This was the first season released, on 11th June 2018 in the UK. It quickly sold out, and had a more limited run than later seasons, so was reissued on 2nd March 2020, with ‘2nd Edition’ added to the J-card, and a slight change to the spine art (the villains of the series were visible, while they were not on the original release and most other sets).
On 31st May 2021, Season 12 (along with Season 19) became the first to be reissued in standard packaging, with a shorter booklet.
Sources
All stories were sourced from D3 tapes of the surviving original quad transmission masters, which were ran through the PAL Transform Decoder and then remastered (the original DVD of The Ark in Space took place before the standard use of the Decoder). Slo-mo footage in The Sontaran Experiment was unpicked and rebuild digitally to improve the quality.
Opening and closing titles were recreating using the original HD film, colour-graded to match the original episodes.
UK Release History
| VHS | VHS Art | DVD | DVD Art | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robot | 13/1/92 | Alister Pearson | 4/6/07 | Clayton Hickman |
| The Ark in Space | 5/6/89 7/2/94 | Uncredited [Sid Sutton] | 8/4/02 25/2/13 | Uncredited [Clayton Hickman] Lee Binding |
| The Sontaran Experiment | 7/10/91 | Andrew Skilleter | 9/10/06 5/2008 | Lee Binding |
| Genesis of the Daleks | 7/10/91 17/9/01 | Andrew Skilleter | 10/4/06 1/07 26/11/07 9/13 | Clayton Hickman |
| Revenge of the Cybermen | 3/10/83 14/5/84 3/11/86 1/4/99 | Photographic Sid Sutton Uncredited [Black Sheep] | 9/8/10 | Clayton Hickman |
Revenge of the Cybermen‘s VHS history is a long one! In 1983 it was issued in omnibus form in a large plastic case with erroneous artwork (including a season 18-era Tom and an Earthshock Cyberman) on VHS, Betamax and V2000. It was reissued in a standard case with improved art in 1984 on both VHS and Laserdisc, and then again in 1986 on VHS to add a ‘U’ certification to the sleeve. Finally in 1999 it was rereleased on VHS in another design, unedited.
The Sontaran Experiment and Genesis of the Daleks was released on VHS in a doublepack together. Genesis was also reissued as part of The Davros Collection on a single tape in 2001. The Ark in Space was originally released in 1989 as an omnibus and then reissued unedited in 1994 (and later by Encore on Laserdisc in 1996). For more information see our VHS guide.
The 2007 release The Complete Davros Collection included Genesis of the Daleks, and also that year the single DVD was reissued with a slipcover. In May 2008 the DVD box-set Bred for War included The Sontaran Experiment.
Revenge of the Cybermen was paired with Silver Nemesis for its DVD release in 2010.
The Ark in Space DVD received upgraded restoration and bonus features for a standalone 2013 release.
Genesis of the Daleks was also released on the September 2013 DVD The Monster Collection: Davros (paired with The Stolen Earth and Journey’s End) and again in 2015 along with several new series stories and an exclusive documentary ‘Dalek Origins’ on the US-exclusive The Daleks, later reissued in Australia but never in the UK. Genesis also appeared on January 2007 Amazon exclusive set The Dalek Collection. Robot and Genesis appeared in the 2015 HMV exclusive An Introduction to the Fourth Doctor.
The Ark:SE and Revenge were released sufficiently late in the range that they featured reversable sleeves to match the earlier BBC logo.
Most of the restored episodes, devoid of extras, were issued as part of the Doctor Who DVD Files magazine (2009-14) across the following issues: 31: Genesis of the Daleks (10th March 2010), 49: Robot (17th November 2010), 90: the original DVD version of The Ark in Space (13th June 2012), and 111: Revenge of the Cybermen (3rd April 2013).
Summary
All episodes contain the original mono. The Ark in Space and Genesis of the Daleks contain new 5.1 options. The Ark in Space also contains optional CGI from the original DVD by Nick Sainton-Clark, Mike Tucker and Ian Simpson, and Revenge of the Cybermen a brand new CG option by Niel Bushnell.
