DIGITAL WHO
DVD REVIEWS

The digital transfer is first rate, with the BBC Restoration team working extremely hard to fix image and sound quality. It almost looks like THE AZTECS was shot only a few years ago. Forget the video release, this version outrates them all. Also of interest are the special features - well over an hour of extra material. The highlights being the fireside chat with John Ringham, Walter Randall and Ian Cullen, who were all supporting cast members; episode four with its optional Arabic soundtrack; a bizarre animated guide to making Cocoa the Aztec way; and the terrific documentary on just how the Restoration team made this release so clean and crisp.

You've never seen early Who like this - go out and buy it now. Excellent.

Years after the Cybermen have apparently vanished, the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria stumble across a multinational expedition hunting for the last remains of the metal men. Unfortunately, they find the tomb they were looking for and one by one discover that the Cybermen may not be as dead as first thought. And there also seems to be a traitor in their midst - but who is the one who will risk all to join with the Cybermen?

Once again, the Restoration team have done a stirling job removing the imperfections and damage to the print. It's as crystal clear as the day it was first shot (probably even more so) and it's a delight to have sound and dialogue levels returned to normal. The commentary track by Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling is a lot of fun to listen to, and the exclusive "Tombwatch" footage of stars from the story getting together to watch the found prints in 1992 gives a great insight into the making of the program. And, if that wasn't enough, see the original Patrick Troughton title sequence tests which are shown here for the first time.

Don't bury this one, get yourself a copy before they all disappear.

Back in the dim dark days of the 80s, the BBC released THE SEEDS OF DEATH on video as one loooong movie - editing out the episode cliffhangers and creating a three hour slog that ruined this "classic" story. Thankfully, with the release of the DVD version, we get to see the story as it was meant to be seen - six episodes, uncut, with cliffhangers and all. And what a wonderful Troughton story this is! The DVD transfer makes the most of the Ice Warriors, making them look clean and new - as if they were filmed yesterday. This two-DVD release comes with a host of extras as well, some excellent and some not so. Still, there's a feast of Who-stuff for any dedicated fan.

The 25 minute interview with the actors who played the Ice Warriors is by far the best feature, followed by the commentary by Frazer Hines, Wendy Padbury, Terrance Dicks and Michael Ferguson. The 8mm home footage shot during the final episode of EVIL OF THE DALEKS is well worth a look, as is the newly-discovered "censor clips" from New Zealand of THE WEB OF FEAR and THE WHEEL IN SPACE. The photo gallery is not so good, with that annoying ambient music, and TARDIS-Cam still fails to excite.

But, hell, you don't even need the features on disc two, THE SEEDS OF DEATH stands as a classic Troughton tale of Humans-Against-Alien-Monsters-in-an-Enclosed-Space. This is what Troughton's era was all about, and we're damn lucky we still have SEEDS OF DOOM and TOMB OF THE CYBERMEN to give us an idea of just how good EVIL and POWER OF THE DALEKS would've been. SEEDS OF DOOM would've stood by itself in this release, but the extras just put icing on the cake.

Ssssssssssuperb!

Maybe that's why the BBC decided not to throw so many special features on this DVD. Well, there are some features, but they don't come close to the features on other Who DVDs. Of course, this was one of the first BBC Who DVDs released, so they can be forgiven for still finding their way on the special feature section.

The commentary by Nicholas Courtney and Caroline John is quite funny at times, but could be better if they had watched the episodes first and made some notes; the UNIT recruitment film is a laugh; the trailers show how WHO should have been advertised on the BBC; and the on-screen production notes and photo gallery are extensive.

But make no mistake, the star of this show is the show itself. With a superb script and wonderful acting by both the main and guest cast, along with this incredibly clean good-as-new-if-not-better print, SPEARHEAD FROM SPACE is an absolute joy to watch again. Pertwee fans will lap it up.

The commentary by Katy Manning and Barry Letts is one of the best so far, with lots of anecdotes and humorous stories about their time on the serial. Other special features include another TARDIS-cam (very good) and BBC2 trailer (not so good); a behind the scenes film report from 1972, model sequences and CSO training film which are all hilarious to watch; alternative (and thankfully never used) title music; and the original "director's cut" of the end of episode 4, although if you blink you'd miss the differences.

For a story that doesn't have much going for it, the excellent cast, remastered print and the complete quirkiness of the storyline makes this one a winner. Probably not everyone's choice as the second Pertwee DVD to be released, but fun all the same.

