Allons-y, Whovians! In advance of the Doctor Who 50th anniversary, there’s a flurry, not of snowmen but of new Doctor Who DVDs!
BBC Home Entertainment is releasing quite a few new Doctor Who DVDs and collections that are sure to make any Doctor Who fanboy and fangirl exclaim “Fantastic!” with unbridled glee. All are available for pre-order now.
Doctor Who: Series 1-7 Limited Edition Blu-ray Giftset
This collector’s edition includes all of the Doctor Who reboot series to date, plus a bunch of other goodies, some of which aren’t available anywhere else. Contents assembled in this “Geronimo!”-worthy gift set include:
- Series 1-4, now on Blu-ray in newly remastered versions at full 1080p hi-def for the first time, plus Series 5-7, also on Blu-ray at 1080p hi-def
- The David Tennant Specials collection
- Three new-to-Blu-ray specials: The Brit List’s Ultimate Doctor Who List of Lists; The Best of the Christmas Specials; and the full 90-minute Doctor Who at the Proms, newly remastered with 5.1 Surround Sound
- All bonus features from previous releases on a bonus disc
- The Doctor Who Universal Remote Control Sonic Screwdriver
- Three original art cards of Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, and Matt Smith as the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Doctors, respectively
- An exclusive Doctor Who comic book
Release dates: 4 November 2013 Amazon UK
Doctor Who: The Complete Seventh Series
The discs for the thirteen regular-season episodes on Doctor Who: Series Seven, Parts One and Two have been brought together in one package, available in DVD and Blu-ray formats.
Not only does it include the final Doctor Who adventures with the Ponds and the first ones with new companion Clara, it contains the Christmas specials “The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe” and “The Snowmen.” Extras include:
- Behind-the-scenes featurettes for every episode of Series 7 and “The Snowmen”
- Interviews with Matt Smith and Jenna-Louse Coleman from BBC America’s The Nerdist
- All-new featurettes “INFORARIUM,” “Clara and the TARDIS,” and “Rain Gods,” plus other featurettes: “The Making of the Gunslinger,” “Creating Clara,” “Last Days of the Ponds,” and “Pond Life”
- Doctor Who Specials: “The Science of Doctor Who,” “Doctor Who in the US,” “The Companions,” and “Doctor Who at Comic Con”
- Prequels to the episodes “The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe,” “Asylum of the Daleks,” “The Snowmen” (3 prequels), “The Bells of Saint John,” and “The Name of the Doctor” (2 prequels)
- Audio commentary for episodes: “The Snowmen,” “Cold War,” “Hide,” and “The Crimson Horror”
Release dates: 24 September 2013: Amazon US
Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited 5-8
Following up on the Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited 1-4
The four retrospectives feature current Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat and actors that have guest-starred on the series, such as Downton Abbey‘s Hugh Bonneville, as they look back at how each of the four actors made his own unique mark on the character of Doctor Who.
Each retrospective is followed by one full story for each Doctor, including “Earthshock,” “Vengeance on Varos,” “Remembrance of the Daleks,” and “Doctor Who: The Movie,” presented in both a widescreen, feature-length version and in its original episodic format.
Release date: 1 October 2013: Amazon US
Doctor Who Stories New to DVD
Three Classic Doctor Who stories are finally coming to DVD, and each has been digitally remastered for your viewing pleasure.
- Doctor Who: The Tenth Planet
— The First Doctor (William Hartnell) encounters the Cybermen for the very first time! Release dates: 18 November 2013 Amazon UK
| 19 November 2013 Amazon US
- Doctor Who: The Ice Warriors
— The Martian Ice Warriors make their first appearance in Doctor Who in this classic story starring Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor. Release dates: Released on 26 August at Amazon UK
| 17 September 2013 Amazon US
- Doctor Who: Terror of the Zygons
— In another first encounter, the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) battles the Zygons as they try to take over the Earth. Release dates: 30 September 2013 Amazon UK
| 8 October 2013 Amazon US
Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka
Roughly a decade before Richard E Grant guest-starred as the dastardly Dr. Simeon in “The Snowmen,” he provided the voice of The Doctor in this animated series, which was produced to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Doctor Who.
(Rumors had been swirling for a while that Richard E Grant would be the new Doctor. Ultimately, Christopher Eccleston portrayed the Ninth Doctor.)
In addition to Grant, other actors who would become alumni of the reboot Doctor Who series also provided voices for “Scream of the Shalka,” including Sophie Okonedo as The Doctor’s companion Alison Cheney, Derek Jacobi as The Master, and David Tennant in a cameo role as the Caretaker.
Release dates: 16 September 2013 Amazon UK
Check out the trailer:
Doctor Who: The Monsters Collection
The BBC and 2entertain have put together a collection of stories featuring some of the best-known and most-frightening monsters of Doctor Who. Each set includes stories from both the Classic Doctor Who and Doctor Who reboot series.
- Doctor Who: The Monsters Collection: The Cybermen
— Includes the four-part 1967 story “The Tomb of the Cybermen” featuring Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor, and the two-part 2006 story told in the episodes “The Rise of the Cybermen” and “The Age of Steel” featuring Tenth Doctor David Tennant. Release date: 30 September 2013 Amazon UK
- Doctor Who: The Monsters Collection: The Daleks
— Includes the seven-part 1963/1964 story “The Daleks” starring William Hartnell as the First Doctor in his first-ever encounter with the Daleks, and the 2012 story “Asylum of the Daleks” starring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, who encounters Oswin “Run you clever boy” Oswald, who later turned out to be the Time Lord’s future companion Clara. Release date: 30 September 2013 Amazon UK
- Doctor Who: The Monsters Collection: Davros
— Includes the six-part 1975 story “Genesis of the Daleks” with Fourth Doctor Tom Baker, and the two-part 2008 story told in the episodes “The Stolen Earth” and “Journey’s End” with Tenth Doctor David Tennant. Release date: 30 September 2013: Amazon UK
- Doctor Who: The Monsters Collection: The Master
— Includes the four-part 1971 story “Terror of the Autons” starring Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor and featuring the first appearance of The Master in the series, and the two-part story told in the 2009/2010 Christmas and New Year’s specials “The End of Time, Parts One and Two” starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, whose battle with The Master is a deadly one. Release date: 30 September 2013: Amazon UK
- Doctor Who: The Monsters Collection: The Silurians
— Includes the seven-part 1970 story “Doctor Who and the Silurians” with Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor and the Silurians making their first appearance in the series, and the two-part 2010 story told in the episodes “The Hungry Earth” and “Cold Blood” with Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith. Release date: 30 September 2013: Amazon UK
- Doctor Who: The Monsters Collection: The Sontarans
— Includes the four-part 1973/1974 story “The Time Warrior” featuring the introduction of the Sontarans in the series and Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor, and the two-part 2008 story told in the episodes “The Sontaran Strategem” and “The Poison Sky” featuring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor (and his screamingly-funny rendition of “Are you my mummy?”). Release date: 30 September 2013: Amazon UK
Check out the Doctor Who Streaming Video and DVD Directory for more information about Doctor Who DVDs as well as where you can stream/download stories, specials, and animated serials in the US.
Right then, time to shop.
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