Doctor Who

The Power of the Daleks, lost for many years due to the BBC archival purge, is now available with the surviving soundtrack matched with animation, recreating the action of the original. Not only has this story been released in black and white (like the original) but also in colour. But is this a good thing? […]

      Lost for so many years due to the BBC archival purge, The Power of the Daleks has achieved an almost reverent, legendary status amongst Doctor Who fans. The third story for Season 4, from 1966, it is also the first story for the second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, who took over from the […]

Capaldi’s second season as the Doctor sees the series head to new heights. In my opinion it’s the best season in years. And the DVD release matches it in quality. In fact, the complete ninth series DVD box set is actually more than that, as it also includes the preceding and following Christmas specials. So […]

“The Underwater Menace” is a four-part story from the classic series of Doctor Who. First transmitted in 1967 as part of season 4, it is Patrick Troughton’s third story as the Doctor. Three of the four episodes were lost in the BBC’s archival purge, but ep 2 was recovered in 2011. Since then, fans have […]

The 2014 Doctor Who Christmas Special takes things in a different direction from the whimsy that had become the staple of the Matt Smith specials. “Last Christmas” has all the trappings of a festive story (Santa, elves, Rudolf, etc) — but remove that festive wrapping, and underneath is an unsettling story about dreams within dreams, […]

Deep Breath. The first episode of Doctor Who: Series 8. An extra-long ep. New Doctor. New direction. Very exciting! A much-anticipated episode, it even got a cinema release, so it’s no surprise that it gets its own DVD/Blu-ray release independent of the rest of the season. The Doctor regenerated at the end of the 2013 […]

The Doctor Who: 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition is a set of four DVDs bringing together episodes and specials of significance to the programme’s anniversary, along with a bunch of extras. It’s an odd assortment of previously released material and other stuff that should have had its own release. It’s the inclusion of extra material such […]

Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide is a two-hour documentary, made last year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the long-running television series. While it doesn’t really live up to its grandiose name, it is a good introduction to the world of Doctor Who for newbies. The Ultimate Guide is not a particularly insightful or in-depth […]

Lost for many years, most of the classic Doctor Who story “The Web of Fear” was returned to the BBC archive last year, along with “The Enemy of the World” (see my review). And now, with the still-missing episode reconstructed, it has been released on DVD. But does it live up to expectations? “The Web […]

The return of the Cybermen! After their debut in “The Tenth Planet” (see review) the previous year, they were quick to return with the newly instated second Doctor in this 1967 Season Four adventure. A new look and a new plan ensured that this bunch of threatening aliens would come to achieve iconic status. Animation […]

The 2013 Doctor Who Christmas Special “The Time of the Doctor”, certainly seems to have divided opinion. While many vocal fans have proclaimed it the best thing since sliced bread, other even more vocal viewers have declared it to be the worst episode ever. The opinion of this review falls somewhere in the middle. WARNING: […]

The Best of the Doctor? I think not! The best of nuWho? Perhaps. Pity that the docos themselves are mostly pointless waffle. Doctor Who: The Best of the Doctor 2005-2011, The Documentaries is a three-disc set that collects together a series of docos made by BBC America, about various aspects (the best aspects?) of the […]

Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited is a series of discs released for the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, looking back at each of the Doctors, up to Matt Smith’s #11 (or #12 or #13 depending on how you now count them after the revelations of “The Day of the Doctor” and “Time of the Doctor”). […]

Produced as part of the Doctor Who 50th anniversary celebrations, An Adventure in Space and Time is a docudrama about the creation and early years of the series. Superb cast, loving script and glorious production combine to give us a truly delightful piece of television. An Adventure in Space and Time covers the fist few […]

50 years! That’s a long time in television land. But on 23 November 2013, the television series Doctor Who celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special episode — “The Day of the Doctor”. As a long-time, devoted Doctor Who fan, I’m not shy about criticising episodes that don’t live up to my expectations. With HUGE […]

“The Enemy of the World” is a six-part story from Season 5 of Doctor Who in 1967/68, featuring Patrick Troughton as the second Doctor. Lost for many years because of the BBC’s great archival purge, it was re-discovered earlier this year, cleaned up and rushed out to a DVD release. But is it a lost […]

“The Tenth Planet” is a historic story in the long-running Doctor Who series, transmitted in 1966 as part of Season 4. Apart from introducing the Cybermen, who would return again and again in both the original series and the new, this story concludes with the transition from the first Doctor, William Hartnell, to the second, […]

Series 7 of the new series of Doctor Who was a divided season, with the first half appearing on our screens in 2012, and the second half in 2013. So each batch of episodes got their own DVD/Blu-ray release. But now the whole season has been collected into a box set (along with “The Doctor, […]

“Terror of the Zygons” is a very memorable four-part story from the Tom Baker years of classic Doctor Who (the first story of Season 13 in 1975). It features the Loch Ness Monster, the aliens who are about to make a comeback in the 50th anniversary special and the demise of U.N.I.T. The Doctor, along […]

