The Stones of Blood
(DVD)

 

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




 

 

Production Notes
Doctor Who
Tom Baker

Romana
Mary Tamm

Voice of K9
John Leeson

Written by
David Fischer

Directed by
Darrol Blake
Produced by
Graham Williams

Original Airdate
Oct 28, 1978 - Nov 18, 1978

US Video Release Date
October 2002

Warner Home Video
#E1314

Key To Time Box Set


 

 



Cover Blurb
The search for the third segment of the Key to Time leads the Doctor and Romana to the English countryside and an ancient stone circle called the Nine Travelers. There they meet Professor Amelia Rumford and her friend Vivien Fay, who are conducting a new survey of the stones. Curiously, the number of stones has not been consistent in the historical sources the professor has researched. The circle is also sacred ground to a cult of druids. Dismissed as harmless crackpots by Vivien, they are in fact deadly serious in their worship of the Cailleach, the Celtic goddess of war, death and magic. Some practitioners are willing to resort to human sacrifice to serve the goddess’s ever increasing demand for fresh blood. 

Though the tracer has led the Doctor and Romana to the Nine Travelers, none of the stones actually registers as the segment. Before that mystery is solved, the Doctor will need to explain why he drove Romana over a cliff and how enormous boulders are able to move about the countryside at will.




 

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 Mary Tamm (Romana) and Darrol Blake (director).  Both give a fine commentary.
 

 
  • 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
  • The third adventure in the Key to Time story arc, "The Stones of Blood" breaks with tradition just as "The Pirate Planet" had... by having a female villain.  Scandalous!  :)
  • Pay close attention for the scenes involving the Doctor defending himself against the judicially anal Megara.  Quite humorous.
  • Also, watch for some major bloopers.  One in particular to watch for is a stampeding Ogri creature rushing towards the camera (episode 3, I believe).  Behind it is a backstage hand.  Also look a few minutes earlier and you can see two other backstage crew setting up the Ogri.
     
  • Serious consideration was given to adding Professor Emilia Rumford (played to great effect by the talented actress Beatrix Lehmann) as a companion for the Doctor.  However, the idea was eventually rejected due to the uncertainty of the audience's acceptance of an older companion.  A great shame.
  • 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).