This was the sixth season released, on 27th January 2020 in the UK. It was reissued on 17th January 2022 in standard packaging, with a shorter booklet.
Sources
All episodes originate from their PAL 1″ masters, with the credit sequences rebuilt using the raw SD masters. When preparing the DVDs, the Restoration Team reported noise and smear as an issue across all stories, and poor quality slow motion effects for Survival which were rebuilt digitally.
UK Release History
| VHS | VHS Art | DVD | DVD Art | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battlefield | 23/3/98 | Uncredited [Black Sheep] | 29/12/08 | Clayton Hickman |
| Ghost Light | 9/5/94 | Colin Howard | 20/9/04 | Clayton Hickman |
| The Curse of Fenric | 4/2/91 | Uncredited [Alister Pearson] | 6/10/03 | Clayton Hickman |
| Survival | 2/10/95 | Colin Howard | 16/4/07 | Lee Binding |
Both the VHS and DVD releases of these stories were released just once in each format with no box-sets or reissues. Battlefield and The Curse of Fenric were both released in extended episodic editions on VHS (the former containing a few short sequences, while Fenric contained an extra 12 minutes), which were include on Discs 2 and 5 here respectively. They were then replaced with movie-length re-edits with revised effects and audio for their DVD releases (included on Discs 1 and 4, along with the transmitted versions).
All of the restored episodes, devoid of extras, were issued as part of the Doctor Who DVD Files magazine (2009-14) across the following issues: 39: The Curse of Fenric (30th June 2010), 51: Survival (15th December 2010), 59: Battlefield (6th April 2011), and 96: Ghost Light (5th September 2012).
Summary
All TV versions of the stories include their original stereo soundtracks plus 5.1 mixes (new for all except Ghost Light) and isolated music scores.
No new CGI options are available on any of these stories, although the movie-length versions of Battlefield and Fenric had their effects upgraded for DVD by John Kelly and Peter Crocker, and Ian Simpson respectively.
Information text is available from Paul Scoones (Battlefield, replacing Richard Molesworth’s), Martin Wiggins (Ghost Light and The Curse of Fenric, replacing his own originals, and Survival replacing Molesworth’s).
Behind the Sofa are:
- Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred
- Anneke Wills, Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton
- Pete McTighe and Joy Wilkinson
Audio navigation is provided by Sylvester McCoy.
Disc Layout
With the exception of the audio commentaries, titles are as they appear on the menu screen (and in the same order), with explanatory information in square brackets.
The disc layout was previewed in Doctor Who Magazine 546 (released 12 December 2019, cover date January 2020) with the features listed out of order, and with alternate titles. The 5.1 surround sound mix for Ghost Light, and the isolated music scores for all stories, were listed as new special features, though were originally on DVD.
Disc 1: Battlefield (1:36:49)
Commentary with Sophie Aldred, Angela Bruce, Nicholas Courtney, Andrew Cartmel, Ben Aaronovitch
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battlefield: Special Edition [2008 extended movie version, originally produced for DVD, with 5.1 surround sound mix and updated special effects] | HD | 1:34:53 | Battlefield [upscaled, not rebuilt] |
| Season 26 Press Trailer | SD | 1:33 | Battlefield |
| BBC Trails and Continuities | SD | 8:32 | 5:10 version on original DVD |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 13:20 | 7:01 SD version on original DVD |
Total contents: 3:35:07
- German audio option (Excalibur’s Vermächtnis) released on Siebter Doktor Volume 3 but not included here.
- German DVD edit of the movie without the additional scenes released on Siebter Doktor – Special Collector’s Edition (2017 Pandastorm DVD) but not included here.
- Coming Soon: The E-Space Trilogy (Full Circle, State of Decay, Warriors’ Gate) moved to Season 18.
