It is with deepest regret that DWO announces the passing of Classic Series Doctor Who Actor, Peter Gilmore.

Peter was perhaps best known to Doctor Who fans for appearing in the Classic Series adventure Frontios as Brazen.

DWO would like to extend our sympathies to Peter's family and friends.

UPDATE: Wednesday 6th February 2013

There are some reports online that Peter's death was a hoax, but DWO have contacted Equity and Peter's agent (Roger Carey Associates), who both sadly re-confirmed the news that he passed away on Sunday 3rd February.

[Sources: Alan Pulverton; Equity; Roger Carey Associates]

Manufacturer: BBC DVD / 2|Entertain

Written By: Christopher H. Bidmead

RRP: £20.42

Release Date: 30th May 2011

Reviewed By: Dale Who for D octor Who Online

Review Posted: 18th April 2011

Let's get something straight and out in the open right from the outset...  There is a type of creature that is made scarier by making it larger.  In Doctor Who's long history, they would be giant maggots and giant spiders.  They work with an already present fear or revulsion of the creatures to produce a memorably scary Doctor Who monster.  In the not scary bracket are giant ants and butterflies (the Zarbi and Menoptera from 1965's "The Web Planet")... and woodlice.  Woodlice are not scary.  Not even remotely.

Frontios is a polarised story.  Some parts of it work brilliantly, and some parts of it really don't; and this new BBC / 2|Entertain DVD showcases both these aspects and examines them in the special features on the single disc release.

Starting with the story itself, Frontios is a fairly low budget studio bound Doctor Who, coming towards the end of Peter Davison's tenure as The Doctor.  The regular cast continue to shine, with Davison and Janet Fielding especially stealing every scene they're in; and there are some brilliant guest stars in Jeff Rawle as Plantagenet and Lesley Dunlop in the role of Norna.  There are some great lines and jokes along the way, and the Doctor is in one of those "grouchy professor" moods that suited his young persona so very well.  

Sadly for Frontios, that's about where the good ends.  The sets - although you can see an awful lot of effort and thought went into them - don't work in convincing that the studio is the surface of an alien planet, some of the performances really aren't great, and then there's the Tractators.  Giant flapping woodlice that fail in just about every way possible to be even remotely thrilling.

This story will be remembered for two main reasons; firstly this is the one where the previously indestructible TARDIS was destroyed (albeit briefly!), and secondly for the unpleasant infestation of some particularly large  and rubbish woodlice that hung around for two (and a bit) episodes.  Its failures certainly aren't for the lack of trying: the direction, the handling and the production all work well with what they've got.  However it looks cheap and rushed and all a little too hurried to carry off what still wouldn't have been a great story with a budget ten times larger.

It is also worth noting that several of the concepts shown in this story (the colonists being pulled down through the ground, and witnesses referring to this as the Earth being hungry) were re-used and utilised to much better effect in the 2010 series of Doctor Who, in the Silurian episode "The Hungry Earth"... now where did they get that title from?

Special Features:

Driven To Distractation - There are many reasons to love this half hour featurette; it has a lot of frank honesty, a lot of humour, and gives a robust defence of the story itself.  It almost succeeds in making you like the story more.  Almost.  What it definitely succeeds at is showing the rush-job that the Doctor Who cast and crew faced to get the story in the can, in the face of several tragedies and setbacks; and it shows the thought processes behind the writing of the serial.  It's nicely put together, uses relevant footage from the time and is decidedly non-judgemental and supportive in what comes across in quite a sweet way.  The writers and stars do admit where there were mistakes made, and it's very brave of them to do so, even if Christopher H. Bidmead neatly places the blame on everyone but himself.

Extra / Deleted Scenes - Minor trims and one or two scenes that play rather well but didn't make it into the final cut of the programme.  There's a brilliant bit about the Doctor's spectacles, and Tegan being an android that really should have been aired; they're funny, clever, and give Tegan and the Doctor some great lines.

Commentary - Peter Davison, Jeff Rawle, Dick Mills and Eric Saward sit around a red table and give opinions, anecdotes, memories and an overall view of how the show holds up for them twenty seven years on.  It's all quite pleasant and jovial and Rawle and Mills especially give some new angles on how the guest stars, and the "special sound" on Doctor Who were used.

Info Text - The usual trivia packed information is available on this disc as well, although most of it seems obsessed in pointing out where anything over two seconds of cuts were made to trim episodes down from over running.  It also points out a couple of continuity errors and the careers and times of the guests stars that appeared in Frontios.

