This was the seventh season released, on 4th May 2020 (delayed from 20th April) in the UK. It was reissued on 28th February 2022 in standard packaging, with a shorter booklet.
Sources
For the most part, the episodes were simple transfers with cleanup from the original 2″ masters which still existed, with the opening and closing titles rebuilt in true HD from the film originals, colour-graded to match the original episodes. Reported issues during the original DVD remastering were:
- Film inserts for all parts of Masque were out of phase and required special attention.
- An off-lock at the end of Masque Part Three which was present on the original transmission but corrected here.
- The master tape of Deadly Assassin Part Three was edited, so six seconds were replaced using a U-matic copy of Ian Levine’s Philips 1500 offair, and a BBC Enterprises U-Matic.
UK Release History
| VHS | VHS Art | DVD | DVD Art | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masque of Mandragora | 5/8/91 | Alistair Pearson | 8/2/10 | Clayton Hickman |
| The Hand of Fear | 5/2/96 | Colin Howard | 24/7/06 | Lee Binding |
| The Deadly Assassin | 7/10/91 1/9/02 | Andrew Skilleter Uncredited [Black Sheep] | 11/5/09 | Clayton Hickman |
| The Face of Evil | 1/5/99 | Uncredited [Black Sheep] | 5/3/12 | Lee Binding |
| The Robots of Death | 7/4/86 1988 13/2/95 | Sid Sutton | 13/11/00 13/2/12 | N/A, Photo Clayton Hickman |
| The Talons of Weng-Chiang | 7/11/88 | Sid Sutton | 28/4/03 4/10/10 | Clayton Hickman (both) |
The Deadly Assasin VHS was reissued as part of the Time Lord Collection in 2002. For more information see our VHS guide.
The Hand of Fear was reissued in revised packaging in July 2007.
The Robots of Death DVD was reissued with improved restoration and DVD bonuses as part of the Revisitations 2 set in 2012 (using the PAL Transform Decoder, which came into regular use after the orirginal 2000 release), and The Talons of Weng-Chiang similarly in Revisitations 1 in 2010.
Masque, Face and the Revisitions versions of Robots and Talons all featured reversible sleeves due to the new BBC logo on the spine.
The restored episodes were issued as part of the Doctor Who DVD Files magazine (2009-14) across the following issues: 64: The Masque of Mandragora [Jun 15th 2011); 43: The Hand of Fear (Aug 25th 2010); 52: The Deadly Assassin (Dec 29th 2010); 124: The Face of Evil (Oct 2nd 2013); 54: The Robots of Death (Jan 26th 2011); and 41: The Talons of Weng-Chiang (Jul 28th 2010).
Summary
Revised information commentary is available from Martin Wiggins (with Niall Boyce on The Deadly Assassin, updating Boyce’s originals).
A new 5.1 surround mix option appears on The Deadly Assassin (alongside the original mono) and optionally updated CGI effects for The Talons of Weng-Chiang by Niel Bushnell.
Behind the Sofa are:
- Tom Baker, Louise Jameson & Philip Hinchcliffe
- Peter Purves & Sophie Aldred
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 549 (released 5 March 2020, cover date April 2020) with the features listed out of order, and with alternate titles.
Disc 1: The Masque of Mandragora (01:38:43)
Commentary with Tom Baker, Gareth Armstrong, Philip Hinchcliffe, Chris D’Oyly-John. Recorded in 2008.
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making-of documentary [The Secret of the Labyrinth] | SD | 26:24 | The Masque of Mandragora |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 24:50 | New |
| Now and Then | SD | 8:41 | The Masque of Mandragora |
| Nationwide [13.05.76 with Elisabeth Sladen] | SD | 1:41 | The Hand of Fear [Easter Egg] |
| Audio archive [Tom Baker interview 24.06.76] | Audio | 35:10 | New |
| Audio archive: [Doctor Who and the Pescatons, July 1976] | Audio | 46:10 | Previously released on LP, cassette and CD |
| BBC Trails & Continuities | SD | 4:28 | New, updated from 2m42s DVD compilation |
| Comedy Short [Beneath the Masque] | SD | 9:41 | The Masque of Mandragora |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 9:56 | New – alternate 7m36s SD version was on original DVD |
Total contents: 4:25:44
- Coming Soon: The Space Museum/The Chase (from the original DVD) moved to Season 2.
- Bigger on the Inside removed, destination unknown – it’s a generic featurette about the TARDIS design so could be moved anywhere
Disc 2: The Hand of Fear (1:39:11)
Commentary with Tom Baker, Bob Baker, Elisabeth Sladen [1,2,4], Judith Paris [3,4], plus additional comments throughout from Philip Hinchcliffe. Recorded in 2005.
