This was the thirteenth season released, on 20th March 2023 in the UK. It is scheduled to be reissued on 3rd February 2025 in standard packaging, with a shorter booklet.
This release marks the midpoint of the original 26 seasons.
Sources
| PAL VT | Day of the Daleks, The Sea Devils:4-6, The Mutants:3-6, The Time Monster 6 (B/W) |
| NTSC VT & b/w film | The Curse of Peladon (some film sequences exist), The Sea Devils:1-3, The Mutants:1-2, The Time Monster 1-6 |
For the DVD releases, the NTSC VT episodes used the RSC process to return them to PAL. The Curse of Peladon Episode Three was badly damaged and had to be baked to enable it to be played back. The Sea Devils Episode Five had a scratch running through most of it that needed repairing. The Time Monster Episode Six combined the colour signal from the NTSC VT with the b/w PAL VT
For the Blu-ray, the primary restorations of the above episodes are b/w film, VidFIREd, combined with the colour from the NTSC VT. As the films are slightly cropped (See Season 8 for an example), the original DVD restorations are also presented as bonuses (except The Time Monster Episode Six).
All episodes have their opening and closing credits rebuilt in HD from the original film sequence, colour-graded to match the original episodes.
UK Release History
| VHS | VHS Art | DVD | DVD Art | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day of the Daleks | 8/8/86 88 7/2/94 | Sid Sutton | 19/9/11 | Lee Binding |
| The Curse of Peladon | 9/8/93 | Andrew Skilleter | 18/1/10 | Clayton Hickman |
| The Sea Devils | 4/9/95 | Colin Howard | 14/1/08 | Clayton Hickman |
| The Mutants | 17/2/03 | Uncredited [Black Sheep] | 31/1/11 | Lee Binding |
| The Time Monster | 5/11/01 | Uncredited [Black Sheep] | 29/3/10 | Clayton Hickman |
Day of the Daleks was released on VHS in omnibus form in 1986 (and then reissued in 1988 at a lower price point), and then in 1994 unedited. In both cases mistitled The Day of the Daleks. The Mutants was in a ‘Master’ tine with Colony in Space. For more images see here.
The Sea Devils was released on DVD alongside Doctor Who and the Silurians and Warriors of the Deep in the Beneath the Surface boxset. The Time Monster was part of a DVD boxset called Myths and Legends with Underworld and The Horns of Nimon.
With the exception of The Sea Devils, all of these releases took place after the change of BBC logo, and had reversable sleeves to show the older white BBC logo, enabling fans to have a matching set with other older releases. Day of the Daleks had an exclusive alternate cover design in Australia.
Four of the restored stories were issued as part of the Doctor Who DVD Files magazine (2009-14) across the following issues: 92: Day of the Daleks (Jul 11th 2012); 71: The Curse of Peladon (Sep 21st 2011); 66: The Sea Devils (Jul 13th 2011); and 137: The Time Monster (Apr 2nd 2014).
Summary
Behind the Sofa are
- Sarah Sutton, Peter Davison, Janet Fielding
- Katy Manning, Michael E. Briant
- Sophie Aldred, Wendy Padbury
Info text originally by Martin Wiggins on all stories except The Mutants (which was by Richard Bignell), all updated here.
The Sea Devils has new Dolby Atmos and Dolby 5.1 options on both the TX and omnibus editions.
Audio navigation is provided by Katy Manning.
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 587 (released 2 February 2023, cover date March 2023) with the features listed out of order, and with alternate titles.
Disc 1: Day of the Daleks (1:36:19)
Commentary with Jimmy Winston [1,2 and the last few minutes of 4], Mike Catherwood [1,2,3], Terrance Dicks [1,2,4], Barry Letts [1,3,4], Anna Barry [2,4] (2011)
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making-of Documentary [Blasting the Past] | HD | 30:34 | Day of the Daleks |
| Behind the Sofa | SD | 31:53 | New |
| A View from the Gallery | HD | 20:02 | Day of the Daleks |
| Now and Then | SD | 5:23 | Day of the Daleks |
| Blue Peter [25.10.71] | SD | 4:48 | Day of the Daleks |
| BBC Trails & Continuities | SD | 1:23 | New |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 11:12 | SD 5:31 version on Day of the Daleks |
| Audio Archive [Sunday Best – Terry Nation [.2.72] | Audio | 9:20 | New |
| Audio Archive [Free Thinking – The Daleks 13.7.22] | Audio | 43:16 | New |
Total disc contents: 4:14:10
- Coming Soon: Colony in Space (from the original DVD) moved to Season 8
- The UNIT Family (Part Two) moved to Season 10
- Nationwide moved to Disc 4
Disc 2: Day of the Daleks Bonus
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 Omnibus Version | HD | 1:00:19 | New |
| Special Edition [Four parts, newly shot footage, CGI effects and updated Dalek voices] | HD | 1:36:19 | Day of the Daleks |
| Making the Special Edition | HD | 13:35 | Day of the Daleks |
| The Cheating Memory | SD | 8:26 | Day of the Daleks |
| The UNIT Dating Conundrum | SD | 9:04 | Day of the Daleks |
| Convention Footage [Courtney and Franklin at Monstercon II, 1986] | SD | 42:18 | New |
| Teaser Trailer [for Special Edition DVD] | SD | 0:20 | Day of the Daleks |
Total disc contents: 3:50:21
Disc 3: The Curse of Peladon (1:37:57)
Commentary with Katy Manning, Barry Letts, Terrance Dicks, Chris D’Oyly-John, moderated by Toby Hadoke (2010)
