TME > Video > Commercial Releases

Earthshock


The mysterious disappearance of an archaeological team is merely the prelude to a deadlier threat for the Doctor and his companions - the Cybermen want to destroy Earth, and will use any means at their disposal. The Doctor's ingenuity is stretched to its very limits as he battles to defeat the Cyber army at any cost. But even he does not realise just how high that cost will be...

-- from the DVD release, 2003

Episode timings on DVD: 24'24", 24'25", 24'26", 24'28"
Episode timings on PasC: 24'22", 23'23", 23'24", 24'28"

 

VHS releases



07/09/1992: UK - BBC Enterprises - BBCV4840
??/??/1993: USA - CBS/Fox - 3492 [renumbered as E1102 by WHV in 2000]
10/03/1993: Aus/NZ - PolyGram - BBC48402 [deleted Jan 1996, not pictured]

Cover by Andrew Skilleter.

In 2006 Skilleter began selling signed prints of this and other pieces of his art through the Galaxy 4 specialist shop.

DVD releases



04/08/2003: UK - BBC Worldwide - BBCDVD1153
01/10/2003: Aus/NZ - Roadshow Entertainment - B0007349
07/09/2004: US - Warner Home Video - E2022
06/11/2006: UK - BBC Worldwide - B00015YN4G
02/07/2007: UK - 2|entertain - BBCDVD1153

Cover by Clayton Hickman for UK/Aus. As standard for 2003 releases, the UK edition had a sticker added to the front, and the Australian version included a whole new logo, and was housed in a silver slipcase. An early mock-up showed a very similar concept. See image right:

For Christmas 2006, Amazon UK arranged for the three classic series Cybermen DVDs available to date (The Tomb of the Cybermen, The Invasion [2 discs, released the same day] and Earthshock) to be packaged together as 'The Cybermen Collection'. A similarly themed Third Doctor set was also released on the same day. No extra features were added to either.

In Summer 2007, 2|entertain repackaged Spearhead from Space, Genesis of the Daleks, The Hand of Fear, Earthshock, The Five Doctors, Revelation of the Daleks, Remembrance of the Daleks and The 1996 Movie in new packaging, generally based on the existing art inside a circle motif - these were, however, just cardboard slipcases over the existing releases, and at a lower price-point.
 

DVD Bonus features

Putting the Shock into Earthshock (32'27")
A look at the reactions to Earthshock, interviewing fans as well as the original artistes: Gary Russell, Steve O'Brien, Mark Gatiss, Peter Davison, Eric Saward, Ian Levine, MatthewWaterhouse, Sarah Sutton, David Banks, Tim Collins MP, Gary Gillatt, Steven Moffatt and Peter Grimwade (Archive footage from his Myth Makers release).
  • The contributors all talk about their earliest memories of the Cybermen.
  • Steve O'Brien on Davison being "his" Doctor, Gatiss on it being "cool" to watch again, Davison on the character creation, Gary Russell on the use of the Cybermen at an early stage and Eric Saward on the rushed nature of the storyline.
  • Ian Levine, Saward, Matthew Waterhouse, Sarah Sutton and David Banks on the lengths the crew went to to keep the Cybermen a secret.
  • Gatiss, Tim Collins, Davison, Gary Gillatt, Saward and Moffat on the fan reaction to the end of Part One. Waterhouse and O'Brien on young fans still being able to recognise the Cybermen.
  • The redesigned cybermen are discussed by Collins, Davison, Russell, Moffat, Banks and Saward.
  • Russell, Gillat, Saward, Collins, Gatiss and Banks talk about the Cyberleader getting more emotional lines.
  • The Flashback sequence is next up for mulling by Saward, Levine, Davison and Russell, the latter reminding us how exciting it was to see clips of old episodes.
  • Banks, Davison, O'Brien, Saward, Levine and Gillat talk about Peter Davison and Beryl Reid.
  • Memories of Peter Grimwade and his directing technique are shared by Waterhouse, Sutton, Levine, Saward, Davison,Banks and Collins. Clips from his Myth Makers interview are shown, along with Looking In. Saward in particular describes it as being like a movie, and Collins that it looks high-budget.
  • Collins, Banks, Gatiss, Levine, Saward, Davison debate the use of violence on TV and specifically whether the fifth Doctor was in-character when battling the Cybermen.
  • The topic of the necessity of Adric's death comes up, and is talked about by Gillat, Moffat, Russell, Davison, Gatiss, Sutton, O'Brien, Saward, Waterhouse and Banks. Finally, the contributees discuss the silent ending, and the documentary closes with a reconstruction of the final moments if they had run into the cliffhanger scream.

Interviews Conducted by Tanja Schiotz, Roger Legree
Archive Material Courtesy of BBC Television, Reeltime Pictures Ltd.
With Thanks to Keith Barnfather, Andrew Beech, Peter Finklestone, Clayton Hickman, Ian Levine, Anthony Mahoney, Peter Ware
CGI Models: Chris Petts*
Incidental Music: Malcolm Clarke, BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Sound Restoration: Mark Ayres
Title Sequence: Sid Sutton
Lighting Cameraman: John Kelly
Produced & Directed by Ed Stradling
(C) BBC Worldwide
MMIII


*before he had officially been commissioned to help provide CGI work for the 2005 series of Doctor Who.
 

