Doctor Who Beneath The Surface DVD
Number of Discs: 4
DVD Number: BBCDVD2438
Certification: PG
Duration: 425 minutes
Doctor Who and the Silurians
Summoned by the Brigadier to an underground research centre at Wenley Moor, The Doctor and Liz Shaw learn from its director, Dr Lawrence, that work on a new type of nuclear reactor is being hampered by inexplicable power losses and by an unusually high incidence of stress-related illness amongst staff. Investigating a nearby cave system, The Doctor discovers it is the base of a group of intelligent reptiles, termed Silurians, who went into hibernation millions of years ago but have now been revived by power from the research centre. The Doctor strives for peace between reptiles and humans and manages to gain the trust of the old Silurian leader, but then a rebellious young Silurian seizes power and releases a deadly virus that threatens to wipe out humanity. The Doctor finds an antidote, but the Silurians retaliate by taking over the research centre and preparing to destroy the Van Allen Belt, a natural barrier shielding the Earth from solar radiation harmful to humans but beneficial to reptiles…
The Sea Devils
The Doctor and Jo visit The Master in his high-security prison on an island off the south coast of England and hear from the governor, Colonel Trenchard, that ships have been mysteriously disappearing at sea. Investigating, The Doctor learns from Captain Hart, commanderof a nearby Naval base, that the sinkings have centred around an abandoned sea fort. He and Jo then visit the fort and are attacked by what one of the men there terms a Sea Devil – an amphibious breed of the prehistoric creatures encountered by The Doctor shortly after his exile to Earth.
The Master, aided by a misguided Trenchard, is stealing equipment from the Naval base in order to build a machine to revive the Sea Devils from hibernation. The Doctor takes a diving bell down to the Sea Devils’ underwater base to try to encourage peace…
Warriors of the Deep
The year is 2084, and two power-blocs are poised on the brink of war. Using a series of undersea complexes and deep-space satellites, each bloc carefully monitors the other’s movements, slowly edging towards the moment when one will launch an all-out nuclear attack on the other.
Doctor Who & The Silurians – Disc 1 (episodes 1 – 4)
- Commentary by director Timothy Combe, producer Barry Letts, script or Terrance Dicks, actors Caroline John, Peter Miles, Geoffrey Palmer and Nicholas Courtney.
- ‘What Lies Beneath’– a documentary showing how the socio-political climate of the 1960s and the hopes & fears of the British populationhelped to shape this story. Featuring director Timothy Combe, producer Barry Letts, script or Terrance Dicks, actors Caroline John, Nicholas Courtney and Peter Miles, new series writer Paul Cornell and former MP Roy Hattersley.
- Isolated Music – isolated synchronous music from the story.
Doctor Who & The Silurians – Disc 2 (episodes 5 – 7)
- Commentary by Timothy Combe, producer Barry Letts, script or Terrance Dicks, actors Caroline John, Peter Miles, Geoffrey Palmer and Nicholas Courtney.
- ‘Going Underground’ – the story’s producer, director and designer discuss the problems of shooting underground caves and cave-dwelling monsters. in the confines of a television studio! Featuring Barry Letts, Timothy Combe and Barry Newbery, with more than a little help from script or Terrance Dicks and actors Caroline John, Nicholas Courtney and Peter Miles.
- ‘Now and then’– comparing and contrasting the locations used in the story during production with how they appear today.
- ‘Musical Scales’– musical experimentation in the late sixties and early seventies, with special emphasis on the musical scores for DOCTOR WHO AND THE SILURIANS and THE SEA DEVILS. With producer Barry Letts, composer Mark Ayres and directors Timothy Combe, Christopher Barry and Michael Briant, with an archive appearance from Radiophonic composer Malcolm Clarke.
- Colour Silurian Overlay – explaining how the story was restored to its present glory using a combination of black and white film prints, off-air American Betamax video recordings and modern video processing technology.
- Photo Gallery + Isolated Music + Coming Soon – trail for a forthcoming release + PDF Material – Radio Times billings for the story’s original transmission.
The Sea Devils – Disc 3
- Commentary by director Michael Briant, producer Barry Letts and script or Terrance Dicks.
- ‘Hello Sailor’ – the trials and tribulations faced during the making of this classic Doctor Who adventure. Featuring producer Barry Letts, script or Terrance Dicks, director Michael Briant, actors Katy Manning and Donald Sumpter and stuntman Stuart Fell, along with Royal Navy personnel who appeared as extras during location filming. Narrated by David Cann.
- 8mm Film – an amateur cine film shot during location filming at the Royal Naval base by one of the personnel. With a commentary from director Michael Briant, producer Barry Letts and script or Terrance Dicks.
- Trails and Continuity – BBC1 trails and continuity recreated from off-air audio recordings made during the story’s original transmission in 1972.
- Photo Gallery + Isolated Music + Coming Soon – trail for a forthcoming release + PDF Material – Radio Times billings for the story’s original transmission, plus the Piccolo book ‘The Making of Doctor Who’.
Warriors of the Deep – Disc 4
- Commentary by actors Peter Davison and Janet Fielding, script or Eric Saward and visual effects designer Mat Irvine.
- ‘The Depths’– production and cast members recall with some amusement their experiences of working on the story, in the face of a foreshortened shooting schedule, camera-hogging guest stars and a giant green amphibious pantomime horse… contributions from director Pennant Roberts, writer Johnny Byrne, actors Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Ian McCulloch, James Coombes and John Asquith, visual effects designer Mat Irvine, continuity advisor Ian Levine and documentary producer Ed Stradling. Narrated by David Harley.
- ‘they Came from Beneath the Sea’ – focusing on the realisation of the story’s non-human cast – the Silurians, the Sea Devils and the dreaded Myrka. Featuring Pennant Roberts, Peter Davison, Johnny Byrne, Mat Irvine, with actors William Perrie and John Asquith (Myrka).
- ‘Science in Action’ – BBC Schools presenter Kjartan Poskitt talks to visual effects designer Mat Irvine about some of the techniques and plastic materials he uses in his job in this programme extract from 1987.
- Trails and Continuities – BBC1 trails continuity announcements from the story’s original transmission.
- Photo Gallery + Isolated Music + Coming Soon – trail for a forthcoming release + PDF Material – Radio Times billings for the story’s original transmission.
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