Remembrance of the Daleks
(Special Edition)
(DVD)

Starring Sylvester McCoy
4 Episodes
1988
97 minutes (color)
Double Disc




 

 

Production Notes
Doctor Who
Sylvester McCoy

Ace
Sophie Aldred

Written by
Ben Aaronovitch

Directed by
Andrew Morgan
Produced by
John Nathan-Turner

Original Airdate
Oct 5, 1988 - Oct 26, 1988

US  Special Edition Release Date
March 2010

Warner Home Video
#3000014969

U.K. Cover


 

 

 

Cover Blurb
London, 1963.  With his new companion Ace, the Doctor returns to Coal Hill School, where he has unfinished business.  His oldest foes, the Daleks, are on the trail of Time Lord technology - an artifact the Doctor himself left behind on Earth

Enlisting the assistance of the local military, the Doctor must protect the Gallifreyan secret of time travel as two opposing Dalek factions meet in an explosive confrontation, with the fate of the entire universe at stakes.

 


 

 

 
DVD Features
 

Disc One
All 4 episodes as they were originally transmitted in 1988 plus these bonus features.

 

  • Back to School:

 New to this special edition release is this thirty minute documentary on the making of "Remembrance of the Daleks".  Contributors include Sylvester McCoy (7th Doctor), Sophie Aldred (Ace), Karen Gledhill (Allison), and Simon Williams (Group Captain Gilmore).  Also included are Ben Aaronovitch (writer), Andrew Morgan (director), and Andrew Cartmell (script editor).
 

 
  • Remembrances:
 A brief, fifteen minute featurette where both cast and crew discuss continuity elements from previous stories and how those elements were integrated into "Remembrance of the Daleks".  This is a new featurette exclusive to the Special Edition release.
 

 
  • Extended and Deleted Scenes:
 All 13 of the extended and deleted scenes included in the original release are offered here, this time with introductions for each by actors Sylvester McCoy (7th Doctor) and Sophie Aldred (Ace).
 

 
  • Outtakes:
 About 4 minutes worth of goof ups and fluffed lines have been edited together.  Lots of fun to watch.
 

 

  • Mulit-Angle:

 Two scenes are offered from more than one angle.  The first scene is during episode 2 when Ace attacks the Dalek in the chemistry lab.  The second scene is from episode 4 when the Special Weapons Dalek destroys Ratcliffe's gate.  The scene from episode 4 is also humorous in that the explosion sets off several alarms from nearby parked cars.
 

 
  • 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.
 

 
  • BBC1 Trailers:
 Both trailers and continuity announcements shown during the original transmission in 1988 are included.
 

 
  • Photo Gallery:
 Lots of rare and never before seen photos taken during the production of this story.  With the new Special Edition release many more photos and stills are included.
 

 
  • Radio Times Listings:
 Accessible from any computer with a DVD drive, a PDF of some of the original Radio Times press clippings.
 

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

The first choice is to listen to the story in it's original mono version

Another option is to choose the new Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound remix. (new to this Special Edition release)

The third choice is the original commentary track used in the original 2002 release.  Commentary is provided by Sylvester McCoy (Doctor #7) and Sophie Aldred (Ace).  Excellent it is too.

The final audio option is the isolated soundtrack.  With this feature you will hear the music Keff McCulloch 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 one on this disc.  For more details, scroll down below "DVD Features".  For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.
 

 

 
 

Disc Two
The remaining DVD bonus features.

 
  • Davros Connections:
 New to the Special Edition release is this 43 minute documentary chronicling the history of Davros, creator of the Daleks (both within the original series, as well as the Big Finish audio adventures).  Contributors include Terry Molloy (Davros - 1984-88), David Gooderson (Davros - 1979), and Peter Miles (Nyder).  Also included are Eric Saward (writer), Ben Aaronovitch (writer), Joseph Lidster (writer), Ken Grieve (director), and Gary Russell (Big Finish producer/director).
 

 
  • Easter Eggs:
 None on this disc.  For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Egg

#1. SOPHIE OUTTAKE



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

   

 

 

 

 

Additional Notes
  • "Remembrance of the Daleks" begins the 25th anniversary of Doctor Who. 
  • This is the last appearance of the Daleks in a Doctor Who story.  It is also arguably, one of the best Dalek stories.
  • This story also begins a successful trend in the McCoy era of Doctor Who, the re-mystifying of the Doctor.
  • "Remembrance of the Daleks" is set just a few days after the events of episode 1 of "An Unearthly Child," the very first Doctor Who adventure.
  • Watch for a classic cliffhanger at the end of episode 1 where the Doctor runs up a flight of stairs to escape a Dalek only to find that the Dalek can hover its way up behind him.  The last few seconds are from the Daleks perspective as it closes in on the Doctor.
  • John Leeson (voice of K9) lends his voice to the Daleks in this adventure.
  • Playing the Headmaster of Coal Hill School is none other than Michael Sheard.  Sheard's first role in Doctor Who was in the 1966 Hartnell story "The Ark" as Rhos.  5 years later Sheard would return as Dr. Summers in the Pertwee story "The Mind of Evil."  Sheard would again appear in Doctor Who, this time as Lawrence Scarman in the classic Tom Baker story "Pyramids of Mars."  Next up was the part of Lowe in "The Invisible Enemy."  He would return as Mergrave 4 years later in the Davison opener "Castrovalva."  "Remembrance" marks his final appearance in Doctor Who.
  • Also look for the alternate scene where the Doctor warns Davros that he is... "far more than just another Timelord."
     
  • The first DVD release of "Remembrance of the Daleks" was early in the history of the range and, as such, was very thin on extra DVD features.  Additionally, restoration techniques have improved since the early part of the decade.  These factors contributed to the creation of the two disc Special Edition release now almost ten years later.