"The Sea Devils"

The Sea Devils
Disc 3 of the
"Beneath the Surface" Box Set
(DVD)

 

Starring Jon Pertwee
6 Episodes
1972
147 minutes (color)
Single Disc


"Beneath the Surface"
Box Set



 

 

Production Notes
Doctor Who
Jon Pertwee

Jo Grant
Katy Manning

The Master
Roger Delgado

Written by
Malcolm Hulke
Directed by
Michael Briant

Produced by
Barry Letts

Original Airdate
Feb 26, 1972 - April 1, 1972

R1 DVD Release Date
June 2008

Warner Home Video
#3000015767


U.K. Cover


 



Cover Blurb

Arrested after the events at Devil's End, the Master has been incarcerated at a top security prison on a remote island off the south coast of England.  When the Doctor and Jo Grant pay a visit to their old enemy, they find him a reformed character.  But can the spate of mysterious shipping accidents and garbled reports of sea monsters in the local area really be a coincidence?  The Doctor soon finds himself pitted against the Sea Devils, an ancient race of reptile intent on eliminating humankind and reclaiming the Earth for themselves.

 

 



 

 

 

DVD Features
  • Hello Sailor!
 A 35 minute featurette on the making of "The Sea Devils".  Contributors include Michael Briant (director), and Barry Letts (producer).  Other contributors include  Terrance Dicks (script editor), Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Donald Sumpter (Commander Ridgeway), and Stuart Fell (stuntman).
 

 
  • 8mm Film:
 Silent 8mm film footage taken by Naval personnel who participated as extras for this story.  The footage is accompanied by commentary from script editor Terrance Dicks, director Michael Briant, and producer Barry Letts.
 

 
  • Trails and Continuity:
 Original BBC1 trails and continuity announcements using original off air audio recordings, and reconstructed video clips.
 

 
  • Coming Soon:
 A specially made trailer for the upcoming DVD release of "The Time Meddler."
 

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

 
  • Radio Times Listings:
 Accessible from any computer with a DVD drive, a PDF of some of the original Radio Times press clippings.
 

 
  • Audio Options:
 The first option is to listen to an audio commentary.  The participants on this commentary are Terrance Dicks (script editor), Michael Briant (director), and Barry Letts (producer).  Moderated by late 80's Doctor Who script editor Andrew Cartmel

The second audio option is the isolated soundtrack.  With this feature you will hear the outstanding score composed by Malcolm Clarke composed sequentially as it appears in the episode (rather than edited together as in the case of "The Five Doctors Special Edition" DVD).  This does mean that there are long gaps of silence in between music cues.
 

 
  • Easter Eggs:
 There are none for this release.  For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.

 
     



 

 

 

Additional Notes
  • Following on the heels of the popular Silurians (see "Doctor Who and the Silurians"), the Sea Devils were created as an underwater version of the ancient reptile civilization.
     
  • Roger Delgado also returns as the Master, picking up where the story left off in "The Daemons."
     
  • Although Delgado had an aversion of swimming (and indeed, had never learned how to in his life), he pushed forward and filmed some key scenes in the water.  A testament to the man's professionalism.
     
  • Pay close attention to Katy Manning (Jo Grant) as she climbs the ladder of an abandoned oil rig.  Miss Manning's stunt double is a man!  :)
     
  • Also take time to note the huge overwhelming army of Sea Devils that storms the naval base... all five of them.  Sends a chill up your spine, doesn't it?
     
  • The Sea Devils, although a popular enemy, wouldn't return to Doctor Who until 14 years later in the Peter Davison story "Warriors of the Deep."
     
  • This story is being released as part of the "Beneath the Surface" trilogy boxset.  The other two stories included are the Jon Pertwee classic "Doctor Who and the Silurians" and the Peter Davison romp "Warriors of the Deep".  Each of these stories contain elements of the Silurians, their close relatives the Sea Devils, or both.
  • As with all of the DVD releases to date, the Doctor Who Restoration Team did extensive work on this story (including color restoration).  More information on the restoration of this story can be read at their website HERE.