The Doctor Who Restoration Team has posted feature articles on the forthcoming DVD releases of Earthshock and The Curse of Fenric, as we reported from the BBC's press release late last week. Earthshock features commentary by the four regulars in the series -- Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton and Matthew Waterhouse (pictured at right), as well as the extras noted in our May 23 article (the 30-minute documentary, by Ed Stradling, is entitled "Putting the Shock into Earthshock"). The article on "Earthshock" also features before-and-after video captures for some of the film clean-up work, as well as details about the work done on the film sequences, the music restoration and the new effects work on the freighter and gunfire effects. The feature onCurse of Fenric discusses the two versions being released -- the original four-part transmission and a special "brand-new, movie-format extended edit with a full Dolby Digital 5.1 sound remix... [that] had always been director Nick Mallett's vision for an extended version of the story." Twelve additional minutes have been added (five more than the 'extended' VHS release), and the movie version features a slightly new score by Mark Ayres, the original composer. "It's the same basic score," says Ayres, "with new bits added for the new scenes. It also means that I can properly assimilate the bits I wrote for the old video version so that it's not such a patchwork quilt. I'm updating the arrangement and orchestration as I go - tastes change in 24 years!" Extras have not been announced but there are slight modifications being done on effects work on several segments. Very little information about The Two Doctors, this year's other release, has been released, though work on remastering it is underway. You can visit the RT's website to read the full articles; click on the "DVD releases" menu item at left, then the individual title. (Thanks to the Restoration Team)

The forthcoming BBC UK release of Earthshock, due out August 4, is featured in an article on the Restoration Team'swebsite, which includes information on the extras being planned for the disc. Like the release of "The Ark in Space," several special effects shots were updated with modern versions, including "the pink and magenta striped rays of the trooper guns and the demise of the freighter at the end of the story." They can be played as an alternative to the original version. Also featured on the disc are commentaries by the cast -- Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton and Matthew Waterhouse -- as well as Did You See?, a 10-minute feature on Doctor Who monsters from 1981; a new 30-minute documentary featuring interviews with castmembers and fans and "examining the impact of the return of the Cybermen and the death of a companion..."; complete film sequences; an isolated music soundtrack; easter eggs; plus photo gallery and production subtitles. (Thanks to the Restoration Team)

BBC Worldwide's press release for the 40th anniversary has some information about this year's video & DVD releases. First is the story we previously reported of the release of The Horns of Nimon on June 2, as well as the November 24 date of the VHS release of The Reign of Terror Collectors Set, which features both the surviving episodes of the 1964 story The Reign of Terror (with, Outpost Gallifrey has learned, a linking segment for the missing episodes currently being put together by Ed Stradling) as well as the final unreleased individual episodes of the Patrick Troughton stories The Web of Fear (episode 1) and The Faceless Ones (episodes 1 and 3).

While it is not actually mentioned in the text, though, a cover illustration for the release of the only other Doctor Who story not yet put out on video, Invasion of the Dinosaurs, is listed as "Release date: to be confirmed," though it will hopefully be released either this year before the "Reign" tape or as the very last VHS release in early 2004.

BBC Worldwide has also confirmed the DVD's we've mentioned over the past several weeks and given them release dates, including The Dalek Invasion of Earth on June 16, Earthshock on August 4, The Two Doctors on September 8, The Curse of Fenric on October 6, and The Three Doctors on November 24. According to the press info, "The Three Doctors" will be packaged with a special Corgi model of the Doctor's car, Bessie (part of Corgi's anniversary release packages; see below).

The following are larger and much clearer versions of the draft cover illustrations of the forthcoming DVDs "Earthshock," "The Two Doctors" and "The Curse of Fenric" from the BBC press package, along with the video package for the eventual release of "Invasion of the Dinosaurs" -- an updated cover illustration with much more clarity than our original posting -- and the June release of "Horns of Nimon". (Special thanks to Julian Knott and the folks at Zeta Minor for initial press reports!)

The UK magazine "TV Zone" says that Earthshock, the Doctor Who story starring Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton and Matthew Waterhouse, will be out in the UK on DVD on August 4. While "Earthshock" has been one of the DVDs touted for release this year, there has been nothing official to substantiate this. (Thanks to Carl Akers)

BBC Worldwide has at long last officially confirmed the release of The Talons of Weng-Chiang on DVD, according to BBCi and an official from the BBC Press Office. The Doctor Who Restoration Team have now posted an article about the restoration of "Talons" and the various extras included in the two-disc set, due out April 28. The DVD release was rumored to be delayed by the BBC's distributor, Technicolor, only a few days ago, but the rights problems associated with the "Whose Doctor Who" special on the release were worked out recently (indeed, Outpost Gallifrey has learned, two days before the Doctor Who Appreciation Society heard of the delay from Technicolor!) The extras and includes on the disc have been widely reported. (Thanks to BBCi)

While The Dalek Invasion of Earth is rumored to be due out in June on BBC DVD (yet unconfirmed by the BBC Press Office), the BBFC (British Board of Film Censors), which issue ratings for UK releases, has issued information on the available extras on this release. According to BBFC, the DVD release (rated as "PG") includes the following (with thanks to Tim Parker):

00:00:10:00 | THE DALEK INVASION OF EARTH
00:00:35:23 | TRAILERS - DR. WHO
00:01:03:08 | TRAILERS - DOCTOR WHO
00:01:10:15 | CGI FEATURETTE
00:01:03:20 | CGI SEQUENCE A
00:01:49:12 | CGI SEQUENCE B
00:00:57:13 | CGI SEQUENCE C
00:01:38:01 | CGI SEQUENCE D
00:00:25:24 | EASTER EGG 1
00:00:46:02 | EASTER EGG 2
00:00:30:01 | EASTER EGG 3
00:07:51:20 | BLUE PETER
00:14:03:22 | WAYNE & SHUSTER
00:10:28:05 | TALKING DALEKS
00:00:22:22 | EXTRAS DISC INTRO
00:06:57:05 | NOW AND THEN
00:45:21:00 | FUTURE MEMORIES
00:17:46:18 | FUTURE VISIONS
00:06:01:10 | SCRIPT TO SCREEN
00:01:41:07 | REHEARSAL FILM
00:03:44:01 | PHOTO GALLERY

Though we emphasize that The Talons of Weng-Chiang is still unconfirmed for release on DVD in April (or May) by BBC Video -- even though retailers have received some notice -- the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has released details about this theoretical DVD's extras on its website, including the hour-long documentary "Whose Doctor Who" and an additional hour of other material. (This information does classify the release, like "Seeds of Death," as a two-disc set.)


Meanwhile, there are rumors circulating that there will be only four Doctor Who DVDs released in 2004 in the UK. This is incorrect; it is based on information taken out of context in a post on the Outpost Gallifrey Forum from a member of the Restoration Team, but was merely speculative on the consequences of further drop-off of DVD sales. At no time has information been issued from the BBC or otherwise that a decision has been made to reduce Doctor Who DVD output.