Doctor Who hits 50 years - and NZ celebrates its biggest Who haul

Doctor Who hits 50 years - and NZ celebrates its biggest Who haul

It's coming soon - and it's almost time to celebrate the Day of The Doctor.

BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who hits its 50th anniversary this very month on November 23rd and there are global celebrations planned.

But it's also a massive month - one of the biggest ever - for Doctor Who releases on the small screen.

BBC and Roadshow Home Entertainment have got a huge slate of Doctor Who releases planned for the celebrations - and it's great to see the show is being taken seriously over here.

First up though, there are three volumes of Doctor Who: Revisited out on November 6th:

A special 50th anniversary DVD series
The first volume in this restrospective series showcases Doctor Who's first four doctors - William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, spanning from 1963-1981.

The Doctors Revisited includes a half hour profile and a classic story for each Doctor introduced by Steven Moffat (the current Lead Writer & Executive Producer). Each classic story is available to view as a widescreen, feature-length version or in its episodic, original format.

Featuring The Aztecs (William Hartnell), The Tomb of the Cybermen (Patrick Troughton) Spearhead from
Space (Jon Pertwee) and Pyramid of Mars Tom Baker.
RELEASED: 6 NOVEMBER * RRP: $39.99 * DISCS: 4 *

DOCTOR WHO REVISITED VOLUME 2
The years 1981-1996 saw four new actors portray the Doctor, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester
McCoy and Paul McGann, the focus of the second volume in The Doctors Revisited. Featuring 30 minute
restrospectives per Doctor, a Steven Moffat introduction.. Each classic story is available to view as a
widescreen, feature-length version or in its episodic, original format.

Featuring the stories: Earthshock (Peter Davison), Vengeance on Varos (Colin Baker), Remembrance of the Daleks (Sylvester McCoy), and Doctor Who: The Movie (Paul McGann).

Then 2 weeks later, in the year that Doctor Who celebrates its 50th anniversary, the very first regeneration story gets a release too - The Tenth Planet.

DOCTOR WHO: THE TENTH PLANET
• Contains a newly animated fourth episode (the original is currently missing from the BBC Archives)
• The very first regeneration story

The TARDIS lands at the South Pole in 1986. The arrival coincides with the appearance of Earth’s forgotten twin planet Mondas along with visitors from that world – the emotionless Cybermen. It’s up
to the Doctor (William Hartnell) and his friends to stop the creatures before they convert Earth’s population into similar cyber creations – but the encounter will have a devastating effect on the Doctor...

Special Features: • Commentary • Frozen Out Making Of • Episode 4 Reconstruction • William Hartnell
Interview • Doctor Who Stories – Anneke Wills • The Golden Age • Boys! Boys! Boys! Peter Purves, Frazer Hines and Mark Strickson reminisce about their time as companions • Companion Piece • Blue Peter Tenth anniversary retrospective on Doctor Who’s history • Radio Times Listings • English Subtitles • Photo
Gallery • Digitally Remastered Picture and Sound Quality •

Perhaps the biggest release this month though, comes from the recent haul of 11 recovered previously missing episodes - and is a global day and date release - The Enemy of The World.

The Enemy of the World, is the fourth six-part tale of the original fifth series which first broadcast in the
UK December 1967. Alongside Patrick Troughton, who plays both the Time Lord, and his antagonist
(Ramon Salamander) are his companions Frazer Hines (Jamie) and Deborah Watling (Victoria). Episodes 1,  2, 4, 5 and 6 had been missing from the BBC archives, until now. All episodes have been re-mastered.

27 Doctor Who stories still remain missing or have incomplete episodes, after a number were lost as a
result of BBC Archive space-saving measures.

RELEASED: 27 NOVEMBER * RRP: $TBA * DISCS: TBA

Don't forget also, you can see the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special, The Day of The Doctor in cinemas on November the 24th - check your local cinemas for details.