"Logopolis"

Logopolis
Disc 2 of the "New Beginnings" Box Set
(Special Edition DVD)

 

Starring Tom Baker
4 Episodes
1981
98 minutes (color)
Single Disc


"New Beginnings" Box Set



 

 

Production Notes
Doctor Who
Tom Baker

Adric
Matthew Waterhouse

Nyssa
Sarah Sutton

Tegan Jovanka
Janet Fielding

The Master
Anthony Ainley

Written by
Christopher H. Bidmead
Directed by
Peter Grimwade

Produced by
John Nathan-Turner

Original Airdate
Feb 28, 1981 -Mar 21, 1981

R1 DVD Release Date
June 2007

Warner Home Video
#E4011

U.K. Box Set Cover


U.K. Individual Cover


 



Cover Blurb
 

 

The Doctor and Adric head to Earth to fix the TARDIS's chameleon circuit - hoping to restore the time machine's ability to blend into its surroundings.  Once there they face danger involving a newly regenerated Master and a feisty young air hostess named Tegan Jovanka.  How can the people of the distant and mysterious planet Logopolis help?  And just who is the strange, ghostly figure watching the Doctor's every move?


 

 

 



 

 

 

DVD Features

  • A New Body at Last:

 Clocking in at roughly 50 minutes, this featurette covers the departure of the longest running actor to play the Doctor - Tom Baker.  Included in the documentary are Tom Baker (the 4th Doctor), Peter Davison (the 5th Doctor), Matthew Waterhouse (Adric), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) and Adrian Gibbs (the Watcher).  Also contributing are Christopher H. Bidmead (script editor/writer) and long time directors Peter Moffatt and John Black.
 

 
  • Nationwide Clips:
 Two separate clips from the show Nationwide taken around the time of this story's transmission.  The first clip includes an interview with actor Tom Baker (the 4th Doctor), while the second with actor Peter Davison (the 5th Doctor).
 

 
  • Pebble Mill at One:
 An interview with Peter Davison conducted at the time of his taking over the role of Doctor Who.
 

 
  • News Clips:
 A collection of BBC news clips covering the wedding of Tom Baker (the 4th Doctor) to Lalla Ward (Romana), Tom Baker's departure, and Peter Davison's (the 5th Doctor) arrival.
 

 
  • Continuity Announcements:
 Continuity announcements from the original broadcast.
 

 
  • 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.
 

 
  • 1982 Doctor Who Annual:
 Accessible from any computer with a DVD drive, a PDF of  the 1982 Doctor Who Annual (a mixture of Doctor Who fiction as well as science based reading for young Doctor Who fans).
 

 
  • 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 Tom Baker (The Doctor), Janet Fielding (Tegan), and writer/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 (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 on this disc.  For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.

 
     



 

 

 

Additional Notes
  • "Logopolis" is Tom Baker's final appearance as the Doctor.  He is forced to regenerate by the stories end.  His era was longer than any other Doctor's (lasting 7 seasons).
     
  • "Logopolis" continues the trilogy began with "The Keeper of Traken" that heralds the return of the Master.  His character will appear in the next story,  "Castrovalva" as well.
     
  • Part of the impetus to bring back The Master to the series was to help transition the audience from the well established Tom Baker (who held the role for 7 years).
     
  • The third and final companion for the next Doctor is added with Tegan Jovanka (played by Janet Fielding).
     
  • The original plan was to have an old companion return during the Master trilogy in an attempt to smooth the transition from Tom Baker's Doctor to Peter Davison's.
     
  • Both Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) and Louise Jameson (Leela) turned down the offer to return.  After this the production team decided to create the character of Tegan Jovanka as a companion.
     
  • The British public would have to wait quite a while to see the new Doctor (played by Peter Davison).  This was because of an unusually long gap which left curious fans waiting for over a year before the next season premiered.
     
  • This story is being released as part of the "New Beginnings" trilogy boxset. 
  • 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.