This was the sixteenth season released, on October 28th 2024 in the UK.
Sources
All episodes originate from their PAL 1″ masters, with the credit sequences rebuilt using the raw SD masters of the title sequence.
Speaking to The Power of Three podcast, Peter Crocker explained that the DVD restorations were used as the starting point for the BD versions, with most of the model footage for Remembrance of the Daleks taken from an SD copy of the film reel, and some superior-quality footage for The Happiness Patrol taken from early edits. Many of the original digital effects were recreated in HD.
The Special Editions (except for The Greatest Show in the Galaxy) include newly upgraded opening titles with a hi-res Doctor Who logo and McCoy face, and the original, unused title sequence for the closing credits.
UK Release History
| VHS | DVD | |
|---|---|---|
| Remembrance of the Daleks | 6/9/93 | 26/2/01 20/7/09 |
| The Happiness Patrol | 18/8/97 | 7/5/12 |
| Silver Nemesis | 5/4/93 | 9/8/10 |
| The Greatest Show in the Galaxy | 24/1/00 | 30/7/12 |
The release of Silver Nemesis in 1993 came with an American behind the scenes documentary, as well as being extended with deleted scenes. Remembrance of the Daleks was released in a special Dalek tin with The Chase to commemorate the 30th anniversary, and reissued on VHS as part of the 2001 Davros Collection. For more information see our VHS guide.
On DVD, The Happiness Patrol was paired up with Dragonfire in a set entitled Ace Adventures, whilst Silver Nemesis was paired with Revenge of the Cybermen. With the exception of Remembrance, all of these releases took place after the change of BBC logo, and had reversable sleeves to show the older white BBC logo.
Remembrance of the Daleks was included as part of the October 2003 WH Smith exclusive Dalek Collector’s Edition set, the January 2007 Amazon exclusive Dalek Collection, and (as a Special Edition) the November 2007 Davros collection. This story was also released in the US and Australia (but not the UK) in omnibus format on the 2013 DVD The Doctors Revisited 5-8.
The restored episodes were issued as part of the Doctor Who DVD Files magazine (2009-14) across the following issues: 29: Remembrance of the Daleks (Feb 10th 2010); 102: Silver Nemesis (Nov 28th 2012); 113: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (May 1st 2013); and 119: The Happiness Patrol (Jul 24th 2013).
Summary
Updated information text is by Martin Wiggins and Paul Scoones, Charles Norton, William Arthur and Richard Molesworth, and Martin Wiggins and Richard Bignell.
Behind the Sofa are:
- Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred, joined by Karen Gledhill (Remembrance of the Daleks), Dame Sheila Hancock (The Happiness Patrol), Mark Hardy (Silver Nemesis) and Jessica Martin (The Greatest Show in the Galaxy)
- Bonnie Langford and Nicola Bryant
- Janet Fielding, Wendy Padbury and Sarah Sutton
New extended Special Editions (which Russell Minton calls “VERY special editions”) with new effects, surround sound mixes and “surprises” have been produced for all four stories, including new model footage as well as CGI. These new effects are also available as optional extras on the broadcast episodes (except for The Happiness Patrol).
All episodes include original stereo audio, 5.1 remixes (new for The Happiness Patrol, the rest from DVD) provided for every version of every episode (bar only the VHS edition of Silver Nemesis) and, for the broadcast episodes, isolated scores (all from DVD).
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 609 (released 10 October 2024, cover date November 2024) with the features listed out of order, and with alternate titles.
