Doctor Who The Collection: Season 12 Blu-ray Review

And so the journey to collecting all of Classic Who on Blu-ray begins! Like many of my fellow Doctor Who fans (or Whovians (or ‘DWeeks’)), I got into the show with the revived series in 2005 and later dabbled in the so-called ‘Classic’ era of the show from before its cancellation in 1989 (and of course, the charming 1996 TV movie starring Paul McGann). I would spend any pocket money often towards a classic DVD and would watch a load of serials and their special features over the years in a non-chronological order.

Admittedly, I think I was watching a lot of the older episodes of Who to fit in with the fandom growing up. I did prefer the more modern Doctor Who that was being made in the present day. But in light of buying a PS4 that doubles as a Blu-ray player, and the BBC deciding to repackage the classic era in complete sets of every season in glorious high definition, I have decided to give the old stuff another go. And I am so happy that I have! I am now going through all the episodes with fresh eyes. Some I have seen, some I have not. And they are all still out of order.

I suppose I could watch them all on Britbox from the beginning. But collecting things is more fun in my opinion!

So come along with me as I venture through the ongoing Doctor Who ‘Collection’ series of boxsets, starting with the first one released as a standard edition this year, and originally as a limited edition back in 2018. Let’s dive into Season 12…

Season 12 Review

Season 12 is a wonderful set of episodes. After the departure of Jon Pertwee as the Doctor, the successor sure had a tough act to follow. Thankfully, Tom Baker came along absolutely smashing it. Engaging and heroic in a different, more alien way to Pertwee, I feel like Baker found his feet in the role instantly. It honestly feels like he had played the part for years already. His performance has an utterly timeless appeal, cementing him as one of the best actors to play the Doctor ever. What’s more, is the endearing Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and the slightly dopey, but ever so charming, Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter) make for great companions.

Philip Hinchcliffe also had a tough act to follow, taking over from Barry Letts as producer. The ideas put forward this season pave the way for some of the explicitly gothic material of Hinchcliffe’s latter two seasons. There are some subtle yet compellingly dark ideas germinating this season. Robot, the first story, has both moral discussions around K1’s apparent sentience and the radical, not-dissimilar-to-terrorists group, Think Tank, essentially being the main antagonists of the piece.

As the series progresses, we have the body horror of the Wirrn and the highly unethical human testing of Styre the Sontaran. Not that I am a sadist and just love dark themes, but these trappings of darkness show the Whoniverse’s aptitude for the decrepit, as well as the wonder and joy that comes with travelling through time and space. It really makes the world of the show feel layered and lived in.

There are some ambitious ideas in this season. The episodes, despite the budget limitations of the time, clearly go out of their way to knock the viewers’ socks off with ridiculous sci-fi entertainment. I can only imagine the excitement in 1975 of audiences of all ages tuning into the box every week for the next tantalising 25-minute slice of the show. Partly due to the newness brought by Tom Baker and Philip Hinchcliffe, but also for those elements we know and love by this point: UNIT, cliffhangers, Sontarans, Daleks, Cybermen! All in all, season 12 is exemplary Doctor Who.

So, here are my brief thoughts on each story…

Robot

A fun opener, acting as a smooth transition towards a new direction of the show for the fourth Doctor. I particularly find the production values HILARIOUS in this one – notably the super-imposed toy tank and the tiny doll Sarah Jane being carried by the K1 robot, her little legs dangling about (see picture above!). I should clarify – I am laughing with the episode, not at it! 8/10

The Ark in Space

This serial is atmospheric and engaging. It is perhaps famous for the shoddy green bubble wrap used for the infected Noah – leader of Space Station Nerva – as he transforms into a giant insect-like creature. But one cannot fault the ingenuity and ambition of the makers of this show: the concept of the Wirrn taking over and transforming a human host is as horrifying as it is bonkers. Hinchcliffe even says that they cut a scene with Noah begging to be killed before his transformation is complete.

Additionally, this loaded creativity does yield better-realised elements than the bubble wrap arm: Roger Murray-Leach’s clever set design – with its mirrors and seemingly endless corridors – gives us a superbly realised location in this isolated space station, irrespective of potential budget constraints. The importance of creativity shines through here, putting on an amazing show. 9/10

The Sontaran Experiment

By virtue of this being a rare two-part serial for classic Who and being overshadowed by the other stories in this season which simply have more to them, I find this one forgettable. Indeed, I watched it recently and I still don’t think much of it. Though the only Sontaran we essentially see here has a cold-hearted motive to conduct unethical experiments – the most ghastly of which involves an imaginary snake – he somehow doesn’t feel all that threatening. Perhaps this is down to the downgrade in make-up from The Time Warrior. Still – it was nice to have Kevin Lindsay portray a couple more of the potato clones before his passing shortly after this serial was produced. 6/10

Genesis of the Daleks

An interesting bit of backstory for the Daleks by Terry Nation here. Michael Wisher’s performance as Davros also has a timeless quality to it – he is convincing as a maniacal loose canon of a genius that you’d want to steer clear of. His voice is incredibly menacing. Peter Myles is also menacing as Nyder, Davros’s right-hand man. Of course, there are many iconic moments in this belter that have been praised to death, but I love the moment when the Doctor questions whether he has the right to stop the Daleks from ever existing and ultimately doesn’t complete his mission. It’s these signs of an unwavering moral compass that makes the Doctor heroic to me.

