Robot
(Standard Edition DVD)

 

Starring Tom Baker
4 Episodes
1974
98 minutes (color)
Single Disc




 

 

Production Notes
Doctor Who
Tom Baker

Sarah Jane Smith
Elisabeth Sladen

Harry Sullivan
Ian Marter

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Nicholas Courtney

Written by
Terrance Dicks
Directed by
Christopher Barry

Produced by
Barry Letts

Original Airdate
Dec 28, 1974 - Jan 18, 1975

Region 1 DVD Release Date
August 2007

Warner Home Video
#E4112

U.K. Cover


 



Cover Blurb

Mortally weakened by the Spider Queen on Metabelis 3, the Doctor is forced to regenerate.  His recuperation is cut short as UNIT investigates a spate of robberies involving components for a top-secret disintegrator gun.  The culprit is quickly identified as a highly sophisticated robot build by Professor Kettlewell, which is being ordered to act against its Prime Directive.



 

 

 

DVD Features

  • Are Friends Electric?:

 The main featurette on this release is this 40 minute documentary on the start of the Tom Baker era of Doctor Who.  Contributors include actors Tom Baker (The Fourth Doctor), Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), Patricia Maynard (Miss Winters), Edward Burnham (Professor Kettlewell), Alec Linstead (Jellicoe), and Michael Kilgarriff (the Robot).  George Gallacia (production unit manager), Chistropher Barry (director), Terrance Dicks (writer/script editor), Barry Letts (producer), and Philip Hinchcliffe (producer) also contribute.
 

 
  • The Tunnel Effect:
 Title sequence creator Bernard Lodge discusses how he created the time tunnel effect for the majority of the Tom Baker era.
 

 
  • Blue Peter:
 Due to a strike at the time, the set for this story was still in the studio when Blue Peter needed to use the floor space.  The Blue Peter folks ultimately decided to record right there with the sets.  This footage is presented here.
 

 
  • Photo Gallery:
 Lots of rare and never before seen photos taken during the production of this story.  Very nice.
 

 
  • Information Text:
 An incredible amount 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:
 Accessible from any computer with a DVD drive, a PDF of some of the original Radio Times press clippings.
 

 
  • Audio Options:
 Commentary is provided by  Tom Baker (Doctor Who), Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane), Terrance Dicks (writer), and Barry Letts (producer).
 

 
  • Easter Eggs:
 There is 1 egg included in this release.  Scroll further down to find more details.  For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.

 


 


 

Easter Egg

#1. CONTINUITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
(Original Broadcast)

 

From the main menu screen, press the left arrow button
to highlight the Doctor Who logo in the top left corner.  Now click on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional Notes
  • "Robot" marks the debut of the Tom Baker era, the longest serving Doctor - and arguably the most popular.  Most fans in the U.S. probably began watching Doctor Who with Tom Baker and probably began by watching "Robot."  Much of Doctor Who's success overseas is the result of Tom Baker's portrayal.
     
  • This story also marks the beginning for a new companion, Harry Sullivan.
     
  • When the character of Harry Sullivan was first conceived, it was unknown who would be replacing Jon Pertwee as the Doctor.  Harry was intended to be more of an action oriented companion for an older, less physical Doctor.  However, once Tom Baker was cast for the role, Harry's character developed more into a well intended but bumbling companion. 
     
  • Initially, Tom Baker's scarf was not intended to be so long.  However, due to a miscommunication with the knitter, the scarf came back with its trademark length.  The production team decided to go with the longer version - and the rest is history.
     
  • "Robot" was actually filmed at the end of Season 11, but would be held over until the following season 12 to mark the debut of Tom Baker.
     
  • Although new producer Phillip Hinchcliffe was coming on board for season 12, it was Barry Letts who handled the producer reigns on this story (since it was teachnically filmed as part of the season 11 recording block).
     
  • The Doctor's roadster, Bessie, makes its (nearly) final appearance.  It would only appear again briefly during the 20th anniversary story "The Five Doctors" and one last time in the Sylvester McCoy story "Battlefield."