The E-Space Trilogy Box Set
(DVD)

 

Starring Tom Baker
Featuring 3 Stories
Full Circle (4 episodes)
State of Decay (4 episodes)
Warriors Gate (4 episodes)
 288 minutes (color)
Triple Disc




 

 

Production Notes
Doctor Who
Tom Baker

Romana
Lalla Ward

Voice of K9
John Leeson

Adric
Matthew Waterhouse
Written by
Andrew Smith
Terrance Dicks
&
Steve Gallagher


Directed by
Peter Grimwade
Peter Moffatt
&
Paul Joyce


Produced by
John Nathan-Turner
 
Original Airdates
Oct 25, 1980 - Nov 15, 1980
Nov 22, 1980 - Dec 13, 1980
&
Jan 3, 1981 - Jan 24, 1981


R1 DVD Release Date
May 2009


Warner Home Video
#3000021380


U.K. Box Set Cover


 



Cover Blurb
Adric arrives, Romana and K-9 depart, and the Doctor battles vampires in these three classic adventures!

 

Full Circle - (4 eps, 96 mins)
The Doctor, Romana and K-9 find themselves on the planet Alzarius, whose colonists are besieged by reptilian creatures rising from the marshes.

State of Decay - (4 eps, 96 mins)
Trapped in E-Space, the Doctor, Romana and K-9 are unaware that Adric has stowed away aboard the TARDIS.  Their next stop brings them face to face with a hideous creature from Time Lord legends.

Warriors' Gate - (4 eps, 96 mins)
Still lost in E-Space, the TARDIS is hijacked by a time-sensitive creature and brought to a crumbling ruin in a lonely white void, where another ship is stranded and in trouble.



 

 

 

DVD Features
 

Disc One
All 4 episodes from the story "Full Circle" as they were originally transmitted in 1980 plus these bonus features.

 

  • All Aboard the Starliner:

 A "making of" featurette for "Full Circle".  Included in the documentary are Lalla Ward (Romanar), John Leeson (voice of K-9), George Baker (Decider Logan), and Bernard Padden (Tylos).  Also contributing are Christopher H. Bidmead (script editor), Andrew Smith (writer), and director Peter Grimwade.
 

 
  • K-9 in E-Space:
 A brief look at the final stories of K-9 through the E-space arc.
 

 
  • Swap Shop:
 Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) makes an appearance on the popular British show during his debut story "Full Circle".
 

 
  • E-Space - Fact or Fiction?:
 A glimpse at the science behind the science fiction of alternate universes.  Contributions for this 14 minute featurette come from the production side of Doctor Who as well as astronomers.
 

 
  • Continuity Announcements:
 Continuity announcements from the original broadcast in 1980.
 

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

 
  • 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.
 

 
  • 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 Matthew Waterhouse (Adric), Andrew Smith (writer), and script editor Christopher Bidmead.

The second audio option is the isolated soundtrack.  With this feature you will hear the excellent score composed by Paddy Kingsland composed sequentially as it appears in the episode.  This does mean that there are long gaps of silence in between music cues.
 

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

 
   
 

 

 

 

Disc Two
All 4 episodes from the story "State of Decay" as they were originally transmitted in 1980 plus these bonus features.

 

  • The Vampire Lovers:

 Cast and crew reminisce about the making of "State of Decay".  Interviewees include Lalla Ward (Romanar), John Leeson (voice of K-9), and Clinton Breyn (Ivo).  Also included are Christopher H. Bidmead (script editor), Terrance Dicks (writer), Christine Ruscoe (designer), and director Peter Moffatt.
 

 
  • Film Trims:
 Running in at just five minutes, this featurette offers up some of the model work shot on 35mm film.  Also includes some alternate takes of model shots.
 

 
  • Leaves of Blood:
 Here vampires throughout literature are explored in this 17 minute featurette.
 

 
  • The Blood Show:
 A closer look is given to the significance of blood in our culture.
 

 
  • The Frayling Reading:
 In this brief featurette the history of vampire stories is traced, as well as their relation to "State of Decay".
 

 
  • Continuity Announcements:
 Continuity announcements from the original broadcast in 1980.
 

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

 
  • 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.
 

 
  • 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 Matthew Waterhouse (Adric), Terrance Dicks (writer), and director Peter Moffatt.

The second audio option is the isolated soundtrack.  With this feature you will hear the excellent score composed by Paddy Kingsland composed sequentially as it appears in the episode.  This does mean that there are long gaps of silence in between music cues.
 

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

 
     
 

 

 

 

Disc Three
All 4 episodes from the story "Warriors' Gate" as they were originally transmitted in 1981 plus these bonus features.

