Some stories are too good to be released just once, and the Doctor Who TV movie is no exception. But which version is ‘definitive,’ and which one should you buy?
The Doctor Who TV movie on VHS
If you’re a sucker for all-things analogue, and wish to experience the Doctor Who TV movie like a true 90s fan, then you can’t go wrong with the VHS original. But bear in mind, you won’t be getting the ‘complete’ experience; this version contains several cuts in order to bring it down from a 15 certification to a 12 (at least, according to 90’s standards.) So it is not exactly a director’s cut, nor is it the same as the one that originally premiered in the US.
What you will get, though, is the beautiful publicity photo of the Eighth Doctor Paul McGann standing beside a moodily-lit TARDIS with a candle, and a shiny ‘foil leaf’ version of the Doctor Who logo. There is also a rather interesting trailer for Classic Who included in this release, promoting the video releases of earlier Doctors. This trailer is something on a rarity, and only appeared on the Doctor Who TV movie VHS release and on ‘Planet of Fire,’ if memory serves. It’s an interesting little montage, narrated by a Dalek.
The only drawback with this plan is sourcing a video player – and a TV that you can connect it to…
The original DVD release of the Doctor Who TV movie
The early Doctor Who DVD releases were quite bare-bones in terms of special features, yet for the Doctor Who TV movie, there is a surprisingly good amount of content. Owners of this edition can enjoy a commentary with the director Geoffrey Sax, plus all the promotional material from Fox in the US, of which there is a considerable amount: an interview with the outgoing Doctor Sylvester McCoy, plus interviews with Eric Roberts (the Master), Daphne Ashbrook, and Philip Segal, who was responsible for the Doctor Who TV movie’s inception.
There is also an option for fans to enjoy the isolated music score for the movie (which differs in some places to the broadcast version) and a selection of individual music tracks from the film.
The only downside is the cover art. It was common for the early Doctor Who DVD releases to feature just a single, uninspiring production photo on the front cover, together with the TARDIS roundels and the Doctor Who logo. The artwork for the Doctor Who TV movie, whilst slightly more adventurous than, say, the cover art for ‘Remembrance of the Daleks,’ is a very simple photo montage that wouldn’t find its way onto many wall posters. It’s certainly not as atmospheric as the sleeve for the VHS version.
Otherwise, purchasers of this edition of the Doctor Who TV movie will get a more complete experience; the most obvious addition to this release is the extended ‘gun fight’ that precedes the TARDIS’ arrival in San Fran.
The Doctor Who TV movie: DVD special edition
The Doctor Who TV movie‘s special edition was released in 2011 as a bumper 2 disc set, with stunning new cover artwork and a roster of special features, including a new audio commentary from Paul McGann, Sylvester McCoy and Nicholas Briggs.
This release was significant in that it was the first time the TV movie had been commercially available in the US, due to complex rights issues with Universal Studios that had previously made it impossible. If you’re looking for a cheap, good value version of the Doctor Who TV movie with nice artwork and some decent bonus material, then this is the set for you. The audio commentary is great fun to listen to, and the mini feature The Doctor’s Strange Love takes a light-hearted look at how fans came to love this story, led by fan and seasoned writer Joseph Lidster.
The Blu-ray release of the Doctor Who TV movie
The Doctor Who TV movie came to Blu-ray in 2016 and, at the time, was the shiniest and most comprehensive commercial release. The only downside with this edition was the fact that it wasn’t in true high definition, as it wasn’t drawn from the original film. Instead, the movie was upscaled for Blu-ray, and being a PAL conversion from an NTSC original, it ran at a slightly faster speed than intended. This problem, apparently, plagued the earlier releases, too.
That being said, the Doctor Who TV movie looks great in this release, even if it isn’t in ‘true’ high definition. It contains all of the special features from earlier releases, plus a new documentary called The Seven Year Hitch, in which the producer Philip Segal describes the movie’s long, troubled journey to the screen. This is a fascinating feature, and worth the price of the set on its own, as Segal gives a no-holds-barred account of the trials and tribulations involved in the production, including stories of Steven Spielberg’s involvement in the project. The movie’s writer Matthew Jacobs is also interviewed.
The Doctor Who TV movie in 4k
The 4k version of the Doctor Who TV movie promises to be a ‘must-have’ for fans. This re-release uses the original film prints, and has been painstakingly restored and pieced back together, meaning that it will not only be in true high definition for the first time, but 4k too. It will restore previously excised content, and will run at the correct speed. Fans will also be able to experience the version as shown in the US in 1996, if they’ve never seen it.
Other special features include featurettes with the movie’s co-stars Eric Roberts, Daphne Ashbrook and Yee Jee Tso, plus soundtracks in stereo, Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround sound. The Doctor Who TV movie will, genuinely, never have looked or sounded better.
It will also look great on the shelf. This version of the Doctor Who TV movie comes in a stunning steelbook with artwork by Lee Binding, and for true completionists, there is yet another Blu-ray version being released separately, which will ‘just’ be in high definition.
Potentially, then, there six versions of the Doctor Who TV movie that are commercially available, if you count the original VHS. Seven if you count the novelisation. Eight if you include the audio release of the novelisation. Hands up if you’ve got them all!
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