Doctor Who sails on The Ark in Space

Article first published as DVD Review: Doctor Who - The Ark in Space Special Edition on Blogcritics.

Now available from the BBC is the two-disc Doctor Who - The Ark in Space Special Edition. The second serial in the 12th season, these four half-hour episodes have been called the best of the classic Doctor Who by both Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat, both driving forces in the latest reincarnation of the show.

Originally airing in January and February of 1975, The Ark in Space, opens with the TARDIS landing on a seemingly deserted, aged space station; it's a creepy place. It isn't long before the Doctor (Tom Baker) and his companions Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter) discover that the place isn't nearly as empty as they first think. There is an entire population of humans slumbering peacefully within, frozen in cryonic suspension, waiting to awaken and find a new home to settle in.

But the ark should have already reached its destination, and the people should already be living their new lives. Instead, a dangerous alien parasite known as the Wirrn have taken over the craft. When a few crewmen are woken by the Doctor and his friends, the insect-like creatures take over the captain of the ark, called Noah (Kenton Moore), and the humans must engage in a deadly face-off with these things.

The Ark in Space is credited as being the first to show a darker side of Doctor Who, bringing a horror element to the series that continues to this day in "Blink" and other episodes of the modern version, most notably the ones featuring the angels. Doctor Who wanted to expand its appeal more towards an adult audience at the time, and this is how they chose to do it. They didn't go too far, even cutting out some footage deemed "too scary." But this is a turn away from the show's lighter, fluffier stories.

Part of why this serial is different from that which came before is the level of danger threatened by the enemy; there are casualties and heart-wrenching deaths. People cannot all be saved, and the ending is only happy for some, mixing tragedy into the finale. For those who have seen many episodes of Doctor Who, this may not seem all that novel or different a concept in 2013. But for the time period it aired, it represented something very fresh. And the experiment worked, buoyed by fantastic performances and a gripping script, garnering high ratings and forever changing the series.

The picture and sound have been remastered for this DVD release. As is typical for classic Doctor Who serials, it's not perfect, but it's far better than what is available prior to this release. The newer stuff almost always looks better (depending on the source used to make the DVDs), and considering The Ark in Space comes from the middle of the run, it's easy to find examples of restored Doctor Who that are both better and worse than this one. I would rate this towards the higher end of the spectrum, though, with clearer picture and more vibrant colors, as well as more detailed and less fuzzy sound, than many Doctor Who releases that I've recently reviewed.

This newest Special Edition release, like its peers, contains a whopping pile of extras. The commentary for these episodes is provided by producer Philip Hinchcliffe, joined by series stars Baker and Sladen. A photo gallery and PDF materials are included, as usual, along with the original BBC trailer for the serial and an alternate title sequence and special effects. There is also a shorter version of the whole serial in TV Movie format.

Plenty of featurettes appear are included with this release, including "A New Frontier" is a "Making of" special specific to The Ark in Space. "Scene Around Six" is Tom Baker captured by public news crews a few years later than this was filmed. "Doctor Forever! - Love And War" focuses on the novels written and published during the years Doctor Who was off the air. There is also an interview with a designer and some amateur film shot during the production of another episode. So there's a range of stuff, both pertaining to this specific adventure and to the series as a whole.

Doctor Who - The Ark in Space Special Edition is available now on DVD.

'The Robots of Death' face Doctor Who

BBC recently released a Special Edition of the Doctor Who serial "The Robots of Death." The Doctor (Tom Baker) and his new companion, Leela (Louise Jameson), appear on a mining planet. They are quickly captured and blamed for the recent murder of one of the crew. As more and more people wind up dead, the mystery of who the killer is deepens. Can the Doctor and Leela figure out who is responsible and stop them before the pair is found guilty, or worse, wind up dead?

"The Robots of Death" plays on a fear of mechanical beings, which is a prevalent theme in science fiction. The four-part story features three different kinds of robots, including one that is mute, and one that is in charge of the others. The Doctor soon suspects that a robot is the one doing the murdering, and he is right, though the sandminers are not eager to accept this theory. But "The Robots of Death" also features a heroic robot that sacrifices itself to save the others.

This duality is not the only thing that sets "The Robots of Death" apart from other anti-robot fiction and makes the story more complex. The man programming the robot to kill is Dr. Taren Capel (David Bailie, Pirates of the Caribbean), a guy raised by robots. Capel has sympathy because he sees the robots being treated like slaves, and because of his deep affection for them, wants justice. However, he takes it a little too far when his robot starts killing the people around him.

The moral issues of whether robots should have rights is one much debated, and often depends upon sentience, or lack thereof. The robots within this Doctor Who story complicate the issue because they are programmed, not self-thinking. Even the robot that helps the good Doctor is assummedly programmed by someone to do so. His sacrifice seems noble, but on closer examination, may just be what he is told to do.

Where does programming end and choice begin? What if a robot is programmed to make its own decisions? This is more of a spectrum question than a black and white one, and kudos to Doctor Who for not making the answer so simple.