 

  • The Dreaming:

 Cast and crew reminisce about the making of "Warriors' Gate".  Interviewees include Lalla Ward (Romana), John Leeson (voice of K-9), Clifford Rose (Captain Rorvik), and David Weston (Biroc).  Also included are Christopher H. Bidmead (script editor), Steve Gallagher (writer), Matt Irvine (visual effects designer), and director Paul Joyce.
 

 
  • The Boy With the Golden Star:
 Actor Matthew Waterhouse is interviewed for nearly 20 minutes about his time on the series.
 

 
  • Extended and Deleted Scenes:
 Four minutes of excised material from episode two.
 

 
  • Lalla's Wardrobe:
 A sort of retrospective account of the character of Romana (as played by Lalla Ward), with an eye on the costumes used for her character.  Costume designer June Hudson contributes, as does Lalla Ward herself.
 

 
  • Continuity Announcements:
 Continuity announcements from the original broadcast in 1981.
 

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

 
  • 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.
 

 
  • 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 Lalla Ward (Romana), John Leeson (voice of K-9), Paul Joyce (director), Matt Irvine (visual effects designer), and script editor Christopher H. Bidmead.

The second audio option is the isolated soundtrack.  With this feature you will hear the excellent score composed by Peter Howell composed sequentially as it appears in the episode.  This does mean that there are long gaps of silence in between music cues.
 

 
  • Easter Eggs:
 There is one egg included in the release.  Scroll down for further details.  For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.

 
     



 

 

 

Easter Egg - Disc 3 (Warriors' Gate)

#1. MATT IRVINE'S PROP TALK


 

Go to the 'Special Features' menu.
Click on the hidden Doctor Who logo to the left of the 'Photo Gallery'.

   

 

 

 

 

 

Additional Notes
  • "Full Circle" begins what is commonly known today as the E-Space Trilogy.   It is a series of 3 stories which detail the TARDIS and her crew falling into an alternate universe, the smaller E-Space.  By the end of the trilogy, the Doctor and his crew make it back to N-Space (or normal space).
     
  • A new companion joins the crew in this adventure, Adric (played by Matthew Waterhouse).   Adric stows on board the TARDIS before it departs.
     
  • Although technically this is Matthew Waterhouse's first story with Doctor Who, he had already filmed "State of Decay" before this story in order to give Waterhouse time to acclimate to the character.  Much the same thing was done for Peter Davison (Doctor #5) in his debut story "Castrovalva."
     
  • "Full Circle" was originally written by a 19 year old Doctor Who fan.   However, the story needed much reworking and by the time the finished product was done it had little resemblance to its original.  However, credit is given to the original writer.
     
  • "State of Decay" is the second in the 3 story E-Space arc and was written by Doctor Who alumnist Terrance Dicks (the first story being "Full Circle" and the final one "Warriors' Gate").
     
  • It has been rumored that Tom Baker and Lalla Ward's on again/off again relationship was most definitely off during filming of this story.
     
  • The details of the Vampire/Time Lord conflict (originated in this story) have been greatly expanded upon in both the Virgin and later in the BBC line of books made during the past decade.
     
  • Watch for Emrys James' portrayal of Aukon.  It is so over the top it would make William Shatner blush.  It's great fun though!  :)
     
  • The producer at that time (John Nathan-Turner) got into a bit of hot water over the use of bats and vampires.  It seems that some bat group was upset at their negative portrayal.
     
  • "Warriors' Gate" is third in the 3 story E-Space arc and was written by Doctor Who newcomer Steve Gallagher (the first story being "Full Circle" and the second one "State of Decay").
     
  • Writer Steve Gallagher would return to pen one more story for Doctor Who, "Terminus".
     
  • This is the final story in the E-Space trilogy.  By the stories end the Doctor makes it back to N-Space.
     
  • An earlier title for this story was "Dream Time".
     
  • Shortly after leaving Doctor Who in this story, Lalla Ward married Tom Baker.  The marriage was brief, and ended in divorce 18 months later.
     
  • By the stories end the Doctor has lost 2 companions, Romana and K9.  They opt to stay behind in E-Space and help to free the other Tharils.  At least Romana didn't have to marry one of them.  ;)
     
  • When K-9 starts smoldering from the time winds in episode 1 watch closely for that whopping big clear tube behind him to fill with smoke first.
     
  • Watch for amusing performances by Aldo and Royce, played respectively by Freddie Earlle and Harry Waters.
  • As with all of the DVD releases to date, the Doctor Who Restoration Team did extensive work on this story.  More information on the restoration of this story can be read at their website HERE.