In a 2009 Doctor Who Magazine poll, The Caves of Androzani was voted the greatest Doctor Who story by readers, ahead of "Blink" and Genesis of the Daleks. It was the only Peter Davison story to feature in the top ten (Tom Baker had 5 entries while Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant had 2 each).
Tom Baker disliked Leela's character concept because he felt that she was too violent.Jameson reports that he was cold to her for the first several stories they did together. Eventually, during the filming of Horror of Fang Rock, she insisted on multiple takes of a scene in which he repeatedly entered the scene early, thereby upstaging her. This incident appears to have increased Baker's respect for her, and their working relationship substantially improved thereafter.
I heard that story on the Fang Rock commentary, a bonus feature my wife and I only recently discovered! We'd forgotten that we hadn't yet heard it despite having the disc for over a year! It's a good one, especially the contributions of Terrance Dicks.
As for Peter Davison, I'm quite excited about discovering his stories from the beginning. I've always liked him as Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small but I don't expect his portrayal of the Doctor to be a sort of "Tristan-with-TARDIS-keys", either.
After an iffy start to Part One, Castrovalva becomes a decent story, though elements of Part Two--Nyssa and Tegan's carrying of the Zero box--remind me of a Discovery Kids channel-style show. I can't decide which woman is the better looking, though.
Davison's debut was rock solid. He didn't try to do too much and yet he wasn't out of the picture, either.
After an iffy start to Part One, Castrovalva becomes a decent story, though elements of Part Two--Nyssa and Tegan's carrying of the Zero box--remind me of a Discovery Kids channel-style show. I can't decide which woman is the better looking, though.
Wait until you get to Resurrection of the Daleks. You'll know.
Two new Davison stories are rumoured to be out on 14 Jun. The releases are called The Kamelion Collection - Kings Demons/Planet of Fire.
2 entertain have confirmed to DWM the extras for the upcoming DVD release of the Fifth Doctor storiesThe King's Demons and Planet of Fire, which will be released in the UK as a Kamelion box-set.
The King's Demons
Commentary with Peter Davison and Isla Blair, who played Isabella, as well as former script editor Eric Saward. Second commentary with the story's Director Tony Virgo. Part One only Kamelion - Metal Man : Looking at the history of the short lived companion Magna Carta: Exploring the great charter.
Planet of Fire
Commentary with Peter Davison, Nicola Bryant, Mark Strickson and director Fiona Cumming The Flames of Sarn: Documentary on the making of the story Return to the Planet of Fire: Fiona Cumming and Malcolm Thornton revisit Lanzarote Designs on Sarn: Malcolm Thornton on designing the show Deleted Scenes Extended Scenes Continuity An alternative version of Planet of Fire will be presented on a second disc, a new version cut by director Fiona Cumming, containing previously unseen material and special effects. It will be in a 16:9 format and the audio will be in 5:1 surround sound.
Extras on the second disc
Calling the Shots: Looking at the story's production Remembering Anthony Ainley: A look back at the life of the actor The box set is released in the UK on 14th June.
Peter Davison was never my favorite leading actor to portray "The Doctor". But some of the scripts during Davison's tenure are preferable to those found in Sylvester McCoy's seasons as the Doctor.
My personal favorites are:
"Kinda" written by Chistopher Bailey to incorporate religious principles into sci-fi
"Snakedance" also by Christopher Bailey as a follow-up to (and improvement upon) "Kinda"
"Terminus" wherein writer Steve Gallagher postulates that the entire universe was created by randomly jettisoned fuel combusting in a void
"Enlightenment" was the series' first script by a woman, Barbara Clegg, who provided a nice fantasy with sea-faring ships in a race, without any bodies of water
"The Awakening" a nifty 2-parter by Eric Pringle, which unites earthbound sci-fi with some historical trappings
"Frontios" displays what great story and dialogue Christopher H. Bidmead was capable of when he wasn't focusing on regeneration stories with the Master
"Planet Of Fire" I think is Peter Grimwade's best serial, which illustrates great contrasts between the theological and the scientific viewpoints
"The Caves Of Androzani" features the return of the great writer Robert Holmes to the series, ushering Davison's Doctor off with very taut situations and dialogue
Two new Davison stories are rumoured to be out on 14 Jun. The releases are called The Kamelion Collection - Kings Demons/Planet of Fire.
