Earthshock
(DVD)

 

Starring Peter Davison
4 Episodes
1982
97 minutes (color)
Single Disc



 

 

Production Notes
Doctor Who
Peter Davison

Adric
Matthew Waterhouse

Tegan Jovanka
Janet Fielding

Nyssa
Sarah Sutton

Written by
Eric Saward
Directed by
Peter Grimwade

Produced by
John Nathan-Turner

Original Airdate
Mar 8, 1982 - Mar 16, 1982

US DVD Release Date
September 2004

Warner Home Video
#E2022

U.K. Cover




 

 

 

Cover Blurb

The mysterious disappearance of an archaeological team is merely the prelude to a deadlier threat for the Doctor and his companions – the Cybermen want to destroy Earth, and will use any means at their disposal. The Doctor’s ingenuity is stretched to its very limits as he battles to defeat the Cyber army at any cost. But even he does not realize just how high that cost will be.
 

 

 

 


 

DVD Features

  • Putting the Shock Into Earthshock:

 This 30 minute documentary chronicles much of the controversy surrounding the departure of the character of Adric and the surprise return of the Cybermen.  Interviews with both cast and fans is featured.  A fantastic documentary on a pivotal story! 
 

 

  • 40th Anniversary Celebration:

 A specially created "music video" celebrating the first 40 years of the show's history.  The video uses quite a few clips spanning the entire history of the series.  A variation of the signature theme song (as performed by the group Orbital) is used in the video.  It runs for approximately 3 minutes.
 

 
  • Film Sequences:
 Location footage shot during the filming of episode 1 of Earthshock is presented here along with some extended and/or deleted scenes that did not make it into the final cut of the episode.  To be honest, the extended dialogue is so small that it is nearly indistinguishable from the final film inserts used in the episode.  Marginal interest.
 

 
  • Did You See?:
 A short segment highlighting popular Doctor Who monsters presented by Gavin Scott.  This originally aired back in 1982.  A fairly dry addition to the disc.
 

 
  • CGI Effects:
 New computer generated effects were created for the destruction of the freighter and its impact on the Earth at the end of episode 4 as well as laser gun fire throughout the story.  These new effects will play only when selected from this menu.  If not selected, the default version shown is the the one with the original effects from 1982.
 

 
  • 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
 

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

 
  • Audio Options:
 Under this feature you have two choices.

The first choice is a commentary track.  Commentary is provided by Peter Davison (Doctor #5), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) and Matthew Waterhouse (Adric).  This commentary should prove to be highly entertaining.

The second audio option is the isolated soundtrack.  With this feature you will hear Malcolm Clarke's now classic musical score sequentially as it appears in the episode (rather than edited together as in the case of "The Five Doctors Special Edition" DVD).  This does mean that there are long gaps of silence in between music cues.
 

 
  • Episode 5:
 Originally intended as an easter egg, this brief featurette gives us a glimpse at what happened after the events of this story.  Plant your tongue firmly in your cheek before viewing this option!  Very short, but also very funny!
 

 
  • 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:
 There is 1 egg included in this release.  Highlight the blank area below to find out more information.  For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.

 

#1. JAMAICAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION  

Go to the 'Special Features' menu.
Click on the hidden Doctor Who logo to the left of the '40th Anniversary Celebration.'

 
     

 

 

 

 


Additional Notes

  • Following on the heels of one of the worst Davison stories ("Black Orchid") is perhaps one of his best, "Earthshock."
  • No mention of the return of the Cybermen was made prior to the transmission of this story.  So, their revelation at the end of episode 1 came as a surprise to fans.
  • Adric, played by Matthew Waterhouse, leaves at the end of this adventure.  In a controversial move, he was killed off in the last few minutes of the program.  This hadn't been done since the Hartnell adventure "The Daleks' Masterplan" back in 1965.
  • Fans of the series were surprised and shocked at the death of Adric, as no announcement had been made of his departure.
  • Watch carefully for some pretty amazing human troopers.  In one scene in episode 3 a trooper is grabbed from behind by a Cyberman while trying to enter the TARDIS.  She makes an amazing full recovery as the same actress can be seen only seconds later alive and well and already inside the TARDIS as the Cyberman enters.  
  • As with all of the U.K. DVD releases to date, the Doctor Who Restoration Team did extensive work on this story to create the best possible transfer.