War Games DVD Details

The Restoration Team has posted details of the upcoming DVD box set release of the final Patrick Troughton adventure The War Games on its website. The extras include:

• Commentary, with contributions from actors Frazer Hines, Wendy Padbury, Philip Madoc, Jane Sherwin and Graham Weston, co-writer Terrance Dicks and script editor Derrick Sherwin.

• War Zone (dur. 36' 23") - cast and crew recall the making of Patrick Troughton's epic swansong. With actors Frazer Hines, Wendy Padbury, Bernard Horsfall, Jane Sherwin and Graham Weston, director David Maloney, producer Derrick Sherwin, co-writer Terrance Dicks, designer Roger Cheveley, Doctor Who Magazine editor Tom Spilsbury , new series writers Paul Cornell, James Moran and Joseph Lidster. Narrated by Gerard Murphy.

• Shades of Grey (dur. 21' 45") - just how did the technical and artistic constraints of monochrome television conspire to effect the unique look and feel of early productions? With actors Frazer Hines, Wendy Padbury and Jane Sherwin, script editors Terrance Dicks and Derrick Sherwin, director Timothy Combe, production designer Roger Cheveley, graphic designer Bernard Lodge and sound designer Brian Hodgson. Narrated by Gerard Murphy.

• Now and Then (dur. 9' 35") - the ongoing series visits the locations of 'The War Games' forty years on…

• The Doctor's Composer (dur. 17'32") - prolific composer Dudley Simpson looks back at his first five years of work on Doctor Who.

• Sylvia James - In Conversation (dur. 8' 27") - make-up designer Sylvia James talks about her work on Patrick Troughton's Doctor Who stories.

• Talking About Regeneration (dur. 24' 12") - the concept of regenerating a show's main character into an entirely new physical form proved to be both a lifesaver for the show and an increasingly important part of its mythos. This feature explores the ideas involved and takes a closer look at each of the Doctor's regenerations. With actors Peter Davison and Kate O'Mara, writers Rob Shearman, Joseph Lidster and Gareth Roberts.

• Time Zones (dur. 15' 21") - historians discuss the reality behind the various time zones featured in 'The War Games'. With political historian Dr. Martin Farr, military historian Crispin Swayne, Newcastle University's Lindsay Allison-Jones and author Prof. Susan-Mary Grant.

• Stripped for Action - The Second Doctor (dur. 13' 46") - the continuing series of features focussing on the Doctor's comic strip adventures looks at the Second Doctor. With former Doctor Who Magazine editors Alan Barnes and Gary Russell, comics historians Jeremy Bentham and John Ainsworth.

• On Target - Malcolm Hulke (dur. 20' 00") - the first in a series of features on the Target range of TV story novelizations looks at the work of writer Malcolm Hulke. With authors Terrance Dicks, Gary Russell and David J Howe, artist Chris Achilleos.

• Devious (dur. 12' 15") - for over a decade, a group of friends on England's south coast met on weekends to shoot an amateur Doctor Who film - 'Devious' - which takes place between the events of Patrick Troughton's swansong 'The War Games' and Jon Pertwee's introduction in 'Spearhead from Space', and features their own previously unknown incarnation of the Doctor. To segue back into 'Spearhead', the team decided to put up the money to employ Jon Pertwee for a day… in what was to become his last ever appearance as the Third Doctor. This feature also has a commentary from the production team.

Plus of course the usual Photo Gallery, Subtitle Production Notes, PDF material and Coming Soon trailer. If you look carefully on all three discs, you might find some interesting Easter Eggs hiding away, including a somewhat different take on 'The Trial of Doctor Who'. And so might I! And so might he!