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making-of documentary [Changing Time] | SD | 50:27 | The Hand of Fear |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 27:34 | New |
| Elisabeth Sladen Tribute [Our Sarah Jane] | HD | 1:17:30 | New |
| Swap Shop [02.10.76 with Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen] | SD | 10:55 | The Hand of Fear |
| Doctor Who Stories [Elisabeth Sladen Part 2; generic interview, recorded for The Story of Doctor Who] | SD | 19:45 | Terror of the Zygons |
| Audio Archive: Exploration Earth [14.10.76] | Audio | 19:43 | New to video range, previously available on CD |
| BBC Trails & Continuities | SD | 5:05 | New |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 6:24 | New – alternate 5m6s SD version was on original DVD |
| Coming Soon [The Deadly Assassin] | SD | 0:57 | Image of the Fendahl |
Total contents: 5:17:41
- Nationwide feature (from the original DVD) moved to Disc 1
Disc 3: The Deadly Assassin (1:34:48)
Commentary with Tom Baker, Bernard Horsfall, Philip Hinchcliffe. Recorded in 2007.
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making-of documentary [The Matrix Revisited] | SD | 29:17 | The Deadly Assassin |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 26:23 | New |
| Dressing Doctor Who | SD | 27:05 | The Mutants |
| Nationwide [26.10.76 with Tom Baker and Louise Jameson] | SD | 4:14 | New |
| The Gallifrey Candidate | SD | 10:31 | The Deadly Assassin |
| The Frighten Factor | SD | 16:38 | The Deadly Assassin |
| BBC Trails & Continuities | SD | 4:56 | New, updated from 26s DVD easter egg |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 7:25 | New – alternate 5m37s SD version was on original DVD |
| Coming Soon [The Face of Evil] | SD | 1:26 | The Robots of Death SE, The Three Doctors SE, The Tomb of the Cybermen SE |
Total contents: 3:38:29
- Coming Soon: Delta and the Bannermen (from the original DVD) moved to Season 24
Disc 4: The Face of Evil (1:39:30)
Commentary with Louise Jameson, Leslie Schofield, David Garfield, Harry H Fielder [1], John McGlashan [1,2], Mike Elles [3,4], Philip Hinchcliffe [3,4], moderated by Toby Hadoke. Hadoke also relays written comments from writer Chris Boucher throughout. Recorded in 2011.
New commentary [1,3] with Tom Baker, Matthew Sweet. Recorded in 2019.
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making-of Documentary [Into the Wild] | SD | 25:11 | The Face of Evil |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 26:20 | New |
| Film Trims: Highlights | SD | 9:04 | The Face of Evil, as “From the Cutting Room Floor” |
| Film Trims: Unedited | SD | 42:11 | New |
| Girls Girls Girls [The 1970s] | SD | 21:18 | The Three Doctors SE |
| BBC Trails & Continuities | SD | 5:39 | New |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 10:45 | New – alternate 5m42s SD version was on original DVD |
Total contents: 3:59:58
- Coming Soon: The Dæmons (from the original DVD) moved to Season 8
- Doctor Who Stories: Louise Jameson moved to Season 15
- Tomorrow’s Times: The Fourth Doctor moved to Season 18
- Swap Shop and Denys Fisher Toy Advert moved to Discs 5 and 8 respectively. The advert would also be included on Season 15
Disc 5: The Robots of Death (1:36:05)
Commentary with Philip Hinchcliffe, Chris Boucher. Recorded in 1999.
Commentary with Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Pamela Salem, Michael E. Briant. Recorded in 2008 for Special Edition DVD.
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making-of Documentary [The Sandmine Murders] | SD | 32:24 | The Robots of Death SE |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 27:02 | New |
| Model Footage | SD | 7:47 | The Robots of Death (and SE) (7:38 on original release, as part of “Featurette” compilation) |
| Studio Sound [excerpt from Part One] | SD | 1:24 | The Robots of Death (and SE) (1:14 on original release, as part of “Featurette” compilation) |
| Swap Shop [12.02.77 with Louise Jameson] | SD | 4:20 | The Face of Evil |
| Serial Thrillers | SD | 41:46 | Pyramids of Mars |
| The Panopticon Archive [The Robots of Death panel from 2000] | SD | 46:53 | New |
| Robots Featurette [Robophobia] | SD | 11:48 | The Robots of Death SE |
| BBC Trails & Continuity | SD | 2:59 | New, updated from 52s compilation on SE (originally 20s and 22s within DVD “Featurette”) |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 7:13 | New – alternate 5m36s SD version was on SE DVD, whilst original DVD featured a static slideshow of 30 images |
Total contents: 4:39:41
- Who’s Who text feature and Howard Da Silva intros (16:21) from original US R1 DVD not included
- Coming Soon: The Face of Evil (from the SE) moved to Disc 2
Disc 6: The Talons of Weng-Chiang (2:24:06)
Commentary with David Maloney [1-3,5,6], John Bennett [1,2,4,5, end of 6], Christopher Benjamin [1,2,4-6], Louise Jameson [1,3-6], Philip Hinchcliffe [2,3-6]. Continuity announcements from the original BBC1 broadcasts can be heard during the closing titles of episodes one, two and five. Recorded in 2003.
