The War Games
(DVD)

 

Starring Patrick Troughton
10 Episodes
1969
244 minutes (black and white)
Triple Disc




 

 

Production Notes
Doctor Who
Patrick Troughton

Jamie McCrimmon
Frazer Hines

Zoe Heriot
Wendy Padbury

Written by
Malcolm Hulke
&
Terrance Dicks
Directed by
David Maloney

Produced by
Derrick Sherwin

Original Airdate
April 19, 1969 - June 21, 1969

R1 DVD  Release Date
November 2009

Warner Home Video
#3000023743

U.K. Cover



 

 

 
Cover Blurb

The TARDIS has materialized in a world of trench warfare, barbed wire and poison gas: the Western Front, 1917.  In the chaos and paranoia of the First World War, the Doctor and his companions are separated from their ship, captured and court-martialed.  The death sentence is swiftly pronounced.

But all is not as it seems.  As the Doctor finds himself increasingly out of his depth and facing impossible odds, the only solution is the truly unthinkable.  He must seek help from those he most fears - his own people, the Time Lords.



 

 

 

DVD Features
 

Disc One
The first 5 episodes as they were originally transmitted in 1969.

 
  • Audio Options:
 A (crowded) commentary is provided by Wendy Padbury (Zoe), Frazer Hines (Jamie), Philip Madoc (The War Lord), Graham Weston (Russell), Jane Sherwin (Lady Jennifer), Terrance Dicks (co-writer), and Derrick Sherwin (script editor/producer).
 

 
  • Information Text:
 Lots of trivia and tidbits of Whovian detail are provided.  The text appears intermittently along the bottom of the screen and is written by members of the Doctor Who Restoration Team.
 

 
  • Easter Eggs:
 There is one on the first disc.  Scroll down past the 'DVD Features' for more details.  For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.
 
 

 
 

Disc Two
The final 5 episodes as they were originally transmitted in 1969.

 
  • Audio Options:
 A (crowded) commentary is provided by Wendy Padbury (Zoe), Frazer Hines (Jamie), Philip Madoc (The War Lord), Graham Weston (Russell), Jane Sherwin (Lady Jennifer), Terrance Dicks (co-writer), and Derrick Sherwin (script editor/producer).
 

 
  • Information Text:
 Lots of trivia and tidbits of Whovian detail are provided.  The text appears intermittently along the bottom of the screen and is written by members of the Doctor Who Restoration Team.
 

 
  • Easter Eggs:
 There is one on the second disc.  Scroll down past the 'DVD Features' for more details.  For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.
 

 

Disc Three
The following extras are presented on disc three.
 
  • War Zone:
 This 36 minute featurette offers a fascinating glimpse into the making of Patrick Troughton's final story of his three year tenure.  Includes contributions from actors Frazer Hines (Jamie), Wendy Padbury (Zoe), Jane Sherwin (Lady Jennifer), Bernard Horsfall (Time Lord), and Graham Weston (Russell).  On the production side are contributors Terrance Dicks (co-writer), David Maloney (director), Derrick Sherwin (producer), and designer Roger Chevely.
 

 

  • Shades of Grey:

 A 21 minute documentary on the impact that filming in black and white had on the production decisions made by make-up artists, designers and directors.
 

 

  • The Doctor's Composer:

 Prolific composer Dudley Simpson is interviewed about his contribution to Who incidental music during the 1960's.
 

 

  • Sylvia James - In Conversation:

 Make-up artists Sylvia James is interviewed about her times during the Patrick Troughton years.
 

 

  • Talking About Regeneration:

 A twenty four minute featurette that delves into the concept of regeneration, and its impact on the history of Doctor Who.
 

 

  • Now and Then:

 A featurette that highlights some of the locations used in the filming of this story and what they look like forty years later.
 

 

  • Stripped for Action - The Second Doctor:

 A thirteen minute featurette detailing the comic strip adventures of the Fifth Doctor.  Interviews are conducted with comic strip fans Jeremy Bentham and John Ainsworth as well as former Doctor Who Magazine editors Alan Barnes and Gary Russell.
 

