though, Black Orchid definitely stands the test of time, and typifies how well a period story can be produced in Doctor Who.

The 'Commentary' with Peter Davison & Matthew Waterhouse, Sarah Sutton and Janet Fielding is extremely entertaining. It's great to hear all four actors reminiscing about their time recording the story, and as always with Davison and Fielding, you're guaranteed a light-hearted deconstruction of moments from the story.

The first special feature on the disc; 'Now & Then', is by far the best of the series produced to date. With tremendous detail in the shooting locations, information on alternative choices for the Cranleigh residence, as well as modern-day shots of the locations used.

The 'Deleted Scenes' feature would have fared better if it wasn't for the sepia overlay that randomly appears and disappears throughout the scenes.

'Film Restoration', offers another rare insight into the hard work the Restoration Team put into all the Doctor Who DVD releases. This time we are educated about A-rolls, B-rolls and the differences between graded and ungraded scenes.

The 'Blue Peter' feature looks at Berman's and Nathan's, who provided the costumes for Black Orchid. Although the Doctor Who related portion of the feature is a small one, it proves to be an informative and entertaining piece, especially the line about one of the presenters nick nacks!

With the success of 'Stripped for Action: The 1st Doctor' on The Time Meddler DVD, comes the equally successful 'Stripped for Action: The 5th Doctor'. The feature includes interviews with former DWM Editors; Gary Russell & Alan Barnes, Comic Artist; Dave Gibbons & Comic Editor; Alan McKenzie. The fantastic computer generated comic strip sequences help round-off an already great feature.

'Points of View' looks at some viewer complaints sparked from switching the airdate / time for Doctor Who.

The 'Photo Gallery' provides some great publicity shots of The Doctor in and around the cricket pitch featured in Black Orchid. Amongst other location / set pictures, there are also some amusing images of the The Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Adric in fancy dress.

The 'Coming Soon' trailer features The Trial of a Time Lord and as always, shows off the tremendous editing skills of the team who put it together.

There is also an 'Easter Egg' on the disc featuring continuity announcements for the original airing of the story.

There really isn't much more that could be added to this release that isn't already on the DVD. With the RRP at just £12.99, and with special features lasting just as long as the main feature, this little package is Top Ho!

 

Manufacturer: BBC DVD / 2|Entertain

Written By: Terrance Dicks

RRP: £19.99

Release Date: 3rd March 2008

Reviewed by: Doctor Who Online

Review Posted: 17th February 2008

The Five Doctors: 25th Anniversary Edition, is one of those must-have items that every Doctor Who fan should own. If there is one story that encapsulates the essence of the show whilst allowing newcomers to jump on board, this is it. The biggest question that potential buyers of the DVD will be asking is how does it differ to previous versions and is it worth getting?

The differences are clearly vast, made evident from the staringly obvious picture quality improvements that the Restoration Team have once again provided. The colour is so much richer which is only emphasised more by Tegan's costume. The original DVD release of The Five Doctors (which also happened to be the first ever Doctor Who DVD release) was extremely feature-light. Spread over two discs, this new release includes both the original transmission version and the special edition version, and is laden with more features than you could possibly hope for with an RRP of just £19.99.

Disc One features the Original Transmission version of The Five Doctors, as well as the 'Celebration: Doctor Who in 1983' documentary. This is presented by Colin Baker and features interviews with Doctor Who Actors; Peter Davison, Nicholas Courtney, Mark Stricskon, Richard Franklin, Elisabeth Sladen, Carole Ann Ford, Caroline John & Janet Fielding, Writers; Terrance Dicks, Gareth Roberts & Paul Cornell, Experts; Andrew Beech, James Goss & Ian Levine, Director; Peter Moffatt, DVD Producer; Richard Molesworth and Visual Effects Designer; Mike Kelt. At almost an hour long, this proves to be an unmissable in-depth look at how the story came into production, as well as a look at the 1983 Doctor Who Celebration at Longleat. It also sets up some of the special features on Disc Two perfectly.

There is also an option to hear a 'Companions Commentary', featuring; Carole Ann Ford (Susan), Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), Mark Strickson (Turlough) & Nicholas Courtney (The Brigadier). The commentary is lively and warm, but lacks the benefit of Clayton Hickman directing, as the voices tend to talk over each other at times.

Also on the disc are the usual 'Trails & Continuity', 'Photo Gallery' and 'Radio Times lisings' extras.

Look away now if you don't want to be spoiled, as this DVD also houses a truly awesome hidden DVD Easter Egg in the form on a Commentary featuring New Series Producer; Phil Collinson, The 10th Doctor; David Tennant and New Series Writer; Helen Raynor. Phil and David in particular are a joy to listen to as they inject their perspectives as fans back when the episode originally aired. It's fresh, funny and different to any of the Classic Doctor Who DVD commentaries to date. 

