New Nu-Who box set?

With the interesting news that the BBC are releasing a complete “Nu Who” box set in Region 1 (USA and Canada), this release could offer a diamond opportunity revisit some of those releases. Especially earlier titles that the BBC released on Blu-ray.

 

 

When the BBC chose to ‘remaster’ Series 1-4 on Blu-ray in 2013, they were designed for the Region 1 market. The new copies that were made were poorly done, resulting in the episodes running at a lower frame rate, which slows down the episodes. Other mistakes were also made like the misspelling of Phil Collinson’s name on the Rose credits. These discs were then used in the UK as well. We didn’t need the change in frame rate and have to put up with the slowed down episodes. Whilst the picture quality is better, the DVD’s still have some quite big benefits over the Blu-rays.

Early 5.1 mixes that were created for the box sets are controversial in the sound mix. Audio levels were adjusted meaning dialogue in places became unclear. There are also a few changes from the broadcast version on episodes such as The Unicorn and the Wasp and The Next Doctor.

The as broadcast stereo mix were exclusive to the vanilla releases (the individual releases without any extras). The technology has improved though and the later series (Series 6 onwards) do not have these issues.

Series 5 also has problems. The original UK release in 2010 bizarrely edited out the next time trailers and have an overly colourful animated BBC logo in place of the standard one. For the Steelbook release in 2010, the BBC opted to use the US discs which thankfully has the trailers intact and corrects a sound fault on Vincent and the Doctor, but suffers from ‘slow down’ again.

Improved releases of Series 1-5 is something I have wanted for some time. I’m massive fan of Doctor Who on physical media and I adore what they have with the original series via the DVD range, moving on to The Collection. That’s why it frustrates me a little that Nu-who can’t even put together a good copy of the transmitted episode.

It’s no wonder why I got a little excited when BBC Shop in the USA announced the “Complete New Who Years Blu-ray Collectors Set”, which offers “Newly Remastered Seasons 1-4”.

When I shared this news on Twitter a few fans correctly pointed out that the 2013 version of this set with Series 1-7 also advertised Series 1-4 as “newly remastered”. Could this just be something that an intern has cut and pasted from the old synopsis? Possibly? But this release does have at least one newly pressed disc as the set contains “Exclusive Bonus Content with Russel (yes they spelt him wrong tut) T. Davies & David Tennant”.

Disney’s involvement in Doctor Who may have prompted the BBC to go back to the old episodes and make sure they are technically up to a good standard. We don’t know

There is a scarce lack of information in the synopsis. As usual they leave me with more questions than answers. We don’t know if anything like this is coming to the UK or if this is just a cheap repackage for the US market.

If it does come out in the UK in some capacity, new, correctly presented Series 1-5 episodes is a huge deal breaker for me. I’ve dipped multiple times on the series already with Vanilia’s as a kid, the box sets, then Blu-rays and then Steelbooks. Whilst it’s expensive, I’ll happily dip again if it’s a decent step up than before.

I also think new extras are essential in convincing others to double dip again. With the episodes freely on iPlayer in the UK now, VAM should become even more important. Whilst I’m intrigued by new RTD and David Tennant content, at the top of my wishlist are access to all the mini episodes. There are several that have never been released before on disc. Attack of the Graske, TARDISodes, Tonight’s the Night, Death is the Only Answer, the Lockdown content and more! These arguably canonical pieces of fiction are only accessible as dodgy illegal YouTube copies. Including these would convince loads to double dip without spending money creating new material. The transmitted version of Born Again with the cloister bell would also be very welcome.

There’s also content that has appeared on other new series releases that are omitted from the box sets that could be included. I have a fuller list here, but there’s the 2010 proms, documentaries, mini episodes, TV programmes, 5.1 mixes and very wrongly Audio Description options that weren’t included. There is also material that has appeared on foreign releases that has never been issued in the UK. The biggest of these are the Series 8 Deleted Scenes and the full 90 minutes edition of the 2010 proms.

Also 4K editions of Twice Upon Time, Resolution and The Power of the Doctor would also welcome. It’s a shame the last two have never been available physically in the highest quality.

 

When in 2019 the BBC issued the 2009 specials in a Steelbook, it came with a new bonus disc with The Infinite Quest, Dreamland, The Sarah Jane Adventures – The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith. All of which had never been released in HD physically before which was fantastic. Plus there was another new David Tennant interview. No wonder it was the quickest Steelbook to sell out! This content makes a difference.

