Since 2005 there have been many new
series releases. I am sure most fans opt
to own “The Complete Series” box sets when it comes to choosing a physical
release, whether that is the DVD, Blu-Ray or Steelbook versions. However, beyond these releases there are
several other products that contain value added material omitted from the main box
set releases in Region 2. Here is a list
of them. I have written this from my
perspective, being based in the United Kingdom.
A Christmas Carol – Doctor
Who at the Proms 2010
Strangely not
included on the Series 6 box set (despite the 2008 proms being on the 2009
specials set) a 60-minute cut down version of the proms, half an hour shorter
than the version broadcast on BBC Three, with several performances omitted was
included on this disc. The program itself is worth watching, celebrating the
wonderful music Murray Gold composed for the series and it is enjoyable seeing the
impact the monsters have on the audience.
This program is available on both the DVD and the Blu-Ray release.
The Doctor, The
Widow and The Wardrobe – 3x The Best of Doctor Who Features & 5.1 Surround Sound on prequel
These 3x 45-minute
documentaries were produced for BC America to help explain Doctor Who to new
viewers. Compromising only of clips from
the Series 5 and 6, these talking heads documentaries mainly relies upon
interviews of celebrities (nearly all of whom I do not recognise) talking about
specific moments in the show with occasional appearance from Canton himself,
Mark Sheppard. Even I have never managed
to get through this extra.
The prequel to the story also contains 5.1 Surround Sound option which is not available on the Series 7 box set for some strange reason, the single release is the only way to hear it. Whilst the prequel itself is brief, it is in character Doctor Who content so this might appeal to some. For those who do not have a 5.1 Surround set-up, the Series 7 box set version should suffice.
The Day of the
Doctor – 3D Edition and Doctor Who Explained
Whilst there are
many extras available exclusively on the now out of print 50th
Anniversary Collection release, there are two things that are only available on
the standard releases. Firstly, the only
way to physically own the episode in 3D is via the original single Blu-Ray
release. You will need a 3D TV and 3D Blu-Ray player to watch the episode in 3D. And the only way to watch the episode in HD
in the correct frame rate via physical media is from the replacement disc
offered for the rare 50th Anniversary box set. Hopefully, this will
get a Steelbook release soon.
Doctor Who Explained
is also not on the box set. This is a 40-minute documentary, produced as part
of the Doctor Who Revisited range of documentaries in 2013. This serves as an introduction to the show
for new viewers telling them what Doctor Who is all about. Whilst it is a nice
documentary with many key contributors from the show being interviewed, I would
not say it is an essential thing to own. The documentary is often confused with
Tales from the TARDIS which is a different, but very similar, documentary and
is available on the 50th Anniversary box set.
·
Deep Breath Single Release – Doctor Who Live and
Cinema Prequel + Doctor Who Extra 5.1
The single release
of Peter Capaldi’s first episode as The Doctor contains two extras not included
on the Series 8 box set.
The first being the
Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor programme from 2013 where Peter Capaldi was
announced as the next Doctor. It is an
important part of Doctor Who history, and I am extremely glad it is on here to
enjoy.
The second extra is
unique as it is the only in-character material to be excluded from the box set
but released individually. The prequel
was made to exclusively accompany the global premier of the Deep Breath in
cinemas. Strax, Madame Vastra and Jenny
feature in character in an 8-minute long scene recounting the previous
incarnations of the Doctor, leading up to the events of Deep Breath. Whilst the prequel is tongue-in-cheek, it is
a canonical piece, so it is probably worth getting. You can even currently buy the DVD for just £1.99
on Amazon. Bargain!
Also on this disc the episode of Doctor Who Extra going behind the scenes of Deep Breath has a 5.1 surround sound mix, which isn't present on the Series 8 box set.
Series 1 to 5 Blu-Rays – Audio
Description
The most bizarre
omission from the Blu-Rays to date is the Audio Description on the Blu-Ray releases for Series 1 - 4 and the steelbook releases of the 2009 Specials which are on the DVD. These discs use the Region 1 US masters which omit the audio tracks which are essential for viewers who have sight problems. They describe what
is going on visually so the episodes can still be enjoyed. I think it is really disappointing these have been
left out as it would
not have cost anything more to carry them over. You can still get Blu-Ray release of the 2009 Specials and Series 5 with the Audio Description tracks on them, unlike the Steelbook, so at least there is still a quite easy way to obtain them.
Series 2 In-Vision
Commentaries
On the original
release of the Series 2 box set in 2006, the commentaries for The Christmas
Invasion, The Girl in the Fireplace, The Age of Steel, The Impossible Planet
and Doomsday were presented in-vision with a video playing of the contributors
watching the episode, displayed in the corner of the screen. Whilst the
commentaries themselves are included on the Blu-Ray releases; the in-vision version
is only available on the DVD release. I
personally prefer just having commentaries as pure audio allowing the episode
to fill the screen in full. I do not really
need to see David Tennant talking.
Series 5 In-Vision
Commentaries
After Series 2,
In-Vision commentaries were not included until Series 5 where The Eleventh
Hour, Victory of the Daleks, The Time of Angels, Vampires in Venice, Cold Blood
and The Big Bang were presented in this format. Whilst these did end up on the
original Blu-Ray release in 2010, the Steelbook edition released in 2020 only
has them as audio tracks. Again, I
personally prefer this to in-vision.
