Doctor Who on DVD

By Jim Bray

The Ark in Space
The Tomb of the Cybermen
The Caves of Androzani
Remembrance of the Daleks
The Five Doctors
The Key to Time
Vengeance on Varos

Probably the longest-running science fiction TV show in history, Doctor Who is a marvelous program aimed at kids, but which is just as entertaining for adults.

The series has long been a staple on American public broadcasting stations, and it’s here that I first got into the show back in the early 1980’s. The Spokane, Washington, PBS outlet did an excellent job of running the program, including showing individual episode “parts” during the kids’ after school time as well as editing them together into one complete story and running them late on Saturday nights.

The Doctor, as he’s known (he’s never really referred to as “Doctor Who”), is a Time Lord (a powerful alien race) who uses a machine called a TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space, I believe, is what the acronym stood for) to travel through time and space - and from adventure to adventure. It’s a terrific concept because, thanks to this British Police Box-shaped transporter (which is also much larger on the inside than the outside), the show’s writers are free to dream up adventures set anywhere or any time. Talk about creative freedom!

The Doctor is also able to transform himself in times of great stress or danger, which is the plot device the producers used to explain the revolving door of actors who played the Doctor over the show’s decades-long run. And why not? Imagination is this show’s main appeal - imagination and guts, because while they didn’t have a huge budget, they managed to do an amazing amount of stuff.

In some ways this “imagination on a dime” reminds me of the Canadian TV show SCTV, which also dared to tackle anything - from Ben-Hur to space travel. As with The Doctor, rather than the cheesy special effects and production values making the show look stupid, the cast and crew just said “to hell with you” and went full speed ahead. The result is a certain charm.

If you want proof, slide “The Ark in Space” into your DVD player. This is not only a ripping yarn, but the DVD’s producers have even updated some of the special effects with new computer generated shots and you can choose to watch the adventure with the original effects or the new ones.

I gave the new ones a try, but went back to the “cheese,” because that’s the way Doctor Who should be watched.

The Ark in Space features the fourth Doctor, Tom Baker (his second episode), accompanied by “Who Chick” Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Slayden) and Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter). When the TARDIS arrives on a seemingly deserted space station, the trio soon finds it isn’t as empty as it first appeared. Onboard are the survivors of Earth's destruction, in suspended animation - but even worse, there’s an insectlike alien race, the Wirrin, which are bent on using the humans - and the Doctor, of course - as hosts in which to grow their larvae.

It’s a good story, and the DVD does it justice. The only problem with DVD, however, is that it’s so sharp you can really see just how “imaginative” the producers and effects people had to be. For example, when one of the humans begins to morph into a Wirrin, his arm gets taken over by green stuff that, when you look closely, turns out to be green-painted plastic bubble wrap!

Gotta love it!

And you gotta love the Doctor, a “man” so together that he can figure out where they are merely by breathing in the air and flipping a Yo-Yo to test the gravity! Tom Baker made a wonderful Doctor, and Sladen’s Sarah Jane was always my personal favorite of the “Doctor Who Chicks,” perhaps because she was my first.

Not only does the DVD offer an excellent full screen (not 16x9 TV compatible) picture, but the sound is also very good all things considered - and you get some terrific extras.

First up is the abovementioned CG effects, but even better is the running commentary featuring Baker himself, accompanied by Smith and producer Philip Hinchcliffe. It’s wonderful listening to these former comrades in arms remembering the old days! There’s also an interview with designer Roger Murray-Leach, some “pop up” production notes, and some promotional stuff of varying worth.

Warner Home Video has also unleashed one of the second Doctor’s features, one that apparently had disappeared from time and space until it was discovered in Hong Kong in 1992.

It’s “The Tomb of the Cybermen,” another pretty good yarn, this time featuring those cyborgs that cropped up periodically during the Doctor’s travels. Patrick Troughton is The Doctor, this “time” accompanied by the luscious Victoria (Deborah Watling) and kilted Scotsman Jamie (Frazer Hines).

The TARDIS materializes on a planet where The Doctor and the gang meet an Earth expedition that’s trying to find the remains of the now-extinct Cybermen. Well, they’ve certainly come to the right place! The Cybermen are, indeed, there, in suspended animation - but it turns out that some of the expedition’s members aren’t there for merely benign reasons, leading the Doctor and the rest of the “good guys” into a battle for their lives and the lives of the rest of humanity.

This is another fine example of creativity on a shoestring, with Cybermen who look more rubber than metal - and it’s also a fine example of how today’s technology can restore substandard product from days gone by.

That’s because part of the supplemental materials include examples showing the “before” and “after” restoration, and what they’ve done is remarkable - especially considering that, as great as Doctor Who is, it ain’t Citizen Kane!

The black and white full screen picture (not 16x9 TV compatible) is pretty good, all things considered, though the sound is nothing to write home about. Extras include another good commentary, this time by actors Hines and Watling (Troughton, alas, is long dead). You also get a documentary on the production, those “popup” production notes, some behind the scenes effects footage (well…), a photo gallery and cast/crew info.