The stand-out extra on this release is the commentary track by Tom Baker, Liz Sladen and producer Philip Hinchcliffe. It truly is a laugh a minute. For those people who find the Who models somewhat lacking in realism, this story comes with the option to replace the old models with new computer generated ones that bring the story to life once again. The photo gallery and on-screen notes are extensive, the interview with Tom Baker is a lot of fun, the BBC1 trailer and News report are somewhat interesting, but the unused Title Sequence and 16mm model footage are best lift skipped over. The exclusive interview with designer Roger Murray-Leach is quite good, however it would have been better for him to talk extensively about this story, and leave the other six stories also covered for their own DVD release down the track.

ARK IN SPACE is a Baker classic, and all the reasons for that are on show here in this DVD. It is also the first story in the three story "Nerva Beacon" arc, and for that reason should be snatched up in preparation for the release of THE SONTARAN EXPERIMENT and REVENGE OF THE CYBERMEN which will, I'm sure, follow in due course.

Make no mistake about it, THE ROBOTS OF DEATH is a Who classic. It has everything going for it: Tom Baker as the Doctor, Louise Jameson a Leela, Robert Holmes as script editor, Chris Boucher as writer and a lavish set filled to the brim with top-class supporting characters and scary, evil robots.

It has long been considered Who doctrine that Robert Holmes helped make this era of Who the most popular and well-regarded in its history. Chris Boucher, the man behind a great majority of the excellent BLAKE'S 7 stories, provides a non-stop thrill ride of a who-dunit that will terrify right to the very end.

ROBOTS OF DEATH is right up there with CAVES OF ANDROZANI. And it's lucky the story is bullet-proof, because the extras contained on the DVD leave quite a bit to be desired. The standout highlight is the commentary by producer Philip Hinchcliffe and writer Chris Boucher. We can only hope the BBC call on Chris again for commentary on other Who and Blake's 7 releases lined up for the future. Excellent to listen to the behind-the-scenes memories from these guys.

The photo gallery is okay, but the model sequences and studio floor plans are nothing more than filler. But, hey, we're here for the story and not the extras, which is a good thing, because ROBOTS OF DEATH stands on its own...it just would have been nice to have some terrific extras, such as commentary by Louise Jameson as well. Maybe that will happen in another release in the future.

Jack the Ripper, ventriloquism, evil dolls, giant rats and a hay-covered Porsche. Who could ask for more? Yep, it's Baker Classic time and we're talking Talons of Weng-Chiang!

Tom Baker and Louise Jameson slip easily into this period piece from Victorian London. This six-parter is always voted as one of the top stories of all time, and the latest DVD release brings it to life once again. The transfer is excellent, the sound superb and the story is first rate, written by the best Who writer of all time - Robert Holmes.

The extras are, however, lamentable. These six-episodes of Who are par excelence, which is good. Because disc two is a stinker.

The "features" include a pretty good photo gallery; a less-than-friendly interview with then-producer Philip Hinchcliffe as a BBC interviewer attacks him for the amount of violence and "sexy ladies" in the show; trailers and continuity clips that are nothing more than filler; another TARDIS Cam which is an extended version, but still pointless (note to BBC Fictionlab, the TARDIS spins while travelling through space...); 25 minutes of behind the scenes black and white snowy video of some studio footage which is almost unwatchable; and - wait for it - 30 minutes of BLUE PETER in which you learn how to build a "Doctor Who Puppet Theatre"! The only redeeming part of BLUE PETER is the fact you get to see Peter Purves (Stephen in Hartnell's time as the Doctor) who is smart enough to keep well out of the Doctor Who Theatre fiasco.

The BBC have really scraped the barrell for features this time, and frankly they're a complete waste of space. The only redeeming feature is the WHOSE DOCTOR WHO documentary, which has some interesting interviews (although still way too long, clocking in at an hour) and celebrates thirteen years of the program. Still, it seems the BBC has tried to scrape together any program that may have mentioned TALONS OF WENG-CHIANG and stuck it on the second DVD.

Thankfully the commentary on Disc 1 with Louise Jameson, David Maloney, John Bennett and Christopher Benjamin saves the day!

TALONS went a long way to helping Who break into the US market, and there's little doubt that this release was a great selection for the Doctor's 40th Anniversary year. Chuck out those old videos and grab this DVD today.

One of the best yet, sadly let down only by poor extras. Let's hope this is the exception to the BBC rule.

