Doctor Who to return to TV

[MrWhereItsAt]

Well, I hardly think intros by a guy no-one outside of the US knows is much of an extra to miss out on.

And I hated the movie-length versions of various stories, and am very very glad everything is being released in full episodic form on DVD, but with the branching technology for DVDs they could have done this as an option, I am sure.

The Curse of Fenric DVD (just out in the UK, unspecified next year release date for US and NZ/Oz is two discs - the original transmitted version on one and a movie-type version on the other with lots more extra scenes than on the extended video, with redone weather and special effects. Sounds excellent.

[Edan]

Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt
Well, I hardly think intros by a guy no-one outside of the US knows is much of an extra to miss out on.

And I hated the movie-length versions of various stories[/qb]

I don't like it either, but it would have been nice to have for completeness sake.

The Curse of Fenric DVD (just out in the UK, unspecified next year release date for US and NZ/Oz is two discs - the original transmitted version on one and a movie-type version on the other with lots more extra scenes than on the extended video, with redone weather and special effects. Sounds excellent.

Didn't realize that. Cool. (I wonder why they needed a second disc - I thought they managed to (finally) get over their problem that they couldn't fit more than 4 episodes on a disc (and with branching, they wouldn't need much more room) - or are there really that many extras?

[duke o' york]

This is the chance for the gay daleks to finally be recognised!

[MrWhereItsAt]

Originally posted by Edan

I thought they managed to (finally) get over their problem that they couldn't fit more than 4 episodes on a disc (and with branching, they wouldn't need much more room) - or are there really that many extras?

There really are that many extras. We got really spoiled this year - all the DVD releases have been chock full of extras. This is the first year any 6-part stories were released and we got Seeds of Death, Talons of Weng-Chiang, Dalek Invasion of Earth and the Two Doctors, which is as long as a normal 6-parter. Every DVD release this year has been two discs except for Earthshock, due to having 6 episodes + commentary on one disc, and honest-to-God that many extras on the other disc.

Case in point:

The Dalek Invasion of Earth extras:

• Commentary by actors Carole Ann Ford and William Russell, producer Verity Lambert OBE and director Richard Martin, moderated by Gary Russell.
• Option to view story with replacement 'retro-style' CGI versions of the Dalek saucer and Battersea power station shots.
• Clean CGI Featurette.
• 'Talking Daleks' - a look at the creation of the Dalek voices by the actors who performed them.
• 'Now and Then' - a featurette comparing the locations used in 1964 to how they appear now.
• 'Future Memories' - actors Bernard Kay, David Graham, Peter Fraser, Nick Evans and others look back at the filming of the story in this 45 minute feature.
• 'Future Visions' - an interview with the story's designer, Spencer Chapman, featuring rare clips and photographs.
• 'Script to Screen' - a unique graphical visualisation using the original studio floorplans to show how the cameras follow the camera script to move around the studio floor to track the action.
• Blue Peter - an unintentionally hilarious item with Valerie Singleton making Dalek Cakes.
• Rehearsal Film - a short 8mm film shot by Carole Ann Ford in the studio on the last day of rehearsals for the story.
• Two original BBC1 trails for the story.
• 'What Ever Happened to Susan Foreman?' - BBC Radio's look back at the life of Susan (played here by Jane Asher) after she left her Grandfather at the end of this story.
• Animated title card.
• Specially-recorded Extras Disc introduction.
• Pop-up production notes.
• Photo Gallery.
• Easter Eggs (2 of the sods)
  
  The Curse of Fenric
  Bonus features on disc one include
• A commentary track by stars Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred and Nicholas Parsons
• An isolated music track; cast and crew interviews filmed at the Nebula 90 convention (21min)
• A behind-the-scenes featurette from the children's series Take Two (5min)
• A Modelling The Dead featurette, originally shown as part of BSB's Doctor Who weekend in 1990 (5min)
• More behind-the-scenes footage in Claws and Effect (18min)
• An Easter Egg (2min);
• The clean Sylvester McCoy title sequence (2min)
• A photo gallery (5min)
• A text commentary track.
  
  The second disc includes
• Shattering the Chains, an interview with writer Ian Briggs (25min)
• A featurette on Ken Trew's Costume Design (17min)
• An explanation of the changes made for the new version, Recutting the Runes (15min)
• Another Easter Egg (6min)
  

You find me a series being released on DVD that has extras as phenomenal as that (from recently, let alone from 14-40 years ago!), and I'll eat my hat.

[Paddy]

Long live the Doctor....

That is a great list of extras... wow very impressive.

Recently they have just started from episode One here in OZ. It is fun watching these classics, some I never got to see.

[Elden]

Originally posted by Paddy the Scot
Recently they have just started from episode One here in OZ. It is fun watching these classics, some I never got to see.

It's great, I've tried to tape them all and only missed A few episodes so far.