Disc 1 – Remembrance of the Daleks (1:38:20)
Commentary with Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred
Info text by Martin Wiggins, assisted by Paul Scoones (replacing the DVD originals by Richard Molesworth)
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making-of Documentary [Back to School] | SD | 32:40 | Remembrance of the Daleks SE |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 38:47 | New |
| Remembrances | SD | 15:16 | Remembrance of the Daleks SE |
| Deleted & Extended Scenes | SD | 12:39 | With introductions from Sylvester and Sophie from the Remembrance of the Daleks SE (original was 10m25s). An outtake from Sophie’s introduction, previously an Easter Egg on DVD, is appended to the end of this feature. |
| Outtakes | SD | 4:13 | Remembrance of the Daleks (and SE) |
| Model Footage [mute] | SD | 13:18 | New |
| Action Coverage [Multi-angle Scenes] | SD | 3:44 | Remembrance of the Daleks SE (re-edited from 5:30 version on original DVD). This is a multi-angle feature, with 2 angles available. |
| Promotion & TV Appearances Season 25 Press Trailer | SD | 2:00 | Part of the Trails and Continuity feature on the Silver Nemesis DVD |
| Promotion & TV Appearances Kilroy [28.10.87 with Sylvester McCoy and Louise Jameson] | SD | 4:29 | New, includes the opening title sequence |
| Promotion & TV Appearances Daytime Live: Radiophonics [21.03.88] | SD | 6:44 | New |
| Promotion & TV Appearances Why Don’t You…? [31.08.88] | SD | 5:49 | New |
| Promotion & TV Appearances Open Air [17.02.88 and 12.04.88, featuring Doctor Who letters] | SD | 2:43 | New |
| Promotion & TV Appearances Take Two [18.05.88] | SD | 1:29 | New |
| Promotion & TV Appearances Breakfast Time [05.10.88, with Sylvester McCoy and author David Saunders] | SD | 4:59 | New, includes the opening title sequence |
| Promotion & TV Appearances Blue Peter [17.10.88, Ace’s 30th birthday message] | SD | 0:26 | New |
| Promotion & TV Appearances Points of View [19.10.88] | SD | 0:41 | New |
| Promotion & TV Appearances Daytime Live: 25th Anniversary [28.10.88, with Jon Pertwee, Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred] | SD | 12:24 | New, includes the opening title sequence |
| Music Demo [with 5.1 or stereo] | SD | 3:24 | The Greatest Show in the Galaxy |
| BBC Trails & Continuities | SD | 5:35 | New, incorporating the 5:00 feature from the SE DVD (and the 35s and 34s trailers from the original DVD) |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 11:19 | New, alternate 8:37 SD version on SE DVD, and static gallery of 67 images on original DVD |
Total disc contents: 4:40:59
- The cafe music by The Beatles in the broadcast version was replaced on the original UK and international SE DVDs, and this will be necessary again for international versions of the BD. The clips used in Behind the Sofa and Looking for Dursley are the replacement music versions.
- The isolated score, as on DVD, includes two unused cues (in Parts Three and Four) and slightly extended versions of others. It also incorporates the rock music in Part One, and Keff McCulloch’s covers of Children’s Favourites in Part Two, and Apache in Part Three.
- Who’s Who, a text-only bonus feature from the original US R1 DVD, was not included
- Coming Soon: Ace Adventures (Dragonfire/The Happiness Patrol) (from the Nightmare of Eden DVD) was not included, neither was it on Delta and the Bannermen in Season 24
- A widescreen, unrestored, omnibus version with introduction by Steven Moffat from the 2013 US/Australian DVD, The Doctors Revisted 5-8, was not included here, as per Earthshock (Season 19) and Vengeance on Varos (Season 22)
- A German audio option from the Pandastorm DVD Siebter Doktor Volume 2 (Die Hand des Omega) was not included, as per Seasons 22-24 and 26
- In the DWM preview, the 5.1 audio was erroneously only listed on 3 episodes. It also mistakenly described the original DVD Easter Egg as a standalone feature (it was appended to the Deleted & Extended Scenes).
Disc 2 – Remembrance of the Daleks: Special Edition (1:43:40)
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davros Connections | SD | 43:17 | The Davros Collection/Remembrance of the Daleks SE |
| Looking for Dursley | HD | 55:06 | New |
| Location Footage | SD | 1:29:59 | New |
| Studio Footage | SD | 1:29:59 | New |
| Season 25 Blu-ray Trailer | HD | 6:17 | New |
Total disc contents: 6:28:18
- BBC Worldwide retained multiple studio and location tapes for this story, and further VHS footage exists in private collections. Richard Latto announced he had watched 32 hours of footage before condensing the highlights into the BD package.