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making of Documentary [The Peladon Saga: Part One] | SD | 23:25 | The Curse of Peladon |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 30:39 | New |
| Jon & Katy Featurette | SD | 7:08 | The Curse of Peladon |
| Storyboard Comparison | SD | 2:18 | The Curse of Peladon |
| Film Sequences | HD | 3:24 | New |
| BBC Trails & Continuities | SD | 4:13 | New |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 9:30 | SD 7:31 version on The Curse of Peladon |
| Audio Archive [Abridged BBC Audiobook] | Audio | 1:29:42 | New |
| DVD Version | HD | 1:37:57 | The Curse of Peladon |
Total disc contents: 6:06:31
- Coming Soon: The Masque of Mandragora (from the original DVD) expected to move to Season 13
- Warriors of Mars, a featurette looking at the Ice Warriors, was removed – perhaps held back for The Ice Warriors on Season 5
Disc 4: The Sea Devils (2:27:47)
Commentary with Barry Letts, Terrance Dicks, Michael E Briant, moderated by Andrew Cartmel (2008)
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making-of Documentary [Hello Sailor] | SD | 36:39 | The Sea Devils |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 31:40 | New |
| Defenders of Earth [BD Trailer] | HD | 7:28 | New |
| Behind the Scenes Footage [with commentary] | SD | 3:53 | The Sea Devils |
| Music Featurette [Musical Scales] | SD | 13:53 | Doctor Who and the Silurians |
| Nationwide [22.2.72] | SD | 3:25 | Day of the Daleks |
| South Today [19.11.13] | HD | 3:54 | New |
| BBC Trails & Continuities | SD | 9:57 | 6:20 version on The Sea Devils |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 10:45 | SD 8:39 version on The Sea Devils |
| Coming Soon [The Mutants] | SD | 0:43 | Meglos |
| Audio Archive [Radio Solent Jon Pertwee Interview 21.10.71] | Audio | 3:52 | New |
| Audio Archive [Radio 4 Today 28.3.72] | Audio | 2:09 | New |
Total disc contents: 4:36:05
- Coming Soon: The Time Meddler (from the original DVD) moved to Season 2
Disc 4: The Sea Devils Bonus
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omnibus Version | HD | 1:28:28 | New |
| Location Location Location | HD | 42:52 | New |
| Michael Briant Documentary [At the Helm] | HD | 51:46 | New |
| Stuart Fell Documentary [The Fell Guy] | HD | 26:35 | New |
| DVD Version [Episodes 1-3] | SD | 1:13:14 | The Sea Devils |
Total disc contents: 4:42:55
Disc 6: The Mutants (2:26:01)
Commentary with Katy Manning [1,2,4,6], Terrance Dicks [1,3,5], Christopher Barry [1,3,5,6], Bob Baker [1,5,6], Brian Hodgson [2,4], Garrick Hagon [2,4,6], Jeremy Bear [3,5], moderated by Nicholas Pegg (2011)
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making-of Documentary [Mutt Mad] | SD | 19:13 | The Mutants (20:39) |
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 30:55 | New |
| Diversity Documentary [Race Against Time] | SD | 37:43 | The Mutants |
| BBC Trails & Continuities | SD | 1:01 | New |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 8:04 | SD 2:58 version on The Mutants |
| DVD Version [Episodes 1-2] | SD | 48:56 | The Mutants |
Total disc contents: 4:03:09
- Coming Soon: The Ark (from the original DVD) removed, likely to move to Season 3.
- Coming Soon: Myths and Legends (The Time Monster, Underworld and The Horns of Nimon) from The Space Museum/The Chase was not included, neither was it on Seasons 15 or 17.
- The Making-of documentary was slightly edited when compared to its DVD counterpart, to remove some racial slurs on the part of Terrance Dicks. The DVD length was 20:39.
- Dressing Doctor Who moved to Season 14.
- Blue Peter moved to Season 10.
Disc 7: The Time Monster (2:27:50)
Commentary with Barry Letts [1,5,6], Marion McDougall [1,5,6], Graham Duff [3], Phil Ford [3], Joseph Lidster [3], James Moran [3], Susan Penhaligon [5], moderated by Toby Hadoke, plus John Levene commentating alone [3,4] (2010)
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behind the Sofa | HD | 30:52 | New |
| Between Now… and Now! | SD | 23:39 | The Time Monster |
| Nationwide [07.12.72 Special Effects Exhibition] | SD | 3:26 | New |
| BBC Trails & Continuities | SD | 0:37 | New |
| Photo Gallery | HD | 10:02 | SD 8:01 version on The Time Monster |
Total disc contents: 3:36:26
- Coming Soon: The Creature from the Pit (from the original DVD) moved to Season 17
Disc 8: The Time Monster Bonus
| Format | Length | Original DVD Source & Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DVD Version [Episodes 1-5] | SD | 2:02:49 | The Time Monster |
| Making-of Documentary [Time and Atlantis] | HD | 50:16 | New |
| DVD Restoration Comparison | SD | 3:23 | The Time Monster |
| Jon Pertwee Sketch [On the Waterfront 6.5.89] | SD | 3:27 | New |
| The Panopticon Archive [Ingrid Pitt and Terrance Dicks 1992] | SD | 43:33 | New |
| 50th Anniversary Archive [Richard Franklin] | HD | 10:14 | New |
| Studio Clocks | SD | 9:27 | New |
Total disc contents: 4:03:09
The original DVDs contained Radio Times listings on all discs. Day of the Daleks also included a Radio Times feature on Katy Manning, The Curse of Peladon also included the sales documentation now moved to Disc 1, and The Sea Devils included The Making of Doctor Who.
The Doctor Who and the Monsters 1982 repeats paperwork (Disc 3) was not mentioned in the DWM preview.
