Doctor Who has always been a show worth having on physical media, especially the Classic Series. Not just for the stories themselves, but also for the consistently excellent special features given to each and every story. And, based on recently revealed details, this will continue to be true with the upcoming release of “The Savages”.
As a story, “The Savages” will definitely be worth watching. Not only does it have an intriguing sci-fi premise, but it’s also a story where we say goodbye to First Doctor companion Steven Taylor (Peter Purves). Steven was a great companion who went through some major ups and downs with the Doctor during their travels together, so it’ll be great to watch his final story.
Like many previous releases, fans will have a choice of how they can watch "The Savages". Along with two animations – one color, one black-and-white – there will also be photographic reconstructions of the episodes. Together, these multiple versions should help to give audiences the clearest possible idea of what the original episodes were like.
Special features
As mentioned, “The Savages” includes a lot of special features, two of which in particular stand out. The first is “Remembering/Forgetting The Savages”, a 100-minute documentary covering the making of this lost story. While a lot of documentaries have been made about Doctor Who’s many serials, very few of them are as long as 100 minutes, so this will be worth a watch.
It’s not the only extensive documentary included on this release, however. The other standout special feature of "The Savages" is “Innes Lloyd – The Producer”. While Innes Lloyd’s run as producer lasted nearly two years, and even covered the first-ever regeneration, I must admit that I know very little about the man. So a documentary about his life should be a fascinating watch.
The story will also include audio commentaries with some of the cast and crew; surviving clips from the lost episodes; photo and animation galleries and ROM content, and even a training film featuring Christopher Barry, the director of “The Savages” and many other great Doctor Who stories. Overall, “The Savages” looks like another essential purchase for fans of the Classic Series.
“The Savages” will be avaiable on DVD and Blu-ray in Spring 2025.