Disc 3 – The Happiness Patrol (1:14:14)
Commentary with Sophie Aldred, Dominic Glynn [1], Graeme Curry [1,2], Andrew Cartmel [1,3] and Chris Clough [2,3] moderated by Toby Hadoke
Info text by Charles Norton (updating his own originals)
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making-of Documentary [Happiness Will Prevail] | SD | 23:46 | The Happiness Patrol |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 32:09 | New |
| Deleted & Extended Scenes | SD | 23:19 | The Happiness Patrol |
| Sophie Aldred in Conversation | HD | 55:13 | New |
| Lesley Dunlop Interview [Q&A – When Sophie Met Lesley] | HD | 15:46 | New |
| When Worlds Collide | SD | 46:06 | The Happiness Patrol |
| Girls Girls Girls [The 1980s] | SD | 21:44 | Paradise Towers |
| Going Live [05.11.88, with Sylvester McCoy] | SD | 10:23 | New, includes the opening title sequence |
| Newsnight [15.02.10, ‘How Dr Who took on Mrs Thatcher’] | SD | 8:25 | New, includes the opening titles |
| BBC Trails & Continuities | SD | 3:49 | New |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 10:00 | Alternate 5:47 SD version was on original DVD |
Total disc contents: 5:24:54
- The isolated score, as on DVD, includes a gun sound effect in Part Three. Background muzak and the demonstrator’s drones are included throughout, interrupting the incidental music.
- Coming Soon: Death to the Daleks (from the original DVD) expected on Season 11
- Coming Soon: Revenge of the Cybermen/Silver Nemesis (from The Dominators DVD) was not included, neither was it on Genesis of the Daleks in Season 12
- A German audio option from the Pandastorm DVD Siebter Doktor Volume 2 (Die Macht der Fröhlichkeit) was not included, as per Seasons 22-24 and 26
- The Limited Edition box lists updated special effects “on all four broadcast versions”, which should not have included The Happiness Patrol.
Disc 4 – The Happiness Patrol: Special Edition (1:30:05)
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Clough in Conversation | HD | 53:30 | New |
| Stephen Mansfield Interview [Scultping Visual Effects] | HD | 9:04 | New |
| Studio Footage | SD | 3:17:32 | New |
Total disc contents: 5:50:11
- BBC Worldwide retained 13 x 1-inch studio recording and insert spools for Part One. Richard Latto has condensed 10 hours of footage into a highlights package.
Disc 5 – Silver Nemesis (1:13:28)
Commentary with Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Andrew Cartmel and Chris Clough
Info text by William Arthur, with additional material by Richard Molesworth (who wrote the originals)
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 Making-of Documentary | SD | 55:06 | 1993 Silver Nemesis VHS. Includes the original BBC ident and copyright notices from the end of the tape. |
| 2010 Making-of Documentary [Industrial Action] | SD | 33:33 | Silver Nemesis |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 34:07 | New |
| Deleted & Extended Scenes | SD | 22:32 | Silver Nemesis |
| Andrew Cartmel in Conversation | HD | 50:40 | New |
| Open Air [23.11.88, with Sophie Aldred, Verity Lambert, Sylvester McCoy and Jon Pertwee, and 24.11.88, featuring viewers’ complaints] | SD | 15:02 | New. The two clips play back-to-back, with a 2024 copyright notice after the first (13:56), and a new caption card before the second. The first excerpt includes the opening title sequence. |
| Behind the Screen [29.11.88, with John Nathan-Turner] | SD | 6:24 | New |
| Points of View [7.12.88] | SD | 1:07 | New |
| John Nathan-Turner Interview [New Jersey Network] | SD | 21:37 | New |
| Chris Clough Interview [New Jersey Network] | SD | 22:19 | New |
| Dorka Nieradzik Interview [New Jersey Network] | SD | 8:49 | New |
| The 50th Anniversary Archive [Sophie Aldred] | HD | 6:36 | New |
| BBC Trails & Continuities | SD | 3:58 | Alternate 5:32 compilation was on original DVD, including the Season 25 trailer (moved here to Disc 1) |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 13:29 | Alternate 7:38 SD version was on original DVD |
| Coming Soon [The Greatest Show in the Galaxy] | SD | 1:04 | The Krotons |
Total disc contents: 6:09:51
- The audio navigation menu positions the Photo Gallery last, after Coming Soon
- The three NJN extended interviews are described as “variable quality” in the booklet. Points of View is an off-air recording.
