Dalek War Box Set
(DVD)

 

Starring Jon Pertwee
1973
Featuring 2 Stories
Frontier in Space (6 episodes)
Planet of the Daleks (6 episodes)
283 minutes (color)
Four Disc Set




 

 

Production Notes
Doctor Who
Jon Pertwee


Jo Grant
Katy Manning


The Master
Roger Delgado
Written by
Malcolm Hulke
&
Terry Nation


Directed by
Paul Bernard
&
David Maloney


Produced by
Barry Letts
 
Original Airdate
Feb 24, 1973 - Mar 31, 1973
&
April 7, 1973 - May 12, 1973


R1 DVD Release Date
March 2010

Warner Home Video
#3000024788


U.K. Cover


 



Cover Blurb
The Third Doctor and Jo Grant face the combined might of the Daleks and the Master in these two classic 1973 adventures!

 

Frontier in Space (6 eps, 143 mins) In the year 2450 the Doctor is arrested as a spy as the fragile peace between Earth and Draconia is threatened.

Planet of the Spiders (6 eps, 140 mins) The TARDIS arrives on the inhospitable planet of Spiridon, which is hiding a terrible secret about the Doctor's oldest enemy.

 

Since the mid-1970s, episod ethree of Planet of the Daleks has only been available as a 16mm black-andwhite recording, but for this DVD release it has been returned to full color!



 

 

 

DVD Features
 

Disc One
All 6 episodes from the story "Frontier in Space" as they were originally transmitted in 1973 plus these bonus features.

 
  • 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.
 

 
  • Audio Options:
 Commentary is provided by Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Terrance Dicks (script editor), and Barry Letts (producer).  Clayton Hickman moderates the commentary.
 

 
  • Easter Eggs:
 None on this disc.  For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.
 

 

 

 
 

Disc Two
The remaining bonus features for "Frontier in Space"
 
  • The Perfect Scenario - Lost Frontiers:
 A unique take on the history of Doctor Who, this 30 minute two part feature consists of interviews within a fictional premise.
 

 
  • The Space War - Remembering 'Frontier in Space':
 In this 17 minute featurette both crew and cast reminisce about the making of this story.  Included are Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Vera Fusek (President), Michael Hawkins (General Williams), and visual effects designers John Friedlander and Matt Irvine.
 

 
  • Roger Delgado - The Master:
 An affectionate biography of Roger Delgado - the man behind the iconic character "The Master".  Interviewees include his wife Kismet Marlowe, actors Katy Manning, Frazer Hines, Linda Thorson, William Gaunt, Harry Towb, and Damaris Hayman.  Also included are recollections and memories from producer Barry Letts, director Christopher Barry, stunt coordinator Derek Ware, and script editor Terrance Dicks.
 

 
  • Stripped for Action - The Third Doctor:
 Part of an ongoing series of featurettes that highlights the world of Doctor Who comic strips (as seen in the magazine Doctor Who Monthly).  In this 16 minute installment, the focus is on the Jon Pertwee years.
 

 
  • Photo Gallery:
 Once again we are treated to many rare production stills and quite a few behind the scenes ones as well.
 

 
  • PDF Materials:
 Accessible from any computer with a DVD drive, a PDF of some of the original Radio Times press clippings and BBC promotional materials.
 

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

 
   
 

 

 

 

Disc Three
All 6 episodes from the story "Planet of the Daleks" as they were originally transmitted in 1973 plus these bonus features.

 
  • 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.
 

 
  • Audio Options:
 Commentary is provided by Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Prentis Hancock (Vaber), Tim Preece (Codal), Terrance Dicks (script editor), and Barry Letts (producer).
 

 
  • Easter Eggs:
 None on this disc.  For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.

 
 

 

 

 

Disc Four
The remaining bonus features for "Planet of the Daleks"
 
  • The Perfect Scenario - The End of Dreams:
 The second and final installment of the retrospective "The Perfect Scenario" featurette.
 

 
  • The Rumble in the Jungle - Remembering 'Planet of the Daleks':
 A sixteen minute featurette on the making of this story.  Included are Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Bernard Horsfall (Taron), Jane How (Rebec), Tim Preece (Codal), David Maloney (director) and John Hurst (designer).
 

 
  • Multi-Colorisation:
 A fascinating insight into the miraculous color restoration techniques developed and used to restore episode 3 back to color.
 

