Series Two UK DVD Dates

According to Play.com, release dates for the first two volumes of the second series batch of DVDs in the UK are now finalised. Volume One, featuring "The Christmas Invasion" and "New Earth," will apparently be released on May 1, and Volume Two, with "Tooth and Claw," "School Reunion" and "The Girl in the Fireplace," is reportedly due out June 5. Both are currently available for pre-order. (Thanks to Martin Hoscik at UNITNews)

The BBC Shop Doctor Who Store is now listing the Complete Series Two DVD Boxed Set for Region 2 (UK) release on Monday 20 November, with a recommended retail price of 69.99 (the shop itself is offering a pre-order price of 44.99). The blurb for the five-disc set (BBCDVD2122) reads: "Can Rose trust a man with a new face? David Tennant (Casanova, Blackpool, Quatermass Experiment, Harry Potter) steps into the role of the Doctor for the second series of Doctor Who. Following on from the phenomenal success of the first series, the second installment is full of more thrills, more laughs, more heartbreak and some terrifying new aliens. The Doctor and Rose meet Queen Victoria, an evil race of Cat Women and the dreaded Cybermen."

Doctor Who - Two Early Installments of Doctor Who Head to DVD This Fall
Posted by David Lambert

Warner Home Video and BBCAmerica will bring out the next two Doctor Who releases from the original series on September 5th. Bother are earlier efforts, from the 1st and 3rd incarnations of The Doctor. Here are the basics for each release, including thumbnail-sized cover art (go to site for that) and extras info courtesy of the Restoration Team's website (who of course have newly restored these episode, and also produced LOTS of great bonus content):


Doctor Who - Story #013: The Web Planet

A mysterious force pulls the TARDIS off course, stranding the first Doctor (William Hartnell), Ian, Barbara and Vicki on the alien world of Vortis. A fierce battle is raging between the moth-like Menoptra, and giant insects known as Zarbi. But what is the dark secret that hides at the center of Zarbi’s lair?

1 DVD
$24.98 SRP

Commentary on all 6 episodes, with actors William Russell and Martin Jarvis, Producer Verity Lambert and Director Richard Martin, moderated by Gary Russell

"Tales of Isop": a making-of featurette, based around interviews with Maureen O'Brien, Verity Lambert, William Russell, Martin Jarvis, Richard Martin, make-up designer Sonia Markham and designer John Wood.

"The Lair of Zarbi Supremo": a short story from the first Doctor Who Annual, read by William Russell, presented as an audio feature.

The entirety of the very first Doctor Who Annual is included on the disc in Adobe .PDF format.

Option to view episode six ("The Centre") with Spanish sound.

"Give-a-Show Slides": the whole 150-minute story condensed into 14 frames! These will be viewable as a slideshow feature on the disc.

Photo Gallery

Subtitle Production Notes


Doctor Who - Story #054: Inferno

A top secret drilling project headed by Professor Stahlman is attempting to penetrate the Earth’s crust, and the third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and Liz Shaw are on hand to observe. Tensions and professional jealousies plague the project, but things really heat up when a mysterious green substance is found leaking from the drill head. Just when UNIT needs the Doctor most, a time experiment throws him into a parallel universe where everyone he knows has changed for the worse.

2 DVDs
$34.98 SRP

Commentary with Script Editor Terrance Dicks, Producer (and Director on some of this story) Barry Letts, Nicholas Courtney ("The Brigadier") and John Levene ("Sgt. Benton").

"Can You Hear the Earth Scream?": a 35-minute documentary looking at the making of "Inferno", featuring interviews with Barry Letts, Terrance Dicks, actors Caroline John, Nicholas Courtney, John Levene, Ian Fairbairn and actor/stunt arranger Derek Ware.

"The UNIT Family - Part 1": a 36-minute documentary looking at the first half of the 'UNIT family' that characterized the Third Doctor's Earth-bound stories. Featuring interviews with Barry Letts, Terrance Dicks, UNIT creator Derrick Sherwin, actors Nicholas Courtney, John Levene, Caroline John and actor/stunt arranger Derek Ware. The documentary is an affectionate look at Pertwee's first season through the eyes of those people most intimately involved in creating the 'family'.

"Visual Effects Promo Film": an excerpt from an early attempt to 'sell' the experience and facilities of the BBC Visual Effects Department to new clients. This short film features model effects filming from the Doctor Who stories 'The Ambassadors of Death' and 'Inferno', a watertank sketch from 'Marty Amok' featuring Marty Feldman, model shots from 'The Caves of Steel' and the filming of the forced-perspective model pier for the explosive finale of the missing 'Doomwatch' episode, 'Survival Code'.

Deleted Scene: a short deleted scene which was never seen in the original BBC transmission of the story, featuring a rather too obvious Jon Pertwee as the voice of a radio presenter. Although this scene features in the overseas versions of the story and in previous VHS releases, it was decided to remove it from the episode and present it separately in order to be truer to the UK transmission.

"The Pertwee Years Intro": a short introduction to the story's final episode from Jon Pertwee, originally presented as part of BBC Video's 'The Pertwee Years' VHS release.

The 1971 Doctor Who Annual and clippings from the Radio Times are included as .PDF files for PC and Mac users.

Photo Gallery

Subtitle Production Notes

UK DVD Release Rumours
DVD / Video
May 12, 2006
According to several sources, BBC Video may be releasing The Hand of Fear starring Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen (in her final performance in the classic series until "The Five Doctors") on DVD in the UK on 24 July, followed by The Mark of the Rani starring Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant with Anthony Ainley and Kate O'Mara on 4 September. This is after the release of Inferno starring Jon Pertwee on 5 June and in-between select releases of Series Two DVD sets on 10 July (Volume 3), 7 August (Volume 4) and 18 September (Volume 5). This information was recently communicated to various dealers of Doctor Who merchandise by BBC Worldwide, though it still remains unofficial and unconfirmed in the meanwhile.