David Tennant Steelbooks

UK Release History

Series Two

  • May-Sep 2006: Series Two vanilla DVDs with 2.0 soundtrack
  • Nov 2006: Series Two DVD box set with 5.1 soundtrack, optional commentary and bonuses

Series Three

  • Apr-Aug 2007: Series Three vanilla DVDs with 2.0 soundtrack (and ‘Music and Monsters’ feature on the Runaway Bride disc)
  • Nov 2007: Series Three DVD box set with 5.1 soundtrack, optional commentary and bonuses
  • Nov 2007: The Infinite Quest standalone DVD with bonuses

Series Four

  • Mar-Sep 2008: Series Four vanilla DVDs with 2.0 soundtrack (and ‘Time Crash’ and a ‘Confidential Cut-Down’ on the Voyage of the Damnged disc)
  • Nov 2008: Series Four DVD box set with 5.1 soundtrack, optional commentary and bonuses
  • Apr 2009: The first vanilla DVD was reissued in UMD format, for Sony PSP. No further UMD releases were forthcoming.

2009 Specials

  • Jan 2009: The Next Doctor standalone DVD with ‘Doctor Who at the Proms’ bonus
  • Jun 2009: Planet of the Dead standalone DVD and BDs, both with a full-length Doctor Who: Confidential
  • Jan 2010: Complete specials BD set, with bonuses from 2009 releases plus several new bonuses.
  • Jan 2010: The Waters of Mars and both parts of The End of Time released in a 3x DVD set with full-length Doctor Who: Confidentials to complement the 2009 releases.
  • Feb 2010: Dreamland DVD with second bonus disc.

Collections

  • Nov 2013: Complete Series 1-7 set premiered an HD upgrade of all the SD episodes from The Christmas Invasion to The Next Doctor. Upscales were were made from 576p25 to 1080p24, which resulted in a slowdown which was pitch-corrected. The bonus features from the box sets were all carried across (except the Series Two in-vision commentaries) and remained in 576p25. The natively HD Specials were presented in their correct 1080i50.
  • Aug 2015: Series Two, Three and Four BD standalones, based on the Nov 2013 release.

And also…

  • Feb 2019: GERMAN RELEASE of ‘Dreamland’ was the worldwide premiere of this special in HD on home video.
  • Aug 2019: US RELEASE of ‘The Complete David Tennant’, with a new 4-disc version of The Specials, on which the later 2019 UK BD was based.
  • November 2023: Complete Eccleston and Tennant eras released as a newly-upscaled boxset, with an additional Tennant interview (but missing the extra disc from the Specials steelbook). The upscales were higher quality and now ran at the correct speed. Some of the Confidential Cutdowns had edits, such as two minutes of Barrowman ‘naked’ in the episode accompanying Bad Wolf.

Steelbook Releases

Series Two3td July 2017Art by Lee Binding
Series Three7th May 2018Art by Claudia Caranfa
Series Four27th May 2019Art by Sophie Cowdry
Specials21st October 2019Art by Tom Webster
  • The second series release contained four bonus art cards.
  • The third series art originally included The Master based on his End of Time appearance. After preview images were released, fans complained and a revision was hastily made.

Disc Contents

[commentaries listed in square brackets]

Series Two, Disc 1

  • The Christmas Invasion (61’44”) [Julie Gardner, Phil Collinson and Russell T Davies]
  • New Earth (46’20”) [James Hawes, Julie Gardner and Will Cohen]
  • Tooth and Claw (46’44”) [Russell T Davies, David Houghton and Stephen Nicholas]
  • School Reunion (46’24”) [David Tennant, Toby Whithouse and Julie Gardner]
  • The Girl in the Fireplace (46’56”) [Phil Collinson, David Tennant and Sofia Myles]

Bonuses: Billie’s Video Diaries (4’20”), Children in Need Special (8’04”)

Disc total: 4h20m32s

Series Two, Disc 2

  • Rise of the Cybermen (48’21”) [Noel Clarke, Camille Coduri and Andrew Hayden-Smith]
  • The Age of Steel (48’11′”) [Graeme Harper, Paul Kasey and Nick Briggs]
  • The Idiot’s Lantern (47’25”) [Edward Thomas, David Tennant and Charlie Bluett]
  • The Impossible Planet (47’32”) [Will Cohen, Shaun Parkes and David Tennant]
  • The Satan Pit (49’33”) [Mike Jones, James Strong and Ronnie Jhutti]

Bonuses: Outtakes (8’19”), Deleted Scenes (16’07”)

Disc total: 4h25m28s

Series Two, Disc 3

  • Love & Monsters (47’32”) [Camille Coduri, Dan Zeff and Julie Gardner]
  • Fear Her (46’03”) [Matthew Graham and Julie Gardner]
  • Army of Ghosts (45’29”) [Raji James, Noel Clarke and Tracy-Ann Oberman]
  • Doomsday (48’44”) [Billie Piper and David Tennant]