2 entertain have confirmed to DWM the extras for the upcoming DVD release of the Fifth Doctor storiesThe King's Demons and Planet of Fire, which will be released in the UK as a Kamelion box-set.
The King's Demons
Commentary with Peter Davison and Isla Blair, who played Isabella, as well as former script editor Eric Saward. Second commentary with the story's Director Tony Virgo. Part One only Kamelion - Metal Man : Looking at the history of the short lived companion Magna Carta: Exploring the great charter.
Planet of Fire
Commentary with Peter Davison, Nicola Bryant, Mark Strickson and director Fiona Cumming The Flames of Sarn: Documentary on the making of the story Return to the Planet of Fire: Fiona Cumming and Malcolm Thornton revisit Lanzarote Designs on Sarn: Malcolm Thornton on designing the show Deleted Scenes Extended Scenes Continuity An alternative version of Planet of Fire will be presented on a second disc, a new version cut by director Fiona Cumming, containing previously unseen material and special effects. It will be in a 16:9 format and the audio will be in 5:1 surround sound.
Extras on the second disc
Calling the Shots: Looking at the story's production Remembering Anthony Ainley: A look back at the life of the actor The box set is released in the UK on 14th June.
The Mara Tales Boxset, comprising the two fifth Doctor Stories, Kinda and Snakedance, will be released in the UK on 7 March 2011.
The remastered discs will feature new CGI for the Mara's manifestation as a snake, as well as documentaries on the making of the series, an interview with Christopher Bailey, the author of the two stories, and deleted scenes.
Also confirmed is the release of the second boxset comprising stories which were released near the start of the DVD run, now remastered and with added extras. Revisitations 2 will be released in the UK on 28 March 2011 and will contain three stories, the Second Doctor Story The Seeds of Death, the Third Doctor story Carnival of Monsters and the fifth Doctor story Resurrection of the Daleks.
I don't mind companions, it's their friggin' families that they keep foisting on us in the new series that turns me off.
Moffat seems to have pretty much put a stop to that. Up untill the very last episode of the season Amy Pond did not even have any family. and she ditched them anyways.
Under Moffat the series does seem to be far more economical with characters, which is a good thing.
Back in October we posted an article which went over some of the various old-series Doctor Who DVD releases that could be expected for North America in the early part of 2011. Among those titles were Doctor Who - Story #119: Kinda and Doctor Who - Story #125: Snakedance (both starring Peter Davison as the 5th Doctor). Now distributor Warner Home Video and the BBC have formally announced both of these classic titles for release on April 12th.
Below you will find the available information for both titles, including bonus material. In the United Kingdom these two story arcs are only being sold together as "Mara Tales, but in the USA and Canada it is the opposite: they are only being solicited to retailers as individual titles. Packaging for both of these can be found at the bottom. Enjoy!
Doctor Who - Story #119: Kinda (Peter Davison as the 5th Doctor) 1 disc, 125 minutes, 4 episodes, full frame video, English mono audio, English subtitles, $24.98 SRP
The Doctor arrives on the paradise planet of Deva Loka to find a colonial mission on the verge of collapse. Several of its members have vanished into the jungle without a trace, leaving the survivors suspicious and paranoid. The mystery deepens as it becomes clear that the planet's native inhabitants, the Kinda, possess hitherto unsuspected powers that challenge human understanding. Meanwhile the Doctor's companion Tegan becomes possessed by the Mara, a force of pure evil that lives in dreams and preys on fear. Extras: Audio Commentary Dream Time Peter Grimwade - Directing with Attitude Deleted and Extended Scenes CGI Effects Comparison Trails & Continuity Photo Gallery Optional CGI Isolated Music Track PDF materials: Radio Times Listings Production Notes Subtitle Option
Doctor Who - Story #125: Snakedance (Peter Davison as the 5th Doctor) 1 disc, 125 minutes, 4 episodes, full frame video, English mono audio, English subtitles, $24.98 SRP
The TARDIS makes an unplanned landing on Manussa, where preparations are underway to celebrate the defeat of the Sumaran Empire five centuries earlier. But the ancient evil of the Mara lives on, and Tegan, who has been haunted by disturbing dreams since her time under the Windchimes on Deva Loka, is now a pawn in its plan to re-enter the physical world and subjugate the Manussan people. Only the Doctor can stop the Mara - but first he must convince the authorities that he is not just a deluded fool who believes in children's fairytales. Extras: Audio Commentary Snake Charmer Deleted Scenes In Studio Saturday Superstore Photo Gallery Easter egg Isolated music score PDF materials: Radio Times Listings Production Notes Subtitle Option
Doctor Who - The Only Unreleased/Unannounced 5th Doctor (Davison) Story is Now Scheduled for DVD! 'Story #132: The Awakening' will be available in North America this July
From 1982 to 1984 Peter Davison was the 5th Doctor, entertaining viewers of the original series with 20 different story arcs over the course of three series ("seasons"). When Doctor Who DVDs were first released in North America (on 9/11 day), a Davison-era tale was included among those three titles: Story #130: The Five Doctors. Since then, eighteen other 5th Doctor stories have either come to Region 1, or else been scheduled for release in the near future. And by mid-year we'll have the last of Davison's twenty classical contributions: today the BBC and distributor Warner Home Video have announced that on July 12th they will make available the only unreleased-on-DVD story from Davison's run on the program: Doctor Who - Story #132: The Awakening.