Also, the Steelbook has the next time trailers intact unlike the
original Blu-Ray, but instead suffers from slowdown due to a change in frame
rate, making the episode play at a slower speed. It’s debatable which release is better, both
have pros and cons.
The 10 Christmas
Specials Box Set – Ten Christmases
Released on this limited,
numbered box set in 2015 were all the Christmas specials from The Christmas
Invasion to Last Christmas, plus an exclusive documentary presented by Rufus
Hound. It is probably the biggest fluff
documentary I have seen. Basically, Rufus just goes through the Christmas
Specials trying to find the elements that make it Christmassy, with the
occasional drop in interview clip with Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat. If you are a completionist (like me) you can
still get it on Amazon but I do not think it is worth seeking out particularly.
Also worth noting,
this release contains the US masters for The End of Time with a better quality
encode (but with a different frame rate causing slowdown) than the 2009 UK
release (this encode is also used on the Steelbook). Plus, it contains 5 Doctor
Who themed Christmas Cards which are quite sweet.
The 2009 Specials
Steelbook, Bonus Disc contents – The Infinite Quest, Dreamland, The Wedding of
Sarah Jane Smith and David Tennant Interview
To date this is the
only Steelbook re-release is that contains new extra material not available on
other sets. Included on this set is the
same bonus disc used on the recent The Complete David Tennant Years released in
Region 1.
Firstly, the disc
contains the two animated David Tennant specials, The Infinite Quest and Dreamland,
with the latter being presented in HD for the first time on Blu-Ray. This alone makes it a worthwhile purchase.
Also included are
two episodes of the spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures – The Wedding of Sarah
Jane Smith in which David Tennant makes an appearance as The Doctor. Series 3 of The Sarah Jane Adventures has
never received a Blu-Ray release sadly, so this is the only way to watch those
two episodes in HD in physical form. (If
anyone from BBC Studios is reading this, please release Series 3 on Blu-Ray.)
To round things off,
the disc also contains an interview with David Tennant himself which was
especially recorded to accompany the US cinema screenings of The End of Time
last year. In this interview, David
Tennant reflects on his time as The Doctor.
This makes a good addition to this set as it is nice to see David’s
thoughts 10 years on since he played the role.
Plus, it is worth
noting that the 5 main episodes themselves have been re-encoded to improve the
picture quality, however they do suffer from slowdown, again due to a change in
frame rate, making the episode play at a slower speed. The bonus disc however is unaffected
This set is
essential purchase in my opinion. Before
this came out, I had longed for Dreamland and SJA Series 3 in HD, so finally
have them is excellent.
The Infinite Quest
DVD – All Special Features
The 2007 animated
episode made for Totally Doctor Who also received a DVD release. Last year the episode received a Blu-Ray
release as a part of the 2009 Special Steelbook, however this did not include
the extras that were on the DVD. These
include cast interviews, animation tests, photo gallery, behind the scenes
videos, animatics, raw audio recording sessions, discarded scenes and even an
Easter Egg. It is almost like a Classic
Series DVD.
·
Dreamland DVD – Doctor Who’s Greatest Moments
Whilst the 2009
animated episode Dreamland did not receive any extras related to the story, it
did however contain a second disc with the BBC Three documentary series Doctor
Who’s Greatest Moments, which were not included the Specials Steelbook. The
three documentaries contain interviews with cast and crew looking back at
Doctor Who from 2005 to 2009. Whilst the series itself does feel rather dated,
I have fond memories of it accompanying the many Doctor Who repeats on BBC Three
and it feels a part of the era. I am glad they received a release.
· The Dalek Collection (2009) – David Tennant’s
Introduction to The Daleks
Not to be confused
with the 2013 monsters set or the various international versions (including a
Steelbook in Region 4 bizarrely!), this set with the all the Dalek episodes
from Series 1-4 (except for Army of Ghosts and Doomsday) also contains a
10-minute exclusive introduction by David Tennant where he talks about every
episode within the set and the about Daleks themselves. The interview is done under Doctor Who
Confidential branding. That is pretty much all there is to it really. It is nice enough, but it not that essential.
· The Cybermen Collection (2009 – David Tennant’s
Introduction to The Cybermen
A sister release to
The Dalek Collection, this set contained the episodes Rise of the Cybermen, The
Age of Steel, Army of Ghosts and Doomsday.
David Tennant also recorded an introduction to this release where he
talks about The Cybermen for 10-minute.
Again, it nice enough, but not something I would desperately seek out.
Also, on this set is
a second documentary called Top Cybermen Moments. In this documentary Matthew Sweet looks back
at the history of the Cybermen with iconic clips from classic Doctor Who. Whilst this was an exclusive at the time, an
extended cut of this documentary was included a few years later on the classic
series DVD release of The Tomb of the Cybermen - Special Edition.
It is possible I may
have missed out an extra, so if you can think of anything that I am unaware of,
please do feel free to contact me.
Also a huge thank you to Simeon Carter for his help with this article.
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