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Doctor Who - The Dalek Invasion of Earth

BBC/Roadshow Entertainment . R4 . COLOR . 239 mins . PG . PAL

  Feature
Contract

As the 40th Anniversary of Doctor Who rolls merrily along, so do the celebratory DVD releases, and this latest one is a cracker and sure to please fans. It is an early Doctor Who, 1964 to be precise, a six episode adventure which is the second story from the second season, and marks the second appearance of the psycho pepper pots otherwise known as the Daleks. The difference this time is that the Daleks have come to invade Earth.

The Doctor (William Hartnell), his granddaughter Susan (Carole Ann Ford), Ian (William Russell) and Barbara (Jacqueline Hill), arrive in London, but in what year? There are some unusual signs indicating that it is not the London they know. There are no birds singing and very few people about. With the TARDIS buried under a pile of rubble, again, the Doctor and Ian set off to see if they can find some tools to dislodge the rubble and get back into the TARDIS. Barbara and Susan, who has fallen and twisted her ankle, naturally, remain behind but it is soon apparent that they are not alone.

The Doctor and Ian find a calendar dated 2164 indicating that this is indeed the future. Almost immediately, they stumble across a body that is wearing strange headgear and decide to get back to the girls - who have gone!

Barbara and Susan have been 'rescued' by freedom fighters before they can fall into unfriendly hands. The Doctor and Ian do not have long to ponder where they have gone before they are cornered by more humans wearing those strange helmets. Attempting to flee, they turn and almost stumble into a Dalek that is slowly emerging from the Thames. Falling into the hands (suckers? plungers?) of the Daleks, the Doctor and Ian are taken aboard the Dalek ship to be turned into the same helmeted servants that captured them - the 'robomen'.

The girls become members of the resistance movement that has sworn to get rid of the Daleks. The boys have their own troubles trying to escape from the Dalek ship, and the Daleks are still rolling around asserting their authority.

The Doctor and Ian learn from their fellow prisoners that the Daleks have a huge mine site outside of London but no one, not even the Doctor, is prepared to guess as to what it is the Daleks are digging for. Just as the Doctor is being turned into a 'roboman', the rebels attack the Dalek space ship and he is rescued. However, in the ensuing confusion, the four time travelers are separated. The Doctor and Susan decide to head for the Daleks’ mine site, and Ian and Barbara, with their respective parties, decide to head to the mine site also, knowing that this is what the Doctor would do.

As the travelers’ paths converge, the Dalek plan is unraveled. They are going to extract the Earth's magnetic core, replace it with a huge engine, and use the Earth like a giant passenger ship in an attempt to rule more of the universe. The Doctor, with help from Ian, finally unmasks the plan, and must call on every ounce of his knowledge and skill, and some luck, to thwart the Daleks and save the earth once more.

The return of the Daleks was given masses of publicity for their return and the viewing figures were as strong as they had ever been. It was also learned that more and more adults were tuning in. Although it was still primarily a children's show, there was plenty for adults to appreciate.

This adventure marked the first departure of a regular character in Doctor Who, something that would become a regular event over its record run. This is partly what kept the show so fresh. The departure is given quite some screen time, and marked the first of many turning points in the show's history. It was also the first time that extensive location filming was used.

Like all of Doctor Who, the budget was small, although it did increase, and it shows. The acting is generally good, and some of the sets look fantastic, but look closely and you'll find ample evidence of all the things that give Doctor Who its charm. The special effects are dodgy at best, the props are mostly inventive but cheap and flimsy, and the stunt work looks like amateur dramatics at best. Fans know this, and they love it. When you throw in the extensive restoration work and wonderfully bulky extras, you have, yep I'm saying it again, the best Doctor Who DVD yet.

  Video
Contract

The BBC's voluntary Resoration Team have worked very hard to bring this aging Doctor Who up to DVD standard. The original source material, like much of the early Doctor Who stuff, was barely holding together in many places, and the result is a credit to the Restoration Team's dedication.

The black and white full frame picture is not without its flaws of course, but it still looks particularly good. The black levels are the most noticeable problem in that they are generally quite grey, but whites scrub up well. The image is generally on the soft and grainy side, but this is 40 years old and was probably never intended to have such longevity and enduring popularity and to bitch too loudly is just pointless. If you read the Restoration Team's website, you will gain a greater appreciation for the improvement that has been made to this piece of television history.

There are a few artefacts, but not as many as you might expect. Straight lines tend to be a bit wobbly, but this is attributable to the source material. There is some noticeable shimmer, mostly in Susan's striped top that gets a little distracting in long shots, but these are thankfully few. The layer change is tucked away between episodes.

  Audio
Contract

This could have been, and probably was, a good deal worse. There are a few issues with the Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio, but not with the basics such as volume, clarity or synchronisation. There are a few muffled lines, but these are a result of the limitations in recording techniques and not as a result of the transfer.