This story, which features companion Tegan (Janet Fielding) being taken back by the Doctor to meet her own grandfather (and discovering an alien war machine called The Malus on 1984 Earth along the way), is actually a very short one that consists of just 50 minutes overall, split among 2 episodes. Bonus material start with the usual sort, with Audio Commentary by Cast and Crew, a Behind-the-Scenes documentary, a "Now and Then" featurette (comparing locations used for shooting at the time of production to how they look today), and the usual Subtitle Notes, PDF material and so forth. You will also be able to find a Deleted Scene from this episode, cut from the original broadcast for timing reasons, featuring the Doctor's most unusual companion ever: the shape-changing android Kamelion. The metal man was first seen in Story #129: The King's Demons, and then next seen for his exit in Story #135: Planet of Fire. This deleted scene (which includes Tegan, and was previously on DVD in a featurette on The King's Demons) would have given viewers insight into where Kamelion had been in between his two primary stories: hiding in the depths of the TARDIS! You'll be able to see it on this disc which features the episode this scene was shot for.
Pricing for Doctor Who - Story #132: The Awakening is just $14.98 SRP, and package art for this title is shown below. By now you might be asking yourself, "hey...what about the OTHER classic Who title for July?" After all, the BBC's 2011 DVD release schedule for North America has announced TWO classic Doctor Who offerings each and every month up through June. So, isn't July going to be a pair of titles as well? Sorry, no, it doesn't appear so at this time. As of this writing, BBC/Warner is only listing a single classic Who DVD on their July schedule, even though we know that other titles (such as the 7th Doctor's Story #149: Paradise Towers) are in production for future release. Just not in the seventh month, apparently. Hmmm, just guessing here, but does that mean that July could possibly see a DVD (and Blu-ray!) release of the 11th Doctor (Matt Smith) in Doctor Who - The 6th Series, Part 1, to tide fans over before the September broadcast debut of the "back half" of the sixth season?
In case you have missed the announcement, the current Doctor Who program has annoyingly joined the ranks of shows which will air the season's first half, do a "mid-season finale" and take a months-long break, then air the rest later on (gosh, what an irritating trend this has become in recent years, right?). Over here, we are making the assumption that - like other shows which broadcast in split-seasons - the home video releases will also be split up the same way as the broadcasts are (and probably with a "Complete Series 6" set also available later on). So perhaps a single-classic-title schedule for July is our clue that a "6th Series, Part 1" home video release might be timed for that particular month. Again this idea about a possible DVD release of the first half in July is just speculation, though, and it currently has no basis in fact. Stay tuned, however, and we'll keep an eye on it and let you know!
No explanation is given for companion Kamelion's absence from this story.
The Doctor mentions the Terileptils mining tinclavic on the planet Raaga. Script editor Eric Saward added this in the script to create a reference to his own story The Visitation (1982). He had planned to write another story featuring the Terileptils, and wanted to make sure the audience remembered who they were. But as events worked out, Saward never wrote their planned return.
This was the first story to feature alterations to the Fifth Doctor's costume. The Doctor wears a lighter-coloured frock coat, and a white "v-neck" cricketer's sweater with thick red and black piping around the "v" and the lower waist, as opposed to the costume he wore during the previous two seasons where the "v-neck" piping was thin and coloured red, white and black and there was no piping around the waist. The shirt is also altered with green lining on the collar and where the shirt is buttoned, instead of red. The Doctor disposed of his original costume in episode 2 of the previous story, Warriors of the Deep, in which he disguised himself in the uniform of a Sea Base 4 guard; it is possible he never retrieved his costume from the base before he left. The Fifth Doctor would wear the secondary version of his costume for the remainder of the season, save for most of Planet of Fire (1984). The newly regenerated Sixth Doctor would also be seen wearing it during the first episode of his debut story, The Twin Dilemma (1984).