[MrWhereItsAt]

Ah yes, the Aussie repeats. I have heard the quality of some is disastrous... how have the various stories been?

We had a similar deal in NZ a few years ago when Prime TV became kind of an unofficial UKTV playing old classics like 'Allo 'Allo, The Bill, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, Thunderbirds, Doctor Who etc.

They played every complete Doctor Who story from An Unearthly Child through to Horns of Nimon before scummy ABC (IIRC) in Oz bought them, they stopped all the UK shows except for maybe The Bill and they started playing lots of ****e gameshows instead - now their flagship programme is Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Most of ours were pretty decent quality though, and I think perhaps the version of the War Machines we got was from the restored video release! However that has been challenged by someone else, so we may have just got an unrestored version. Nevertheless, some of Oz's repeats are from tapes supplied to and held by the ABC decades ago, whereas all of ours were straight from the UK (probably) and may have been much higher quality in cases.

With those repeats and my recent ebay spree of video buying I have now got every Who story on tape except Reign of Terror, Twin Dilemma and Delta and the Bannermen.

[Elden]

Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt
Ah yes, the Aussie repeats. I have heard the quality of some is disastrous... how have the various stories been?

We had a similar deal in NZ a few years ago when Prime TV became kind of an unofficial UKTV playing old classics like 'Allo 'Allo, The Bill, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, Thunderbirds, Doctor Who etc.

They played every complete Doctor Who story from An Unearthly Child through to Horns of Nimon before scummy ABC (IIRC) in Oz bought them, they stopped all the UK shows except for maybe The Bill and they started playing lots of ****e gameshows instead - now their flagship programme is Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Most of ours were pretty decent quality though, and I think perhaps the version of the War Machines we got was from the restored video release! However that has been challenged by someone else, so we may have just got an unrestored version. Nevertheless, some of Oz's repeats are from tapes supplied to and held by the ABC decades ago, whereas all of ours were straight from the UK (probably) and may have been much higher quality in cases.

The quality is ok for something made 40 years ago we are only up to The Sensorites so it's too early to tell yet.

Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt
With those repeats and my recent ebay spree of video buying I have now got every Who story on tape except Reign of Terror, Twin Dilemma and Delta and the Bannermen.

IIRC episodes 4 and 5 of Reign of Terror are missing so you have little chance of finding it but Twin Dilemma and Delta and the Bannermen should be easy to find.

[Edan]

Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt

You find me a series being released on DVD that has extras as phenomenal as that (from recently, let alone from 14-40 years ago!), and I'll eat my hat.

Wow, you're right - that is impressive, and a big jump from the earlier dvd releases (I wonder if they'll rerelease any of those with extra content somwhere down the line - in particular, The Five Doctors).

And you're right, apart from some DVD releases of TV miniseries (some of whom surpass that), the only TV show dvd releases I can think of that approach that would be Farscape, and that only has commentaries, extra scenes and documentaries. We're really starting tp get Criterion level releases.

[Edan]

IIRC episodes 4 and 5 of Reign of Terror are missing so you have little chance of finding it but Twin Dilemma and Delta and the Bannermen should be easy to find.

Actually, all the stories that haven't been released before have been released recently in the US (in individual releases and as a box set) and includes Reign of Terror, IIRC. Maybe it's been released in Australia as well? It's called The End of the Universe Collection.

[Elden]

Originally posted by Edan


Actually, all the stories that haven't been released before have been released recently in the US (in individual releases and as a box set) and includes Reign of Terror, IIRC. Maybe it's been released in Australia as well? It's called The End of the Universe Collection.

Thats episodes 1, 2, 3 and 6 released with audio (and photos) of episodes 4 and 5 only

[MrWhereItsAt]

The End of the Universe collection hasn't been released anywhere but the US. Most of the individual tapes have been released here and in the UK - individually, but Reign of Terror/Faceless Ones 1 + 3/Web of Fear 1 and Invasion of the Dinosaurs are taking their time.

Twin Dilemma is hopefully on its way to me and Delta I may be able to get a hold of.

It is kinda fun having nigh-on a whole series at hand.

[Frozzy]

We had a similar deal in NZ a few years ago when Prime TV became kind of an unofficial UKTV playing old classics like 'Allo 'Allo, The Bill, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, Thunderbirds, Doctor Who etc.

But now there is an official UK:TV

Maybe they'll show it

[MrWhereItsAt]

Originally posted by Frozzy


But now there is an official UK:TV

Maybe they'll show it

WAAAAy ahead of you.

They ahve no current plans to screen any Doctor Who, not even on November 23 - the 40th anniversary!

And I got the SKY guide today - nothing about it on the UKTV schedules. And UKTV in Oz is doing a special thing or twenty for the anniversary.

[Frozzy]

Was Who BBC or what? If it was the former, then someone should write a strongly worded letter to Sky TV. Also add that Murray Mexted should be fired. Pronto.