Bonus Confidential Cutdowns

  • Backstage at Christmas [Confidential format, but produced for DVD] (9’18”)
  • New New Doctor (12’34”)
  • Fear Factor (12’09”)
  • Friends Reunited (12’21”)
  • Script to Screen (12’37”)
  • Cybermen (10’33”)
  • From Zero to Hero (10’21”)
  • The Writer’s Tale (11’08”)
  • You’ve Got the Look (10’37”)
  • Myths and Legends (9’13”)
  • The New World of Who (11’41”)
  • The Fright Stuff (12’27”)
  • Welcome to Torchwood (12’45”)
  • Finale (10’05”)

Bonus: David Tennant Video Diary (85’31”)

Disc total: 7h11m8s

Series 3, Disc 1

  • The Runaway Bride (64’09”) [Julie Gardner and David Tennant]
  • Smith & Jones (46’40”) [Russell T Davies and David Tennant]
  • The Shakespeare Code (47’59”) [David Tennant and Christina Cole]
  • Gridlock (47’12”) [Julie Gardner, Travis Oliver and Marie Jones]*
  • Daleks in Manhattan (49’12”) [Louise Page, Helen Raynor and Miranda Raison]

Bonuses: Freema Agyeman Studio Tour (18’18”), Deleted Scenes (18’02”), Outtakes (5’26”), BBC Trailers [Bride, 1-4] (3’37”)

Disc total: 4h59m35s

*Later released on the third disc of the steelbook version of the The Macra Terror animation.

Series 3, Disc 2

  • Evolution of the Daleks (48’50”) [David Tennant, Nick Briggs and Barney Curnow]
  • The Lazarus Experiment (45’14”) [David Tennant and Mark Gatiss]
  • 42 (47’48”) [Russell T Davies and Chris Chibnall]
  • Human Nature (47’14”) [Charlie Palmer, Paul Cornell and Murray Gold]
  • The Family of Blood (45’13”) [Susie Liggatt, Arwel Wyn Jones and Tracie SImpson]

Bonuses: David Tennant’s Video Diaries (105’19”), BBC Trailers [6-7] (0’46”)

Disc total: 5h40m24s

Series 3, Disc 3

  • Blink (45’48”) [Murray Gold and Steven Moffatt]
  • Utopia (48’09”) [Russell T Davies and David Tennant]
  • The Sound of Drums (48’28”) [Phil Collinson and Julie Gardner]
  • Last of the Time Lords (54’05”) [David Tennant, Freema Agyeman and John Barrowman]

Bonus Confidential Cutdowns

  • Music and Monsters [Full Length] (58’35”)*
  • Meet Martha Jones (13’11”)
  • Stage Fright (11’56”)
  • Are We There Yet? (11’49”)**
  • A New York Story (11’28”)
  • Making Manhattan (11’46”)
  • Monsters Inc. (12’09”)
  • Space Craft (11’56’)
  • Alter Ego (12’01”)
  • Bad Blood (12’04”)
  • Do You Remember The First Time? (12’37”)
  • Ello, Ello, Ello (12’14”)
  • The Saxon Mystery (12’27”)
  • The Valiant Quest (7’02”)

Bonuses: BBC Trailers [11-13] (1’22”), Blink Easter Egg (5’11”) – click left from the BBC Trailers for episode 11.

Disc total: 6h49m7s

*also released on the Runaway Bride standalone DVD
**later released uncut on the third disc of the steelbook version of the The Macra Terror animation.

Series 4, Disc 1

  • Voyage of the Damned (75’05”) [Murray Gold, Russell Tovey and Peter Bennett]
  • Partners in Crime (50’07”) [Julie Gardner, James Strong and Russell T Davies]
  • The Fires of Pompeii (50’37”) [David Tennant, Catherine Tate and Tracie Simpson]
  • Planet of the Ood (45’47”) [Graham Harper and Roger Griffiths]

Bonuses: Children in Need – Time Crash (08’01”), David Tennant’s Video Diary (14’54”), Voyage of the Damned Deleted Scenes (2’36”), Howard Attfield Deleted Scenes (6’46”), Deleted Scenes [Episodes 1-3] (10’39”), BBC Trailers [Voyage,1-3] (7’17”)

Disc total: 4h31m49s

Series 4, Disc 2

  • The Sontaran Stratagem (46’46”) [Julie Gardner, Dan Starkey and Neill Gorton]
  • The Poison Sky (46’54”) [David Tennant, Russell T Davies and Susie Liggat]
  • The Doctor’s Daughter (47’25”) [Catherine Tate, Georgia Moffat and Ben Foster]
  • The Unicorn and the Wasp (46’57”) [Felicity Kendal and Fenella Woolgar]

Bonuses: Deleted Scenes [Episodes 5-6] (13’49”), BBC Trailers [4-7] (1’38”)

