Posted in: BBC, Doctor Who, DVD/Blu-ray, Preview, Trailer, TV, YouTube | Tagged: Andrew Cartmel, blu-ray, bonnie langford, Boxset, doctor who, Doctor Who Season 24, john nathan-turner, sophie aldred, sylvester mccoy
Doctor Who Season 24: The Seventh Doctor's Debut Comes to Blu-Ray/DVD
Sylvester McCoy's first season as the Seventh Doctor, which featured Bonnie Langford as companion Mel Bush and introduced Sophie Aldred as Ace, is coming to Blu-ray and DVD with the Season 24 boxset. Apparently one of the most reviled seasons of Doctor Who, season 24 actually marked the arrival of script editor Andrew Cartmel, who often clashed with producer John Nathan-Turner on the direction of the show, but Cartmel was able to start laying the groundwork for the next two seasons, which made the 7th Doctor darker, more mysterious and laid the template for the 90s Virgin novels and the 21st Century revival under showrunner Russell T. Davies. The Doctor is faced with enemies including the Rani (Kate O'Mara) and the Tetraps in "Time and the Rani", Kroagnon and his cleaning robots in "Paradise Towers", the ruthless Bannermen in "Delta and the Bannermen", and Kane (Edward Peel), the murderous ruler of Iceworld in "Dragonfire".
A specially shot announcement trailer and mini-episode have premiered on the Doctor Who YouTube channel, written by new series writer Pete McTighe ("Kerblam!" and "Praxeus") and featuring Bonnie Langford, Sylvester McCoy, and many more in The Apprentice spoof "24 Carat".
With all episodes newly remastered, this Blu-ray box set also contains extensive and exclusive special features including:
- Extended versions of all four stories, featuring previously un-transmitted material.
- Immersive 5.1 surround sound & isolated scores
- Brand new documentaries – Including a feature-length overview of Season 24 – Here's To The Future, plus The Making Of Delta And The Bannermen.
- Rare studio and location footage – Over 25 hours of raw material never seen before, including behind-the-scenes footage from the regeneration scene.
- In Conversation – Matthew Sweet interviews Sylvester McCoy about his life, career, and time as the Seventh Doctor.
- Behind the Sofa – Four new episodes with Sylvester McCoy, Bonnie Langford, Sophie Aldred, Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton, Colin Baker & Michael Jayston.
- The Doctor's Table – Sylvester McCoy, Bonnie Langford, Sophie Aldred, and Clive Merrison reminisce about the making of the season.
- Rare Gems from the Archives – Hours of footage covering the promotion of this season including lots of previously unreleased material.
- An Audience with Lady Stevens – A brand new interview with Season 24 actor and Rocky Horror cult figure Patricia Quinn.
- Convention Footage
- HD Photo Galleries – Including many previously unseen images.
- Info Text – Behind-the-scenes information and trivia on every episode.
- Scripts, costume designs, rare BBC production files and other rarities from the archive, and much more
The eight-disc box set also includes hours of special features previously released on DVD and Blu-Ray. The boxset's release date will be announced shortly.