Doctor Who finds Shada

Article first published as DVD Review: Doctor Who - Shada on Blogcritics.

This month's Doctor Who DVD from the BBC is Shada. Originally intended to be the season 17 finale, only about half of Shada was ever filmed, owing to a strike, and it remains the only unaired Doctor Who serial. Now, for the first time on DVD, Shada sees the light of day.

This release is a three-disc set. The first disc contains the six episodes that make up Shada. Because these episodes were never completed, in 1992, long after he'd given up his title as the Doctor (he was #4), Tom Baker filmed new footage, explaining the parts of the story never actually shot back in the 1970s when Shada was to have aired. The original footage and new bits were spliced together, and the result was released on VHS. Now BBC Home Video has released Shada for the first time on DVD.

Shada is an interesting serial. It is written by Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), and begins at Cambridge. The Doctor and Ramona (Lalla Ward) answer, quite a bit late, a message sent out by Professor Chronotis (Denis Carey), a retired Time Lord near the end of his life. Unfortunately, Skagra (Christopher Neame) has also come, seeking the location of the Time Lord prison planet Shada, where there is an inmate that can help him take over the galaxy.

The story told in Shada is a bit similar to other tales. There's a villain, the Doctor and his friends, which this time include Chris Parsons (Daniel Hill) and Clare Keightley (Victoria Burgoyne) from the university, investigate. They are captured, escape or are rescued, and fight off Skagra before his plans can be fully realized.

There are some great whimsical moments. Chronotis himself is a pleasant and amusing chap, who often gets verb tenses mixed up, and who has his priorities a bit skewed. His memory isn't all that reliable anymore, and his rooms at Cambridge, where he has lived for three hundred years, are a traveling TARDIS itself. Plus, any serial with K-9 (David Brierly) makes one smile.

I think the pacing, though, is hampered by the incompleteness of the filming. Many of the action sequences, including the showdown at the end, are among the missing scenes. Baker is great at recapturing the character again in the 1990s, but it's disappointing not to have these bits, and it keeps the flow from ever taking off. More footage is missing in later episodes than in earlier installments, which makes getting through the serial a little laborious.

There is a second version of Shada included in this set. In 2003, a radio play edition was released, with Paul McGann, the Eighth Doctor, taking over the lead, and mostly recasting the other parts, save Lalla Ward's Romona. This has been set to animation, and makes for a more cohesive story. The only unfortunate part about this is that it is Flash, and must be played on a computer, rather than a DVD player.

The extras are plentiful, possibly more than in any other release. There are PDF materials, photo galleries, and production notes, of course, but also tons of featurettes including a discussion about why Shada was not completed, a look at the strike and its impact, and a visit to the shooting locations.

A full length, 90-minute documentary entitled More Than 30 Years in the TARDIS, originally released in 1993, is included. There's a remembrance of series star Nicholas Courtney, only slightly weird because he isn't part of this story. Verity Lambert, the first producer of Doctor Who, is interviewed. Plus, there are also Doctor Who Stories and Those Deadly Divas, with a couple of extras that focus on the ladies of the show.

I definitely recommend this collection. Granted, it's not the best presented or looking serial of the series, but it is a rare view of something begun, but not finished. The sheer amount of bonuses included make up for any shortcomings of the episodes themselves, and for any Doctor Who, the opportunity to see a previously missing piece of the puzzle should prove too tempting too resist.

Doctor Who - Shada is available now on DVD.

Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!

Doctor Who dreams a Nightmare of Eden

The BBC has recently released the Doctor Who serial Nightmare of Eden on DVD. Aired at the end of 1979, this four part adventure finds the Doctor (Tom Baker), Romana (Lalla Ward), and K-9 (David Brierley) arriving to help two ships that have collided. The spaceships in question, a cruise vessel and a trader, seem to have little in common. But soon a mystery will emerge that not only connects the pair, but makes the job of separating them quite dangerous!

Nightmare of Eden may be about two ships that have crashed and stuck together, but it's also about a lot more. Most obviously, this serial preaches against the illegal drug trade. Long a problem in human society, dealing in these banned substances can be a profitable game. But the result is to the detriment of the users, whom the dealers pray on, and who spiral out of control. Illegal drugs wreck lives, and not just for the people who use them. As such, Doctor Who feels perfectly justified to go after these villains without making them layered characters.

The drugs in question are very dangerous, and there must be a stash of them somewhere on one of the two ships. The Doctor soon discovers that they are coming from a planet called Eden, which can be accessed through Professor Tryst's (Lewis Fiander) CET protection machine. But where on Eden is this drug coming from? How are the smugglers getting it?

Too bad this investigation can't be finished in peace. There are scary creatures called Mandrels roaming the ships, killing everyone they come across. Where did these creatures come from? What are they doing there?
As one may have guessed, the creatures and the drugs are connected, though I won't spoil the surprise. You'll have to watch to figure it out.

But, suffice it to say, there is another serious moral quandary posed by this connection. These drug people are very bad, indeed.

Some have argued that Nightmare of Eden is a little too in-your-face with its message and moral stance. And maybe it is, though it's sure hard to build a logical argument for the opposing side. But the real shame of this episode is the Mandrels themselves, which just look poorly designed and implemented, even when taking into consideration the time period Nightmare of Eden is made in and sci-fi aspect of the show. There have many a great many creatures featured on Doctor Who, but the Mandrels are one of the most laughable, and not in a good way.

Other than that, though, it's a fine tale, as most Doctor Who stories are. There are enough twists and intricacies to keep viewers engaged, and plenty of threats to build suspense. In all, Nightmare of Eden is worth the buy.

To sweeten the deal, the DVD release includes plenty of extras. The audio commentary, once more moderated by Toby Hadoke, features actors Lalla Ward and Peter Craze, as well as write Bob Baker, makeup designer Joan Stribling, and effects guy Colin Mapson. The expected PDF materials and photo gallery are included, as well.

Nightmare of Eden gets a 13-minute behind-the-scenes treatment. Bob Baker spends seven minutes discussing this story, which is the only Doctor Who adventure he wrote by himself, without his usual writing partner, Dave Martin. "The Doctor's Strange Love" lets fans speak out for fifteen minutes about the series they love so much. Finally, Lalla Ward's guest appearance on Ask Aspel, a children's show, is also on the DVD.

In short, Doctor Who - Nightmare of Eden is worth the purchase. While not ranking at the top of a best stories list, it is an enjoyable excursion. Not to mention, the extras are good. This is a DVD I would recommend buying for anyone who is interested in the classic Who.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Click here for every Doctor Who review I've ever written. Article first published as DVD Review: Doctor Who - Nightmare of Eden on Blogcritics.