The BBFC have now classified the special features that are to appear on the forthcoming special edition release of The Green Death, currently scheduled for the 5th August in the United Kingdom.

00:11:38:12 VISUAL EFFECTS (FEATURETTE)
00:07:40:04 (STEWART BEVAN INTERVIEW)
00:05:38:01 WHAT KATY DID NEXT (FEATURETTE)
00:06:49:21 (ROBERT SLOMAN INTERVIEW)
00:10:51:09 GLOBAL CONSPIRACY? (FEATURETTE)
00:02:27:21 (WALES TODAY) (ARCHIVAL TV FOOTAGE)
00:00:38:18 (EASTER EGG NO. 2)
00:09:49:23 THE GREEN DEATH - PHOTO GALLERY
00:23:07:06 DR. FOREVER! - THE UNQUIET DEAD (FEATURETTE)
00:26:21:18 THE ONE WITH THE MAGGOTS - MAKING THE GREEN DEATH
00:01:23:10 ORIGINAL CONTINUITY ANNOUNCEMENTS - 
            SATURDAY MAY 12TH 1973 TO SATURDAY JUNE 16TH 1973 - 5.50PM BBC1
            (EASTER EGG NO. 1)
00:02:43:03 REPEAT CONTINUITY ANNOUNCEMENTS - 
            SUNDAY JANUARY 2ND 1994 TO SUNDAY FEBRUARY 6TH 1994 - 12.00PM BBC2
            (EASTER EGG NO. 1)

Features that are new to this DVD release are highlighted above.

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Since the previous update, the current series finale The Name of the Doctor has been classified for its DVD release as part of the Series 7 Part 2 boxed set in May, with a running time of 44m 26s.

Since the original announcement earlier in the year, the schedule for DVD releases in the United Kingdom has altered slightly, with some titles pushed back further in the year. The stories currently listed are: The Visitation (SE) (6 May), Inferno SE (27 May), The Mind of Evil (3 Jun), Spearhead from Space (Blu-ray, 15 Jul), The Green Death (SE) (5 Aug), The Ice Warriors (26 Aug), Scream of the Shalka (16 Sep), and Terror of the Zygons (30 Sep).

In addition, the British Video Association lists the following titles under the umbrella theme of The Monster Collection, all currently cited for the 8th July: Cybermen, Davros, Silurians, Sontarans, The Daleks and The Master.

The schedule may well change again in the coming months, but BBC Worldwide have confirmed this week that Inferno (full release details here) is still planned for release at the end of next month.

(Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed the absence of the "Regeneration" boxed set from the lists above - as of writing though Amazon and the BBC Shop have it listed for the 10th June, the BVA have listed it as "pulled from schedule". BBC Worldwide have not currently released any further details about the set or its status.)

Series Seven classifications:

The BBFC have now classified episodes for the forthcoming Series Seven Part Two DVD boxed set: The Snowmen (59m51s), The Bells of Saint John (45m24s), The Rings of Akhaten (43m51s), Cold War (41m37s), Hide (44m51s), Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS (44m56s), The Crimson Horror (44m44s), and Nightmare in Silver (44m43s) have been passed, but as of writing the as-yet untitled series finale has yet to be listed. In addition, the 43 minute feature The Companions has also been passed as additional content in the set.

Coming Soon:

Coming Soon trailers have been passed for the Blu-ray edition of Spearhead from Space, and for the animation-enhanced DVD release of The Moonbase - the latter previously listed for release in the United States.

BBC Worldwide/Warner Home Entertainment have released details on a forthcoming DVD release, The Doctors Revisited (1-4), a four-disc boxed set being released as part of BBC America's 50th Anniversary celebration of Doctor Who.

This set features the first four special documentaries broadcast by the channel for William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, each accompanied by the story that illustrated them (The Aztecs, The Tomb of the Cybermen, Spearhead from Space and Pyramids of Mars). As a bonus, each story will also feature an introduction by the show's current lead writer and executive producer, Steven Moffat.

Amazon have made the story available for pre-order, with a release date of 11th June 2013.

