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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Doctor Who DVDs

  
 
Mister Six, whom all the girls
17:54 / 03.06.05
So I have a problem. In my teenage years I was a big Dr Who fan. I grew up seeing Tom Baker stories, had no idea what they were about and then a friend downloaded the entire concept onto my head as Peter Davison took the screens in the US. He'd been on for a year or two, but my first real connection to the series was with Colin Baker's tenure. Seeing a regeneration connects you to the series is my theory.

In any case, I bought the books and whatnot then chucked all my Who memorobilia minus one anthology dub of Doctors 1, 3 and 7 and said goodbye to my association with the series.

Then the DVDs started coming out. I lied to myself that I only wanted certain stories and today own 99% of the series in total in DVD or VHS format.

So I have a problem. So what?

I figured since Who mania was abound this might be a good thread to discuss the DVDs, memories of old episodes, Q and A, etc.

The DVDs so far are a mixed bag, often I wonder if the release team is throwing a dart at a list of stories to decide what comes out next. We've gotten excellent stories such as Pyramids of Mars and Dalek Invasion of Earth but also questionable ones such as Claws of Axos and the Visitation. I know, everyone is entitled to their own opnions, but there is mine.

Any thoughts?
 
 
All Acting Regiment
19:33 / 05.06.05
To keep this thread running, can you- or someone else- give us a run down of the best DVDs by Doctor? Like, your favourite DVDs that feature Tom Baker, for example.
 
 
Mister Six, whom all the girls
21:00 / 05.06.05
I'd love to, actually... please please please tell me someone else is buying these... they must cost a MINT to produce and if I'm the only one buying them I'm solely responsible for the wellbeing of the restoration company.

In any case, to start with is the US only release of the Tom Baker story Power of Kroll. As an extra you get mad Tom Baker giving commentary with one-time K-9 voice over actor John Leeson. Tom quotes Henry IV, sings loudly and tells stories about old women thanking him for causing children to nestle to their breasts during Doctor Who.

Another great is Tomb of the Cybermen which has a fantastic documentary about special effects by the BBC and I think the first glimpse of Evil of the Daleks (an easter egg called 'Last of the Daleks' featuring moderarely priced Marx Daleks getting blown up).

Ark in Space has a rather interesting interview with Tom Baker who had just gotten the part and at the time of the interview still recovering from breaking his collar bone. This is also the first Who DVD to feature special effects re-done for the DVD release. The very dodgy shuttle craft and space station get the high-tech treatment and end up looking very Red Dwarf. This is one I would recommend beyond the others because it really does deliver what most of us think of when we think of Classic Who, an alien invasion, spooky lighting, Tom Baker bugging out his eyes in a cardigan and Sarah Jane Smith.

I've got a few others if you're interested but there really have been a lot of releases so far. During the series' 40th anniversary I think 8 stories got out. This year will see

Tom Baker's Horror of Fang Rock (featuring a nice docu on the career of Terrance Dicks which was much more interesting than I anticipated)

Jon Pertwee's Claws of Axos (with the mind-blowing docu on the history of the NTSC/PAL conversion issue and the odd coincidence that its creator is named Dr Axon)

Patrock Troughton's The Mind Robber (a short film on the career of Jamie and the oddity of one of the series' best scripts)

Colin Baker's Revelation of the Daleks (with all new special effects thus correcting the problems in the transmitted story. Honestly for all haters of Colin Baker's era, THIS is the one you should see)

and William Hartnell's the Web Planet which could very well be the weirdest Dr Who tale. It involves a race of pantomime moths fighting pantomime ants... now how is that not brilliant?
 
 
Mister Six, whom all the girls
18:58 / 10.11.05
City of Death just released.

Co-written by Douglas Adams featuring a bug-eyed monster stealing Mona Lisa's.

Classic.

  
 
■
20:10 / 10.11.05
"I say, I love your butler! Isn't he wonderfully violent?"
 
 
Bed Head
20:34 / 10.11.05
“Countess, you’re a very beautiful woman... probably...”
 
 
Mister Six, whom all the girls
15:24 / 01.12.05
The DVD features footage of Tom rehearsing, which must be seen. I love the guy but it looks like he was a nightmare to work with.
 
 
All Acting Regiment
17:32 / 01.12.05
Lo, I'm getting City of Death for christmas, possibly. I can also heartily recomend Pyramids Of Mars, for that immortal, yet, I suppose, SOMEWHAT SPOILERISH line, which still sends a shiver down my spine:

I am the servant of Lord Sutekh, and I bring his gift of death to all humanity
 
 
Mister Six, whom all the girls
18:10 / 01.12.05
Pyramids of Mars is fantastic.

I read a review that said it was basically window dressing and not much p-lot... but what dressing! The mood and setting are both chilling despite the fact that the villain sits onb his arse 90% of the time and sends his top heavy assistants to do all the hard work.

When Tom is dark and serious he functions quite well, doesn't he? Have you seen him in Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)?
 
 
All Acting Regiment
21:23 / 01.12.05
Sutekh is terrifying. It's the mask- the very simplified Egyptian styling really hints at something, y'know, deep. Old. Evil, evil. And of course the guy in the fez hammering out the organ tune is bloody amazing- that music sounds so demonically crazy and hints at Terrible Things.

The Ark in Space is also a charmer, with that amazing central room with all the (sigh) SPOILERS frozen bodies. It just goes up and up. They did that with mirrors. Also there was only one section of the corridor set- which they used and re-used (and quite frankly, good for them).
 
  
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