Commentary [1,4,6] with Tom Baker, Matthew Sweet. Recorded in 2019.
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making-of documentary [The Last Hurrah] | SD | 33:34 | The Talons of Weng-Chiang SE |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 28:18 | New |
| Location Report [Look East 14.01.77 behind-the-scenes feature. Available to view with the finished, mixed sound or with the raw location audio] | SD | 3:39 | Updated for BD. The Talons of Weng-Chiang SE had the mixed-sound version |
| Pebble Mill [31.03.77 with Philip Hinchcliffe] | SD | 11:30 | The Talons of Weng-Chiang (and SE) |
| Now & Then | SD | 11:03 | The Talons of Weng-Chiang SE |
| BBC Trails & Continuities | SD | 6:10 | New, updated from 2m28s compilation on original (and SE) DVD |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 7:15 | New – alternate 3m25s SD version was on original DVD |
Total Disc Contents: 4:05:35
Disc 7: The Talons of Weng-Chiang Bonus
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whose Doctor Who [contemporary documentary, broadcast 03.04.77] | HD | 58:44 | The Talons of Weng-Chiang (and SE) |
| Whose Doctor Who Revisited | HD | 51:29 | New |
| Studio Footage [rare black-and-white footage from the studio recording of Parts Five and Six] | SD | 23:01 | The Talons of Weng-Chiang (and SE) as “Behind the Scenes” |
| Blue Peter [28.04.77, 05.05.77 and 19.05.77 making the Doctor Who theatre] | SD | 24:50 | The Talons of Weng-Chiang (and SE) as “Blue Peter Theatre” |
| The Foe from the Future | SD | 6:46 | The Talons of Weng-Chiang SE |
| Moving On | SD | 4:35 | The Talons of Weng-Chiang SE |
| Deep Roy interview | HD | 12:14 | New |
| Historical featurette: Limehouse | SD | 19:21 | The Talons of Weng-Chiang SE |
| Historical featurette: Victoriana & Chinoiserie | SD | 8:08 | The Talons of Weng-Chiang SE |
| Historical featurette: Music Hall | SD | 21:44 | The Talons of Weng-Chiang SE |
Total Disc Contents: 3:50:51
- Clean opening titles (Easter Egg on The Talons of Weng-Chiang/SE) moved to Season 12.
- Blue Peter extract (23/05/74) moved to Season 12.
- Howard Da Silva syndicated Time-Life introductions and closings narrations (1978) (from the original R1 release only), removed and unlikely to appear elsewhere.
- TARDIS-Cam No. 6 (from the original and SE DVDs) likely to be saved for potential Wilderness Years Collection, as per installments on Seasons 10 and 12.
- Coming Soon: The Seeds of Doom (from the SE) expected to move to Season 13.
Disc 8: Bonus Disc
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Hinchcliffe In Conversation | HD | 1:17:44 | New |
| Life After Who | SD | 29:37 | The Android Invasion |
| Tom Baker & Philip Hinchcliffe interview | HD | 20:51 | New, re-edit of footage from The Talons of Weng-Chiang SE featurettes |
| Call My Bluff [27.05.77 with Tom Baker] | SD | 29:55 | New |
| Denys Fisher Toys Advert | SD | 0:32 | The Face of Evil |
| Blu-Ray trailer [Home Assistant] | HD | 3:51 | New |
Total Disc Contents: 2:43:30
Radio Times listings appeared on the original DVDs of The Masque of Mandragora, The Hand of Fear, The Deadly Assassin, The Robots of Death (SE only) and The Talons of Weng-Chiang (SE only). The Hand of Fear DVD also included the 1978 annual and The Face of Evil the T-Phoo promotion (both moved to the bonus disc here). The Robots of Death floor plans appeared as static menu screens on the original DVD and PDFs on the Special Edition.
In the DWM preview, The Foe from the Future storyline was listed among The Talons of Weng-Chiang PDFs on Disc 6. This was omitted from the set by mistake. The Blue Peter Theatre PDF (Disc 7) was not mentioned.
Errata
The Foe from the Future storyline should have appeared on Disc 6 but was accidentally missed. This has not been corrected.