"The Caves of Androzani" was Peter Davison's last outing as the Doctor, and it's pretty good - though it's also a lot more violent that we're used to with Doctor Who.

The Fifth Doctor and companion Peri are thrust into an underground war on the (well, under the) surface of planet Androzani Minor. As is the Doctor's way, he brazenly heads wherever he wants, and so he and Perio violate a military blockade and are sentenced to death, the General involved thinking that they're running guns to his opposition. They aren't of course, they're merely in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it's hard for the Doctor and Peri to be believed.

Things get more complicated when they're rescued by the people who really are dealing in the ordnance, and they're thrust into the middle of a conflict that threatens to take not only Peri's life, but the Doctor's as well. At the end, we see Davison morph into Colin Baker, the Sixth Doctor.

Not one of the best Doctor Who episodes, it's still typically entertaining - though since the Doctor must nearly succumb at the end it's also a lot darker and heavier than most episodes.

Davison wasn't the best Doctor (most people, we're sure, would argue that Tom Baker was), but he was okay, and his two year tenure gave rise to some terrific episodes including the classic "The Five Doctors."

Extras include an entertaining running commentary featuring Davison, Nicola Bryant (Peri) and director Graeme Harper, some behind the scenes stuff, trailers and news features, "pop up" notes, "Who's Who" and a photo gallery. There's also a "music only" option.

"Remembrance of the Daleks" reunites the Doctor (this time played by Sylvester McCoy) with his old enemies, those giant salt shakers who lumber around hollering "Exterminate! Exterminate!" hysterically.

Daleks have always been a favorite enemy for the Doctor, though in a humorous way (how, after all, can you take seriously an alien who can barely move and who can't shoot worth a darn either), and this outing sees two warring factions of Daleks showing up on (and above) 1963 England searching for some Time Lord technology the Doctor left there presumably in his first incarnation.

Anyway, he and Ace (Aldred) wriggle their way into the action, as usual, pushing the British military out of the way and taking on the Daleks as only the Doctor can. It's a pretty neat story, and for once we actually see Daleks climbing (well, floating up) stairs!

McCoy's a pretty good doctor - the last actor to have played the role to date, and Aldred's Ace is a worthy companion. There's some neat business as she brings her "modern day" technology back to the past with her, and on the whole it's a nifty episode culminating in yet another encounter between the Doctor and the evil Davros.

Extras include a commentary with McCoy and Aldred, some deleted (or shortened) scenes and a set of amusing outtakes (hey, even the Doctor can blow his lines!), a couple of rather lame multi-angle scenes, "music only" option, "Who's Who," trailers, etc.

The Five Doctors was an anniversary celebration of the Doctor's first two decades and re-united all of the actors who played the role up to Peter Davison. Well, kind of. The first Doctor (William Hartnell) had died by the time this episode was made and Tom Baker apparently chose not to participate.

It's a Davison Doctor story anyway, but something strange is going on and he feels parts of him being pulled from his being - and they are: his previous selves are one by one being scooped out of the space-time continuum and dumped into the dreaded "Death Zone" on the Time Lords' home planet of Gallifrey. This zone was originally used by the Doctor's race as an arena for gladiatorial matches, but in times past Rassilon (who appears to be a kind of "Father of Modern Gallifrey") closed the zone down and forbade the use of the Time Scoop that's now plucking Doctors - and traditional Doctor adversaries - from their respective realities.

It turns out that a highly placed Time Lord is behind the events, and all five - well, four - Doctors must use their collective smarts and skills to foil his insidious plan.

It's a wonderful anniversary special as well as a terrific introduction to Doctor Who for those who may be unfamiliar with the series. Not only is it a ripping yarn, having the Doctors, their companions, and their enemies all together is a real treat.

The first Doctor was replaced by Richard Hurndall and he does a fine job as the crusty prototype. Tom Baker (and Lalla Ward as Romana) are along via clips from an unfinished show, though their contributions are obviously irrelevant other than allowing the producers to call the story "The Five Doctors." Too bad.

Oh well, it's great to see Turlough, Tegan, Susan, Sarah Jane Smith, the Brigadier, Mike Yates, Liz Shaw, Jamie, Zoe, and K-9 (briefly) on the case again - as well as such nemeses as the Master (played by Anthony Ainley), Cybermen, Yeti and even the Daleks show up to mess with the Doctors' heads. Other than the Master, the various villains appear only as cameos, but that's okay because there's plenty of other story to keep us happy.

The DVD has been released as a Special Edition, and it works just fine, though I would have preferred if they hadn't messed with the original hokey special effects. The new FX are probably easier for today's generation to take, but part of the Doctor's charm was that the producers said "Damn the Budgets, Full Speed Ahead!". There are a few added scenes, or shots, and other enhancements to the original version, but they don't spoil things. In fact, some are kind of nifty - for example the voice of Rassilon has been enhanced to make him sound more "larger than life."

Extras include a running commentary featuring Fifth Doctor Peter Davison and writer Terrance Dicks. They seem to have some fond memories of this episode, though they also express a few frustrations. There's also the usual "Who's Who" cast/crew feature and some half hour or so of isolated soundtrack music.