Disc 2: Battlefield [Bonus]
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extended episodic version, newly remastered for BD with new 5.1 mix | HD | 1:41:32 | Battlefield original 1998 VHS release |
| Making-of Documentary [Storm Over Avallion] | SD | 22:31 | Battlefield |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 31:25 | New |
| Writing Battlefield [Past and Future King] | SD | 12:06 | Battlefield |
| Becoming The Destroyer | HD | 11:59 | New |
| Studio & Location Footage | SD | 2:27:40 | New, extended from 18m57s Studio Footage feature on original DVD. Rated 12. |
| Watertank Footage | SD | 6:36 | Battlefield |
| Gallery FX Footage | SD | 14:30 | New |
| Noel’s Saturday Roadshow [16.09.89 and 23.09.89 with Sylvester McCoy, David Banks] | SD | 4:25 | New |
| Nicholas Courtney Tribute | SD | 25:59 | More Than 30 Years In The TARDIS |
| Jean Marsh Featurette [From Kingdom to Queen] | SD | 8:08 | Battlefield |
Total contents: 6:26:51
Disc 3: Ghost Light (1:12:58)
Commentary with Sophie Aldred, Andrew Cartmel, Marc Platt, Mark Ayres
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghost Light: Extended Workprint [new, with optional 5.1 surround sound mix] | SD | 1:22:54 | New |
| Making-of Documentary [Light in Dark Places] | SD | 38:51 | Ghost Light |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 33:00 | New |
| Deleted & Extended Scenes | SD | 18:03 | Ghost Light |
| Studio footage | SD | 2:58:45 | New, extended from 19’08” “Shooting Ghosts” feature on original DVD |
| Marc Platt Interview [Writer’s Question Time] | SD | 12:10 | Ghost Light |
| Little Girl Lost | SD | 16:30 | Survival |
| BBC Trails & Continuities | SD | 5:06 | 3:33 version on original DVD as Easter Egg |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 12:24 | 5:29 SD version on original DVD |
Total contents: 7:50:41
- That’s The Way to the Zoo full recording (a short Easter Egg) not present as now part of the longer ‘studio footage’ feature. It was nonetheless listed as a standalone special feature in the DWM preview.
- German audio option (Das Haus der tausend Schrecken) released on Siebter Doktor Volume 3 but not included here.
- Unusually, the isolated score does not include the sound effects in the title music.
The presence of Little Girl Lost here is a curious one, as generally companion-specific documentaries have accompanied their final stories, and indeed this originated from the Survival DVD. However this may be because the documentary was originally commissoned for the Ghost Light disc but pulled because of lack of space – its presentation here marks it accompanying the story it was always intended to.
Disc 4: The Curse of Fenric (1:37:16)
Commentary with Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred and Nicholas Parsons
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Curse of Fenric: Special Edition [2003 extended movie version, originally produced for DVD, with 5.1 surround sound mix and updated special effects] | HD | 1:43:49 | The Curse of Fenric [upscaled, not rebuilt, but with a change to the Part Three cliffhanger] |
| Commentary Footage | SD | 5:59 | New |
| Special Edition Featurette [Recutting the Runes] | SD | 15:06 | The Curse of Fenric |
| Mark Ayres Interview | SD | 6:11 | The Curse of Fenric [Easter Egg] |
| BBC Trails and Continuities | SD | 3:49 | 1:49 version on original DVD as Easter Egg |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 12:31 | 5:45 SD version on original DVD |
Total contents: 4:04:41
- The original isolated music soundtrack contained, as unadvertised features, isolated music (without effects) on the title sequences to Part Two, and isolated SFX on those for Part Three. Both were moved to be part of a clean titles feature on the Time and the Rani disc.
- German audio option (Die Todesbucht der Wikinger) released on Siebter Doktor Volume 3 but not included here.
- German DVD edit of the movie without the additional scenes released on Siebter Doktor – Special Collector’s Edition (2017 Pandastorm DVD) but not included here.
- Title Sequences feature moved to Season 24.