One must wonder what is going through Leela's mind as she battles the robots. After all, she lives in a low-tech society until the previous serial, when she chooses to join the Doctor as his latest companion. While all the companions have quite an adjustment to make, hers seems even more extreme than most. She handles it well, of course, as she is a worthy assistant to the Doctor. But still, a transcript of the words going through her head in this story would be invaluable.

Like other Doctor Who Special Editions, "The Robots of Death" is loaded with extras, this time crammed remarkably onto a single disc. The usual photo galleries and PDF materials are included, as well as two audio commentaries. The first is the one that was packaged with the original release of "The Robots of Death" twelve years ago, featuring producer Philip Hinchcliffe and the writer of the story, Chris Boucher. The second brings in actors Baker, Jameson, guest star Pamela Salem (Never Say Never Again, French Fields), and director Michael E. Briant.

Picture and sound are remastered, of course, making for a better viewing experience than was previously available. A thirty-two minute feature entitled "The Sandmine Murders" is the expected Making Of short documentary for this serial. A studio sound feature lets viewers hear the robot voices without special effects for comparison, and to better appreciate the post-production work that goes into such a show. There is a neat, interactive layout of the studio. Seven minutes of the original model insert film, in black and white, are also present.

The most enjoyable feature may be "Robophobia." Toby Hadoke, an actor, writer, comedian, and Doctor Who fan, goes over the history of robots. Hadoke uses his comedy chops to keep "Robophobia" as entertaining as it is informational, making for a delightful surprise.

Doctor Who - "The Robots of Death" Special Edition is on sale now.

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"The Android Invasion" threatens Doctor Who

     Just out on DVD from the BBC is Doctor Who - "The Android Invasion." This four-part adventure aired at the end of 1975, as part of the thirteenth season of the classic series. The Doctor (Tom Baker, The Beeps, Little Britain) and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen, The Sarah Jane Adventures) return to Britain, but find the world a bit odd. The little town they come to is empty, the calendar is stuck on one date, and all the money is newly minted. It's soon apparent that the Kraals are set to invade Earth with androids, and this is their training ground.

     This period of Doctor Who is full of invasion stories, and so this one might seem a little stale. Or, for those nostalgic for the previous Doctor, still adjusting to Baker's version, it may be a nice return to formula. Either way, it's a well written story by veteran Who scribe Terry Nation about using human-like androids to take over the planet. Once more, Sarah and the Doctor must thwart these attempts, this time without the aid of UNIT, who has already been infiltrated.

     "The Android Invasion," as par for the time, does lend itself to a little cheese. For one thing, the Kraals are pretty fake looking, something discussed in the DVD extras. For another, why don't the doors in the Kraal base close all the way? Then again, there are also some pretty cool tricks. The androids look pretty sophisticated, and the scene where Doctor Who must fight an android version of himself is done well enough to pass a casual glance test. The double is close to Baker in build, and the camera angles work well enough, that the conceit holds up. It probably helps that Doctor Who doesn't seek to get two identical faces in the same frame. So overall, pretty good job.

     These episodes are notable for a couple of reasons. Namely, that two recurring characters make their final appearances in them. Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter, Crown Court) is the Doctor's companion in season twelve, then does this one last adventure, albeit with a very tiny role, before disappearing forever. Similarly, Sergeant Benton (John Levene, Z Cars), also plays a small part in "The Android Invasion," without a big send-off, but does not return to the series again. It's a shame that the two just drop out with no real explanation after this.

     The quality of this DVD is very good. The team did a fantastic job restoring picture and sound, and while it still looks like it's from the 1970's, of course, it does seem like an original, well preserved copy, rather than a cheap reconstruction.

     Besides the four episodes, there are a few DVD extras. The standard photo gallery and PDF materials are present. In addition, there is a hilarious, completely cheesy commercial for Weetabix cereal featuring the Daleks, which doesn't really seem to tie into this DVD, since the Daleks aren't in the adventure. However, there really isn't any room to complain, because it's fantastic that it's included somewhere in the Doctor Who DVDs. There is also audio commentary by guest stars Milton Johns and Martin Friend, who are joined by producer Philip Hinchcliffe and production assistant Marion McDougal.

     In addition, two half-four featurettes are present. "Life After Who - Philips Hinchcliffe" is an extensive interview with producer Hinchcliffe. He discusses various television series and projects he has worked on. "The Village That Came to Life" is an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at "The Android Invasion." Everything from the filming location, to the look of the Kraal, to Terry Nation's development of the story, to amusing anecdotes of filming are included. It's actually everything one needs to know about this adventure, and is a thoroughly complete special.

     While not as essential to one's Doctor Who collection as the other release from this past week, "Invasion of the Dinosaurs," the wonderful acting and great extras do make this a valuable buy. I recommend picking up a copy of Doctor Who - "The Android Invasion," on sale now.

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Article first published as DVD Review: Doctor Who - The Android Invasion on Blogcritics.