The film A Hitch In Time starring Patrick Troughton as a time-travelling professor is to be released on DVD for high-definition viewing.

Penned by the Oscar-winning scriptwriter T E B "Tibby" Clarke and directed by Jan Darnley-Smith, the 54-minute Children's Film Foundation feature from 1978 will form part of the three-film CFF collection Weird Adventures from the BFI.

It also stars Jeff Rawle as "Sniffy" Kemp, a teacher out to spoil the fun. The art direction is by Doctor Who's current production designer Michael Pickwoad.

The other two films in the collection are Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's last collaborative feature The Boy Who Turned Yellow (1972) and Alberto Cavalcanti's The Monster of Highgate Ponds (1961).

All the films have been newly transferred for high-definition viewing from the best available elements in the BFI National Archive, having been out of distribution for a number of years.

Weird Adventures - the third volume of CFF films brought out by the BFI - will be released on Monday 17th June and is available to pre-order.

The CFF was a non-profit-making pan-industry initiative set up in 1951 by the owner of the Odeon and Rank cinema chains to make home-grown entertainment for young cinema-goers to see at the "Saturday morning pictures". Key themes included adventure, mysteries, monsters, science-fiction, shipwrecks, races, and animals, with regional content from Scotland to south-west England.

It became the Children's Film and Television Foundation in 1982, with film production ending in 1987. The CFTF is now known as the Children's Media Foundation, with the film collection preserved in the BFI National Archive.

The DVD release of The Ice Warriors is to include the original in-character trailer, with brand new animation. Producer Chris Chapman explained on Twitter:
As mentioned, the audio quality of the trailer utilised for the project is in very bad quality, and Chris has asked if anybody owns a copy that they believe is of a good standard that could be used on the DVD to please contact him asap.

The original trailer was broadcast after the final episode of The Abominable Snowmen on 4th November 1967, and featured Peter Barkworth as Clent and Peter Sallis as Penley introducing the situation facing Brittanicus Base.

BBFC Updates:

The BBFC have recently classified various aspects of the DVD release, including the existing four episodes and their commentaries, plus special features (which confirms their running times):

00:10:03:06 BLUE PETER (DOCTOR WHO - THE ICE WARRIORS - 
            DVD EXTRAS - BLUE PETER DESIGN-A-MONSTER)
00:03:51:24 THE ICE WARRIORS - PHOTO GALLERY (DVD EXTRA)
00:13:46:08 DOCTOR WHO STORIES - FRAZER HINES (DVD EXTRA)
00:19:17:23 (DOCTOR WHO - THE ICE WARRIORS - DVD EXTRAS - VHS LINKS)
00:24:28:18 COLD FUSION - MAKING THE ICE WARRIORS (DVD EXTRA)

The newly animated version of The Tenth Planet: Episode 4 has also been passed (running time 24m 35s), as has the trailer for Scream of the Shalka.

A drama production featuring Damaris Hayman reprising her role as white witch Olive Hawthorne from Third Doctor story The Daemons is to be released on DVD later this year.

White Witch of Devil's End is a Reeltime Pictures spin-off and, according to producer Keith Barnfather, despite nearing the age of 84 Hayman jumped at the chance of playing the role again.

Hayman herself said: Barnfather commented: Because of her age, the actress knew she had to pace herself, so director Anastasia Stylianou decided to film the drama in a "talking head" style, adding dramatic cutaway material to bring the words to life. Stylianou said: Primary filming has already taken place at a cottage near Hayman's home, with the crew collecting and returning her each day. Once back home each evening, she was able to recover and study the next day's script.

Barnfather said: A release date of Thursday 31st October - Halloween - is planned, and Stylianou added: Barnfather, who contacted pal David J Howe at Telos Publishing when considering who should write the stories, stated:
Howe and his partner Sam Stone contacted several authors they felt would be sympathetic to the material and got them all on board for the project. Stone, who is an award-winning author, said: As well as Howe and Stone, the writers involved in the project are Raven Dane, Debbie Bennett, Jan Edwards, and Suzanne J Barbieri, with a final script polish being applied by Big Finish writer Matt Fitton.

The DVD, which will be region-free, is available to pre-order here. Extras are yet to be finalised but will include a "Making Of . . . " feature as well as interviews with the authors.