Incorporating all of this material would only boost interest and sales. And there may be more material sitting in some archive that would whet fans appetites.  If budgets need to be cut to afford this, I’m sure the majority of fans are more than happy to lose the quite creepy Titan figure set.

It’s early days yet and we don’t know exactly what is going on, but I just hope BBC Studios don’t mess up this opportunity to do something special. Something that will give us a better time capsule of the era and look respectable alongside the classic series releases.

If anyone at the BBC reads this and want advice, feel free to contact me. I’m only happy to help.

What a difference a year makes - The Future of 60's Who on Blu-ray

 

About a year ago The Mirror reported the end of Doctor Who missing episode animations because BBC America had pulled out of co-funding them, with the final release being The Abominable Snowmen last September. It was very disappointing news. It felt like it was the worst time to stop. We were just 5 episodes away from being over the half way mark in terms of animated episodes.

But thankfully situations can change. 11 months after the original article The Mirror reported that funding had been sourced and that the completely missing Hartnell story The Smugglers and 50% missing story The Underwater Menace are next in line. If that wasn’t exciting enough, the article also stated that colourisations of Hartnell and Troughton episodes are planned including “An Unearthly Child”. 

Of course this is a newspaper we are talking about, and sometimes the stories they report aren’t always true, particularly on the entertainment front. However the journalist Nicola Methven has an extremely good track record when reporting Doctor Who animations, correctly reporting many other releases that turned out to be true. Plus former animator Rob Ritchie confirmed at Gallifrey One convention to Radio Free Skaro podcast that animations are returning with The Evil of the Daleks team again working on them, led by Anne-Marie Walsh. Whilst this is excellent news as the work that team has produced in the past has been brilliant, I am disappointed to see that Rob Ritchie hasn’t been invited back. His work designing sets was exemplary, particularly with the Daleks. But I know how tiring he found it last time around, so he probably does deserve a good rest.

There’s a lot to chew over here. The Smugglers and The Underwater Menace are a bit of a surprise to me when it comes to choices. Not that they are bad ones, there’s no such thing. But to me there are far more appealing stories out there that deserve some attention. I’d have personally loved another Season 3 story The Celestial Toymaker or The Savages maybe? Or finish off Season 5 with The Wheel in Space (with Cybermen and a companion debut!), getting it ready for The Collection. But hey this is not me complaining, I am just over the moon they are continuing.

There are contradictory rumours to this, but beyond Gallifrey Base posts I haven’t seen any evidence.

Last year we saw our first 60’s season with Season 2 presenting the two missing episodes of The Crusade via reconstructions (or William Russell introduction links from the VHS if you prefer) instead of animation, so we now have a precedent for missing episodes within The Collection, which we didn’t have this time last year.

Season 9 due out in March will mark the half way point in The Collection, with 13 out of the 26 seasons having received the Blu-ray treatment. (Yes The Wilderness Years will probably get a set, but I can round it down). Assuming we get 3 sets a year from now on, The Collection will probably be finished around 2027/28.

It’s been mentioned in the past that The Collection will not wait for animations, so some tricky decisions are going to have to be made. At what point do you put out a season? Do you wait and save them all until the end of the range in hope that some of those seasons will be complete? You’ve probably got 3 years of releases before having to face a season with missing episodes. But then the restoration team will face a massive restoration task on their hands.

My gut feeling is The Collection will probably go for a mixed solution. Like a hybrid. Having The Smugglers and The Underwater Menace animated will enable Season 4 to join Seasons 1, 2, 5 & 6 as requiring one story to be animated each. Whilst it’s sad they are not complete, only having one story to upgrade to animation per season is a sweeter pill to swallow than say having to buy 2 or 3 stories per set at a later date. You can then push a particular story to the back of the queue.

I know some people say the team should hold off on The Collection until everything is animated. But there are two problems with that:

1)      How long do you wait on something that might not ever happen?

2)      Do you risk waiting 6/7 years to make some of the extras, when some of those seasons may be coming up to 65 years old?