If you only watch one Doctor Who DVD, "The Five Doctors" should be the one.

The Key to Time - the Complete Adventure

Then again, if you want to catch a full season's worth of the Doctor in one swell foop, you can't do much better than "The Key to Time - the Complete Adventure."

The Key to Time is arguably one of the more ambitious chapters in the history of the long-running BBC series, and it features arguably the most popular Doctor, Tom Baker. This partcular series, according to the information that comes with the DVD's, was conceived of when producer Graham Williams came up with the idea of a full season that would be one long story broken up into the typical shorter stories - kind of the way George Lucas' Star Wars series is one story spanning six movies (well, it will be after 2005).

The Key to Time sees the Doctor and his new companion, fellow Gallifreyan Romana (Mary Tamm) ordered by the White Guardian to seek out and recover the six segments of the Key of Time, a powerful doohickey that has the ability to stop time. In the wrong hands, this could be a bad thing, so the Doctor and Romana must travel the space-time continuum to find the hidden pieces before the wrong hands (which in this case ar attached to the nefarious Black Guardian) can grab them.

The series of adventures brings them in contact with a number of unusual people and creatures, in the grand Doctor Who tradition and is a very satisfying bunch of episodes.

Disc One, "The Ribos Operation," sets the stage for the adventure and sends the Doctor and Romana (fresh from Time Lord Academy and, typical of a new graduate, a real know it all) to Ribos - a remote planet plagued with winters that last 32 years!

Disc Two, "The Pirate Planet,' (written, incidentally, by "Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy's" Douglas Adams) sees Doc and Romana (and we can't forget K-9, can we?) heading for Calufrax, but when they get there they discover they're actually on Zanak. It's exactly where Calufrax is supposed to be in the space time continuum - so what's up?

Disc Three, " The Stones of Blood," returns our heros to Earth, and an ancient stone circle called the Nine Travelers - a series of stones that seems to vary in number from age to age.

Disc Four, " The Androids of Tara," has nothing to do with "Gone with the Wind." Rather, Tara is an idyllic-looking hotbed of politics and there's a lot more to it than meets the eye.

Disc Five, " The Power of Kroll," sends our intrepid heroes to the third moon of the planet Delta Magna, where the Doctor is mistaken for a notorious gun runner wanted by the authorities.

Disc Six, " The Armageddon Factor," wraps up the series on the planet Atrios where a nuclear war with a neighboring planet is winding down.

Each DVD features a commentary, in three of which Tom Baker appears. Mary Tamm is joined by director Darrol Blake on The Stones of Blood and by director Michael Hayes and actor John Woodbine on The Armageddon Factor; The Pirate Planet's commentary is by director Pennant Roberts and actor Bruce Purchase.

Besides these entertaining, though rather self indulgent commentaries, you get an optional text-only commentary track that gives you a wealth of production information. Each disc also comes with individual episode and scene access as well as a photo gallery and cast bios.. The only other extra worth mentioning is some outdoor footage shot for The Pirate Planet.

The aspect ratio is TV's 4x3, which isn't 16x9 TV compatible but which is the original, and the picture quality is very good. Audio is Dolby Digital stereo and it's fine.

I look forward to many more such DVD’s of Doctor Who. After all, the series ran from the early 1960’s to the late 1980’s (at least!), so there’s plenty of good material from which to choose.

Vengeance on Varos

One of the Doctor's darker episodes, Vengeance on Varos sees the Doc (Colin Baker) and Peri (Nicola Bryant), arriving on the title planet looking for a rare mineral he needs to power the TARDIS.

It's a planet that's kind of a cross between 1984 and some of the totalitarian regimes from the original Star Trek series, where torture and executions are broadcast to the cowed citizenry.

Varos was once a penal colony and now the guards' descendents are the ruling class Most of the population lives in squalor, their entertainment pretty well limited to the abovementioned broadcasts from the Punishment Dome.

Also on hand is the alien Sil, who's negotiating the price of the same mineral, Zeiton 7, for which the Doctor is looking. Sil wants a better deal so he can make more money, which would also cut the Varos citizens' already low incomes.

Doc and Peri come afoul of the powers that be when they save a rebel's life in the Dome.

We're treated to a world of illusions, including a giant insect, a missing TARDIS, Peri and a native being experimented on and transformed into a bird and a lizard, respectively, and the Doctor apparently dying due to an illusion.

It's classic Who, including a cheesy-looking alien creature (Who was never about the production values), and a pretty nifty yarn.

The DVD features excellent picture quality in the 4x3 aspect ratio (which means owners of 16x9 TV's will have to zoom and/or stretch the picture to fit their screens and avoid burn in) and very good audio.

Extras include some fifteen minutes worth of deleted and/or extended scenes and some behind the scenes footage that basically amounts to one particular scene shot "behind the scene." The best of the extras is the running commentary featuring Baker, Bryant (Peri) and Nabil Shaban (Sil), who look back on the adventure with great affection and humor. You also get trailers, a photo gallery, production notes and a small selection of outtakes.