This week sees the release of Jon Pertwee's debut season on Blu-ray in the UK, an absolutely brilliant season that might be one of the show's best. The box set will be worth checking out not just for the strong stories, but also for the consistently excellent special features that we've come to expect from Doctor Who: The Collection.
Unsurprisingly, North American fans have to wait a little bit longer for this box set. Thankfully, the wait is just three months, which isn't too bad. (For example, in the case of Season 20, US fans had to wait almost nine months after its UK release.) In the meantime at least, another season has recently been released in North America: Season 25.
Season 25 (released in North America as Sylvester McCoy: Complete Season Two) is a bit of a bittersweet season. On the one hand, it's quite strong on its own terms. With McCoy's first season, there was a sense that everyone was trying to find their feet, particularly in terms of style for the show and the depiction of the Seventh Doctor.
A fresh start before the end
But that changed with the show's silver anniversary season. Some of the lightness of Season 24 carried over, but this time, there were darker, even maturer elements mixed in. This extended to the Doctor's character, too. The Seventh Doctor was no longer just a silly man playing with his spoons and mixing up his metaphors. No, this was a Doctor who liked to plan ahead and trick his enemies with his grand schemes. We also started to get hints that there was more to the Doctor than we knew - much more.
The season also has a strong mix of stories, too. "Remembrance of the Daleks" is undeniably one of the all-time greats, and possibly the best Dalek story since "Genesis". ("Revelation" fans might argue with me on that one, and honestly, I wouldn't blame them.) There's also "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy", a gloriously fun story with a dark heart. And honestly, while it tends to get a lot of hate, "The Happiness Patrol" is a great slice of satire. "Silver Nemesis" might be the weakest of the season, but it's still a fun watch.
However, as great as this season is, I also described it as "bittersweet". That's because the show was starting to be stronger and fresher than it had been in years. So it's a shame that, instead of being the start of a grand revival, it instead became one of the show's final two seasons, at least until 2005. But it's still a season that's well worth watching, and the Blu-ray honestly looks fantastic.
Special features
As expected from the high standards set with previous Classic Series releases, Sylvester McCoy: Complete Season Two includes a lot of special features. The In Conversation series - in which Matthew Sweet shares extensive interviews with Doctor Who cast and crew, are always fantastic to watch, so it's great that this release features not one but three separate interviews; Sophie Aldred (Ace), script editor Andrew Cartmel, and director Chris Clough.
There's also plenty of documentaries and interviews that will be worth a watch, including "Looking for Dursley" and "When Sophie Met Lesley", and new episodes of Behind the Sofa, where cast members from across Doctor Who history react to each of the stories included.
But what stands out the most about this release might be the stories themselves. Not just in terms of their quality, but also because of the multiple versions included for each story. First of all, you have the original broadcast episodes, exactly as transmitted. But viewers also have the option of watching those episodes with updated special effects. If that wasn't enough, there are also special editions including not just the new effects, but also previously untransmitted material.
A complete era (kind of)
I'm honestly excited to watch these special editions. I'm a big fan of the Seventh Doctor's era on television, but there have been instances where stories with a lot to say have been heavily edited to fit into the 25-minute time slot. A key example of this is "The Curse of Fenric" from Season 26. I like the TV version. But I love the special edition. Not for the updated special effects, but for the re-editing that allowed the story to breathe better.
You can purchase Doctor Who: Sylvester McCoy: Complete Season Two right now. It's also worth noting that, with the release of this season, McCoy's entire TV run is available on Blu-ray. (Well, with the exception of his final appearance in "The TV Movie", at least in North America. Hopefully, it'll eventually be released on this side of the pond, either as its own release or as part of a "Wilderness Years" box set. The latter option is far from guaranteed, but this Whovian remains hopeful.)
One complete Classic Doctor's era down, six more to go!