Basic Content
Doctor Who: New Beginnings is a 3-disc DVD set containing restored versions of the three-story arc covering the transition from the Fourth to the Fifth Doctors: "The Keeper of Traken," "Logopolis" (both originally aired in 1981) and "Castrovalva" (1982). The title comes from dire straits the program as in at the time: The popular Tom Baker leaving the show at the end of a period of declining ratings might have been the end of Doctor Who; a new beginning was needed to kick-start the program, and so refers both to the reintroduction of The Master as a recurring nemesis and to the debut of Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor.DVD Extras
In recent years the DVDs for classic episodes of Doctor Who have been loaded with extras, and as this box set was seen as something of an event (comparable to the Lost in Time collection) there is even more than usual.The commentary tracks feature the three key players, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, and Antony Ainley; all three companions from the three stories (though not together -- Janet Fielding does commentary on the last two stories, while Matthew Waterhouse and Sarah Sutton talk over "Keeper of Traken"), and the episode writers.
Six featurettes are included, including a 50-minute documentary about the regeneration, somewhat oddly titled "A New Body at Last" (a quote that refers to the Master, not the Doctor) and a short piece on what everybody seems to talk about regarding this period of the show, the superabundance of companions ("The Crowded TARDIS"). Attention is drawn in these featurettes to aspects of the productions that are sometimes overlooked; for example, the lush set design and costuming developed for "Keeper of Traken."
The usual archive footage is also added in, including Doctor Who-themed segments of Pebble Mill at One, Nationwide, and Swap Shop, plus news reports on the transition, Radio Times coverage, and the like.
Best Features
The Restoration Team has developed a reputation for restoring old Doctor Whos to near-perfection in both video and audio quality, in marked and much-welcome contrast to the often shoddy VHS releases of decades past. The prints of these three stories look and sound superb.The commentary tracks are a delight. Peter Davison seems to relish doing them, and while Matthew Waterhouse fails to curb his snarky temperament (and continues his irritating habit of reading the on-screen titles), he seems interested this time around and asks some useful questions. Tom Baker, commenting on "Logopolis," plays off the gravity of the episode, and writer/script editor Christopher H. Bidmead seems justly proud of his halcyon days on the show and the role he played in this difficult transition. For me, it was worth having the DVDs just to hear writer Johnny Byrne explain that Tom Baker was better to write for than other Doctors, because he was already an alien.
Just for Fans?
This box set is an excellent introduction to Classic Doctor Who for both newscomers to the show in general and for fans of the new series who have yet to see the old version. Here are three well written, and well realized stories, with the lead actors at the top of their game.Fans of the Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant stories will be able to recognize something much closer to the current show's careful blend of darkness and humor than might be found in the jokier early days of Tom Baker or the wild unevenness of tone that afflicted the series after Peter Davison left. And newcomers to Doctor Who will see something of why the show has endured as long as it has.