Grouped on Behind the Sofa are:
- Tom Baker, Philip Hinchcliffe and Sadie Miller
- Janet Fielding, Louise Jameson and Sarah Sutton
Revised information text is available for all stories by Martin Wiggins (except Revenge of the Cybermen by Nicholas Pegg, revising his own DVD text). This replaces the originals by Richard Molesworth (Robot, the original Ark in Space and Genesis of the Daleks) and Wiggins himself (Ark:SE and The Sontaran Experiment)
Audio navigation is provided by Tom Baker.
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 526 (released 31 May 2018, cover date July 2018) with the features listed out of order, and with alternate titles.
Disc 1: Robot (1:38:18)
Commentary with Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks
| Format | Length | DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making-of Documentary [Are Friends Electric?] | SD | 38:48 | Robot (an edit of <10s has been made here to remove a clip from Jim’ll Fix It) |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 44:19 | New |
| Television Drama | SD | 35:38 | New |
| Location Footage | SD | 1:11 | The Ark in Space SE |
| Blackpool Footage | SD | 0:16 | The Ark in Space [Easter Eggs; one is still an Egg here – played after The Ark in Space Part Four] |
| Blue Peter [23.05.74 on the Robot set] | SD | 2:14 | Robot |
| The Tunnel Effect [Interview with Bernard Lodge] | SD | 13:47 | Robot |
| Clean Opening & Closing Titles | HD | 2:26 | New [SD opening first released on The Ark in Space/The Talons of Weng-Chiang, and alternate HD prints were released on Shada] |
| Unused Title Sequence | SD | 0:44 | The Ark in Space (and SE) |
| On Target: Terrance Dicks | SD | 21:27 | The Monster of Peladon |
| Original BBC1 Continuity | SD | 0:40 | Robot [Easter Egg] |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 4:14 | New – alternate SD version, same length, was on original DVD |
| Coming Soon – The Ark in Space | SD | 0:51 | The Reign of Terror |
Total contents: 4:24:53
- No material was removed from the original DVD to create this Blu-Ray.
Disc 2: The Ark in Space (1:38:53)
Commentary with Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen and Philip Hinchcliffe
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omnibus Version | HD | 1:09:50 | The Ark in Space SE |
| Making-of Documentary [A New Frontier] | SD | 29:53 | The Ark in Space SE |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 37:52 | New. Rated 12. |
| Model Effects | HD | 7:11 | The Ark in Space (and SE) |
| BBC1 Trailer | SD | 0:51 | The Ark in Space (and SE) |
| Photo Gallery | SD | 7:04 | New – alternate SD versions were on original DVDs (scroll-through on first, 7:05 on SE) |
| Updated Special Effects Roll | SD | 1:33 | The Ark in Space (and SE) |
| 3D Technical Schematic | SD | 1:06 | The Ark in Space (and SE) |
| Roger Murray-Leach Interview | SD | 10:28 | The Ark in Space (and SE) |
Total contents: 4:24:41
- Alternative Title Sequence and Blackpool Promos (both on original and SE, one of the promos was an Easter Egg), and the Robot 8mm footage (SE only) all moved to Disc 1.
- TARDIS-Cam No. 1 (from the original and SE DVDs) and Doctor Forever! Love and War (SE only) removed, likely held back for The Wilderness Years.
- Wookey Hole interview from the original release (not SE), also appeared on Revenge of the Cybermen DVD and is on that disc in this set.
- A Countdown Clock for Part Two (original and SE) incorporated into the compilation on Disc 6.
- Scene Around Six from 1978 (from the SE) moved to Season 15.
- Coming Soon: The Aztecs SE (SE only) likely to move to Season 1.
- The Doctor Who Technical Manual PDF (SE only) was removed. It was expected to move to Season 20, though by the time of that set’s release in 2023, the rights could not be obtained.
- Howard Da Silva syndicated Time-Life introductions and closings narrations (1978) and Who’s Who (both from first US releases only) removed, unlikely to appear anywhere else.
Disc 3: The Sontaran Experiment (49:33)
Commentary with Elisabeth Sladen, Philip Hinchcliffe and Bob Baker
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making-of Documentary [Like Nothing on Earth] | HD | 36:46 | New |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 17:43 | New |
| Built for War | SD | 39:39 | The Sontaran Experiment, with minor edit to remove Jim’ll Fix It clip. |
| Location Report [Morning Sou’West 30.09.74] | Audio | 2:55 | BBC Audiobooks’ Doctor Who at the BBC |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 4:47 | New – alternate 4:42 SD version was on original DVD |
| On Target: Ian Marter | SD | 16:11 | Carnival of Monsters SE |
| The Tom Baker Years | SD | 2:56:30 | Standalone VHS |
Total contents: 5:44:04
- No material was removed from the original DVD to create this Blu-Ray.
