"Warriors of the Deep"

Warriors of the Deep
Disc 4 of the
"Beneath the Surface" Box Set
(DVD)

 

Starring Peter Davison
4 Episodes
1984
97 minutes (color)
Single Disc


"Beneath the Surface"
Box Set



 

 

Production Notes
Doctor Who
Peter Davison

Tegan Jovanka
Janet Fielding

Turlough
Mark Strickson

Written by
Johnny Byrne
Directed by
Pennant Roberts

Produced by
John Nathan-Turner

Original Airdate
Jan 5, 1984 - Jan 13, 1984

R1 DVD Release Date
June 2008

Warner Home Video
#3000015780

U.K. Cover


 



Cover Blurb

Earth, 2084.  Two global superpowers hover on the brink of war.  When the TARDIS is forced to man an unplanned visit to Sea Base Four, the Doctor, Tegan, and Turlough find themselves accused of being enemy agents.  Quickly embroiled in a deadly game of paranoid intrigue, it becomes clear that others on the base have sabotage and murder in mind.  However, there is a greater threat to humankind: the Silurians and Sea Devils, prehistoric reptiles seeking to reclaim the Earth.  Can the Doctor prevent them from implementing their "final solution" and triggering a war that could wipe out the entire human race?



 

 

 

DVD Features
  • The Depths:
 Clocking in at a little over 30 minutes, this documentary highlights the making of a story panned by many fans.  Contributors include Johnny Byrne (writer) and Pennant Roberts (director).  Other contributors include  Peter Davison (5th Doctor), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Ian McCulloch (Nilson), James Coombes (Paroli), John Asquith (1/2 of the Myrka) and Ian Levine (unofficial continuity advisor).
 

 
  • They Came from Beneath the Sea:
 This featurette focuses on bringing the Silurians, Sea Devils, and Myrka to life.  Interviews include director Pennant Robers, writer Johnny Byrne, and visual effects designer Matt Irvine.  Other contributors include Peter Davison (5th Doctor) and the two actors to don the Myrka costume - John Asquith and William Perrie.
 

 
  • Science in Action:
 Taken from an episode of the children's program "Science in Action" from 1987, visual effects designer Matt Irvine discusses how visual effects are achieved on a program like Doctor Who.
 

 
  • Trails and Continuity:
 Original BBC1 trails and continuity announcements from 1984.  The first trail is for the first half of the new season (21st), while the rest is specific to the story "Warriors of the Deep."
 

 
  • Coming Soon:
 A specially made trailer for the upcoming DVD release of "The Time Meddler."
 

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

 
  • 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), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Eric Saward (script editor), and Matt Irvine (visual effects designer). 

The second audio option is the isolated soundtrack.  With this feature you will hear the outstanding score composed by Malcolm Clarke composed 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.
 

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

 
   



 

 

 

Easter Egg
#1. MAT'S MODELS: RELICS FROM THE IRVINE WORKSHOP
 

 

Go to the 'Special Features' menu.
Click on the hidden Doctor Who logo to the left of the 'Science in Action.'
 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional Notes
  • "Warriors of the Deep" begins the final season of Doctor Who with Peter Davison in the role.
     
  • This story marks the return of two popular villains from the Pertwee era.  The Silurians and the Sea Devils ("Doctor Who and the Silurians" and "The Sea Devils") both return to Doctor Who after more than a decade.
     
  • Unfortunately, a rushed production drag this potential classic down to mediocrity.
     
  • Short on time, the designer of the Myrka rushed the project down to the wire, so much so that some of the actors were smeared with green paint from the thing when they came into contact with it.  The performers inside had no time to rehearse movements inside either.  Needless to say, the Myrka does not fair well upon viewing...
     
  • It was during the production of this story that both Peter Davison (5th Doctor) and Janet Fielding (Tegan) informed producer John Nathan-Turner of their intention to leave the series.
     
  • This story marks the third and final story written by author Johnny Byrne.  Byrne's other two entries in Doctor Who were the Tom Baker story "The Keeper of Traken" and the Peter Davison season 20 opener "Arc of Infinity".
     
  • This story is being released as part of the "Beneath the Surface" trilogy boxset.  The other two stories included are the Jon Pertwee classic "Doctor Who and the Silurians" and the follow-up story "The Sea Devils".  Each of these stories contain elements of the Silurians, their close relatives the Sea Devils, or both.
     
  • As with all of the DVD releases to date, the Doctor Who Restoration Team did extensive work on this story (including color restoration).  More information on the restoration of this story can be read at their website HERE.