- According to Wiped!, the BBC held The Making of Doctor Who in its original edit and a slightly shorter VHS version (which removed footage from Resurrection of the Daleks, which could not be cleared for release in 1993). It is the VHS edit that reappears here.
- Coming Soon: Time and the Rani (from the original DVD) moved to Season 23.
- A German audio option from the Pandastorm DVD Siebter Doktor Volume 2 (Das Vermächtnis der Nemesis) was not included, as per Seasons 22-24 and 26
- The German Pandastorm DVD (within Siebter Doktor – Special Collector’s Edition) featured 3 extra special features: a VHS Restoration featurette, an interview with Andrew Cartmel, and The Doctors Revisited: The Seventh Doctor. The last of these was moved to Season 26, the rest remain exclusive to that set.
- In the DWM preview, the two Open Air clips were listed separately. Points of View was not mentioned.
Disc 6 – Silver Nemesis: Special Edition (1:23:40)
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omnibus Version | HD | 53:43 | New |
| VHS Version VHS Part One | SD | 29:50 | 1993 Silver Nemesis VHS. Includes the original BBC tracking and copyright notices, ident, and ‘Also Available’ caption card, from the start of the tape. |
| VHS Version VHS Part Two | SD | 25:51 | 1993 Silver Nemesis VHS |
| VHS Version VHS Part Three | SD | 29:15 | 1993 Silver Nemesis VHS. This originally continued into The Making of Doctor Who, included here on Disc 5. |
| Location Footage | SD | 2:58:00 | New |
| Special Edition Deleted Scenes | HD | 2:35 | Since most material was included in the Special Edition, this short feature was just for footage left out for artistic reasons. |
Total disc contents: 6:42:54
- The extended VHS edition is presented here completely unrestored, including audio drop-outs. An alternate version was specially reconstructed for the 2017 German Pandastorm DVD, “Siebter Doktor – Special Collector’s Edition“, before the original was located in the BBC archive.
- Around 7 hours of rushes existed on VHS in private collections, according to Richard Molesworth’s Wiped! book, though not all of this still survives. Richard Latto worked with 5 hours of footage.