Richard E Grant as the ninth Doctor? In a cartoon? That’s right! “Scream of the Shalka”. It was an animated webcast produced for the 40th anniversary of Doctor Who back in 2003. With the 50th anniversary happening this year, it’s the ideal time to finally release this intriguing piece of Who history on DVD. “Scream […]

With the assistance of animation to replace the two missing episodes, “The Ice Warriors” finally sees the light of day with a DVD release. This is vintage Doctor Who from the Troughton era and is noteworthy for the debut of the Ice Warriors, who would return a number of times in the classic series and […]

“Spearhead From Space” is the first classic Doctor Who story to get a Blu-ray release. And OMG — it looks FABULOUS! Don’t bother reading my review — just go out and buy it. Right now! “Spearhead From Space” is a story of many firsts. It is the first story of Season 7, the first story […]

“The Green Death” is the final story of Season 10 from 1973, with Jon Pertwee as the third Doctor. It is an environmental tale, way ahead of its time and, despite some technical shortcomings, holds up very well today. The Doctor and U.N.I.T. head to the Welsh mining village of Llanfairfach, where dead miners glow […]

Prison drama meets mind-sucking sci-fi in this classic Doctor Who story. Originally broadcast in 1971, it’s the second story of Season 8. A great plot combined with strong performances and good production values results in an excellent example of Pertwee-era Who that is still just as entertaining in the 21st Century. The Doctor and Jo […]

This is 1970s Jon Pertwee era Doctor Who at its best. “Inferno” combines a strong plot with a great sci-fi concept and strings it all together with some exceptional characterisation. The Doctor and Liz Shaw have accompanied the Brigadier to an experimental drilling facility, where Professor Stahlman is attempting to drill into the Earth’s crust […]

Series 7.2 of the revived Doctor Who series is, like 7.1, a hodgepodge of really cool ideas in search of a narrative structure. Sometimes the ideas are enough to sustain the episode (The Bells of Saint John) and sometimes they are not (The Rings of Akhaten). The result is an entertaining half season that is […]

So, what happens in “The Visitation”? Fishy looking alien reptile people attempt to wipe out humanity by augmenting the bubonic plague in 1666. Adric trips over unconvincingly, Tegan gets to be annoying and Nyssa destroys a disco-robot with her home-made giant vibrator. Meanwhile the Doctor spends his time being rather tetchy before starting the Great […]

And so the BBC continues their trend of re-issuing previously released Doctor Who DVDs as special editions. This time around they’ve given us “The Aztecs”, with a reconstructed “Galaxy 4” as an added bonus. “The Aztecs” is vintage historical Who at its best. I love it! “The Aztecs” is a four-part story from the first season […]

And the award for the most creative over-use of green bubble wrap goes to… “The Ark in Space” — Tom Baker’s second story as the fourth Doctor. First broadcast in 1975 as part of Season 12, it still makes for entertaining viewing today (despite the aforementioned bubble wrap). The Doctor, along with Sarah Jane and […]

At long last, the legendary never-completed Tom Baker story, “Shada”, has been released on DVD. It’s been packaged together with the documentary, “More Than 30 Years in the TARDIS”, as well as a heap of extras, in a three-disc set called Doctor Who: The Legacy Collection. And a pretty awesome collection it is. “Shada”, written […]

With animation being used to reconstruct the two missing episodes, we finally have Doctor Who’s first season finale on DVD. “The Reign of Terror” is a six-part historical adventure first broadcast in 1964 with William Hartnell in the role of the Doctor. Good production values, an interesting setting and great dialogue combine in a must-watch […]

“The Claws of Axos” is a story of greed, political machinations and alien invasion. It is the middle story from 1971’s 8th Season of Doctor Who, with Jon Pertwee playing the third Doctor. It was Pertwee’s second season and the first for Katy Manning, playing the Doctor’s new assistant, Jo Grant. A spaceship lands in […]

Doctor Who, under the reign of showrunner Steven Moffat, could easily be dubbed the Era of Really Cool Ideas. Unfortunately, these really cool ideas often come at the expense of other things — like plot, character development, continuity and consistency. The five episodes of Series 7, Part 1 demonstrate this rather well. “Asylum of the […]

“The Ambassadors of Death” is a long, seven-part story from Pertwee’s first season as the third Doctor — season 7 from 1970. It is an example of Pertwee-era Doctor Who at its best. Earth loses contact with the crew of its Mars probe. A rescue mission is sent and again, contact is lost. But this […]

This box set contains two classic Doctor Who stories featuring Sylvester McCoy as the seventh Doctor and Sophie Aldred as his companion Ace — “Dragonfire” from season 24 in 1987 and “The Happiness Patrol” from season 25 in 1988. The two stories are a great example of how both actors progressed in their respective roles […]

“Vengeance on Varos” is a rather grim but well-handled satire of television viewing, politics and big business. Featuring Colin Baker as the sixth Doctor, it is from the 22nd season in 1985. Although only two parts, it is from the era when episodes were 45 minutes instead of 25 — so is equivalent to a […]

“Planet of Giants” is quite a unique three-part story from the early days of Doctor Who. It was the season opener for the show’s second year, with the original Doctor, William Hartnell. Often criticised as being a weak story, “Planet of Giants” makes for interesting viewing because it is so different from other stories. Due […]

