Official DVD News

By Christian Cawley, January 25, 2006 - Merchandise - no comments

Following on from yesterday’s news concerning the release dates of two must have DVDs, the BBC’s Official Doctor Who site has officially confirmed the details of the the releases.

First of all comes Genesis of the Daleks, starring Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen and Ian Marter as the Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan. Released on March 26th, the Genesis of the Daleks DVD is a two-disc set which not only contains the superb tale of the Doctor visiting Skaro and witnessing the creation of the Daleks by Davros, but also the following:

  • Commentary with Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Peter Miles (Nyder) and director David Maloney
  • Genesis of a Classic – cast and crew recall working on the story in this specially shot documentary
  • The Dalek Tapes – new documentary narrated by Terry Molloy (who plays Davros in other Doctor Who stories), that tells the story of the Doctor’s most iconic villain, including rare footage from programmes such as Blue Peter
  • Blue Peter – a March 1975 item looking at a collection of Doctor Who models
  • Doctor Who 1976 Annual as a PDF
  • Radio Times Billings
  • Continuity Compilation
  • Photo Gallery
  • Subtitle production notes

    • Meanwhile – as if it couldn’t get any better – Season 7 Jon Pertwee classic Inferno is confirmed for release on 29 May 2006. Also starring Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and Caroline John as Liz Shaw, Inferno features the Doctor travelling to a parallel Earth during investigations into a geothermic drilling experiment. Again a two-disc set, the folloiwng specials are listed for inclusion:

  • Commentary with script editor Terrance Dicks, producer/director Barry Letts, Nicholas Courtney (The Brigadier) and John Levene (Sgt. Benton)
  • Can You Hear the Earth Scream? – a 35 minute making of documentary, featuring interviews with Barry Letts, Terrance Dicks, actors Caroline John, Nicholas Courtney, John Levene, Ian Fairbairn and actor/stunt arranger Derek Ware
  • The UNIT Family (Part One) – a 36 minute documentary looking at the first half of the ‘UNIT family’ that characterised the Third Doctor’s Earth-bound stories. Featuring interviews with Barry Letts, Terrance Dicks, UNIT creator Derrick Sherwin, and actors Nicholas Courtney, John Levene, Caroline John and actor/stunt arranger Derek Ware
  • Visual Effects Promo Film – an excerpt from an early attempt to ‘sell’ the experience and facilities of the BBC Visual Effects Department to new clients. Featuring model effects filming from Inferno and The Ambassadors of Death
  • The Pertwee Years Intro – a short introduction to the story’s final episode from Jon Pertwee, originally presented as part of BBC Video’s The Pertwee Years VHS release.
  • The 1971 Doctor Who Annual as a PDF
  • Radio Times billings
  • Photo Gallery
  • Subtitle Production Notes

    • All in all its a great start to the year in terms of DVD releases.

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    About the author

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    A long-term Doctor Who fan, Christian grew up watching the show and has early memories of the Graham Williams era. His favourite stories are Inferno, The Seeds of Doom and Human Nature (although The Empty Child, Blink and Utopia all come close). When he’s not bossing around the news team, Christian is a freelance writer specialising in mobile technology and domestic computing, and enjoys classic rock, cooking and spending time in the countryside with his wife and young children. You can find him on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.