Disc Two contains the Special Edition version and includes an Audio Commentary featuring Peter Davison and Terrance Dicks. The pair work well together providing an entertaining and informative commentary. Terrance Dicks is on especially fine form, telling us how Tom Baker's scenes would have fit into the story, had he been available. Be sure not to miss his priceless Time Lord urinal observation!

'The Ties That Bind Us' documentary takes a look at what links The Five Doctors to the rest of the Doctor Who universe continuity-wise. Narrated by Paul McGann, and featuring more of Rob Semenoff's fantastic 3D Animation work, this extra is a tightly woven gem, skillfully edited together by Michael Conners and Leanne Sheppard. Look out for the great montage towards the end of the feature.

'Five Doctors, One Studio' features unseen studio footage from the scene where the four Doctors meet in Rassilon's Tomb. Although it runs at a lengthy 19 minutes, it proves addictive viewing, as we see some lovely moments between Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee in-between takes. One such moment, is where Troughton offers Pertwee a Jelly Baby, to which Pertwee jokingly accuses him of trying to sabotage his scene.

The 'Out-takes' feature gives us some great out-takes from the serial, including Davison's hilarious infamous final line from the story.

'[Not So] Special Effects' takes a look at some of the Special Effects shots from the story.

'Saturday Superstore' contains a complete Doctor Who segment which includes interviews with Peter Davison, Mark Strickson and Janet Fielding, who take questions from the show's child callers.

'Blue Peter' includes a look at some of the Doctors previous enemies, and has appearances from Richard Hurndall and Peter Davison.

'Nationwide' offers a complete Doctor Who segment where Sue Lawley interviews Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Peter Davison on their roles playing the Doctor. There's a great moment when Troughton produces a bag of Jelly Babies and offers them round.

'Breakfast Time ' features a brief interview with Peter Davison and a mischievous Patrick Troughton, promoting The Five Doctors.

The Invasion of Time is the focus of the latest 'Coming Soon Trailer', and as with previous trailers, proves to be energetic, suspenseful and definitely piques the viewers interest enough to convince them to purchase the story.

Overall, we have another well-thought-out release, that has been produced with care and respect to both fans of the show, and members of the cast and crew. If you're after a complete tribute to The Five Doctors, with all the trimmings - look no further.

Manufacturer: BBC DVD / 2|Entertain

Written By: Dennis Spooner

RRP: £12.99

Release Date: 4th February 2008

Reviewed by: Doctor Who Online

Review Posted: 1st February 2008

The Doctor Who DVD range has been a bit Hartnell-light over the past year, but now with the release of The Time Meddler, we're back on form with a great story backed with some fantastic features. 

The Commentary is rich with guests from the serial; Verity Lambert (Producer), Barry Newbury (Designer), Donald Tosh (Script Editor) & Peter Purves (Stevan). It was lovely to hear Verity, almost speaking from beyond the Grave on her final Doctor Who episode as Producer. Kudos to Clayton Hickman, who directs the course of the Commentary with seamless skill, and his bountiful knowledge of Classic Who. 

The main batch of features kicks off with an extremely fitting Verity Lambert Obituary that pays homage to Doctor Who's first Producer. This is cushioned with the next feature in the form of a Verity Lambert Photo Gallery, which offers some unseen images of Verity throughout her Doctor Who tenure. 

'Stripped for Action: The First Doctor' takes a look at the Doctor Who Comic strips featuring William Hartnell's Doctor. With interviews from John Ainsworth, Jeremy Bentham, Alan Barnes, Gary Russell and Bill Mevin, it looks at some of the characters, monsters, and design processes that went into the strips. 

'The Lost Twelve Seconds' features 12 seconds of footage depicting the killing of two Viking Warriors by the Saxons, accompanied with audio and script extracts, it helps make the serial feel that bit more complete. 

Although the story hasn't benefited from the VidFIRE technology, the episodes have been noticeably cleaned up and given a bit of a polish for this DVD release. The 'Restoration' feature shows us some good examples of this from the original VHS transfer to that of the DVD release, thus detailing a clear differentiation between the two. 

The Photo Gallery offers some great shots of the set as well as behind the scenes and promotional images. It is accompanied by a good choice of music from The Time Meddler score. 

The 'Coming Soon Trailer' features a new take on the trailer format, voiced over by Paul McGann and accompanied with some cgi titles. I can't help thinking that the special features should also be promoted to help sell the disc, especially with the quality and hard work that goes into so many of them. 

As always with the BBC Doctor Who DVD's you get the original Radio Times listings included as a DVD ROM extra. 

Also worth a mention is the stunningly fitting DVD cover design which is once again produced by the fabulous Clayton Hickman. 

Overall, a great package with a lot more bang for your buck at just £12.99.