To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Doctor Who, the BBC commissioned a special movie length Doctor Who story called, THE FIVE DOCTORS. Following along from the great success of the 10th anniversary special, called THE THREE DOCTORS, the BBC decided a no-holds-barred 5 Doctor special, with countless baddies and favorite foes, would be just the ticket for the 20th anniversary. And, mostly, they were correct.

While the story is nothing too extreme, let's face it, there's so many beloved characters on screen, with 5 doctors and a dozen companions, the story can be lost behind the stars. But it is still fun to watch and remember those earlier years. Without a doubt, Patrick Troughton puts in the best performance as Doctor Number 2, but you have to applaud Richard Hurndall for stepping into the first Doctor's role, seeing Richard Hartnell had already passed away. Everyone performs to their best, and you almost don't miss Tom Baker, who turned down the chance to reprise his fourth Doctor. Luckily, archival and unused footage brings both Hartnell and Baker to this story as well.

The DVD has little in the way of features, which is a shame. Still, maybe the BBC are allowing the anniversary story to speak for itself. The Dolby Digital soundtrack is an absolute wonder and makes you wish all the stories could be released with this new remaster of sound and music. There's also an isolated soundtrack for those who can't get enough of the incidental music. But the real bonus comes with the new visual effects, as well as the extended and additional scenes that add 12 minutes to the whole story. In fact, the new beginning is as creepy as you could get!

A terrific DVD that could have been excellent if more features were added.

The cast is exceptional (both usual and guest), with standout performances by Rodney Bewes as Stien and Maurice Colbourne as Lytton. Not to mention Janet Fielding's tear-jerker goodbye at the end of the story. There's quality writing and direction, some truly scary moments, and a DVD transfer that is probably the best yet.

Of the features on the DVD we have: a highly informative commentary by Peter Davison, Janet Fielding and director Matthew Robinson; an interesting "on location" interview with John Nathan-Turner, Eric Saward and Matthew Robinson; a new Dolby 5.1 Sound mix (or boring mono); a not so interesting Breakfast Time interview with JNT and Janet Fielding; a few deleted and extended scenes that add..well..not very much at all; the BBC1 trailer for episode 1; the usual photo gallery and production subtitles; as well as the increasingly redundant TARDIS Cam which is surely only an excuse to keep 10 BBC staff in jobs.

The BBC continues to set the standard with these DVD releases. Each is better than the one before, and this one goes a long way to being the best colour release so far (with THE AZTECS being the best black and white release by a long shot...)

Go on, buy it. You know you want to.

The DVD version of CAVES alone would be reason enough to purchase this DVD, so any extra features are just icing on the cake. The commentary by Davison, Bryant and director Graeme Harper is fun to listen to, the on-screen production notes are extensive, the news and trailer features are good to view all these years later and the photo gallery has many never-before-seen shots. The music feature is not quite all that it could have been, but the extended scenes and regeneration behind-the-scenes footage (with commentary) gives a unique insight into just how taxing a regeneration can be for all those involved.

If you're only ever going to buy one Who DVD, this is the one. It's the story every Who fan has to have. If you're going to buy them all, then make sure this is high on your list. This was Who's strongest story, best written, best produced and best acted. This is the pinnacle. Nothing gets better than this. A must-have.

Thankfully, the story is strong enough to be worth buying even without a lot of special features. This story, attacked in the media when first released for being too violent, has stood the test of time well and must indeed be one of the highlights of Colin Baker's era. Overly violent? Well, that's the whole point. A point a lot of people in the 80s seem to have missed. Now, in this post-X-files world, the story is a classic and the cast and crew should be congratulated.

The special features are nothing to get excited about, although the commentary by Colin Baker, Nabil Shaban and Nicola Bryant is superb. The outtakes and trailers are better skipped, but the removed scenes are far more interesting as they contain three scenes cut from the transmitted episodes that go a long way to explaining Varos and also the relationship between the Doctor and Peri. You'll find yourself shaking your head in wonderment as to why such important scenes were cut from the final episodes.

With every viewing, VENGEANCE ON VAROS just gets better and better. Buy it, you won't be disappointed.

25 years after the show began, Doctor number 7 finds himself in London in 1963, only minutes after the first Doctor has departed. This story was screened during the 25th anniversary celebrations of Doctor Who, and no anniversary would be complete without the return of the Daleks.

The McCoy years as the Doctor were plagued with lack of funds and lack of good writing, so this story (along with BATTLEFIELD and SILVER NEMESIS) stand out as the best of the bunch for McCoy's Doctor. While the story is a trifle confusing, pitting Daleks against Daleks (done much better during Troughton's era), it is fun to watch and look for all the Who tie-ins. Sophie Aldred proves why she was such a find as a companion, playing the part of Ace to perfection. There's exploding Daleks, fighting Daleks and even Daleks walking up stairs. An anniversary story couldn't ask for more.