 
  • Stripped for Action - The Daleks:
 Part of an ongoing series of featurettes that highlights the world of Doctor Who comic strips (as seen in the magazine Doctor Who Monthly).  In this installment, the focus not on the Doctor, but on his single most famous adversary, the Daleks.
 

 
  • Blue Peter:
 Excerpts taken from the popular children's program from around the time of transmission.  Included is a clip involving the theft and eventual return of two BBC Daleks.
 

 
  • Photo Gallery:
 Once again we are treated to many rare production stills and quite a few behind the scenes ones as well.
 

 
  • PDF Materials:
 Accessible from any computer with a DVD drive, a PDF of some of the original Radio Times press clippings and BBC promotional materials.
 

 
  • Easter Eggs:
 There is one egg on this disc.  For more details scroll down further.  For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.

 
     

 

 

 

 

Easter Egg - Frontier in Space

#1. ALTERNATE "DELAWARE" THEME
(Aborted Theme Remix)

 

Go to the 'Subtitles' menu on Disc Two.
Click on the hidden Doctor Who logo below 'Special Features'.

 

 

Easter Egg - Planet of the Daleks

#1. BLACK AND WHITE COMMENTARY

 

Go to the 'Special Features' menu on Disc Two.
Click on the hidden Doctor Who logo to the right of 'Mulit-Colorisation'.

 

 

 

 

 

Additional Notes
  • Sadly, "Frontier in Space" is the last appearance of Roger Delgado as The Master.  Shortly after filming this story, he died as the result of a car accident.   Although not seen on screen, Delgado and Pertwee were close friends and the death of his friend (among other factors) led to Pertwee's decision to leave the series the following year.
  • If you look closely you will see that space suits of the future will have thin wires attached to their exteriors.  Hmm...
  • The events in "Frontier in Space" are resolved in the next Doctor Who adventure "Planet of the Daleks" making for a loose arc between the two stories.
  • This is the second appearance of the Ogrons.  The first was in "Day of the Daleks" two years previously.  They did make a brief cameo appearance in "Carnival of Monsters" earlier in the season.
  • Debuting in this story are the Draconians, an intelligent reptilian species who prize honor above all else.  They were among Jon Pertwee's favorite alien during his tenure on the series.  This is their first and only appearance on the TV series, although they do feature in several Doctor Who novels written.

  • If the Draconian emperor sounds at all familiar, that is because he is being played by none other than John Woodnutt.  Woodnutt has appeared frequently in Doctor Who.  His first appearance was as the Auton controlled character of Hibbert in Pertwee's debut story "Spearhead from Space."  He would later go on to play the double role of the Zygon commander Broton/the Duke of Forgil in the classic Tom Baker story "Terror of the Zygons."  His final appearance was as counselor Seron in Tom Baker's penultimate "The Keeper of Traken."
     

  • Although the story gets a bit silly in some places, "Planet of the Daleks" is more noteworthy because episode 3 only exists in black and white form.  The BBC (in their infinite wisdom) trashed most of the Pertwee stories in the mid to late 70's.  While all of them have been recovered, a few episodes only exist as black and white copies.  Although computer re-colorization does exist, it proved to be too costly for the amount of video sales expected, and so the story was released with 5 episodes in color and one in black and white.
     
  • The events in "Planet of the Daleks" continue from the previous Doctor Who adventure "Frontier in Space."
  • Beware of alien tropical plants trying to spray Jo Grant with their projectile fluids.  Not for the feint of heart I think. 
  • Bernard Horsfall (Commander Taron) would later return to Doctor Who in the Tom Baker story "The Deadly Assassin" as Chancellor Goth.  Prior to his "Planet" appearance he was a Timelord in "The War Games" and as Gulliver in "The Mind Robber."

  • Another familiar face is Prentis Hancock (Vaber).  He played a reporter in "Spearhead from Space," Commander Salamar in "The Planet of Evil," and the captain of the guards in "The Ribos Operation."
     

  • As with all of the DVD releases to date, the Doctor Who Restoration Team did extensive work on this story (including color restoration).  A new revolutionary technique of extracting hidden color information in a black and white recording has led the the breakthrough restoration of episode 3 of "Planet of the Daleks" to its original color format.  Hopefully this innovation will allow other black and white recordings from the Pertwee era to return to their original color condition.  More information on the restoration of this story can be read at their website HERE.