 

  • Time Zones:

 This featurette looks at the purely historical aspects of The War Games, and the different time zones represented in the story itself.
 

 

  • Devious:

 Devious is a fan made (although not yet complete) video set between Troughton's final story "The War Games" and Jon Pertwee's introductory adventure "Spearhead from Space."  As part of the story, they hired actor Jon Pertwee (prior to his death in 1996) to come in and film a proper regeneration scene between Doctors #2 and #3.  This twelve minute segment is presented here along with a commentary from the production team responsible for it.
 

 

  • On Target - Malcolm Hulke

 Part of an ongoing series of featurettes centering on the Target novelizations of the series during the 60's, 70's and 80's.  This segment highlights the contributions of series writer and author Malcolm Hulke.
 

 
  • Photo Gallery:
 Lots of rare and never before seen photos taken during the production of this story.  Very nice.
 

 
  • PDF Materials:
 Accessible from any computer with a DVD drive, a PDF of some of the original Radio Times press clippings.  Also included are rare production sketches for the SIDRAT.
 

 
  • Easter Eggs:
 There is one on the third disc.  Scroll down for more details.  For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.
 


 

 

 

 

Easter Eggs
#1. LOCATION FILMING AUDIO RECORDING

Click on the "Doctor Who" logo above "Play All" on the main screen of Disc One.

 

 

#2. SOCK PUPPET THEATER

 

Go to the subtitles option on Disc Two.
Click to the right of "Info Text" to highlight the "Doctor Who" logo.
 

 

#3. TIME LORD FORCE FIELD EFFECT

 

Click on the "Doctor Who" logo above "Play All" on the main screen of Disc Three.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional Notes

  • One of the longest Doctor Who stories in its history, "The War Games" weighs in at a hefty 10 episodes.
     

  • This story is the last Doctor Who story to be filmed in black and white.  When the series returned for the following season it would have a new Doctor and be in color.  
     

  • "The War Games" also marks a major change in format for the program.   By the end of this story the Doctor is forced to regenerate and is exiled to Earth for the next several years.  This would be the basis for the Pertwee/U.N.I.T. stories of the 70's.  This format would dominate Doctor Who for the next five years.
     

  • This is the first time in the history of the series that the Doctor's people are referred to as "Timelords."  Much of the backstory is given as to why the Doctor left his home planet, the Timelord's reluctance to interfere with the lives of other species, etc.  However, the name of their planet ("Gallifrey") would not be uttered until the Jon Pertwee era.
     

  • In addition to Troughton's departure at the end of this story, both Frazier Hines (Jamie) and Wendy Padbury (Zoe) left at the end of this story.  This is the only time in the history of the series that both the Doctor and his companions left at the same time.
     

  • Also be sure to note the actor playing Private Moor.  Its one of Patrick Troughton's sons, David.  David Troughton would also later guest appear in the Pertwee adventure "The Curse of Peladon."
     

  • Bernard Horsfall  (playing one of the Timelords) appeared earlier in the season as the character of Gulliver in "The Mind Robber."  4 years would pass before he would return to Doctor Who.  This time he played Commander Taron in the Pertwee story "Planet of the Daleks."  Another 4 years passed when he returned to play Chancellor Goth in the classic Tom Baker story "The Deadly Assassin."
     

  • Philip Madoc puts in an eerie performance as the War Lord in this story.  He appeared earlier in the season as Eelek in the Patrick Troughton story "The Krotons."  He would later return and play the mad scientist Solon in "The Brain of Morbius" and as Fenner in "The Power of Kroll.
     

  • All 10 episodes have been VidFIREd.  VidFIRE is a process that returns the "video" look to the program as it was originally broadcast.  To learn more about this process you can read about it at the Doctor Who Restoration Team website.
     

  • "The Invasion" was given the usual expert cleanup treatment by the Doctor Who Restoration Team.  You can find the article HERE.