On this disk the highlights are the commentary by McCoy and Aldred, the multi-angle scenes and some of the deleted scenes. The music-only option again is only there to fill disc space and the BBC trailers are not worth more than a cursory glance. Still, it's fun to see the Doctor encounter the Daleks for the final time, and all in all it's a fun romp through Who history.

In 1996, the BBC tried to relaunch WHO to the American market along with the help of Fox Studios. The result of this short and turbulent marriage can be seen in the DVD release of DOCTOR WHO - THE MOVIE.

It's 1999 and the world is about to end. Sylvester McCoy, Doctor number 7, gets the bad timing award for landing the TARDIS in the middle of a shootout in San Francisco. Sly should've remembered to check the TARDIS monitor before going outside! Anyway, finding himself full of bullets and quickly dying, the Doctor tries to tell the medical doctor operating on him that he's an alien from Gallifrey. Instead, the surgery goes wrong and Doctor 7 suddenly regenerates into Doctor 8, Paul McGann. Meanwhile, the Master, who was travelling with the Doctor in the TARDIS (don't ask, it's a long story) escapes to cause havoc on the population.

DOCTOR WHO - THE MOVIE was a moderate success in the US, and a bigger success in the UK and Australia. But not big enough to bring it back. McGann plays a charming and insightful Doctor and the fans can get a chance to see how the Americans would have Americanised the show.

The features on the DVD are quite extensive. Apart from the usual BBC trailers and photo gallery, there are Fox studios featurettes, interviews with the cast and producers, isolated audio tracks and songs from the program, and a behind the scenes feature. The most outstanding interview is with producer Philip Segal. We get to hear all the trivia about the program, the successes and the failures. Then, this is followed by a retrospective interview with Segal in 2001, where he looks back on what really happened 5 years earlier.

In the end, a very nice package.

Return to the Red Dwarf and visit Lister, Rimmer, Holly and the Cat for series one of this breakout sci-fi comedy. The BBC have just released the full first season of Red Dwarf which is, sadly, only 6 episodes. The comedy and characterisation is still as sharp today as it was when it first screened and nothing seems dated. From these humble six episodes, the whole Red Dwarf empire began.

The DVD release of Red Dwarf is a two DVD pack. The first is the full 6 episodes of season one. Be aware, however, these are the original broadcast episodes, NOT the remastered episodes that were released in the late 90s. There's no computer generated effects to hide blemishes in this release. And this is a wise move.

And there's a wealth of features. The standard fare is still there, photo galleries, trailers, model shots. But the rest of the features are well worth a look. The smeg-ups blooper reels (that were released separately in the video releases) have now been added to the series they were taken from. So series one comes with series one bloopers. There's the first episode, in full Japanese; deleted and refilmed scenes; music cues from the show (character and dramatic are the best); audio book clips of Chris Barrie reading all the parts (and reading them quite well); a drunk featurette and, most importantly, a very insightful documentary called Launching Red Dwarf, which will give you all the facts and trivia you ever needed to know.

A wonderful release from the BBC. Let's hope they continue with the rest of the seasons as well.

Lister, Rimmer and the Cat are back for the full 6 episodes of Red Dwarf Season Two. This is the season that turned this little-known sci-fi comedy sleeper into a cult. The writing and acting are first class, and the storylines - with just one exception - are first rate. In fact, it's amazing after seeing Kryten, the first story of the season, that the show survived at all. Still, after the first episode hiccup, the show went from strength to strength. Some of the Red Dwarf classics are part of this latest DVD release. Better Than Life, Thanks For The Memory and Parallel Universe are just three to mention.

Once again, the DVD transfer is first rate (remembering these are NOT the remastered episodes that were shown years later - thankfully!) and we've got more features than you can shake a scutter at. The Cast Commentary is amusing, the deleted scenes are fun, the Smeg Ups are hilarious and the uncut "Tongue Tied" clip is a must for true fans. The rest of the extras are a little more tiresome, isolated music cues and talking book chapters to name two, but still worth watching.

Season Two was, for a long time, the *first* season shown around the world. It was initially felt leaving Season One unscreened was the best for the show. After the stinker of Kryten, it's easy to see why this was done. The other five episodes are classics of both sci-fi and comedy. Own it.

Looking forward to Series III on DVD soon.