Doctor Who - Remembrance Of The Daleks - Special Edition [DVD]

So here it is, the third release of this story (while the other three stories of the 1988 season aren't even on the horizon...), which everyone else here is arguing about, possibly rightly.

This is a divisive story from a divisive period of Dr Who. Basically, you either love Sylvester McCoy or hate him; he started as a comedian who stuck ferrets down his trousers etc, and then, as the Doctor, was called upon to be dark and mysterious. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. This is his first story as the dark-and-mysterious Doctor, and it doesn't always sit comfortably. However there is plenty else going on; finally the series has abandoned the pantomime that blighted the previous series, and here we have a story of warring Dalek factions attempting to steal the uber-powerful "rrrremote stellar manipulator" from the Doctor - but why does he want them to have it? There is a good cast here (stunt casting of comedians is restricted to a minor character for once) and a complex plot which moves quickly enough to jump any plot holes. In one of Doctor Who's all-time cool moments, Ace beats up a Dalek with a baseball bat; another high point is the Doctor's philosophical musing about whether to have sugar in his tea. And lots of stuff gets blown up. I love it. Your mileage may vary.

Extras (2 hours)
Commentary track with Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred. ***
Production and trivia subtitles. ***
"Back To School" (36 min) documentary on the making of the serial. Informative and fun. ****
"Remembrances" (15 min) documentary on the many, many continuity references in the serial. Essential viewing for anyone new to Old Who, and good fun to watch. ****
"Davros Connections" (43 min) Interesting, if rather static, overview of Davros's life and portrayal, which draws on his appearances in the series up to Remembrance and also on the various audio plays about him (but not the novels). However, being a reissue from 2007, it drops the ball by failing to include any mention of Julian Bleach's portrayal from last year. ****
Photo gallery (8 min) (beefed up mightily from the original version) ***
Deleted scenes and outtakes (12 min and 4 min)(with linking narration) ***
Multi-angle sequences (2 min) (that actually work this time) ***
Trailers from the 1988 broadcast (5 min) (got me nostalgic for Joan Hickson's Miss Marple and anti-nostalgic for Colin's Sandwich)***
5.1 surround sound, a music-only option and a Radio Times article. ***

To sum up:
Definitely buy this if:
*You never had a copy before. It's a cracking story with over 90 minutes of interesting documentary material, including a very interesting 43-minute documentary on Davros which partly draws on the various audio releases.

Maybe buy this if:
*You have the original version of the disc but found it a let-down with all the general quality lapses and puny supporting extras. You're basically only paying for the extras.

Don't buy this if:
*You already have the Davros box set version. There's nothing new here.
*You can't stand Sylvester McCoy's Doctor. Obviously :)

I'll be keeping this and taking my old duff version to the charity shop.

Just now "special" this Special Edition release of REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS is does rather depend on whether you bought the original version released back in the early 2000s. The new material on the main disc was all included in the DAVROS box set a couple of years back and consists of a 35 minute "making of" documentary; a 15 minute piece looking at the connections (or Metatextuality if you will) to other stories referenced in the script; and a couple of the usual bits and bobs that have now become fairly standard across the range. All the rest of the extras (including the commentary) are much the same as the original release. The picture and sound have apparently been remastered since then of course, and a couple of (blink and you'll miss them) authoring errors from the original corrected. I'm probably not an eagle-eyed enough viewer to have noticed any errors on the old version which at least tells you how significant they might be to anyone not in the know.

However, this release does include a bonus second disc which includes a 45 minute DAVROS CONNECTIONS documentary that was also included in the DAVROS box set but was previously unavailable separately. To be fair, it's not the comprehensive look at Davros that I expected it to be with large chunks of it seemingly being included to promote the audio dramas produced by Big Finish. It probably made more sense to include this material in the Davros box set as that also had the Big Finish stories in it, but here those references seem a little superfluous and, of course, the story of Davros himself has already dated when you consider the new series. Whilst the documentary is, I suppose, an in-depth look at the character as he appeared on screen and CD, it is not a look at the development of the character behind the scenes and so I found it generally rather disappointing. I imagine that the feeling was that this subject was rather better dealt with in the various documentaries and "making of"s on the individual story discs, but I'm not so sure. At least, by buying this release, you do at least get the opportunity to see it without having to buy the box set release and possibly repurchasing a clutch of stories you might already have.

Despite all that, to buyers coming new to this particular story, it does have its moments. There are some (fairly) impressive visuals in there, some fine performances from some great guest stars (George Sewell, Simon Williams, Michael Sheard and Pamela Salem probably being the best known) and some pretty memorable lines and lovely moments in an enjoyable script that takes the series back to its geographic roots and probably kicks off the Dalek War... Sometimes its reach does exceed its grasp (this IS a DOCTOR WHO story after all) and the story is a very late 1980s take on the 1960s, but there's a lot of fun to be had along the way. Sylvester McCoy seems a lot more relaxed in the part of the Doctor in this his second season in the role, and Sophie Aldred has her first adventure as the companion proper after her introduction in DRAGONFIRE (as yet unavailable on DVD but you can track down the old VHS release if you want to) the previous year.

So, if you've never bought REMEMBRANCE before, then this is probably the version you should get, but if you already have the old one (or especially if you have the DAVROS set) then it's a much tougher call as to whether to add this version to your collection. There's also the worrying thought as to how many more stories you've already bought are going to get this "Special Edition" treatment later on. If you're a collector, this could get quite expensive.

This DVD is a great for whovians discovering or rediscovering the classic world of Doctor Who. The first part has a gripping cliff-hanger and it is a must have as it is not only the Daleks final classic appearance but Davros doesn't have an appearance for another 20 years! So I highly recommend you buy this and quick! The updated version is brilliant, you wouldn't have thought it was from 24 years ago!