Naturally, being mono, there is no separation or panning of sounds, and no signal for anything but the front left and right speakers. Low-level sounds are decidedly average, but again this is attributable to the source material. There is some very mild hiss that can be heard occasionally, but there are no crackles or pops. It seems quite pointless to really badger on as the audio has been lovingly restored, is quite acceptable and enjoyable and will pose no issues.

  Extras
Contract

Doctor Who DVDs have set the standard for television shows on DVD and this one is no exception. Wisely, and probably essentially, most have been housed on a second disc. But let’s look at the extras on Disc One first.

CGI Effects Sequences: The original Doctor Who special effects are famously shonky, though probably quite impressive at the time. However, it is not uncommon to see strings and rubber bands being employed, and this seamless feature, if selected, will replace the dodgy spacecraft shots with swanky new CGI effects. They also feature production notes. Purists are unlikely to watch these additions, but they are worthy nonetheless.

BBC Trailers: These TV spots are just part of the extensive publicity that preceded the Daleks return. At less than two minutes they are brief and amusing.

Audio Commentary: It is always a bonus when actors and technical staff get together for a commentary for you get a good deal of info on all topics and at all levels. Sadly, William Hartnell and Jacqueline Hill (The Doctor and Barbara) are long since departed, but we are blessed with commentary from William Russell (Ian) and Carole Ann Ford (Susan). They are joined by first producer Verity Lambert, director Richard Martin, and the whole thing is hosted by Who buff, Gary Russell. The line-up for each episode is rotated, and the information flows thick and fast. There is a good deal of technical information, some excellent anecdotes and memories, and no pauses. When watched with the following extra it’s almost information overload – but that’s a good thing.

Production Subtitles: Again, this is a feature of all Doctor Who DVDs and, if selected, provides oodles of information across the bottom of the screen with everything from things to watch for, transmission dates, cast appearances and careers, goofs and continuity gaffs.

Moving on to Disc Two we find some real gems.

Future Visions: This is the first of the specially recorded interviews for the DVD. Story designer, Spencer Chapman, spends almost 18 minutes discussing everything from the design of the sets and props to working with the cast, and the difficulties involved in working to a budget. There are some stills from the feature included.

Future Memories: Again specially recorded, this 45 minute extra is essentially a 'Making Of' documentary with input from many of the supporting cast including Nicholas Smith, a.k.a. Mr. Rumbold from Are You Being Served?. Like all the extras it is a full frame presentation and rather informative and interesting.

Talking Daleks: “Exterminate! Exterminate!” You can already hear the grating hysterical voices can’t you? This 11-minute featurette takes a look at how the voices came about, how they were recorded, and how they were cast. It includes input from more than one actor who used to be a Dalek for a living. Some of the footage is from home video and not the best quality, but it is a worthy addition.

Now and Then: At a shade under seven minutes, this is a 2003 look at the 1964 locations where much of the adventure was filmed in such places as Kew rail bridge, Irongate Wharf, Wood Lane, and Trafalgar Square. It is narrated and therefore more interesting than it might have been.

Script to Screen: Technophiles will like this. It is six minutes of the floor plans for the studio that includes the camera movements mapped in relation to the set and the cast.

Blue Peter: This long-running children’s television show has had something of a love affair with Doctor Who. It was featured on the show many times, often by a former cast member, this time though it's Valerie Singleton, a Carol Ann Ford lookalike, who will show you how to make several Dalek edibles.

Whatever Happened to Susan?: This is quite a touching little addition. This 30-minute radio broadcast features Jane Asher as the voice of Susan who recalls her time with the Doctor, and also recounts what happened to her after she left with David at the end of The Dalek Invasion of Earth. Unfortunately it cannot be scanned so you will need to sit through the whole thing to find out what happened.

Rehearsal Film: At under two minutes, there is not much here. It is some 8mm footage of a rehearsal filmed by Carole Ann Ford, however it was filmed on previously exposed film so is a little hard to decipher.

Photo Gallery: This music-accompanied, self-navigating gallery includes stills from the show, backstage and some colour shots of the audio commentary team in action.

Easter Eggs: There are two amusing little pieces tucked away. Our egg page can help you, but they are not hard to locate if you have managed to find previous Doctor Who DVD Easter eggs.

  Overall  
Contract

The 40th Anniversary year promised a title from each Doctor. Well we are into the eighth month and this is just the third release this year. Does this mean we can expect another four or five in the next four months? If they are as good as this, then bring it on. A point of interest is that the BBC recently announced the upcoming release of the last remaining available Doctor Who stories on VHS. That only took 16 years. To release them all on DVD is going to take much, much longer.


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      And I quote...
    "The second ever Dalek story comes to DVD and it’s packed with extra features…"
    - Terry Kemp
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Akai
    • TV:
          TEAC CT-F803 80cm Super Flat Screen
    • Receiver:
          Pioneer VSX-D409
    • Speakers:
          Wellings
    • Centre Speaker:
          Wellings
    • Surrounds:
          Wellings
    • Subwoofer:
          Sherwood SP 210W
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard RCA
    • Video Cables:
          standard s-video
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