Video
Saturday, 24 March 2001 - Reported by Marcus
2001 UK Releases: "Delta and the Bannermen," originally scheduled for early March, is now due for release on March 26. Tenth Planethas arranged for a special pre-release on March 10; videos will be in stores on the regular date after that. A re-release of "City of Death"(Tom Baker) is planned for May 7, 2001. July 9, 2001 is the new confirmed release date for "The Sunmakers", the Tom Baker season 15 story. After that, the final unreleased Peter Davison story "Four to Doomsday" is on the schedule for September 3, 2001. The BBC's official website is now confirming our earlier report that "Colony in Space" and "The Time Monster," both Jon Pertwee serials, will be released in a package together on November 5, 2001 as "The Master Box Set". A possible Patrick Troughton clips tape and a compilation of episodes from missing stories remastered in better format is rumored to be planned for 2002. (Thanks to Doctor Who Magazine and the BBC Official Website for much of this info.)
North American Release Update: "Time-Flight" starring Peter Davison was released on March 6 and is already being sighted in video stores across North America. May 8 sees the launch of "The Tenth Planet" (instead of being part of a twin release with "Attack of the Cybermen," it is being released separately here.) However, with the release of "Tenth Planet," BBC Worldwide Americas has officially put its VHS video releases for the remainder of 2001 on hold while they concentrate more fully on DVD (see section below), and so the planned releases of "The Daleks: Remastered" and "Attack of the Cybermen" have been held. They may be released in late 2001, but at this point are not on the 2001 schedule. (Thanks to our contact at BBC Worldwide Americas for the release information.)
Edge of Destruction - North America Re-release: The "Edge of Destruction, Original Pilot & Missing Years" tape has been re-released by BBC Worldwide in America; it is being spotted across North America at retail shops. Warner Home Video has reclassified this new release as E1578 (the older release # being E1497); to avoid the cost of printing new sleeves, the new catalog number is stickered on the back of the sleeves. The original version was released with substantial errors, including the broadcast version of "An Unearthly Child" and the syndicated master of "Edge of Destruction" rather than the home video master. (A good way to tell from the tape: the second episode of "Edge" on bad tapes is missing the lead-in to "Marco Polo".) (Thanks to Graeme Burk, Matt O'Grady, Steve Roberts, Steve Manfred and BBCWA.)
Australia Video Update: See "Doctor Who 1960's Films on DVD and Video" in the DVD section below.
US/Canada Video Purge: BBC Direct will be deleting a handful of Doctor Who titles from its North American release stocks in the near future, BBC Worldwide Americas told Outpost Gallifrey. The majority of Doctor Who videos in the US and Canada (96 current releases) will remain in production; however, 17 weaker-selling titles will be cut from the line. The titles being deleted are: Carnival of Monsters; The Claws of Axos; The Curse of Peladon; Dragonfire; The Five Doctors (the single, not enhanced version); Ghost Light; The Green Death; Kinda; The Mark of the Rani; The Monster of Peladon; Paradise Towers; The Rescue/The Romans; The Sea Devils; Snakedance; Time and the Rani; Vengeance on Varos; The Visitation/Black Orchid; and Warriors of the Deep. BBC Direct (www.bbcproducts.com or 1-800-216-1BBC) will sell these soon-to-be-deleted tapes as supplies last.
K-9 Unleashed: Reeltime Pictures has announced a new video called "K-9 Unleashed," due out in the UK on November 6. The video reatures current and past interviews with Tom Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Louise Jameson, Sophie Aldred and Elisabeth Sladen, as well as the voices of K-9, David Brierly and John Leeson, who discuss the popular robot dog and its influence on the series. Clips from the series along with animated footage (including a "K-9 Versus the Daleks" clip) are a part of the video.