40th Anniversary Celebration (3'00")
A special music video edited by John Kelly featuring clips from the series backed with the Orbital version of the theme. After appearing on this disk, it then went on to be used on The Three Doctors, The Two Doctors, and The Curse of Fenric.

Clips Used:
TARDIS (An Unearthly Child); Hartnell Titles; Spar drawn off course (Devil's Planet); Doctor threatened by probe (The Krotons Episode One); Doctor backs off from Daleks (Death to the Daleks Part One); Doctor knocked out by time tunnel explosion (Pyramids of Mars Part Two); Doctor's arms pulled out of sockets (The Caves of Androzani Part Three); Doctor hides from Cyberman (Attack of the Cybermen Part One); Doctor juggles (The Greatest Show in the Galaxy Part One); Doctor rises from mortuary trolley (Doctor Who); Daleks invade space prison (Resurrection of the Daleks Part One); Zygon ship explodes (Terror of the Zygons Part Four); Master commands Azal (The Daemons Part Four); Cybermen advance (Earthshock Part Three); Doctor tries to move slab (The Day of Darkness); Victoria flees from Turoc (The Ice Warriors Four); Android explodes (The Caves of Androzani Part Four); Ogrons break into freighter (Frontier in Space Episode One); Doctor dodges explosions (The Deadly Assassin Part Two); Bus conductor explodes (The Greatest Show in the Galaxy Part One); Elyon cowers on riverbank (The Expedition); Doctor turns round (Revelation of the Daleks Part One); Gas attack on Maggie (Fury from the Deep Part Two); Doctor faces Sea Devil (The Sea Devils Episode Five); Stotz breaks open door (The Caves of Androzani Part Three); Ogron in close up (Frontier in Space Episode One); Davros' Dalek explodes (Revelation of the Daleks Part Two); Ice Warrior smashes T-Mat cubicle (The Seeds of Death Episode Four); Ian punched by Alydon (The Expedition); Doctor walks through jungle (Planet of Evil Part Two); Striker smiles (Enlightenment Part Two); Polly and Ben aghast at the Macra (The Macra Terror Episode 2); Cyberman stuck in door (Earthshock Part Three); Peri in bikini (Planet of Fire Part One); Stengos' head (Revelation of the Daleks Part Two); Doctor pulls Jamie's head down (The Krotons Episode One); Meglos sits down (Meglos Part Three); Master fighting (Survival Part Three); Autons attacking (Spearhead from Space Episode 4); Doctor turns towards Dalek (The Evil of the Daleks Episode 2); Lytton checks his equipment (Attack of the Cybermen Part One); Doctor listening to the Animus (Crater of Needles); Doctor shot from tree (The Deadly Assassin Part Three); Revd Wainwright turns to Doctor (The Curse of Fenric Part Three); Kamelion becomes the Master (Planet of Fire Part One); Dalek shoots Bostock (Revelation of the Daleks Part Two); Cyberleader emerges from sewer base (Attack of the Cybermen Part One); Zoom into Varga (The Ice Warriors Four); Dalek goes mad (The Expedition); Doctor meets Sharez Jek (The Caves of Androzani Part Two); Unbelievers on Sarn (Planet of Fire Part One); Doctor makes Liz jump (Spearhead from Space Episode Four); Doctor smiles (The Deadly Assassin Part Three); Doctor deduces arrival of Daleks (Counterplot); Chief Caretaker is taken over (Paradise Towers Part Three); Doctor talks to Waterfield (The Evil of the Daleks Episode 2); Ixta falls to his death (The Day of Darkness); Cybercontroller zapped by Doctor (Attack of the Cybermen Part Two); Broton kills UNIT soldier (Terror of the Zygons Part Four); Mudburst near Doctor (The Caves of Androzani Part Four); Dalek blows up outside Tranquil Repose (Revelation of the Daleks Part Two); Doctor falls from motorbike (The Daemons Episode Four); Explosion by Doctor's head (Destiny of the Daleks Episode Four); Daleks overloaded (The Power of the Daleks Episode 6); Gateway explodes (Warriors' Gate Part Four); Crystal ball explodes (Snakedance Part One); Cyberman decapitated (Attack of the Cybermen Part One); Marcus Scarman shooting reversed (Pyramids of Mars Part Two); Vogel exterminated (Revelation of the Daleks Part Two); Jamie attacks Ice Warrior (The Seeds of Death Episode Six); Doctor falls into Pool (Planet of Evil Part Two); Time Lord station (The Trial of a Time Lord Part One); Doctor creating signal (Terror of the Zygons Part Four); TARDIS in vortex (Doctor Who); TARDIS in flight (An Unearthly Child); Doctor listening to Master (Survival Part Three); Zaroff drowns (The Underwater Menace Episode 4); Doctor fights Omega's dark side (The Three Doctors (Episode Three); Daleks conquer and destroy (The Power of the Daleks Episode 5); Griffiths on Telos (Attack of the Cybermen Part Two); Mawdryn revealed (Mawdryn Undead Part Two); Doctor flees Eden projection (Nightmare on Eden Part Four); Gantry falls to his kness (The Nightmare Begins); Azal makes third appearance (The Daemons Episode Four); Dalek blasted (Remembrance of the Daleks Part Four); Sea Devil in Naval Base (The Sea Devils Episode Five); Doctor and Davros (Destiny of the Daleks Episode Four); Daleks burning Kembel jungle (Day of Armageddon); Explosion behind Jo (The Three Doctors Episode Four); Doctor trapped on runaway trolley (The Mark of the Rani Part One); Storr hit by sonic gun (The Ice Warriors Four); Soldeed corpsing (The Horns of Nimon Part Four); Sagan electrocuted (Warriors' Gate Part Four); Lytton's hands crushed (Attack of the Cybermen Part Two); Black Guardian grabs Turlough by the neck (Enlightenment Part Two); Kennedy assassinated (The Evil of the Daleks Episode 2); Doctor stares at Spar's viewscreen (Devil's Planet); Dalek blinded by Ace (Remembrance of the Daleks Part Two); Doctor and Grace on bike (Doctor Who); Weed creature menaces the Doctor and Jamie in the impeller shaft (Fury from the Deep Episode 4); Vishinsky shouts (Planet of Evil Part Two); Daleks detonated (Destiny of the Daleks Episode Four); Davros attacks Orcini (Revelation of the Daleks Part Two); DJ exterminated (Revelation of the Daleks Part Two); Cyberman climbs from tomb (The Tomb of the Cybermen Episode 2)Gundans storm Banqueting Hall (Warriors' Gate Part Three); Goth reveals himself (The Deadly Assassin Part Three); Cyberman attacked (Attack of the Cybermen Part One); Doctor in ice fall (The Ice Warriors Four); Transmitter explodes, sending Doctor and Turlough flying (Mawdryn Undead Part Two); Stein falls onto self-destruct mechanism (Resurrection of the Daleks Part Four); Lon in cave tunnel (Snakedance Part Two); Dratho administering an electrocution (The Trial of a Time Lord Part Four); Yrcanos opens fire (The Trial of a Time Lord Part Eight); The Daleks survey conquered London (Day of Reckoning); Strafing run on Doctor (The Deadly Assassin Part Three); The Meddling Monk in Egypt (Escape Switch); Doctor threatened by god in arena (The Greatest Show in the Galaxy Part Four); Masters dies of the plague (Doctor Who and the Silurians Episode Six); Master trapped in Rani's TARDIS (The Mark of the Rani Part Two); Sorenson reviewing rock sample (Planet of Evil Part One); Tegan leans towards crystal ball (Snakedance Part One); Daleks prepare to destroy (The Power of the Daleks Episode 5); Doctor held at gunpoint (The Daemons Episode Four); The Doctor regenerates (The Caves of Androzani Part Four)
 