- In the DWM preview, Morning Sou’West Location Report was mistakenly listed as two separate items.
Disc 4: Genesis of the Daleks (2:22:55)
Commentary with Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Peter Miles and David Maloney
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making-of Documentary [Genesis of a Classic] | SD | 1:02:10 | Genesis of the Daleks |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 43:11 | New |
| Blue Peter [20.03.75 with models] | SD | 7:12 | Genesis of the Daleks |
| Continuity | SD | 6:16 | Genesis of the Daleks |
| Live from the TVC Canteen | Audio | 47:07 | New |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 7:59 | New – alternate 7:56 SD version was on original DVD |
Total contents: 5:16:50
- The Dalek Tapes moved to Destiny of the Daleks on Season 17.
Disc 5: Revenge of the Cybermen (1:36:44)
Commentary with Elisabeth Sladen, Philip Hinchcliffe, David Collings and Roger Murray-Leach
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making-of Documentary [The Tin Men and the Witch (Expanded 2018 Version)] | HD | 32:13 | Revenge of the Cybermen (was 25’23”, now includes reshot Hinchcliffe interview and other extra material) |
| Behind the Sofa | SD | 31:57 | New |
| Cheques Lies and Videotape | HD | 28:16 | Revenge of the Cybermen |
| Location Report | SD | 5:34 | The Ark in Space original release only; Revenge of the Cybermen |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 4:36 | New – alternate SD version, same length, was on original DVD |
Total contents: 3:19:20
- Coming Soon: Time and the Rani (from the original DVD) moved to Season 23.
- A BBC Video ident, hidden as an Easter Egg on the DVD, was removed. No new placement seems likely.
Disc 6: Bonus
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Baker in Conversation | HD | 1:04:20 | New |
| Doctor Who Times | HD | 39:29 | New [UK release only] |
| Genesis of the Daleks Omnibus | HD | 1:25:58 | New |
| Studio Clocks | SD | 6:37 | New, although The Ark in Space Part Two was on The Ark in Space (and SE) |
Total contents: 3:16:24
- The ‘Doctor Who Times’ feature was intended to be a recurring one throughout the range, however the high costs of clearances meant that not only did it not appear on the US version of the set, follow-ups were not commissioned for future releases.
PDF Material
The original releases of Robot, The Ark in Space: SE, Genesis of the Daleks and Revenge of the Cybermen contained Radio Times listings. The Ark in Space: SE also included Nestle’s 1975 promotional material, Crosse & Blackwell’s 1977 promotion and the Doctor Who Technical Manual.
The US release did not include the printed booklet, and as such for Season 12 the bonus disc included a PDF for that audience; further sets did not include this feature. It was the same as the UK booklet, minus mention of Doctor Who Times.
In the DWM preview, the Walls Dalek’s Death Ray PDF was correctly attributed to Disc 6, not Disc 5 as Richard Bignell’s promo image does.
Errata
The 2018 release disappointed some fans due to a number of errors, which were rectified with a disc replacement program. Embarrasingly, the first set of Revenge of the Cybermen replacements were simply further copies of the faulty discs, and further replacements had to be issued.
- The Sontaran Experiment: Part One (out of phase audio on main track)
- Revenge of the Cybermen: Part One (Michael Wisher credit typo)
- Revenge of the Cybermen: Part Three (Ian Marter credit overlaps with next credit)
- Revenge of the Cybermen: Part Four (missing subtitles) – US only
- Revenge of the Cybermen: Part Four (flash frame moments before the episode’s end)
- Revenge of the Cybermen (some missing CGI effects; one was still missing on the replacement discs but present on the US version]
- Disc 6: Walls 1975-77 promotion PDF (was meant to be exclusive, not on any prior DVDs) [this was added to the replacement Revenge disc]
Murray-Leach’s contribution to the Revenge commentary was not mentioned in the booklet.
The 2020 reissue was delayed as a number of the discs were printed with Season 10 artwork, and in some cases reached consumers and had to be replaced.
