The Ribos Operation
(DVD)

 

Starring Tom Baker
4 Episodes
1978
99 minutes (color)
Single Disc




 

 

Production Notes
Doctor Who
Tom Baker

Romana
Mary Tamm

Voice of K9
John Leeson

Written by
Robert Holmes

Directed by
George Spenton-Foster
Produced by
Graham Williams

Original Airdate
Sept 2, 1978 - Sep 23, 1979

US DVD Release Date
October 2002

Warner Home Video
#E1336

Key To Time Box Set




 

 

Cover Blurb
Having left Leela on Gallifrey, the Doctor and K9 Mark II don’t remain footloose for long. The TARDIS is soon intercepted by the White Guardian. The White Guardian sets the Doctor on an urgent mission to locate the six segments of the Key to Time, which are well disguised and hidden in odd corners of time and space. 

Once assembled, the Key will allow the White Guardian to restore balance to a universe descending into evil and chaos. To assist the Doctor the White Guardian has appointed Romana, fresh out of the Time Lord Academy and none too well traveled. 

Despite an initial bout of “negative empathy,” the Doctor and Romana trace the first segment’s signal to Ribos, a remote, backward planet that suffers from 32-year winters. There they are surprised to meet other interplanetary travelers, who include two conmen, Garron and Unstoffe, and the Graff Vynda-K, a warlord in the market for an inexpensive planet.




 

 

DVD 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 Richard Molesworth of the Doctor Who Restoration Team
 

 
  • Commentary:
 Commentary is provided by Tom Baker (4th Doctor) and Mary Tamm (Romana).  The two actors seem to enjoy their time reminiscing about the story.  Very entertaining.
 

 
  • Photo Gallery:
 Color stills showing many publicity stills from the production of this story.  Many of the pictures are rare or even never before seen.
 

 
  • Who's Who:
 A feature unique to the North American DVD releases.  It lists short biographical information on many of the actors involved in the story.
 

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


 

 

 

Additional Notes
  • Lots of new beginnings for this season of Doctor Who.  After writing out K9 at the end of the previous season, K9 Mark II is constructed by the Doctor.  Running much quieter than its predecessor, K9 Mark II's voice is still provided by John Leeson.
  • A new companion is introduced, Romanadvoratrelundar (Romana for short).  She is the first and only companion to come from the Doctor's own race, the Time Lords.  The role breaks tradition by casting a companion as smart as (or smarter than, depending on who you ask) the Doctor. 
  • This season is also groundbreaking in its approach.  The Key to Time arc runs continuously throughout the season.  Such a story arc would only be attempted once more in the show's history with "Trial of a Timelord."
  • If you look closely, you'll notice a scar on Tom Baker's lip.  This was the result of a severe dog bite which occurred over the summer break.  It was noticeable for several more stories and could be seen even with make-up.  The neck scarf that he is wearing also serves to cover more of the bite marks.
  • In a break with tradition, this story (along with all of the stories from the Key To Time umbrella season) is being released on DVD here in North America BEFORE the U.K.  Apparently, the North American market is much more focused on Tom Baker's era of Doctor Who.  As a result, BBC Worldwide is making a concerted effort to release more Tom Baker DVD's over here.
  • The Doctor Who Restoration Team did some limited clean-up work on this story.  However, due to time constraints, this release is very light on extras.
  • This story can be purchased individually or together with the other stories from season 16 (i.e. The Key To Time Boxset).