Doctor Who: The Complete Specials [Blu-ray]
Doctor Who: The Complete Specials [Blu-ray]
David Tennant, David Morrissey, Michelle Ryan, Lindsay DuncanDirectors: Euros Lynn, Andy Goddard, James Strong, Graeme Harper
List Price: £29.99
Price: £15.72
The Complete Oh, Doctor Beeching! – First and Second Series [DVD] [1995]
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Biographies, Box Set, Filmographies, Interactive Menu, Multi-DVD Set, Photo Gallery, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: From Richard Spendlove, and David Croft, writer of Dad’s Army and Hi-de-Hi!, Oh Doctor Beeching! has been a firm favourite with millions of British comedy fans. Arriving in 1963, please alight at the small branch railway station of Hatley, threatened with closure under the Beeching Axe.
List Price: £29.99
Price: £14.65
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Final 5 4 10,
After the tragic events at the end of series 4, the tenth Doctor chooses to travel alone and over the course of his final year in the role this equates to 5 longer than usual “special” episodes for David Tennant leading up to the very impressive arrival of Matt Smith at the end of THE END OF TIME PART TWO on 1 1 10 (which might be significant to any numerologists out there…).
First up is the 2008 Christmas special THE NEXT DOCTOR in which the whole idea that this Doctor might not be forever is addressed. David Morrissey guest stars when the Doctor meets a figure not unlike himself having adventures during a Victorian Christmastime and a comic tragedy unfolds that mixes Dickensian imagery with Cyberpunk as the Cybermen return with the help of Dervla Kirwan in a plot involving the kidnapping of street urchins to help create their Cyberking where only the Doctor(s) and a very different type of TARDIS can save the day.
By Easter, the Doctor has taken to riding buses around London, but even a simple bus journey can’t be uneventful as before you know it he’s been transported to THE PLANET OF THE DEAD with only Michelle Ryan’s cat-burglar and a busload of passengers (as well as Lee Evans and UNIT) to help get him home. The stakes are high as a race of planet-eating flying manta rays are getting ever closer…
The darkest, scariest moment happens fifty years in the future when THE WATERS OF MARS are threatening to overrun Lindsay Duncan and her crew on Bowie Base One. The fact that they’re all already doomed adds a dark edge to the story, but when the Doctor himself decides that he won’t put up with that any more things take an even darker turn.
Back to Earth at Christmas again (via the planet of the Ood) for this Doctor’s final battle. THE END OF TIME PART ONE is a curiously dark piece for Christmas Day when John Simm’s Master is resurrected and attempts to hijack the Immortality Gate project with dire consequences for the whole of mankind. Bernard Cribbins, Catherine Tate and (briefly) June Whitfield are all that the Doctor can rely on as an even scarier menace than the Master – headed up by Timothy Dalton! – plans its own resurrection.
THE END OF TIME PART TWO follows on quite naturally, and the universe must be saved (again) but only at great personal cost to the Doctor. It’s no secret that the events of this epic story lead to the end of the line for this particular version of the Doctor, but it’s a terrific ride and makes for a rather spectacular sendoff. Bernard Cribbins makes one amazing octogenerian action hero, and John Simm & Timothy Dalton are impressive foes, but the episode really, truthfully belongs to David Tennant.
Quite right too.
With his regeneration fast approaching he does (rather self-indulgently you might think) get to revisit all his best friends, but, you know I think he deserves that at the end of four truly amazing years.
Full length episodes of DOCTOR WHO CONFIDENTIAL are included for each episode, as well as the Doctor Who proms, a selection of deleted scenes and there’s a slew of extras for the final episodes including David Tennant’s video diaries, a Comic-Con appearance, and the BBC Christmas idents that were so very popular at the time. There are also main cast (David Tennant and Catherine Tate/ David Tennant and John Simm) and director (Euros Lyn) commentaries on the last two episodes which are a lot of fun, there’s a rather nice accompanying booklet with a lovely little piece written by David Tennant himself to top off a rather nicely put together set.
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|David, Russell and everyone else…THANK YOU. FOR EVERYTHING,
Once upon a time, I was NOT a Doctor Who fan. In the old days of Who, I avoided it like the plague. I hated the effects, the writing, the acting blah-blah-blah. And it took Russell T Davies and his vision of a new Doctor Who to make me interested. Then Christopher Eccleston regenerated into David Tennant…and the rest was history.
In my opinion, the quality of the stories really took off when Tennant came on board and had peaked at Series 4 (which remains my favourite series of Doctor Who bar none). And then after an amazing five year run, after so many painful departures…the man himself David Tennant declared that he was finally leaving.
It shocked me to the core, along with everyone else. For me (and millions more), he was MY Doctor. He made me a fan, and the fact that Russell T Davies was also calling it a day was heartbreaking.
So this boxset, containing the final five specials of the Davies era, marks the end of a truly wonderful era. Taking place after the monumentally superb Series 4, the premise here is the Tenth Doctor (after vanquishing greatest enemies Davros and the Daleks and saying goodbye to his best friend Donna Noble) is once again on his own. After losing so much, the Doctor decides its best to remain on his own and not to endanger anyone else and risk his heart being broken again.
These five specials (spanning from Christmas 2008 to New Year’s Day 2010) feature David Tennant and a delightful all-star guest cast. Here he has a different companion for the duration of each adventure, resulting in some terrific, classic episodes, all running for an hour except the BIG FINALE, which runs for a stonking seventy-five minutes. Overall, it’s most befitting for David’s last run, and as the end draws nearer, his performances excel to the point where he reaches the height of his greatness, going out in a true blaze of glory that honours his Doctor and everything he’s given us.