- 40th Anniversary Music Video removed, expected on The Wilderness Years.
- Two text screens about the Haemavore nicknames appeared as Easter Eggs when watching with Info Text switched on; the information is now incorporated into the main text instead. They were nonetheless listed as a standalone special feature in the DWM preview.
Disc 5: The Curse of Fenric [Bonus]
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extended episodic version, newly remastered for BD, with new 5.1 mix | HD | 1:44:22 | The Curse of Fenric original 1991 VHS release |
| Making-of Documentary [Buried Treasure] | HD | 55:50 | New |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 29:56 | New |
| Ian Briggs Interview [Shattering the Chains] | SD | 24:52 | The Curse of Fenric |
| Ken Trew Interview [Costume Design] | SD | 17:06 | The Curse of Fenric |
| Location Recce & FX Footage | SD | 17:40 | The Curse of Fenric |
| Location Footage | SD | 22:26 | New |
| Take Two [18.04.89 behind-the-scenes feature] | SD | 4:31 | The Curse of Fenric |
| Modelling the Dead [BSB Doctor Who Weekend extract] | SD | 5:13 | The Curse of Fenric |
| Prosthetics Featurette [Claws and Effect] | SD | 17:03 | The Curse of Fenric |
| Convention Footage [Nebula 90, recorded 07.10.90] | SD | 58:26 | New, 24m57s of highlights appeared on original DVD |
Total contents: 5:57:25
- Location Recce & FX Footage was not mentioned in the DWM preview.
Disc 6: Survival (1:12:59)
Commentary #1 with Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Andrew Cartmel
Commentary #2 with Clayton Hickman, Niall Boyce, Erykah Brackenbury, Tim Kittel [3]
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making-of Documentary [Cat Flap (two parts: 28’05”, 34’00”)] | SD | 1:02:05 | Survival |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 31:55 | New |
| Deleted & Extended Scenes | SD | 18:18 | Extended from original 9m18s package. Rated 12. |
| Out-takes | SD | 16:26 | Survival |
| Now & Then | HD | 6:34 | New |
| Location Footage | SD | 52:09 | New. Rated 12. |
| BBC Trails & Continuities | SD | 4:57 | New, extended from 3m4s compilation on original DVD |
| The Writers’ Room | HD | 32:36 | New. Rated 12. |
| Stripped for Action | SD | 21:34 | Delta and the Bannermen |
| Tomorrow’s Times | SD | 14:31 | The Greatest Show in the Galaxy |
| The Panopticon Archive [1993 convention footage featuring Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred] | SD | 59:58 | New |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 11:59 | New – alternate 8m38s SD version was on original DVD |
Total contents: 6:46:01
- German audio option (Der Tod auf leisen Sohlen) released on Siebter Doktor Volume 3 but not included here.
- Endgame moved to Disc 7, and Little Girl Lost to Disc 3.
- Search Out Science and Destiny of the Doctors removed, expected on a potential Wilderness Years set.
Disc 7: Bonus
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sophie Aldred in Conversation | HD | 1:12:10 | New |
| Showman: The Life of John Nathan-Turner | HD | 1:22:10 | New. Rated 12. |
| Endgame | SD | 44:22 | Survival |
| The Seventh Doctor Revisited | HD | 25:11 | The Doctors Revisited 5-8 (2013 US/Australian DVD), Silver Nemesis within Siebter Doktor – Special Collector’s Edition |
| Who Peter: 1963-1989 | SD | 29:58 | The Horns of Nimon within Myths and Legends set. |
| Blu-Ray trailer | HD | 3:33 | New |
Total contents: 4:17:24
PDF Material
The original DVDs of Battlefield and Survival contained Radio Times listings and letters, and Battlefield also a Radio Times article.
Errata
The booklet in the Standard Edition shows the Colin Baker title sequence in the corners, presumably left over from the recent Season 23 release. The original Limited Edition booklet shows the correct McCoy imagary.
