Series 1-4 - New and Missing Special Features

In response to my previous article talking about the new Series 1-4 box set, (you can read the original here) some further items that have been identified that are different from the original releases. Simeon Carter (with a little bit of help from myself) has written a guide to these and he has kindly given me permission to publish it here.

I've recently received this set and have been going through the features. With the help of Matthew Purchase, I've spotted a couple of very small things that are new and to my knowledge haven't been commented on yet. I've also noticed a couple of very slight omissions. So thought I'd produce an up to date list of what's new and what's missing across this set, in terms of special features.

(In terms of the episodes themselves I know that The Next Doctor has some missing dialogue and the credits are not as broadcast for some of the other 2009 Specials. But this is the first time the episodes have been released on Blu ray at the correct speed.)

New:
All Discs
- Audio Description (not on the 2013 Blu-rays but originally present on the DVD boxsets)

Series 1: Disc 1
- Launch Trailer (new credits)
- Easter Egg Trailer (additional footage of the TARDIS interior)

Series 1: Disc 2
- New trailers for The End of the World, The Unquiet Dead, The Parting of the Ways

Series 2: Disc 1
- Broadcast version of 2005 Children in Need Special

Series 3: Disc 3
- Last of the Time Lords podcast commentary with Russell T Davies, Phil Collinson, and Julie Gardner (previously released on disc in the USA only)

Specials: Disc 1
- The Next Doctor podcast commentary with Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner
- Planet of the Dead podcast commentary with Julie Gardner, James Strong, and David Tennant
- The Waters of Mars podcast commentary with Julie Gardner, David Tennant, and Russell T Davies

Specials: Disc 3
- Doctor Who Recollections with Russell and David

Missing:
Series 1: Disc 2
- World Wars Three Trailer (has a tiny bit of music from Stayin' Alive - could that be the reason it's been omitted?)

Series 1: Disc 3
- Confidential Cutdown: unedited episodes 1, 5 and 12

Series 2: Disc 1
- Early edit of 2005 Children in Need Special

Series 3: Disc 3
- Original DVD commentary with David Tennant, Freeman Agyeman & John Barrowman
- The Blink Easter Eggs runs 22 seconds short. Nearly all of that is the freeze frame trimmed at the end, except for the final two seconds where the Doctor moves again.

Specials: Disc 3
- Planet of the Dead Confidential in HD

Specials: Disc 4
This whole disc remains exclusive to the Steelbook.
- The Infinite Quest
- Dreamland
- The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith
- In Conversation with David Tennant


A couple of extra notes on features I've noticed from going through the new discs (some of which has been noted before):

Sometimes the chapter breaks have gone. For example the Series 3 and 4 Deleted Scenes used to be separated chapter by chapter. Now the feature is one chapter long. And on the new release, the option from the menu to select individual trailers that was present on some of the original discs is gone.

The two Easter Eggs (Season 1 Promo Trailer & Blink Easter Egg) are no longer hidden and just listed as standard features.

The two David Tennant's Video Diary features on discs 1 and 4 of Series 4 are the wrong way round on the latest release. But nothing is missing.

The three new podcast commentaries on the 2008/9 specials are a great addition, though sadly they are not in sync with the pictures.

The runtimes for a number of features are slightly different but I'm not entirely sure why in all cases. This is what alerted me to some of the missing/additional footage listed above but there are many more features with varying lengths between the two Blu ray releases.

For some features there are new caption cards on the screen for a few seconds (e.g. in between sections of Billie's Video Diary, or at the start of Series 4 Disc 4 Deleted Scenes).

For some they hold onto end credits/caption cards for longer (e.g. Series 3 trailers) or for less time (e.g. Comic Con feature on the Specials Disc 2)

And for some I don't know why it's different. I've listed above anything I've found that is missing or extra but there may be more things I haven't spotted yet. So shout if you find anything else! Or if I'm listed anything incorrectly I've gone a bit mad comparing discs so likely I've made a mistake somewhere.