The Show
Doctor Who is the last of the Time Lords, a good-hearted (all four of them) time-and-place-traveling adventurer with an especial fondness for the humans of Earth. Time was, he just wanted to have fun, but he finds himself increasingly haunted by regrets in this most recent incarnation of the quintessential, very British science fiction TV series.
BBC Video's five-disc set of The Complete Specials--technically from Season 4, or "Series 4" as they call it across the pond--span Christmas 2008 thru our most recent New Year's Day with a quintet of approximately-one-hour episodes. "Planet of the Dead" had been released previously on Blu-ray, all of the rest are new-to-Blu.
In "The Next Doctor," a case of mistaken identity leads to a memorable Christmas 1851 in this thrill-filled Victorian steampunk fantasy. The Doctor, a beautiful cat burglar and a busload of innocents are transported to a remote, desolate world in "Planet of the Dead," and "The Waters of Mars" prove to be deadly when in 2059, one year into the first human colonization of the red rock, an ancient evil is unleashed. Finally, David Tennant bids farewell to the title role in his two-part finale, "The End of Time," which foretells not only his demise but a bleak future for all of Earth, and the rest of the universe, too. His Doctor certainly goes out with a bang.
The Picture
Doctor Who is shot on digital video and the oldest of this lot, "The Next Doctor," is the worst for wear, with the telltale streaking and frequent (albeit slight) harshness, particularly in the brightest areas of the 178:1 frame. "Planet of the Dead," which aired four months later, is superior in every way: sharper, clearer and more natural. "The Waters of Mars" is generally crisp, with some noise and occasionally problematic backgrounds, but the colors are especially strong, as befits an adventure set on The Red Planet. "The End of Time, Parts One and Two" also show some noise, although many well-lit close-ups are actually quite striking for their high level of detail. Across the entire set, the biggest issue is really the quality of the blacks, which tend to reveal little or no nuance.
The Sound
BBC has chosen the less-frequently utilized DTS-HD High-Resolution standard for these discs, inferior to full DTS-HD Master Audio in that the audio data is compressed using a lossy codec, but still much higher resolution than what was oreviously possible on DVD. I noted virtually no demonstrable loss of clarity or dynamic range across the five specials, all of which showed a true multichannel mix that gave these TV episodes a more cinematic feel. A great deal of environmental information is mixed into the surrounds, music is mixed front to back, and overall the tracks become less timid as they progress.
In "Planet of the Dead." claxons blare and a double-decker bus violently transports to the middle of a mysterious desert, while the voices of the dead chatter away all around us and a giant alien swarm takes flight. In "The Water of Mars," the chirpy sounds of nature fill a greenhouse as airlocks open and close off-camera and the P.A. system keeps the rears active. Parts One and Two of "The End of Time" are the standouts, from the fullness of a choir singing early on to discrete surrounds for some supernatural effects, and the less-specific noises inside a crazy man's head ultimately leading to an amazing laser-versus-missile dogfight! This is big, ambitious audio that transcends typical TV fare.
The Extras
Each of the five specials receives its own one-hour (give or take) "Confidential" behind-the-scenes program, going in-depth with interviews and fly-on-the-wall footage to nicely capture all aspects of the undertaking, in HD. Other bonuses are scattered across the five discs. "Doctor Who at the Proms" presents a major multimedia concert event, live at The Royal Albert Hall in 2008. (59 minutes, SD). Audio commentary with star David Tennant, co-star Catherine Tate and director Euros Lyn accompanies Part One of "The End of Time," while co-star John Simm takes Tate's seat for the commentary on Part Two.
"David Tenant Video Diary - The Final Days" (41 minutes, SD) gives us even more glimpses backstage, with a lot of goofy little moments and personal perspective as he prepares to wrap up his role for good. "Doctor Who BBC Christmas Idents" (one minute total, also SD) collects a handful of yuletide-themed commercial bumpers. "Doctor Who at Comic-Con" shows the team's enthusiastic reception in San Diego last summer, complete with a Guinness Book of World Records award for the longest-running science fiction show of all time. (21 minutes, HD). And the 17 minutes of deleted scenes include introductions by writer/producer Russell T Davies.
Final Thoughts
Doctor Who's notorious reputation for cheesy production values is thankfully a thing of the past, as every one of these specials plays like a mini-movie. Tennant's Doctor is wonderfully witty yet deadly serious at his core, a winning combination that makes his departure bittersweet, but this high-def box is the ideal keepsake.
Product Details
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