I also loved them daft giant clams too. 8/10

Revenge of the Cybermen

This is fine, don’t get me wrong. I just didn’t care much for the Ogrons and their talky politics. They are tolerable thanks to their funny looking make-up and hammy acting though! There is some good tension in this story – examples of moments I was really invested in were when that horrid little Cybermat poisons Sarah, and later when she and Doctor are on Space Station Nerva before it crashes into Voga. So this is solid actually, now I think about it. Also…

HARRY SULLIVAN IS AN IMBECILE! The funniest moment of the season for me. 7/10

Season 12 average = 7.6/10

Special Features

This set and likely all of the other Blu-ray collections released and upcoming are treasure boxes when it comes to content. We of course get the episodes, looking as good as they possibly can, with the options available for different viewing experiences with commentaries of those involved in making them and updated sound and visual FX. In addition, we get a plethora of extras newly made for the set, as well as extras already released on the brilliant classic DVD range. I will refrain from talking about every bit of it for this review and subsequent ones.

For one thing, we would be here all day if I were to write about every single documentary, archive video or, heck, every bit of footage of a studio clock. I also don’t wish to watch every single special feature – there may be a story like Revenge of the Cybermen that isn’t my favourite which I don’t feel compelled to find out more about. But ultimately, by virtue of the set being packed with content, it is nice to not watch everything straight away. For me personally, I think it is an awesome idea to maybe return to a boxset on a rainy day and watch some features I haven’t seen before. That way, these collections can be gifts that keep on giving!

Anyway – here are some highlights/observations I had on the features of Season 12:

In Conversation with Tom Baker

Tom is candid with interviewer Matthew Sweet about his time on Who in this fascinating feature. It really is lovely to hear him talk about his time on the show so fondly. Most surprising of all was to hear of Tom’s struggles with mental health, and how much Doctor Who helped him through those challenges. Much unlike his alien, long scarf-wearing alter ego, I really got a sense of Tom’s humanity here. It may sound daft, but it was a comfort to see how the talent behind the pedestaled cultural figure of the fourth Doctor is just like you and me – he had his own share of challenges throughout his life.

Though I only met Tom briefly for a photograph back in 2018, I got a real sense of his friendliness that really matches up with his persona in the interview. He was kind enough to shake my hand in greeting, and let me do the old scarf around the shoulder photo pose. It was a delight to see him handing out jelly babies to the young children meeting him.

All of this considered, this interview is my favourite feature in this set. It affirms that Tom was deserving of such success in relation to Doctor Who and his performance career. It also brings me great joy that his artistry in the ’70s is still being celebrated now on home media, and long may it be continued to be celebrated.

Behind the Sofa

These Gogglebox style featurettes appear for every story on this set. I watched most of them and enjoyed all the insight from Tom Baker and Philip Hinchcliffe regarding the making of the episodes. I was unsure at first what Louise Jameson, Janet Feilding and Sarah Sutton were doing here. Sure, they were all portrayed companions of the fourth Doctor, but they had no direct involvement with season 12. But the three of them had such great banter and were so likeable to watch that it only made the features more interesting. And as for Sadie Miller, it was lovely to have her reactions to her late mother’s performance as Sarah Jane. It was fun to see a plethora of reactions and observations from familiar faces in the ‘Doctor Who-sphere‘.

Surround Sound for The Ark in Space

Something can be said for keeping these classic serials as authentic as possible. Besides remastering the footage for higher picture quality, one might feel trepidatious about changing all the FX. I personally quite like seeing both the original and updated FX for classic episodes. On the one hand, I like to view it much like it was – it has more charm and magic that way; a real token of the time period from before I was born. At the same time, it is interesting to see how the professionals almost remaking or rejigging the episodes for new home media packages alter the episodes in a way they see fit.

Specifically for The Ark In Space, Space Station Nerva actually looks more fake in the updated visual FX (originally released on DVD) than it did in the original 70’s model shots (I love a good model shot, don’t you?). But my GOODNESS the surround sound… I watched the episodes with over the ear headphones on and it was extremely cool to hear the actors’ dialogues crystal clear and the echoes in the seemingly vast setting. There was an immersive feeling like I was on the ship with the characters (I had to suspend my disbelief just that little bit further for that one, but still). I would definitely recommend anyone who loves this story (and Revenge of the Cybermen, which also has updated surround sound) to give this audio option a try!

Doctor Who Times

Another example of marvelling at a different generation before I was born, this new documentary provides interesting insight into the period when Season 12 originally aired. Particularly, it was fun to learn about the other BBC dramas that were on at the time. Features like these appeal to me as I enjoy learning about a time I never lived through. Perhaps any older Who fans would enjoy this sort of thing for different reasons. In an alteration of the famous fourth Doctor quote, I would say ‘there is no point in growing up if you can’t be nostalgic sometimes’.

Final words

So there you have it. It is a great season with some great features (namely a wonderful interview with Tom Baker). The episodes look the best they ever have and they are now more readily available in this bundle than the limited edition version. Though in this standard edition you miss out on a couple of bells and whistles, and a longer collectors booklet, you still get all the content and much of the same excellent artwork in a more compact shelf-space-saving boxset. I would recommend this and subsequent releases to any fellow Who fan, particularly those first discovering the older episodes (or in my case, rediscovering them after a few years).

Doctor Who The Collection: Season 12 is available to buy all over the place right now from the likes of Amazon or HMV.

See you in the next one…