Some fans in America have been enjoying the Doctor Who series finale early due to a mistake in the American distribution of the Series 7 Blu-rays and DVDs.

The Name of the Doctor, which concludes the current series of the show, is due for transmission next weekend in the UK, North America and Australia. The episode is included in the Series Seven - Part Two Blu-ray and DVD sets, which were due to be released on 28 May.

However a distribution error has meant some copies of the discs have already been sent out in North America giving some fans a sneak preview of the final episode.

Doctor Who's brand manager, Edward Russell, has appealed to fans who have seen the episode to keep the show's secrets until it is broadcast at the weekend. On twitter he said
Update Monday. The BBC have now added on Twitter: "Steven Moffat has promised if fans help keep the finale’s secrets, we’ll release a special video featuring Matt and David right after the ep!". This was also detailed via their Facebook page:

Update Tuesday. An email has been sent to recipients of the boxed set, as follows:

As part of the celebration of the two Peter Cushing movies, Dr Who and The Daleks and Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150AD being released in high-definition on Blu-ray on the 27th May, Studio Canal have arranged a number of presentations of the films on the big screen in the United Kingdom, in association with the Independent Cinema Office.


The two films have been digitally remastered and repackaged for both DVD and Blu-ray, with both released individual and as a limited collectors edition of the two together.

DR WHO AND THE DALEKS Directed by Gordon Flemyng With Peter Cushing, Roy Castle, Jennie Linden, Roberta Tovey Directed by Gordon Flemyng and now fully restored, DR. WHO & THE DALEKS (1965) was the first big screen film adaptation of British TV's most iconic sci-fi hero, and the first time Doctor Who was ever seen in colour. British film legend Peter Cushing plays everyone's favourite Timelord, and having invented the TARDIS, a strange machine capable of travelling into other dimensions, the Doctor and his three young companions set forth on a quest through time and space. Their journey takes them into the dark, undiscovered depths of the universe and to the planet of Skaro. A primitive world devastated by nuclear war and populated by two warring species, a peaceful tribe known as Thals and a life form heavily mutated by radiation, encased in protective machines. A merciless force of destruction known as The Daleks Extras: Audio Commentary with Roberta Tovey and Jenny Linden / Dalekmania / Restoring Dr. Who And The Daleks (new) / Interview With Gareth Owen (new) / Stills Gallery / Trailer DVD Tech Specs: Cert: U / Region 2 / Total Running Time: approx. 79 min / Colour / Feature Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 / Feature Audio: Mono 2.0 / English Language / Catalogue No: OPTD2529 Blu+ray Tech Specs: Cert: U / Region B / Total Running Time: approx. 82 min / Colour / Feature Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 / Feature Audio: Mono 2.0 LPCM / English Language / Catalogue No: OPTBD2529

DALEKS' INVASION EARTH 2150A.D. Directed by Gordon Flemyng With Peter Cushing, Bernard Cribbins, Roberta Tovey and Jill Curzon Directed by Gordon Flemyng and now fully restored, DALEKS' INVASION EARTH 2150 A.D. (1966) stars Peter Cushing in his return to the big screen as British TV's most iconic sci-fi hero, Doctor Who. The earth of 2150 AD is a desolate and hostile ruin of a planet, crumbling at the edge of civilisation, slowly disappearing into the darkness of space. For the future of planet earth now belongs The Daleks, a destructive arm of alien invaders who have turned the human race into cowering slaves. Meanwhile deep within the London Underground a group of resistance freedom fighters are planning an attack. But there's only one man who could possibly help them succeed in destroying their extra terrestrial enemies and take back control of planet earth. A man of mystery, a man of time and space, a man known only as. The Doctor. Extras: Restoring Daleks. Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (new) / Interview with Bernard Cribbins (new)/ Interview with Gareth Owen (new)/ Stills Gallery / Trailer DVD Tech Specs: Cert: U / Region 2 / Total Running Time: approx. 80 min / Colour / Feature Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 / Feature Audio: Mono 2.0 / English Language / Catalogue No: OPTD2530 Blu+ray Tech Specs: Cert: U / Region B / Total Running Time: approx. 84 min / Colour / Feature Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 / Feature Audio: Mono 2.0 LPCM / English Language / Catalogue No: OPTBD2530

Competition:

Thanks to Studio Canal we have three copies of the boxed set for readers in the United Kingdom to win. To be in with a chance, simply answer this question:
Please send your answer along with your name, address and where you saw the competition to comp-movies@doctorwhonews.net with the subject line "Thal play!". Only one answer per household can be accepted. Please note that this competition is only open to UK residents only, and closes on 26th May 2013.

The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine (out today) has confirmed that The Moonbase will indeed have its own DVD release on the 21st October. Originally released as part of Lost in Time in 2004, the existing episodes two and four will be accompanied by animated versions of episodes one and three created by Planet 55 Studios, who provided the animated episodes for The Reign of Terror and the forthcoming The Tenth Planet. No other details have been released at present, though a commentary for the story includes special sound composer Brian Hodgson.

After the announcement last week of its inclusion in Doctor Who: Regeneration, the individual release of The Tenth Planet itself has now been announced for 18th November. Unlike the June collection, this release will feature the usual range of extras that accompany the Doctor Who releases as well as the the new Planet 55 Studios animated episode four (one extra being the original reconstruction of episode four made for its VHS release in 2000).

With these announcements, the release schedule for the year in the United Kingdom currently looks like this:

6th May:	The Visitation (Special Edition)
20th May:	Series 7 Part 2 (DVD/Blu-ray)
27th May:	Inferno (Special Edition)
27th May:	Dr Who and the Daleks/Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150AD (DVD/Blu-ray) (Aaru movies, released by Studio Canal)
3rd June:	The Mind of Evil
24th June:	Doctor Who: Regeneration (coffee-table book/DVD set of The Tenth Planet, The War Games, Planet of the Spiders, Logopolis The Caves of Androzani, Time and the Rani, Doctor Who: The Movie, Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways, and The End of Time)
8th July:	The Monster Collection (individual themed DVDs: Cybermen, Davros, Silurians, Sontarans, The Daleks and The Master)
15th July:	Spearhead from Space (Blu-ray)
5th August:	The Green Death (Special Edition)
26th August:	The Ice Warriors (animated episodes two+three)
16th September:	Scream of the Shalka
30th September:	Terror of the Zygons
21st October:	The Moonbase (animated episodes one+three)
18th November:	The Tenth Planet (animated episode four)

DWM also reports that the only other currently known surviving episode, the second part of The Underwater Menace, seems likely to be released in 2014, though its presentation currently remains unknown; Frazer Hines indicated in issue 458 that he had recorded a commentary for the episode/story.

The BBFC have now classified the special features that are to appear on the forthcoming special edition release of The Green Death, currently scheduled for the 5th August in the United Kingdom.

00:11:38:12 VISUAL EFFECTS (FEATURETTE)
00:07:40:04 (STEWART BEVAN INTERVIEW)
00:05:38:01 WHAT KATY DID NEXT (FEATURETTE)
00:06:49:21 (ROBERT SLOMAN INTERVIEW)
00:10:51:09 GLOBAL CONSPIRACY? (FEATURETTE)
00:02:27:21 (WALES TODAY) (ARCHIVAL TV FOOTAGE)
00:00:38:18 (EASTER EGG NO. 2)
00:09:49:23 THE GREEN DEATH - PHOTO GALLERY
00:23:07:06 DR. FOREVER! - THE UNQUIET DEAD (FEATURETTE)
00:26:21:18 THE ONE WITH THE MAGGOTS - MAKING THE GREEN DEATH
00:01:23:10 ORIGINAL CONTINUITY ANNOUNCEMENTS - 
            SATURDAY MAY 12TH 1973 TO SATURDAY JUNE 16TH 1973 - 5.50PM BBC1
            (EASTER EGG NO. 1)
00:02:43:03 REPEAT CONTINUITY ANNOUNCEMENTS - 
            SUNDAY JANUARY 2ND 1994 TO SUNDAY FEBRUARY 6TH 1994 - 12.00PM BBC2
            (EASTER EGG NO. 1)

Features that are new to this DVD release are highlighted above.

---

Since the previous update, the current series finale The Name of the Doctor has been classified for its DVD release as part of the Series 7 Part 2 boxed set in May, with a running time of 44m 26s.