Coming Soon Trailer - The next absurdly themed boxed set: Earthstory, in which William Hartnell's Doctor lands in Tombstone in search of a dentist and gets rather caught up with "The Gunfighters", and Peter Davison's Doctor lands in Little Hodcombe and discovers a centuries old evil lurking in the local church in "The Awakening".

With the usual fripperies as well, such as the Radio Times PDF files, and the Photo Gallery from Frontios, these features help buoy a story that's not as strong as it might have been; however it's certainly not for the lack of trying.

+  Compare Prices for this product on CompareTheDalek.com!

2|Entertain have sent DWO the cover and details for the 30th May Doctor Who DVD release of Frontios.

As a strange force takes hold of the TARDIS, the Doctor and his friends find themselves grounded on the inhospitable planet of Frontios, where the last survivors of the human race sc ratch out a desperate existence far away from their long dead home planet.

The colonists are gripped by fear and paranoia as the planet is battered by attacks from space and they watch as the bodies of their dead are sucked into the ground. But the Doctor only appreciates the true gravity of the situation when he finds that the TARDIS has been destroyed...

Special Features:

• Commentary - With actors Peter Davison, Jeff Rawle and John Gillett, script editor Eric Saward and special sounds designer Dick Mills.

• Driven to Distractation – cast and crew look back at the making of ‘Frontios’. With actors Peter Davison, Mark Strickson, Jeff Rawle and John Gillett, script editors Christopher H. Bidmead and Eric Saward, and designer David Buckingham. Narrated by Paul Jones.

• Deleted and Extended Scenes – a chance to see scenes that were cut during editing, many of which are presented before post-production effects had been added.

• Photo Gallery - production, design and publicity photos from the story.

• Isolated Music – option to watch the episodes with the isolated music score.

• Coming Soon - a trailer for a forthcoming DVD release.

• Radio Times Listings in Adobe PDF format.

• Programme subtitles.

• Subtitle Production Notes.

+  Frontios is released on 30th May 2011, priced £20.42.

+  Compare Prices for this product on CompareTheDalek.com.

[Source: 2|Entertain]

BBC America have sent DWO the cover and details for the June 2011, Region 1 DVD release of Frontios.

An irresistible force draws the TARDIS to the barren surface of Frontios, where in the far future the last surviving humans cower amongst the ruins of their wrecked spacecraft.

Under constant threat from lethal meteorite bombardments, few of the doomed colony members realize that the ground of Frontios itself opens up and devours the unwary.

Not permitted to assist, the Doctor attempts to leave, but is thwarted when the unimaginable occurs: the TARDIS is utterly destroyed.

Special Features:

• Audio Commentary

• Driven to Distractation 

• Deleted and Extended Scenes 

• Photo Gallery 

• PDF materials: Radio Times Listings

• Production Notes Subtitle Option

+  Frontios is released on 14th June 2011, priced $24.98 (USA) / $26.98 (Canada).

+  Compare Prices for this product on CompareTheDalek.com.

[Source: BBC America]

2|Entertain have confirmed all the Doctor Who DVD titles they will be releasing in 2011, along with a few extras to tantalise us in the meantime.

Meglos - Out Now

The Mutants - 31st January

Special Features:

-  Commentary

-  Race Against Time documentary on race

-  Mutt Mad ('making-of' documentary)

The Ark - 14th February

Special Features:

-  Commentary

-  Riverside Studios documentary

-  All's Wells that Ends Wells documentary

-  One Hit Wonder documentary

Mara Tales (Contains: Kinda & Snakedance) - 7th March

Kinda - Special Features:

-  Commentary

-  Optional CGI Effects

-  Feature on director, Peter Grimwade

-  Original studio footage

-  Dreamtime ('making-of' documentary)

-  Matthew Waterhouse on Top of the Pops

Snakedance - Special Features:

-  Commentary

-  Snake Charmer ('making-of' documentary

-  Deleted and Extended Scenes

-  Part Four alternative ending

-  Original studio footage

Revisitations 2 (Contains: Carnival of Monsters, Resurrection of the Daleks & The Seeds of Death) - 28th March

Carnival of Monsters - Special Features:

-  Commentary

-  Destroy all Monsters ('making-of' documentary)

-  The Mary Celeste Mystery documentary

-  Early edit of Episode 2

-  The A-Z of Gadgets documentary

-  On Target With... Ian Marter

-  Includes other VAM as previously released

Resurrection of the Daleks - Special Features:

-  New Commentary on UK two-part transmission version

-  UK two-part transmission version

-  New 5.1 mix for two-part transmission version

-  Isolated score for two-part transmission version

-  Casting Far and Wide

-  Come In Number Five (era documentary, presented by David Tennant)

-  Easter Egg

-  Tomorrow's Times: The Fifth Doctor

-  Includes other VAM as previously released

The Seeds of Death - Special Features:

-  Audio Trailer

-  Lords of the Red Planet documentary

-  Monsters Who Came Back for More documentary

-  Monster Masterclass

-  Includes other VAM as previously released

Planet of the Spiders - Release Date TBA

Special Features:

-  Commentary

-  90-minute compilation version

-  Jon Pertwee on Wogan

-  John Kane Remembers

-  The Final Curtain documentary

-  Directing Who: Barry Letts

-  Now and Then locations documentary

Mannequin Mania (Contains: Spearhead from Space & Terror of the Autons) - Release Date TBA

Spearhead from Space - Special Features:

-  New Commentary

-  Regenerations; From Black and White To Colour

-  UNIT Recruitment Film

-  Down To Earth ('making-of' documentary)

-  All four episodes newly restored from high definition telecine transfer

Terror of the Autons - Special Features:

-  Commentary

-  Nestle Comic Strip

-  Additional footage from Episode One

-  Plastic Fantastic documentary

-  Isolated Score

-  Down to Distraction ('making-of' documentary)

Frontios - Release Date TBA

Special Features:

-  Commentary

-  Isolated Score

-  Driven To Distraction ('making-of' documentary)

EarthStory (Contains: The Awakening & The Gunfighters) - Release Date TBA

The Awakening - Special Features:

-  Commentary

-  'Horse destroys gate' outtake

-  On The Cutting Room Floor

-  Kamelion deleted scene

-  Barry Newbery: Designer documentary

-  Back to Little Hodcombe documentary

-  Location footage compilation

-  Now and Then locations documentary

The Gunfighters - Special Features:

-  Commentary

-  End of the Line? documentary

-  Tomorrow's Times: The First Doctor

Paradise Towers - Release Date TBA

Special Features:

-  Commentary

-  Girls Girls Girls: 1980s

-  Horror on the High-Rise ('making-of' documentary)

-  All four episodes with original, rejected score by David Snell

-  Jigsaw

Revisitations 3 (Contains: The Tomb of the Cybermen, The Robots of Death & The Three Doctors) - Release Date TBA

The Tomb of the Cybermen - Special Features:

-  New Commentary

-  Tomb and the Magic of VidFIRE documentary

-  All four episodes VidFIREd for the first time

-  Sky Ray promotional TV spot

-  Lost Giants documentary

-  Curse of the Cybermen's Tomb documentary

-  Cybermen (extended edition of the documentary that appeared on a box-set of more recent episodes)

-  Includes other VAM as previously released

The Robots of Death - Special Features:

-  New Commentary

-  Sandmine Murders ('making-of' documentary)

-  Robophobia documentary

-  Girls Girls Girls: 1970s

-  Includes other VAM as previously released

The Three Doctors - Special Features:

-  'Making-of' documentary

-  When Doctor Who Was Uncool documentary

-  Episode encoding/authoring errors on original release fixed

-  Includes other VAM as previously released

The Solar System (Contains: The Ambassadors of Death & The Sun Makers) - Release Date TBA

The Ambassadors of Death - Special Features:

-  Commentary

-  Battle for Mars Probe 7 ('making-of' documentary

-  Tomorrow's Times: The Third Doctor

The Sun Makers - Special Features:

-  TX Trail

-  Running From the Tax Man ('making-of' documentary)

-  Doctor's Composer: Dudley Simpson

Day of the Daleks - Release Date TBA

Special Features:

-  Special Edition with new visual & audio FX, and new Dalek voices from Nicholas Briggs

-  Blasting Past documentary

-  Blue Peter

-  Cheating Memory documentary

-  Nationwide: Win A Dalek

-  UNIT: Dating Conundrum

-  View From the Gallery

-  New FX - Making-Of

-  Day of the Daleks Teaser Trailer cut exclusively for 'Now and Then' DWAS Event

-  Online teaser promo

As dates are confirmed, full details and covers will be added to the DWO Release Guide.

 Post a Question to 2|Entertain in the DWO Forums.

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[Source: Doctor Who Magazine - Issue #430]