Despite some rather clunky aliens and poor effects, “The Krotons” is surprisingly entertaining classic-series Doctor Who. A four-part story originally transmitted in 1968/9 as part of the 6th season, it stars Patrick Troughton as the second Doctor, accompanied by future-girl Zoe (Wendy Padbury) and Jamie the highlander (Frazer Hines). “The Krotons” sees the Doctor and […]

“The Greatest Show in the Galaxy” is a really interesting four-part story from Sylvester McCoy’s era as the Doctor. Lots of fascinating ideas and concepts are thrown around, but the end result isn’t all that great. Originally screened in 1988/89 as part of the 25th season of Doctor Who, “The Greatest Show in the Galaxy” […]

“Death to the Daleks” is a four-part story from the eleventh season of the classic Doctor Who series, originally screened in 1974. Although there is an interesting concept at its core, and some good elements to the story and production, it is hampered by a lack of logic and some pretty daft moments. The Doctor […]

Originally screened in 1974, “Planet of the Spiders” is Jon Pertwee’s six-part swan song. It’s an appropriate end to what is one of my favourite eras of classic Doctor Who. It’s filled with all the elements that made Pertwee’s tenure as the Doctor so watchable — action, adventure, style, chase sequences and monsters. It’s a […]

A serious storyline about drug trafficking, some wry humour and some OTT slapstick are mixed together in “Nightmare of Eden”, the fourth story from the 17th season of Doctor Who in 1979. Perhaps not the best example of Doctor Who from the Tom Baker era, it is nevertheless an interesting watch. The Doctor and Romana […]

A new companion in a skimpy outfit, the Doctor’s past deeds catching up with him and a commentary on religion form the basis of the Doctor Who story, “The Face of Evil”. Despite a few problems, this is an entertaining and thought-provoking four-part story from the 14th season of Doctor Who, first screened in 1977. […]

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this classic Doctor Who story. It has been many years since I last watched “The Daemons”, and I’m very pleased to say that it definitely lives up to my memories of it. Mixing black magic and pseudo-science to create a wonderfully atmospheric five-part story, this is early-70s […]

U.N.I.T. Files is a box set with two stories featuring the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce — “Invasion of the Dinosaurs” and “The Android Invasion”. Both these stories, despite some flaws, are very watchable and are great examples of their respective eras. “Invasion of the Dinosaurs” is a six-part story from Jon Pertwee’s final season in […]

  The companionless Doctor #11 (Matt Smith) has his second Christmas adventure with “The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe”, a fun tale vaguely reminiscent of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Watching this special episode at Christmas on the telly, I was rather disappointed with it. Watching it for a second time, now […]

“The Sensorites” is a six-part story from the very first season of Doctor Who, way back in 1964. While it has an interesting concept, and some really good moments, it suffers from being rather long and boring. The Doctor (William Hartnell), along with his granddaughter Susan (Carole Ann Ford) and schoolteachers Ian (William Russell) and […]

A botanically obsessed millionaire, a carnivorous alien plant and a charismatic thug come together to cause trouble for the fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) in “The Seeds of Doom”. The end result is a stylish, engaging and exciting action/adventure story from the 13th season of Doctor Who in 1976. Scientists […]

Series 6 has previously been releases in two sets. But these were the vanilla sets — fine for the casual viewer, but definitely not enough for the die-hard fans. The 2010 Christmas Special has also previously had a vanilla release. Now we have the complete series six box-set, including that Christmas Special, chock-full of extras. […]

Well, “Frontios” is a bit of a mess, really. There’s not much I can say in its defence. So, at this point, I think it best to refer you to my previous post about my relationship with Doctor Who and how I approach the reviewing of the DVDs (see “My Doctor Who Philosophy”). “Frontios” is […]

“The Sun Makers” is a four-part story from the fifteenth season of Doctor Who, with Tom Baker as the Doctor and Louise Jameson as his companion Leela. Written by the script editor, Robert Holmes, it is an inventive and clever story that satirises commercialism and bureaucracy while maintaining an interesting science fiction plot. Apparently inspired […]

The Daleks have invaded the Earth (Yes… again!), this time in the 22nd Century. Freedom fighters have gotten hold of a Dalek time travel device and are using it to travel back to the 20th Century — to the point in time that is deemed crucial to downfall of the human race. Their intention is […]

2011 saw a divided season for Doctor Who, with a two-month screening break. And so Series 6 Part 1 came out on DVD in August this year, with Part 2 released earlier this month. Part 1 was pretty good and it showed great promise of even better things to come. (Check out my review at […]

The BBC have, for a while now, been releasing Doctor Who box sets with stories from disparate eras grouped together because of a common element. Thus the two stories featuring the Mara were released as the Mara Tales box set (see review), and a couple of the Cybermen stories were released as the Cybermen box […]

“The Fifth Doctor and Tegan must battle the evil of the Mara in these two classic 1980s adventures!” Thus proclaims the slipcase on this two-story box set. But are “Kinda” and “Snakedance” really classics of this Doctor Who era? These two stories seem to divide Doctor Who fans. Some will praise them for their intellectual […]