Since the original announcement earlier in the year, the schedule for DVD releases in the United Kingdom has altered slightly, with some titles pushed back further in the year. The stories currently listed are: The Visitation (SE) (6 May), Inferno SE (27 May), The Mind of Evil (3 Jun), Spearhead from Space (Blu-ray, 15 Jul), The Green Death (SE) (5 Aug), The Ice Warriors (26 Aug), Scream of the Shalka (16 Sep), and Terror of the Zygons (30 Sep).

In addition, the British Video Association lists the following titles under the umbrella theme of The Monster Collection, all currently cited for the 8th July: Cybermen, Davros, Silurians, Sontarans, The Daleks and The Master.

The schedule may well change again in the coming months, but BBC Worldwide have confirmed this week that Inferno (full release details here) is still planned for release at the end of next month.

(Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed the absence of the "Regeneration" boxed set from the lists above - as of writing though Amazon and the BBC Shop have it listed for the 10th June, the BVA have listed it as "pulled from schedule". BBC Worldwide have not currently released any further details about the set or its status.)

Series Seven classifications:

The BBFC have now classified episodes for the forthcoming Series Seven Part Two DVD boxed set: The Snowmen (59m51s), The Bells of Saint John (45m24s), The Rings of Akhaten (43m51s), Cold War (41m37s), Hide (44m51s), Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS (44m56s), The Crimson Horror (44m44s), and Nightmare in Silver (44m43s) have been passed, but as of writing the as-yet untitled series finale has yet to be listed. In addition, the 43 minute feature The Companions has also been passed as additional content in the set.

Coming Soon:

Coming Soon trailers have been passed for the Blu-ray edition of Spearhead from Space, and for the animation-enhanced DVD release of The Moonbase - the latter previously listed for release in the United States.

BBC Worldwide have announced details for the forthcoming release of The Ice Warriors on DVD. The two-disc set has been provisionally scheduled for release on 26th August 2013 for R2 and 28th August for R4 (a R1 date has yet to be confirmed).

A number of new stills from the animated episodes have also been published, including a recent tweet by producer Chris Chapman comparing the animation with an existing telesnap:

BBC Worldwide have also released a brief video excerpt to demonstrate the animation via their YouTube channel.

Big Finish: Ice Warriors special offer:

Saturday has yet more Ice Warrior excitement, as the Martians return to television in Cold War. To celebrate their appearance Big Finish are running a special offer on their adventures in audio/download over the weekend:

BBC Worldwide have provided some more detail on the new features to be included in the two disc special edition version of Fifth Doctor story The Visitation:

• Grim Tales (dur 45’09”) – cast members Peter Davison, Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton are taken on a trip back to the filming locations used in the story by fellow TARDIS travelling companion Mark Strickson. A slice of a very impressive cake awaits them at the manor house in return for their memories of the time...
  
  
• The Television Centre of the Universe – Part One (dur 32’12”) – Blue Peter presenter Yvette Fielding takes Peter Davison, Mark Strickson and Janet Fielding on a trip through BBC Television Centre, meeting up with old friends and colleagues as they reminisce on their time spent working in the iconic building. With film traffic supervisor Neville Withers, assistant floor manager Sue Hedden, costume designer Odile Dicks-Mireaux, production assistant Jane Ashford, make-up artists Joan Stribling and Carolyn Perry, and BBC producer and writer Richard Marson.
  
  
• Doctor Forever – The Apocalypse Element (dur 27’29”) – the latest instalment of our new series looks at the work of those who kept Doctor Who alive in the form of audio adventures following the TV’s show’s cancellation in 1989. With actors Colin Baker, William Russell and Lisa Bowerman, new series executive producer Russell T Davies, Big Finish executive producers Jason Haigh-Ellery, Nicholas Briggs and Gary Russell, Big Finish producer David Richardson, BBC range editor Steve Cole, writers Mark Gatiss, Robert Shearman, Paul Cornell, Joseph Lidster and Justin Richards, and AudioGO commissioning editor Michael Stevens. Introduced by Ayesha Antoine.

The DVD is due to be released in the United Kingdom (R2) on 6th May 2013 and in North America (R1) on 14th May 2013.