The fact that the man’s regeneration was inevitable and obvious is immediately touched upon right from the word `go’ with “The Next Doctor”, which sees No. 10 confront his first omen of what lies ahead. The realisation that one day, he himself will have to go. Even though things don’t turn out to be as they seem at first glance, it’s nevertheless a premonition that sets the scene nicely for this final story arc.
All the specials are made so because of Davies (who wrote three of the specials himself and co-wrote two of them with Gareth Roberts and Phil Ford), the re-emergence of the Cybermen, terrifying new creatures, the final darkest days of the Time War and of course, the excellent assortment of guest stars on hand. You can expect nothing but first-class performances from the likes of David Morrissey, Michelle Ryan, Lindsey Duncan, and Timothy Dalton (SERIOUSLY!). They’re all given wonderfully three-dimensional characters to act out, share plenty of the spotlight with David and help to make the specials essential viewing with their presence. And of course, it’s great to see the return of old favourites like Bernard Cribbins (Wilfred Mott), Catherine Tate (Donna Noble) and the godlike John Simm reprising his role as the Master.
The 2008 Christmas Special “The Next Doctor” is helped because of the refreshing change of festive scenery (Victorian London). David Morrissey’s `Next Doctor’ and the tragic mystery surrounding him drives the episode, as does the fascinating development of the Cybermen and Dervla Kirwan simply steals every scene she’s in as the charismatic rogue Miss Hartigan. Until “The End Of Time”, I found this to be the best Christmas Special ever done, due to the drama, great humour, excitement and heart to be found. It’s certainly still got that after repeat viewing.
The 2009 Easter Special “Planet of the Dead” is another hugely enjoyable romp of an episode with Michelle Ryan’s Lady Christina being a perfect match for the Tenth Doctor. Her experience as the Bionic Woman does the character justice, making her sharp, charismatic, sexy and witty. Michelle’s chemistry with David is a treat to behold, and Lee Evans will truly have you in hysterics. “Planet of the Dead” really is so much fun to watch, but after this, fun time is over. Watch the ending to see what I mean.
To me, it`s “The Waters of Mars” November 2009 Special that is the true highlight of boxset. Davies really changes gears with this episode and his writing and produces what is truly one of the darkest, most terrifying and most psychological stories ever in Who. It touches upon so many adult themes, all of which are executed brilliantly. Lindsey Duncan as Captain Adelaide Brooke comes across as the Tenth Doctor’s most strong-willed companion ever with her portrayal and the consequences of what happens here changes everything forever, tarnishing the Doctor and making us all realise just how much he needs a companion. “The Waters of…
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|Not 100% perfect but very close- and even better in HD,
Having watched these shows on a standard definition telly, I was excited to see my first ever high-def Who on these Blu-rays. I’d had mixed feelings about the Blu-ray experience so far- some films jaw-dropping, some not standing up to the extra scrutiny of high-def- so how would Doctor Who, on a TV show’s budget, stand up in high-def?
Mostly it stands up very well. Some of the stories are suited to HD better than others- “Planet Of The Dead” in particular is a real showpiece, with the grand views of endless orange sand, the swarms of thousands of creatures in which you can see almost every one. The special effects all hold their own. Most of a Doctor Who episode is interior dialogue stuff, for which HD doesn’t make much difference, but I reckon it’s worth the extra investment (from you and from the BBC) for a handful of “wow!” shots in each episode.
Story-wise, other Whovians have reviewed these in detail many times over so I’ll try to keep my remarks brief:
The Next Doctor: a great original premise (David Morrissey claiming to be the Doctor) but it didn’t quite live up to expectations. The Cybermen just aren’t strong villians in the new series.
Planet Of The Dead: epic, incredibly well shot, a good classic Who run-around complete with red double-decker bus. No real surprises but good quality sci-fi.
The Waters Of Mars: another solid but not groundbreaking sci-fi tale, complete with time paradoxes. Great performances on this one- except for the rubbish robot.
The End Of Time: a typical over-the-top Russell T Davies end-of-series style story where you get a bit of everything. The Time Lords end up badly under-used but apart from that it’s a great big explosive chaotic whizz-bang joy and a great send-off for Tennant.
The amazing high quality of resurrected Doctor Who continues, and it’s worth paying extra to see that quality even more clearly.
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|Blast from the past…..,
I have been looking to buy this for ages for my dad as he used to work on the steam railways….I remember watching this in my childhood and it was great to see the team from Hi-De-Hi get together to put a funny perspective on the damage that Beeching did….My dad has really enjoyed watching it and now I am watching it…..It is a good British comedy and it is a pity they don’t make them like this anymore…..and the best thing is that you can let your children watch it without fear of swearing or nudity popping up unexpectedly….My overall verdict…..BRILLIANT and GREAT VALUE FOR MONEY…..arrived 2 days after ordering in excellent condition……
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|An excellent, gentle comedy,
I bought this dvd set without having seen the series and was thoroughly pleased with it. It is a gentle comedy, with good characters and writing. I would highly recommend it. It has prompted me to purchase Hi-De-Hi and You Rang, M’Lord.
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|The Almost Complete Series!!!!,
An excellent series, almost as good as Hi-De-Hi and You Rang M’Lord.
Except the BBC is up to their old tricks again. This “Complete” set is NOT complete. It is missing the pilot episode.
Why must the BBC cheat people by leaving off Christmas episodes and Pilots for sets they wrong call complete?
I have given this set only 4 out of 5, because it has 19 of the 20 episodes, despite wrongly being called a complete set!!!
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