"Mawdryn Undead"

Mawdryn Undead
Disc 1 of the "Black Guardian Trilogy" Box Set
(DVD)

 

Starring Peter Davison
4 Episodes
1983
98 minutes (color)
Single Disc


"Black Guardian Trilogy" Box Set



 

 

Production Notes
Doctor Who
Peter Davison

Nyssa
Sarah Sutton

Tegan Jovanka
Janet Fielding

Turlough
Mark Strickson

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Nicholas Courtney

Written by
Peter Grimwade
Directed by
Peter Moffatt

Produced by
John Nathan-Turner

Original Airdate
Feb 1, 1983 - Feb 9, 1983

R1 DVD Release Date
November 2009

Warner Home Video
#3000024262

U.K Boxset Cover


U.K. Cover


 



Cover Blurb
Turlough may look like a normal pupil at a boys' boarding school, but he's actually an alien from another planet.  And when the menacing Black Guardian asks him to kill the Doctor in return for a trip home, the boy quickly agrees.

By coincidence, Turlough's maths teacher is an old friend of the Time Lord's.  Buy why doesn't the Brigadier remember that?  The Doctor, along with his friends Tegan and Nyssa, is about to find out.



 

 

 

DVD Features

  • Who Wants to Live Forever?:

 Cast and crew reminisce about the ups and downs from the production of "Mawdryn Undead".  Interviewees include Peter Davison (5th Doctor), Mark Strickson (Turlough), Nicholas Courtney (The Brigadier), Lucy Benjamin (young Nyssa), and David Collings (Mawdryn).  Also included are Eric Saward (script editor) and archival interview footage of the late Peter Moffatt (director).
 

 
  • CGI Effects:
 This option allows you to view the story with newly created special effects shots.  If this option is not enabled then the default version is the original.
 

 
  • Film Trims:
 Just over 3 minutes of tops and tails of the film footage recorded on location.
 

 
  • Extended/Deleted Scenes:
 Approximately five minutes of extended and additional scenes (coming from location footage on film).
 

 
  • Liberty Hall:
 Nicholas Courtney performs once more as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in this mock interview.
 

 
  • Outtakes:
 A rare glimpse of bloopers and gaffes from the making of this story.
 

 
  • Continuity Announcements:
 Continuity announcements from the original broadcast in 1983.
 

 
  • Photo Gallery:
 Once again we are treated to many rare production stills and quite a few behind the scenes ones as well.
 

 
  • Set Design Photo Gallery:
 A brief (minute and a half) set of photos specifically highlighting the set designs on this story.
 

 
  • 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 Peter Davison (5th Doctor), Nicholas Courtney (the Brigadier), Mark Strickson (Turlough) and script editor Eric Saward.

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

 
  • Easter Eggs:
 There are two.  Scroll down further for more details.  For a full list of ALL known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.

 
     



 

 

 

 

Easter Eggs

 

 #1. TARDIS INFORMATION SYSTEM
 

 

Go to the 'Special Features' menu.
Click on the hidden Doctor Who logo to the left of 'Deleted and Extended Scenes'

 

 

 

#2. STUDIO FLOOR PLANS

 

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

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional Notes
  • "Mawdryn Undead" is the third story of the 20th anniversary season of Doctor Who.  Each story within this season features the return of one of the Doctor's former adversaries.
  • This adventure marks the return of the Black Guardian, last seen in the Key to Time finale "The Armageddon Factor."
  • "Mawdryn Undead" begins a trilogy of adventures centering around the Black Guardian's attempts to destroy the Doctor as revenge for thwarting his plans to control the Key to Time.  The second story in the trilogy is "Terminus" while the final one is "Enlightenment."
  • This story also sees the return of an old friend of the Doctor's, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.  The last appearance of the Brigadier was in the Tom Baker classic "Terror of the Zygons" some 8 years earlier.
  • Originally, it was to have been Ian Chesterton (one of Doctor Who's original companions, and a school teacher to boot) who couldn't remember his days with the Doctor and who had stumbled onto Mawdryn earlier.  Unfortunately, actor William Russell was unavailable for the part.  It was then hoped to use the character of Harry Sullivan.  When Ian Marter proved unavailable as well the character of the Brigadier was inserted.
  • A new companion joins the TARDIS crew by the end of this story, Turlough.  He is recruited by the Black Guardian to help kill the Doctor.
  • David Collings (Mawdryn) makes his last of three memorable appearances in Doctor Who.  His first role was that of Vorus in "Revenge of the Cybermen" with Tom Baker.  He would return two years after that for the classic Tom Baker adventure "The Robots of Death."
  • 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.