I do get the argument. There’s no denying that the boxsets would be better complete, but there’s a balance to be had. There are already some extras in The Collection that couldn’t be produced in the same way today (The Writers Room – Season 23, Keeping up with the Joneses). Animations can wait, there’s no need to rush them out.

So with this theory in mind, I am going to take a stab at how the remaining 60’s seasons of The Collection and animations may balance out. For this example I am choosing 2 animations a year. This is purely a guess and could be wrong. I am also assuming all animations will be done, which again is highly presumptive of me, but I hope this could give you an idea as to what may be possible. Essentially, this is what I would aim for if I were in charge.

2023

Animations:

The Smugglers

The Underwater Menace

Taking the Mirror article at face value here. It gives you a Hartnell and a Troughton release for the 60^th anniversary. This might be joined by some of the colourisations rumoured about.

 

 

2024

The Collection

Season 6

When The Collection started, I sort of made my own silly rule in my head that a Doctor shouldn’t have all their stories released as part of The Collection until all of the first seven Doctors have had at least one set. The only Doctor not to have a set so far is Patrick Troughton. With Season 20 heavily rumoured for Summer 2023, there will be only 2 80’s sets left after this point. Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy will be one box set away from completion. I think we could do with a Troughton set soonish.

It would be too soon to release Season 4 after The Smugglers and The Underwater Menace. Surely The Wheel in Space is a shoe-in for animation. That leaves you with Season 6. Whilst I would love to see the only outstanding story The Space Pirates animated, I have to admit it’s not a key story. If you were watching a Doctor Who marathon from the beginning, I think you could end The Seeds of Death and skip straight to The War Games without being none the wiser. It’s not a well-regarded serial either and the audio quality on the existing tapes are some the worst. Therefore I think it makes sense that The Space Pirates should join the back of the queue animation queue along with The Crusade from Season 2.

Animations:

The Celestial Toymaker

The Wheel in Space

The Wheel in Space seems like such an obvious story to animate, it seems foolish not to do it. Cybermen and a companion debut, I don’t think you can ask for more! It also completes Season 5 which could allow a two year gap before being reissued for The Collection.

Season 3 needs more animation. Just 1 more completed story could push the story count over to 5. If the animations are suddenly halted again, Season 3 could look a bit sorry compared to its other contemporaries, but at least you could now argue it has more stories than a McCoy set. Toymaker seems the obvious choice. It doesn’t have a huge number of characters and sets, plus future events might make this story more relevant.

 

2025

The Collection

Season 1

Again, how long do you wait for animation? Marco is a tricky story with a large cast, numerous sets and locations. And the serial normally always crops up in various rumours. Restorer Paul Vanezis even reports that the first to episodes may still exist in Iran. Despite its significance, I can again see the animation being pushed towards the back of queue. The rest of the season is good to go however.

Animations

The Savages

The Highlanders

Time to get Season 4 complete with The Highlanders. A tricky story to animate with lots of costume changes, but I hope some clever model reuse from The Underwater Menace could help.

The Savages will once again help push Season 3 into a better position. It’s probably wise not to have two historical serials in a year (although that might be unavoidable for later years).  It’s always tempting to add The Daleks’ Master Plan here, but it’s probably too challenging to animate without serious time and investment.

 

2026

The Collection

Season 5

It will have been two years since The Wheel in Space came out. I think that’s enough time to make double dipping okay. Thanks to other animation releases and Britbox, most of the restoration work will have been done for this season, taking much needed pressure off the restoration team.

 

Animations:

The Myth Makers

The Massacre

I didn’t really want to release these two together. But I think for the benefit of Collection it’s unwise to do Marco Polo and The Space Pirates here, you are kind of left with these two. This will then make Season 3 complete minus The Daleks’ Master Plan (and it’s prequel Mission to the Unknown), but with the costings and logistics involved, I think DMP might be a nice way close to the range.

 

2027

The Collection

Season 4

Again it will have been two years since The Highlanders so Season 4 can come out complete. Due to this being the last year of The Collection with the original series, two 60’s sets will probably need to come out in the same year, but I hope the restoration work done on previous releases will ease the burden.

Season 3

This will probably be the final set. I know it’s a shame Master Plan isn’t here and that it will only be a year since Myth Makers and Massacre, but I think if this season manages to come out as complete as this I will be pleasantly surprised.  