The Revisited trailers can be viewed online for the First, Second and Third Doctors.

The Moonbase:

As well as the release above, Amazon have also listed The Moonbase for pre-order! The site describes the release thus:
No other information is known about this item or its features at present, though last year special sound composer Brian Hodgson indicated that he had recorded a commentary for the story.

A video of the guest panel at the BFI's screening of the colour-restored The Mind of Evil is now available to watch online.

The event was held on Sunday 10th March to mark the Third Doctor's era as part of the BFI's Doctor Who At 50 season.

Once the closing titles for the final episode had rolled, director Timothy Combe, script editor Terrance Dicks, and actors Richard Franklin, John Levene, and Katy Manning were welcomed on stage by season co-curator Justin Johnson to talk about their time on the show.


The next event - marking the Fourth Doctor's era - is a screening of The Robots of Death on Saturday 20th April, with Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, producer Philip Hinchcliffe, and visual effects designer Mat Irvine as guests. Although currently sold out, returns and stand-bys are possible.

It will be followed on Saturday 4th May with a screening of The Caves of Androzani, celebrating the Fifth Doctor.

BBC America will broadcast the next in their Doctor Who Revisited series on the 31st March, covering the Third Doctor's era.

BBC Worldwide have confirmed the special features for the forthcoming release of Inferno (Special Edition) on DVD. The two-disc set has been provisionally scheduled for release on the 27th May for R2, and on the 5th June for R4 (a R1 release date has yet to be confirmed).

The Mind of Evil:

Following Inferno is the last Pertwee adventure to premiere on DVD - but the first time it has been seen in colour for over three and a half decades! The Mind of Evil is currently scheduled for release in the United Kingdom on 3rd June, and the BBFC have recently classified features that will accompany the story:

Commentaries (1-3):
00:24:41:08 DOCTOR WHO - THE MIND OF EVIL - EPISODE ONE (WITH AUDIO COMMENTARY)
00:24:33:04 DOCTOR WHO - THE MIND OF EVIL - EPISODE TWO (WITH AUDIO COMMENTARY)
00:24:33:13 DOCTOR WHO - THE MIND OF EVIL - EPISODE THREE (WITH AUDIO COMMENTARY)
Commentaries (4-6):
00:24:40:21 DOCTOR WHO - THE MIND OF EVIL - EPISODE FOUR (WITH AUDIO COMMENTARY)
00:23:34:16 DOCTOR WHO - THE MIND OF EVIL - EPISODE FIVE (WITH AUDIO COMMENTARY)
00:24:39:21 DOCTOR WHO - THE MIND OF EVIL - EPISODE SIX (WITH AUDIO COMMENTARY)
00:00:23:10 THE MIND OF EVIL - RESTORATION CREDITS
DVD Extras:
00:22:41:23 THE MILITARY MIND - MAKING THE MIND OF EVIL
00:07:04:23 NOW & THEN - THE LOCATIONS OF THE MIND OF EVIL
00:04:53:21 THE MIND OF EVIL - PHOTO GALLERY
00:23:59:13 BEHIND THE SCENES

The Behind The Scenes has been reported to be a segment from an educational series, which in this episode focusses on twenty-four hours at BBC Television Centre and includes sets from The Mind of Evil.

The story was premiered last weekend at the BFI (see our review for more details), and will also be shown as part of the the Birmingham Flatpack Festival on 30th March, and at the Belfast Film Festival on 18th April. Following its release, a signing for both The Mind of Evil and Inferno will take place in London on the 8th June - see the Fantom Films website for more details.

A brief description of the colourisation process and a selection of stills by Stuart Humphryes from the first episode can be seen via his Babelcolour website.

Coming Soon:

The BBFC have classified "Coming Soon" trailers for the forthcoming stories: Inferno (1m2s); The Mind of Evil (1m12s); Terror of the Zygons (1m9s); and The Green Death (1m22s). Though scheduled for later in the year, the trailer for The Ice Warriors appeared on the just released The Aztecs Special Edition (reviewed here).

