The Sontaran Experiment
(Standard Edition DVD)

 

Starring Tom Baker
2 Episodes
1975
50 minutes (color)
Single Disc




 

 

Production Notes
Doctor Who
Tom Baker

Sarah Jane Smith
Elisabeth Sladen

Harry Sullivan
Ian Marter

Written by
Bob Baker and Dave Martin
Directed by
Rodney Bennett

Produced by
Philip Hinchcliffe

Original Airdate
Feb 22, 1975 - Mar 1, 1975

Region 1 DVD Release Date
March 2007

Warner Home Video
#E2859

U.K. Cover


 



Cover Blurb

 

Transmatting down from Nerva Beacon, the Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry find themselves on Earth in the far future, long since abandoned by the human race.  Soon it becomes clear that they are not alone: a shipwrecked crew of human astronauts are being hunted down, one by one.  What is the creature that lives in the rocs, and what is the purpose of the lethal tests it is conducting?  Can the Doctor ensure the safety of the Earth for the future generations of humankind?

 

 



 

 

 

DVD Features

  • Built For War:

 Not originally intended for a Standard Release, this 40 minute documentary on the Sontarans is a welcome (though rare) addition to this Standard Release format.  Contributors include actors throughout the history of the series who have battled the Sontarans including Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane), Colin Baker (The Sixth Doctor), and Nicola Bryant (Peri).  Stuart Fell (stunt man), Bob Baker (writer), Terrance Dicks (3rd Doctor script editor), Anthony Read (4th Doctor script editor), and Eric Saward (6th Doctor script editor) also contribute.
 

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

 
  • Audio Options:
 Commentary is provided by  Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane), Bob Baker (co-writer), and Philip Hinchcliffe (producer).
 

 
  • 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.
 

 
  • Easter Eggs:
 There are no Easter Eggs for this release.  For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.

 
 



 

 

 

Additional Notes
  • Tom Baker fractured his collar bone partway through filming this story, and in many of the remaining shots, needed to be braced up by some other object.  
     
  • Although shown as the 3rd story in this season, it was in fact filmed immediately after the first story.
     
  • "The Sontaran Experiment" follows on the heels of the popular reaction to the Sontarans in their first story "The Time Warrior" (seen the previous year).  Even Kevin Lindsay, who originally played the Sontaran Lynx, returned for this story as well.
     
  • The events of "The Sontaran Experiment" form part of a very loose arc spanning most of season 12.  It began with "The Ark in Space" which lead immediately into this story.  From there the action moves to "Genesis of the Daleks.'  "Revenge of the Cybermen" follows immediately after that.  The arc finally finishes at "Terror of the Zygons."
     
  • The release of this 2 part story marks a diverging chapter in the DVD release strategy.  Besides the normal 6 releases per year that are jam packed with extras, it has been decided that a further 4 "bare bones" or Standard Edition releases would be added to the yearly schedule.  These Standard Editions carry far fewer extras but still include many of the more straight forward features like commentary, photos, information text, etc. 
     
  • Many of the earliest DVD releases in the range look much more like Standard Editions than the jam packed Special Editions.
     
  • This release is somewhat of a variant as a documentary was included with this release (though this was a one time occurrence and will not be a feature normally included on Standard Editions). 
     
  • With the inclusion of these Standard Editions, the extras heavy releases will now become known as Special Editions.  In the U.K. this has led to a price reduction for Standard Editions.  How this will play out in North American markets is yet to be seen.