Back in the 80s, fans began building their Doctor Who video libraries – a process they wouldn’t complete until the show’s 40th anniversary in 2003. These releases sported stunning pieces of digital and hand-painted artwork. Here is a rundown of some of the finest sleeves…
10) An Unearthly Child
‘An Unearthly Child‘ is quite a creepy Doctor Who story (particularly its first episode) so it’s fitting that the sleeve art is similarly eerie. This Doctor Who video cover features a photo-realistic hand painting which fuses the Doctor’s face with that of his granddaughter Susan, accompanied by a picture of the TARDIS standing on a desolate expanse. It’s an understated cover, and it’s wonderful.
9) The Face of Evil
Speaking of understated, the Doctor Who video cover for ‘The Face of Evil’ must be the most minimalist ever produced for the range. But it works. It’s simply an image of the Doctor’s face carved out of rock: the eponymous face of evil from the story’s title. And that’s it. It’s simple, uncomplicated and does exactly what it says on the tin. Moreover, it’s reminiscent of the covers used by the BBC Books range in the early 2000s, which is no bad thing.
8) Planet of Fire
There’s nothing particularly complicated about the Doctor Who video cover for ‘Planet of Fire,’ but you might need a pair of (sonic) sunglasses to look at it! This VHS looked great on the shelf and really embraced the story’s ‘fiery’ theme. Unlike the previous entries in this list, there is nothing subtle about the cover art to ‘Planet of Fire.’ It’s bold and bombastic, and sells the story well.
7) Horror of Fang Rock
We included ‘Horror of Fang Rock’ on our list of the best Doctor Who DVD covers, so it’s ironic that it ended up on our list of the best Doctor Who video covers as well. But the digital art for this particular release is beautiful and creepy, perfectly in-keeping with the mood of the story. In fact, as we mentioned in our previous article, all of the ‘Horror of Fang Rock’ covers (including its book release) have been great.
6) The Happiness Patrol
‘The Happiness Patrol’ was one of the very first Doctor Who video releases to use a photo montage as opposed to a hand-painted sleeve. Interestingly, the artist Colin Howard had already produced a cover for ‘The Happiness Patrol,’ which ultimately went unused in favour of this somewhat more vibrant number. But Howard’s work wasn’t completely wasted, as the BBC still used his rendition of the Kandyman for the final sleeve.
5) Time and the Rani
‘Time and the Rani‘ may not be the most beloved Doctor Who video, but there’s no faulting its cover. The sleeve for Sylvester McCoy’s debut story is a beautiful piece, with skilfully-rendered impressions of the Seventh Doctor and the Rani. Again, this piece came courtesy of the artist Colin Howard.
4) Resurrection of the Daleks
In the 90s, the BBC faced fresh competition on the video shelves with the rising popularity of Star Trek: The Next Generation and its various connected series. As such, it worked hard to make its Doctor Who video covers look as movie-like and action-packed as possible, and ‘Resurrection of the Daleks’ must be one of the best examples of this approach. Indeed, if any of the Doctor Who video covers were to be compared to a movie poster, it would be this one. It looks great.
3) Frontier in Space
Speaking of movie posters, ‘Frontier in Space’ is another example of a Doctor Who video cover working hard to compete with Star Trek. In fact, Colin Howard alludes to this in his book, and cites ‘Frontier in Space’ as a specific example of a cover he was asked to give the Star Trek treatment. But does it ‘over sell’ the story? Certainly, the Daleks are quite prominent on the cover, and might give the impression that they play a larger part in the story than they actually do. In the event, the Daleks only appear briefly in episode six, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they should be ‘exterminated’ from the sleeve…
2) The TV movie
The Doctor Who video cover for the TV movie wouldn’t win any awards for artistic mastery, but it’s gorgeous. The cover is made up of a reworked version of the Who logo from the Jon Pertwee era, along with a simple promotional still of the Eighth Doctor outside the TARDIS holding a candle. He’s bathed in a dark, ethereal shade of blue which creates an air of mystery around his character – crucial for those viewers for whom the TV movie was their first adventure.
1) Revenge of the Cybermen
The Doctor Who video cover for ‘Revenge of the Cybermen’ will always have a special place in the heart of many a Doctor Who fan. Although this wasn’t the very first version of the sleeve, it is perhaps the most famous; ‘Revenge of the Cybermen’ launched the Doctor Who video range and therefore has an important place in the show’s history. And although the artwork itself is a simple photo montage, it’s a good one, with a rather creepy photo of the Fourth Doctor taken from the story’s title sequence. And, importantly, it features the correct version of the Cybermen, unlike the previous edition which had taken a picture from ‘Earthshock’!
But over to you, reader. Which do you think is the greatest Doctor Who video cover of all time? And do you agree with our choices? Let us know in the comments below.
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