Doctor Who - Story #097: The Invasion of Time and
Doctor Who - Story #093: The Invisible Enemy have been announced as the next two planned North American DVD releases of the classic
Doctor Who program, coming on
September 2nd. Both stories are from the 15th series (season) of the original show, having first broadcast in 1977-78, and star Tom Baker as the 4th Doctor. Both of these serials also include Louise Jameson as companion "Leela," and the voice of John Leeson as robotic dog companion "K-9" (or "K9,", if you prefer.).
Also,
Doctor Who - Story #093: The Invisible Enemy, which marked K-9's very first appearance, will be accompanied by "
K-9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend", which first aired in December 1981 as a Christmas special. "A Girl's Best Friend" was originally intended to be the pilot episode for a proposed (but not picked-up) spin-off program
K-9 and Company, co-starring the voice of John Leeson as K-9 and Elisabeth Sladen as "Sarah Jane Smith". Sarah, of course, was the companion at the time that the 3rd Doctor (Jon Pertwee) regenerated into the 4th Doctor. The character is currently seen in her own successful spin-off program
The Sarah Jane Adventures, still played by Sladen. This would make a great item to check out for anyone who enjoys the new show.
Together,
Doctor Who - Story #093: The Invisible Enemy and
K-9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend are going to be marketed in some parts of the world as a DVD set titled "
K9 Tales". This morning's announcement by distributor Warner Home Video for release in the USA and Canada does not mention that title, however, and package art isn't available yet to show visually what it will formally be called. Regardless of the name, though, this release will be a 2-disc set costing $34.98 SRP. "The Invisible Enemy" is a 4-episode serial (approx. 100 minutes) in which the 4th Doctor falls ill due to a mind-invading parasite; he helps direct Leela to put the TARDIS on course to a medical facility before going into a coma. Once there, Leela gains the help of a Professor and his robotic dog (K-9) to go on a
Fantastic Voyage-like adventure: miniaturized clones of herself and the Doctor are injected into the Doctor's body to find and combat the nucleus of the infection.
Extras for "The Invisible Enemy" include Audio Commentary that has participation by Louise Jameson and John Leeson, among others; the "Dreams and Fantasy" making-of featurette; a "Studio Sweepings" behind-the-scenes look at the recording of the story; a "Visual Effect" featurette about the special effects of this story and others; a segment from the UK program
Blue Peter with guest K-9; alternate new CGI Effects; BBC Continuity Trailers; a Photo Gallery; Easter Eggs ; DVD-ROM Radio Times Listings PDF; Program Subtitles and Subtitle Production Notes.
In the 50-minute story "K-9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend", Sarah pays a Christmas visit to her Aunt Lavinia's house in the village of Moreton Harwood. She discovers that Lavinia, a noted scientist, has yet to return from a lecture tour of the USA. She does however meet Brendan - Lavinia's ward - and Commander Bill Pollock, her partner in a small market garden business. Also in the house, in a box sent to her by The Doctor, she finds K-9. Bonus materials include an Audio Commentary Track by Leeson, Sladen and others; a Featurette "The K-9 Files" where cast and crew look at the history of this character in various media; "K-9: A Dog's Tale," where the robotic dog is interviewed about his life; a Christmas 1981 appearance of K-9 in the BBC1 mid-day program
Pebble Mill at One; the "K-9 Stories": 4 books (
K9 and the Beasts of Vega, K9 and the Missing Planet, K9 and the Time Trap and
K9 and the Zeta Rescue) collected in Adobe PDF format on DVD-ROM, along with PDF files for the K-9 Annual and the regular Radio Times Listings for DVD-ROM; BBC Continuity Trailers; a Photo Gallery; Easter Eggs; Program Subtitles and Subtitle Production Notes.
Doctor Who - Story #097: The Invasion of Time is a 2-DVD set costing $34.98 SRP. "
The Doctor returns to Gallifrey to claim the Presidency, and begins an unorthodox administration by opening the gates to alien invaders." It runs approx. 150 minutes for 6 episodes which make up this serial, and was Louise Jameson's last regular appearance as Leela (she returned only for the 1993 special "Dimensions In Time"). The studio description also notes that "this adventure is famous for its extensive look into the backrooms of the TARDIS." The DVD release is in full screen video, English - Mono audio, and contains English subtitles. The Doctor Who Restoration Team reports that extras include a Commentary Track with Jameson, Leeson, and others; Deleted Scenes; a Behind-the- Scenes Documentary called "Out of Time"; two Featurettes called "The Rise and Fall of Gallifrey" and "The Elusive David Agnew" (Agnew is listed as the writer of this story, but there is no such person); Alternate new CGI Effects (visual and audio); BBC Continuity Announcements/Trailers; a Photo Gallery; a Coming Soon Trailer; a Radio Times Billings PDF (DVD-ROM); Program Subtitles and Subtitle Production Notes. North American package art for
Doctor Who - Story #097: The Invasion of Time is already available, and here is a look at it:
