"Warriors' Gate"

Warriors' Gate
Disc 3 of the "E-Space Trilogy" Box Set
(DVD)

 

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


"E-Space Trilogy" Box Set



 

 

Production Notes
Doctor Who
Tom Baker

Romana
Lalla Ward

Voice of K9
John Leeson

Adric
Matthew Waterhouse

Written by
Steve Gallagher
Directed by
Paul Joyce

Produced by
John Nathan-Turner

Original Airdate
Jan 3, 1981 - Jan 24, 1981

R1 DVD Release Date
May 2009

Warner Home Video
#3000021383

U.K. Box Set Cover


U.K. Individual Cover


 



Cover Blurb
Still lost in E-Space, the TARDIS is hijacked by a time-sensitive creature.  It brings the Doctor, Romana, Adric and K-9 to a crumbling ruin in a lonely white void, where another ship is also stranded and in trouble.  Will the TARDIS and its crew ever escape this strange otherworld?  The answer lies inside the Gateway, but as the Doctor is about to discover, not everyone wants to go home.

 



 

 

 

DVD Features

  • The Dreaming:

 Cast and crew reminisce about the tumultuous making of "Warriors' Gate".  Interviewees include Lalla Ward (Romana), John Leeson (voice of K-9), Clifford Rose (Captain Rorvik), and David Weston (Biroc).  Also included are Christopher H. Bidmead (script editor), Steve Gallagher (writer), Matt Irvine (visual effects designer), and director Paul Joyce.
 

 
  • The Boy With the Golden Star:
 Actor Matthew Waterhouse shares stories and memories about each of the stories that he was involved in.
 

 
  • Extended and Deleted Scenes:
 Four minutes of excised material from episode two.
 

 
  • Lalla's Wardrobe:
 A sort of retrospective account of the character of Romana (as played by Lalla Ward), with an eye on the costumes used for her character.  Costume designer June Hudson contributes, as does Lalla Ward herself.
 

 
  • Continuity Announcements:
 Continuity announcements from the original broadcast in 1981.
 

 
  • 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.
 

 
  • 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 Lalla Ward (Romana), John Leeson (voice of K-9), Paul Joyce (director), Matt Irvine (visual effects designer), and script editor Christopher H. Bidmead.

The second audio option is the isolated soundtrack.  With this feature you will hear the excellent score composed by Peter Howell composed sequentially as it appears in the episode.  This does mean that there are long gaps of silence in between music cues.
 

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

 
     



 

 

 

Easter Egg

#1. MATT IRVINE'S PROP TALK


 

Go to the 'Special Features' menu.
Click on the hidden Doctor Who logo to the left of the 'Photo Gallery'.

   

 

 

 

 

 

Additional Notes
  • "Warriors' Gate" is third in the 3 story E-Space arc and was written by Doctor Who newcomer Steve Gallagher (the first story being "Full Circle" and the second one "State of Decay").
     
  • Writer Steve Gallagher would return to pen one more story for Doctor Who, "Terminus".
     
  • This is the final story in the E-Space trilogy.  By the stories end the Doctor makes it back to N-Space.
     
  • An earlier title for this story was "Dream Time".
     
  • Shortly after leaving Doctor Who in this story, Lalla Ward married Tom Baker.  The marriage was brief, and ended in divorce 18 months later.
     
  • By the stories end the Doctor has lost 2 companions, Romana and K9.  They opt to stay behind in E-Space and help to free the other Tharils.  At least Romana didn't have to marry one of them.  ;)
     
  • When K-9 starts smoldering from the time winds in episode 1 watch closely for that whopping big clear tube behind him to fill with smoke first.
     
  • Watch for amusing performances by Aldo and Royce, played respectively by Freddie Earlle and Harry Waters.
  • 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.