 

Animations:

The Crusade

The Space Pirates

It will have been 5 years since Season 2 came out and 3 since Season 6. Again The Crusade may prove cost prohibitive, but it makes sense to do it now if they cab. Discs can be designed to make slotting it into The Collection as seamless as possible.

 

2028

Animations:

Marco Polo

With Season 1 having come out 3 years previous, it could be deemed the right time to try this as the penultimate story in the animation range. I also believe like the DVD range in 2014, it is better for the range to end with something special and memorable. Because The Daleks’ Master Plan is such a big project,  almost as big as two projects, it would probably take at least two years to animate. So just having one story this year would help towards that.

 

2029

Animations:

The Daleks’ Master Plan (including Mission to the Unknown)

It would be nice if The Collection could have a final end with The Daleks’ Master Plan. The best way to round of the animations. Of course if money can be found then they might tackle it earlier seeing it’s such an iconic story, but it’s such a beast of a project.

Completing animations by the end of the decade I will admit is wishful thinking. But with my limited knowledge, this is what I would say is a possible path to complete Classic Doctor Who. But whatever happens with Doctor Who’s future, I’ll be grateful for everything we get.

 

Colourisations

The Mirror article did also mention the colourisation of 60’s Doctor Who episodes for the 60^th Anniversary, including An Unearthly Child. Whilst this doesn’t interest me as much as The Collection or animations, providing they are done well, I would certainly want to pick these up.

I know there is some debate about colourisation. Should you do it? The originals were shot and lit for black and white. But I believe as long at the originals are available then why not? I put it in the same category as alternative CGI options. When you’ve seen the episodes dozens of times, new ways of enjoying your favourite show are always welcome.

I wouldn’t want every episode colourised. For example I could not imagine The Web of Fear in colour. And I would want to make sure Invasion (of the Dinosaurs) Part One (the only Pertwee episode not available in full colour). But a few stories could benefit from it and act as a great jumping on point for new viewers.

These colourisation releases could have a massive benefit for The Collection by reducing the number of episodes needing new restoration. The tight budget can be used elsewhere. And maybe these releases will be treated like Special Editions with their own extras budget. Season 2 didn’t feel to me quite as comprehensive as other sets due to the massive number of episodes and stories in this season. Anything to help solve this I see only as a plus.

And with a new era on the horizon with potential spin-offs, could 2023 into 2024 be the busiest time for Doctor Who home media releases ever? The wind is blowing, hopefully it’s the right knows if it’s the right direction.

Season 2 - Intital Thoughts

Hurrah! Finally a 60’s set.  It’s about time the black and white era got some of the love. Lee Binding has worked his magic once again, it looks incredible. 9 discs makes it the biggest set yet and a season in desperate need of some new restoration.

Firstly, I’m going to address the elephant in the room, the reconstruction for The Crusade. It’s fine. Of course I would prefer it animated. But even if the animations continue, for me it’s bottom of the to do list. For such a resource heavy story that’s 50% existing, I think there are more effective uses for a budget to tell us a story that has less exposure.

What a trailer though. Probably my favourite yet. Magical to see Maureen O’Brien back as Vicki. Something I’d never thought I’d see. Beautifully written and Directed as usual. Worth the price of the box set alone!

I had strong doubts that William Russell would be well enough to participate in an In Conversation, so I’m glad to be proven wrong.

The Flight Through Eternity documentary (not the first documentary to have that name) is a clever way of filling in all those making-of documentary gaps in one easy production. I hope there are a lot of interviewees.

I’m glad David Whitaker is getting a documentary.  Such an important figure who isn’t talked about enough.  And lovely to see Emily Cook present a documentary about merchandise in the 60’s.  Good stuff.

Behind the Sofa looks a hoot with some of my favourite contributors so far on this one.

There’s lots of other exciting content to look forward to, particularly the convention panel with Jaqueline Hill, Carole Ann Ford, Adrienne Hill and Michael Craze.

There is a little piece of me that’s disappointed there’s not a new cast commentary for The Crusade, or that it has it’s own making-of (something that I thought would be a shoe-in considering the number of people still with us).  But at least there’s something on The Lion recovery.

I for one was perhaps hoping some more gaps in the 60’s set would be filled in by The Collection, but I am still very happy with what there. Roll on DWM with the full breakdown.

Only one Doctor left without a set now…