When the deal between the BBC and Disney+ was initially announced, there was some uncertainty for Doctor Who fans regarding physical media releases, particularly internationally. Most of the Classic and New Who DVDs and Blu-rays are of excellent value for money, providing great picture quality and countless special features.
It's a key reason why Doctor Who: The Collection has been so successful. With the exception of the Third Doctor's debut story, "Spearhead from Space", no stories from the Classic Series could ever be released in true HD. Essentially, it's the special features themselves that are the real selling point of The Collection.
So it was initially worrying when a UK release date was announced for Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials on Blu-ray and DVD, but nothing was announced for a North American release. At least, not initially. Then, when Ncuti Gatwa's first season was given a UK release date on Blu-ray and DVD, but not US, fans were left to wonder if "Disney Who" would be excluded on physical media, at least outside the UK.
Delayed releases
Thankfully, this has proven not to be the case. Just a few months ago, the 60th-anniversary specials were finally released on DVD and Blu-ray in North America in Dec 2024. This was exactly a year after its release in the UK. Even better, the US release included all of the special features from the UK's.
More recently, Season 1 (2024) is finally available to pre-order on Blu-ray and DVD in the US, for a surprisingly low price of less than $35. No release date has been given, and no special features have been announced. But it's good to see it finally available to pre-order for US buyers.
The low price does make me wonder if all the special features from the UK will be included. Not only am I keen to watch all the episodes of the making-of series Doctor Who Unleashed, but the set also includes the special Tales from the TARDIS episode "Pyramids of Mars". Currently, this is the only episode from the series to have been given a physical media release, at least in the UK. So it would be a shame if it wasn't included in the US box set, especially as the original story is so vital to Season 1's two-part finale. But, as previously mentioned, the 60th anniversary specials included all of the UK set's special features, so hopefully, the same will be true for Season 1, as well.
You can pre-order Doctor Who: Season 1 (2024) on Blu-ray and DVD from Amazon right now. No release date has been announced, but based on the anniversary specials, it's likely it'll be released in Aug 2025, one year after the UK release.