 

Manufacturer: BBC DVD / 2|Entertain

Written By: Malcolm Hulke, Johnny Byrne

RRP: £39.99

Release Date: 14th January 2008

Reviewed by: Doctor Who Online

Review Posted: 7th January 2008

What better way to kick off 2008 than with a Classic Series Doctor Who DVD box-set, and the box-set in question is the aptly titled 'Beneath the Surface'.

The set houses 3 stories in total; The Silurians, The Sea Devils and Warriors of the Deep, all of which, together with special features, are spanned over 4 jam-packed discs.

Disc One - The Silurians

Disc One contains Episodes 1-4 of The Silurians, and unfortunately heralds the second broken up story in the Doctor Who DVD collection. Owing to this, the viewer then has to put in Disc 2 to view the remaining 3 episodes of the serial.

One sympathises, owing to the sheer volume of features versus actual disc space, but from a fans perspective, we would have personally preferred the features on disc one to have been bundled onto disc two, and have an uninterrupted Doctor Who adventure. That being said, Disc one's feature; 'What Lies Beneath' offers a refreshing analysis into the making of The Silurians, as well as some amuzing comparisons to the new series, interesting political and moral perspectives, whilst also exploring the scientific plausabilities within the story. Coupled with some great linking interviews from Producer; Barry Letts, Writers; Terrance Dicks & Paul Cornell, Actors; Caroline John, Peter Miles & Nicholas Courtney and even an appearance from Labour MP; Roy Hattersley, this feature proves to be one of the richest produced to date.

Disc Two - The Silurians

Disc Two contains the remainder of the serial (Episodes 5-7), together with a greater selection of bonus features.

'Going Underground' offers insights into filming locations as well a look into how the cave scenes in The Silurians were made and produced. There are some great interviews with Designer; Barry Newbury, Barry Letts, Director; Timothy Combe, Caroline John, Nicholas Courtney and Peter Miles.

Within this documentary we're treated to a great little moment where both Nicholas Courtney and Peter Miles state their admiration for each other as actors. Peter later gives us an amuzing understanding of the impetus behind his character's death scene.

Richard Bignell's 'Now and Then' feature has some great location comparisons from the original time of filming, to modern day. 

'Musical Scales' looks at the experimental music behind Doctor Who. The documentary includes interviews with Christopher Barry, Malcolm Clarke, Barry Letts, Michael E. Briant and Timothy Combe, but it is Mark Ayres who provides the most rewarding interview. Mark's infinite knowledge and intelligence shines through with great clarity.

'Colour Silurian Overlay' looks at the restoration of the serial, whilst giving us a rare window on the work the restoration team puts into the Doctor Who DVD releases.

Disc Three - The Sea Devils

Disc Three contains all six episodes of The Sea Devils, but unlike The Silurians, this disc feels a bit feature-light.

'Hello Sailor!' takes a look at how the production team managed to get the Royal Navy involved in the recording of The Sea Devils. Again, there are some great interviews in the documentary, perhaps the best coming from Terrance Dicks and Barry Letts, whose off-screen chemistry works its magic in front of the cameras.

'8mm' offers some rare behind-the-scenes footage that was recorded on an 8mm cine-camera at the time of recording The Sea Devils. Michael E Briant states how he wishes he could have used some of the shots in the serial.

Also included on the disc is an electronic PDF version of the Doctor Who Piccolo book; 'The Making of Doctor Who', an interesting read that compliments the DVD release.

Disc Four - Warriors of the Deep

Disc Four contains the final story in the box-set; Warriors of the Deep. Although commonly it may be the least popular of the three serials, the special features on this disc alone, help to make the £39.99 cover price worthwhile.

The documentaries are presented in a CGI suite replica of Seabase 4, which makes the viewer double-take in disbelief because of the attention to detail and quality.

'The Depths' kicks off with a truly mind-blowing CGI sequence that includes a modern-day Peter Davison walking through a door in the CGI suite, instantly raising the bar on the previous three discs.

The only criticism in this particular documentary was the inclusion of a clearly perspiring Ian Levine, which seemed unnessesary due to the fact that it didnt really appear to add anything to the feature.

'They Came From Beneath The Sea' continues with the CGI suite, and takes a look at the monsters in Warriors of the Deep. There is a great deconstruction of the Myrka including interviews with the actors who played the front and back end of the monster!

'Science in Action' is a piece filmed at Mat Irvine's workshop, and provides an interesting look at the different ways of constructing monsters, props and ships in Doctor Who.

All three stories include the usual Photo Galleries, Radio Times Listings, Trails & Continuity links as well as a great little Easter Egg.

Also in the set is a 'Coming Soon Trailer', which features The Time Meddler. As with the previous trailers, the cut and edit have created something that makes the viewer really look forward to the release. The modern music overlay doesnt quite work, however.

Overall a terrific package, which houses the ultimate tribute to the Silurians and the Sea Devils. Although let down by a few technical points, this box-set will literally have you wanting to find out what lies beneath the surface of the striking cover design.