Film Sequences (8'47")
The full versions of the film sequences, containing extra moments at the start and end of most shots.

Did You See..?

CGI Effects

The option to watch the episodes with several video effects replaced.

Information Text

By Richard Molesworth

Photo Gallery
(4'40")
43 colour photos from the story, and 2 of the commentary recording session.

Commentary
By Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton and Matthew Waterhouse. Recorded alongside The Visitation - a photo on the Restoration Team website, and the two on the DVD, had the directors name blurred in a monitor in the background to avoid spoiling the surprise - the director was Peter Moffat of The Visitation.

Isolated Music

An alternate soundtrack option.
 
Episode 5 (1'39")
Originally intended to be an easter egg, this short CG/plasticine film shows Adric's arrival on prehistoric Earth.
Adric: A lump of clay
Cyber Voice Coach: David Banks
Animation: Rupert Booth
CGI: Arthur Banks, Ian Liddle
Dinosaur Wranglers: Darren Bean, John Kimmins, Trina McGregor, Barry Williams
Producer: Simon Berman
Filmed entirely in the jungle by System Enterprises Durham UK
(C) BBC Worldwide MMIII.
 
Easter Egg: The Real McCoy
Click left from the 40th Anniversary Celebration option.

Restoration Notes

The D3 copies of the original quads created in the mid-90s were used as the basis of this release: After being run through the transform PAL decoder, dropouts were cleaned up with Scratchbox and the credit sequences recreated, and film sequences reinstated from the original reels - a banding problem in Part Two was fixed with heavy use of DVNR. Mark Ayres, as usual, provided an audio restoration.

Classifications

29/09/1992 - Passed as 'PG' by the BBC for the UK
07/12/1992 - Passed as 'PG' [Low Level Violence by the OFLC for Aus/NZ
24/06/2003 - Bonuses passed as 'PG' by the BBFC for the UK
16/07/2003 - Passed as 'PG' [Low Level Violence, Low Level Course Language] by the OFLC for Aus/NZ