Disc 7 – The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (1:37:46)
Commentary with Sophie Aldred, Stephen Wyatt [1-3], Christopher Guard [1-3], Mark Ayres [1,2,4], Jessica Martin [2-4] and Andrew Cartmel [3,4] moderated by Toby Hadoke
Info text by Richard Bignell (who wrote the originals), with additional material by Martin Wiggins, with thanks to Mark Ayres, David Brunt, Trish Hayes, David Laskey, David Tilley and Stephen Wyatt
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part One Special Edition Version | HD | 27:16 | New, available via Play All and Episode Selection |
| Part Three Special Edition Version | HD | 28:55 | New, as above |
| Making-of Documentary [The Show Must Go On] | SD | 30:17 | The Greatest Show in the Galaxy |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 33:59 | New |
| Deleted & Extended Scenes | SD | 11:10 | The Greatest Show in the Galaxy |
| Model Featurette [Lost in the Darkness] | SD | 2:08 | The Greatest Show in the Galaxy |
| Model Footage [mute] | SD | 13:45 | New |
| Special Effects Featurette [The Big Bang Theory] | SD | 12:33 | Dragonfire |
| Victoria Wood Sketch [As Seen on TV, 18.12.87] | SD | 1:15 | The Greatest Show in the Galaxy / The Curse of Fatal Death VHS |
| Knock Knock [17.02.89, with Sophie Aldred] | SD | 2:30 | New |
| The Psychic Circus Music Video [with stereo or 5.1 options] | HD | 4:50 | The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (3:52). A short VHS-style extract, previously an Easter Egg on DVD, is appended to the end of this feature (0:53). |
| BBC Trails & Continuities | SD | 3:52 | New |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 10:12 | Alternate 7:19 SD version was on original DVD |
| Coming Soon: Battlefield | SD | 1:14 | The War Machines |
| Coming Soon: Season 26 | HD | 2:57 | YouTube |
| Audio Archive [Round Midnight 14.12.88, with Sylvester McCoy] | Audio | 10:37 | 2:21 excerpt on BBC Audiobooks’ Doctor Who at the BBC Volume 2 |
Total disc contents: 4:55:16
- The audio navigation menu positions the Photo Gallery last, after the Audio Archive. “Play All” is for the Broadcast Version, with “Play All Special”, “Episode 1 Special” and “Episode 3 Special” for the Special Edition Versions.
- Whilst the disc artwork says The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (Special Edition), this is not reflected in the BD menu screen
- The isolated score, as on DVD, includes the background circus music, interrupting the incidental music.
- Remembrance Demos from the original DVD moved to Disc 1
- Tomorrow’s Times from the original DVD moved to Season 26
- Coming Soon: Planet of Giants (from the original DVD) expected to move to Season 1
- A German audio option from the Pandastorm DVD Siebter Doktor Volume 2 (Die Todesmanege auf Segonax) was not included, as per Seasons 22-24 and 26
- In the DWM preview, the original DVD Easter Egg was listed as a standalone feature (it was appended to the Psychic Circus Music Video).
Disc 8 – The Greatest Show in the Galaxy: Bonus Material
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Who Escape Room [Team Seventh Doctor] | HD | 1:15:29 | New. Team First Doctor had been on The Celestial Toymaker. |
| The Collectors: The 1980s [Part 3] | HD | 23:20 | New. Part 1 had been on The Space Museum in Season 2, titled “Collectibles Documentary”. |
| Location & OB Footage | SD | 3:00:01 | New |
| Tomorrow’s World Christmas Quiz [22.12.88, with Sylvester McCoy] | SD | 29:35 | New |
| Open Air [01.05.89, with Mat Irvine and Sylvester McCoy] | SD | 25:13 | New, includes the opening title sequence |
| The Panopticon Archive [04.10.98, with Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred] | SD | 45:43 | New |
| Manopticon 2 [30.05.93, with Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred] | SD | 59:14 | New |
Total disc contents: 7:18:35
- A VHS source for one of the ‘studio’ sessions exists in private collections. Richard Latto announced he had watched 7 hours of footage for the BD highlights.
- The booklet attributes both convention panels as being from The Panopticon Archive.
PDF Material
Pages from the Radio Times were included on all the original DVDs. A one-page article about the Daleks appeared on the Remembrance of the Daleks SE, and storyboard and design sketches on The Greatest Show in the Galaxy.
Errata
The Limited Edition box lists updated special effects “on all four broadcast versions”, which should not have included The Happiness Patrol.
The overlay of the HD version of the Doctor Who logo misses its mark in the Silver Nemesis Special Edition Parts One and Two, and the original can be seen beneath it. (All other episodes are fine.)
The title card for Daytime Live on 28 October 1988 incorrectly says 18 October; the correct date is printed in the booklet.
Tribute
The trails and continuities for Remembrance of the Daleks ends with a caption card that would have meant the world to the creator of this website. I expect it’s the special feature he’d have watched first upon receiving this boxset, proving that the team behind it knew him well. Thank you.