The Underwater Menace:

Frazer Hines mentions in the current issue of Doctor Who Magazine that whilst visiting BBC Television Centre for filming of Pointless Celebrities (to be broadcast on the 23rd March), the previous time he had visited the 'home' of the BBC was to record a commentary which he believes to have been for The Underwater Menace; last year special sound recordist Brian Hodgson had also suggested he'd recorded a commentary for the story.

Episode Two of the story, recovered in 2011, is the only remaining episode of classic Doctor Who yet to be formally scheduled for released on DVD (episode three was released in 2004's Lost in Time DVD boxed set).

Doctor Who: 50th Anniversary Board Game:

Whilst not strictly speaking a part of the main release range, some 100 clips from Doctor Who running to 74m28s have been passed by the BBC for the forthcoming 50th Anniversary Board Game.

BBC Worldwide have released their latest in a series of interviews with the writers of the Puffin e-Books to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, with the third instalment The Spear of Destiny, written by Marcus Sedgewick, due to be published on 23rd March. The author chats about his love of the Third Doctor and his fright of the Master, the influence of the Vikings on British culture, what he would do if he could travel in the TARDIS, and why he thinks the Doctor has proved so popular in the last 50 years.



An excerpt from the e-book can be read via The Guardian.

Spearhead From Space has been chosen by BBC America to represent the Third Doctor in its Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited celebratory season.

A documentary entitled The Doctors Revisited: The Third Doctor will air on Sunday 31st March at 8pm Eastern/7pm Central, followed by the four-part story that ushered in the Jon Pertwee era.

The documentary will see Steven Moffat, Caroline Skinner, David Tennant, and Hugh Bonneville discussing how the Third Doctor brought action and stunts to the series. It will also feature other as-yet-unspecified contributors.

The adventure - which originally aired in 1970 - was the first in the series to be made in colour and it saw the newly-regenerated Doctor, freshly exiled by the Time Lords, team up with new assistant Liz Shaw, played by Caroline John, and the British section of UNIT, headed by Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney). Because of industrial action at BBC TV Centre, the story ended up being made entirely on location and on 16mm film - the only time this has ever been done on the show so far.

BBC America is paying tribute to the programme's 50th anniversary by showing a story per Doctor per month.

A screening of the colour-restored story The Mind of Evil is to take place in Birmingham.

The event – part of the Flatpack Festival – will also see Restoration Team members Peter Crocker and Steve Roberts discussing with Paul Vanezis the meticulous work that was involved in bringing the six-part adventure back to its former glory.

The showing, presented in association with the Shock and Gore horror and fantasy festival, will be held at The Electric Cinema in Station Street on Saturday 30th March, starting at 1pm and finishing at 4pm.

It offers fresh hope of a pre-DVD-release big-screen viewing for people who were unable to get tickets to this coming Sunday’s BFI première screening in London, which sold out to members before going on public release - although returns are possible.

Award winning author Marcus Sedgwick has been revealed as the author of the third instalment in Puffin’s series celebrating the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who.

Sedgwick has re imagined the Third Doctor, played by Jon Pertwee, and created a brand new Doctor Who adventure called The Spear of Destiny, to be released globally on 23rd March. The Spear of Destiny follows on from Michael Scott’s Second Doctor story, The Nameless City, and A Big Hand for the Doctor – a First Doctor adventure from Eoin Colfer.

In total there will be eleven short stories in this ebook series, each based on one of the Eleven Doctors, released on the 23rd of each month from January to November 2013. Each story is written by a different author, bringing together some of the best known names in children’s fiction.

Marcus Sedgwick was born and raised in Kent in the South-east of England. Alongside a 16 year career in publishing he is established as a widely-admired writer of young adult fiction and winner of many prizes, most notably the Branford-Boase Award for a debut novel (Floodland), and the Booktrust Teenage Prize (My Swordhand is Singing). His books have been shortlisted for over 30 other awards, including the Carnegie Medal (four times), Edgar Allan Poe Award (twice) and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize (four times). Talking about the new book Sedgwick said
The authors of the subsequent eshorts will continue to be unveiled on the BBC Worldwide Doctor Who Facebook page on the first Tuesday of every month throughout the year.