Disc total: 3h21m48s

Series 4, Disc 3

  • Silence in the Library (45’10”) [David Tennant, Julie Gardner and Steven Moffat]
  • Forest of the Dead (47’32”) [Eurys Lynn, Helen Raynor and Louise Page]
  • Midnight (46’03”) [David Tennant, Russell T Davies and Alice Troughton]
  • Turn Left (51’51”) [Catherine Tate, Jacqueline King and Bernard Cribbins]

Bonus: BBC Trailers [second half of season trailer, 8-11] (2’19”)

Series 4, Disc 4

  • The Stolen Earth (47’58”) [Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and David Tennant]
  • Journey’s End (66’05”) [Russell T Davies, David Tennant and Catherine Tate]

Bonus Confidential Cutdowns

  • Christmas Confidential (15’50”)
  • A Noble Return (8’36’)
  • The Italian Job (9’05”)
  • Oods & Ends (13’22”)
  • Send in the Clones (12’32”)
  • Sontar-Ha! (12’17”)
  • The Sins of the Fathers (11’48”)
  • Nemesis (12’01”)
  • Shadowplay (13’54”)
  • River Runs Deep (12’02”)
  • Look Who’s Talking (13’24”)
  • Here Come the Girls (7’37”)
  • Friends and Foe (13’20”)
  • The End of an Era (24’11”)

Bonuses: David Tennant’s Video Diary (15’44”), The Journey (So Far) (30’57”), BBC Trailers [12-13] (1’31”), Deleted Scenes [9-13] (6’35”)

Disc total: 5h48m49s

Specials, Disc 1 [native HD except where stated]

  • The Next Doctor (63’22”) [HD upscale]
  • Planet of the Dead (61’43”)
  • The Waters of Mars (65’02”)

Bonus: Doctor Who at the Proms (62’07”)

Disc total: 4h12m14s

Specials, Disc 2 [native HD except where stated]

  • The End of Time, Part One (62’28”) [David Tennant, Catherine Tate and Euros Lyn]
  • The End of Time, Part Two (76’02”) [David Tennant, John Simm and Euros Lyn]

Bonuses: David Tennant’s Video Diary [SD] (40’41”), Christmas Idents [SD] (00’53”), Doctor Who at Comic Con 2009 (21’23”), Deleted Scenes [HD, with some SD-sourced material] (17’16”)

Disc total: 3h38m43s

Specials, Disc 3: Bonus [native HD except where stated)

  • The Next Doctor Confidential (55’34”) [SD]
  • Planet of the Dead Confidential (57’16”)
  • The Waters of Mars Confidential (58’07”)
  • The End of Time Part One Confidential (57’16”)
  • The End of Time Part Two Confidential (57’09”)

Specials, Disc 4: Bonus [native HD except where stated]

  • Dreamland (44’05”)
  • The Infinite Quest (46’46”) [SD]
  • The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, Parts One and Two (56’17”)
  • In Conversation with David Tennant – new 2019 interview (16’54”)

Errors and Issues

  • The 2006 DVD of the Children in Need special episode was an early edit containing alternate music.
  • The vanilla release of Blink was missing the ‘ONE YEAR LATER’ caption.
  • The ‘To Be Continued’ at the end of The End of Time Part One is incorrect on every home release until the 2023 remasters, as it should match the bolder animated graphic used at the end of The Stolen Earth.
  • The captions for all the HD upscales have been rebuilt and use a larger font than originally transmitted. The image below shows the 2013 upscales. New upscales were created in 2023 which were closer to the original but still imperfect.
  • The Next Doctor premiered a revised version of the closing credits, moving very quickly and with larger lettering. The DVD releases replaced these with slower-moving captions (similar to the previous seasons’) but erroneously credited Tennant as ‘Doctor Who’. The BD releases fixed this and presented them as broadcast.

Extra Extras

The following bonuses never made it as far as the steelbooks, but remain options for any future re-releases:

  • The April 2009 ‘Cybermen Collection’ DVD set contained four Series Two episodes plus an introduction by David Tennant and a Best Cybermen Moments feature.
  • The Series Two box set contained several in-vision commentaries, which are audio-only on the Blu Rays.
  • The Infinite Quest standalone DVD contained several bonuses never reissued.
  • ‘The Doctors Revisited: The Tenth Doctor’ DVD conained an omnibus of The Stolen Earth and Journey’s End with an introduction by Steven Moffat.
  • The original release of Dreamland contained a second bonus disc with three ‘Greatest Moments’ features, never reissued.
  • Attack of the Graske, the 2006 TARDISodes, the full length versions of Doctor Who Confidential and online commentaries have never been commercially released.
  • US and Australian exclusive DVDs entitled ‘The Cybermen’ (2015), ‘The Daleks’ (2015) and ‘The Weeping Angels’ (2016) all contain episodes from the Tennant era, and all contain exclusive bonuses entitled ‘Cybermen Origins’, ‘Dalek Origins’ and ‘New Nightmares in Time and Space’ respectively.
  • A 2015 Bittorrent bundle celebrating the 10th anniversary of Rose (and later released on DVD in Italy) featured exclusive introductions to The Girl in the Fireplace and Blink by Peter Capaldi.