The Seventh Doctor encounters the other half of the Hakolian war machine that became the Malus in the Past Doctor Adventures novel The Hollow Men.
The working titles of this story were War Game and Poltergeist.
Pringle had submitted this story in the mid-1970s to then-script editor Robert Holmes as a four-part story entitled War Game. In the 1980s he resubmitted his story (as well as a different four-parter, The Darkness, possibly featuring the Daleks) to script editor Eric Saward. Realizing the story did not have enough impact for four episodes, it was later pared down to two, renamed Poltergeist and then finally The Awakening.
The story featured extensive location shooting and studio work. Saward wanted to add a TARDIS sequence with Tegan and Kamelion, utilising the robot prop and played in chameleonic form by Peter Davison and Mark Strickson. However, this scene was cut from the transmitted episode for timing reasons. The recovery of an early edit of episode one on video (in the personal archive of late producer John Nathan Turner) means that this element, previously thought lost, may now be included on a DVD release of the serial. A small part of the scene has appeared in the documentary Kamelion: Metal Man which featured on the DVD release of The King's Demons.
The master tape for Part One was found to have some scratch damage when the 1984 compilation version was being mastered, no protection copy was made at that time so the original tx master continued to deteriorate, the tape was checked in the early 90's and the scratch damage found to be far more intrusive than it had been in 84, fortunately the original film sequences were kept and using these, the compilation copy and the reprise from part 2, in 1997 the Doctor Who Restoration Team were able to make a repaired master copy. This was used for the VHS release. The episode will probably have to be restored from scratch when, at some point, it is mastered for DVD.
This was officially the final story of the series to consist of two 25-minute episodes. All two parters since then have been 45 minutes long per episode, including most of season 22 and several stories of the revived series. The Ultimate Foe, the concluding segment of The Trial of a Time Lord, is numbered on screen as Parts Thirteen and Fourteen of the latter title; furthermore, they share the same BBC production code, 7C, with the preceding four-part story arc, Terror of the Vervoids, even though they have their own separate novelisation and feature compilation.
The production designer for this story, Barry Newbery, had worked on Doctor Who intermittently ever since its very first story. After completing "Awakening", Newbery took early retirement from the BBC, making this story his last professional effort.
John Nathan-Turner liked the character of Will Chandler a great deal and seriously considered keeping him on as a companion. However, it was eventually concluded that Chandler's child-like character would quickly wear thin and lacked any clear path of development, so Nathan-Turner dropped the idea.
2|Entertain have sent DWO the cover and details for the 30th May Doctor Who DVD release of Frontios.
As a strange force takes hold of the TARDIS, the Doctor and his friends find themselves grounded on the inhospitable planet of Frontios, where the last survivors of the human race sc ratch out a desperate existence far away from their long dead home planet.
The colonists are gripped by fear and paranoia as the planet is battered by attacks from space and they watch as the bodies of their dead are sucked into the ground. But the Doctor only appreciates the true gravity of the situation when he finds that the TARDIS has been destroyed...
Special Features:
• Commentary - With actors Peter Davison, Jeff Rawle and John Gillett, script editor Eric Saward and special sounds designer Dick Mills.
• Driven to Distractation – cast and crew look back at the making of ‘Frontios’. With actors Peter Davison, Mark Strickson, Jeff Rawle and John Gillett, script editors Christopher H. Bidmead and Eric Saward, and designer David Buckingham. Narrated by Paul Jones.
• Deleted and Extended Scenes – a chance to see scenes that were cut during editing, many of which are presented before post-production effects had been added.
• Photo Gallery - production, design and publicity photos from the story.
• Isolated Music – option to watch the episodes with the isolated music score.
• Coming Soon - a trailer for a forthcoming DVD release.
I still remember the feeling of seeing Tom Baker turn into Peter Davison, thinking he looked a bit like a baby. Perhaps that was intended.
PD wasn't bad. His character was a little weak at times. I longed for his return after Colin Baker took over ... until I just stopped watching it altogether.
