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Oh yes, and Romana debuts in the first of a series of glamorous outfits that made her as much a fashion plate as a companion. 9/10 Extras
One thing is clear in all the commentaries and documentaries. They were all recorded long before the idea of a Doctor Who resurrection was dreamed of. A lot of the recent DVD releases reference the new series in some way, but these appear to have been made about 2002, and the whole New Who project didn’t get under way until 2004. 8/10
10/10 The Ribos Files concentrates on the making of the first Key to Time story, with an emphasis on the new companion. Interesting interviews and contributions from the main guest stars, and the story of Tom Baker’s cut lip, and notes on the set design and costumes. 10/10 Continuities – Oh why do they bother? WHO really wants to see how the programme was introduced in 1978? 10/10 Season 16 trailer – Interesting in comparison with the way the new series is introduced NOW. This trailer gave away very little about what was going to happen in the six stories. The voice over in BBC English was FRIGHTENING. The man practically SHOUTS “Doctor Who, New Series starts Saturday…..” But the clips weren’t bad. 9/10 Radio Times Billings – DVD ROM PDF file. Limited nostalgia interest. 5/10 Production Subtitles – Very good alternative to the commentary if you enjoy technical detail. 9/10 Photo Gallery – nice pictures, mostly of The Doctor and Romana. Coming Soon – A quite nice trailer for Planet of Evil. 9/10 9 out of 10
9/10 Extras Commentaries – Two commentaries are provideded. One by Pennant Roberts (director) and Bruce Purchase (pirate captain) and one by Tom Baker, Mary Tamm and Anthony Read (script editor). Bruce and Pennant do a very fine, serious commentary. They are both experienced in their field and talk about the technical details as well as the plot devices, special effects and some anecdotes about the series. 10/10 Tom Baker, Mary Tamm and Anthony Read, script editor, make a rather more interesting combination than Mary and Tom on their own. Tom keeps everyone waiting as he takes all four episodes to tell an anecdote about Bruce Pennant and a lottery ticket. 9/10
10/10 Filmed Inserts, Outtakes and Deleted Scenes – The long one of robed people wandering over the Welsh countryside seems particularly pointless. 8/10 Weird Science – WHY? This is a spoof of a 1970s schools programme purporting to explore the science of Doctor Who. It is, I think, quite unfunny and pointless. 0/10 Continuities. I just don’t bother any more. WHY? 0/10 Radio Times Billings. CD ROM PDF format. Again just nostalgia value. 5/10
8/10 Production Subtitles – Very good alternative to the commentary if you enjoy technical detail. 10/10 Coming Soon – Same one on all six discs. WHY bother? 5/10 7 out of 10
The Stones of Blood is a very good story, the only one of the six to be set on Earth. It is loosely based on the celtic legend of the Cailleach, an immortal demi-goddess, half woman, that is found in Cornwall as well as Ireland and Scotland. It is a wonderful mix of hammer style druidic blood-letting and some fantastic killer stones, and a science fiction story about hyperspace and intergalactic criminals. 10/10
Extras Commentary one has Mary Tamm and Darrol Blake (director) who seem to work quite well together, with lots of anecdotes about the making of the episode, especially Mary’s relationship with the two female guest stars. 10/10 Commentary Two is Tom Baker with Mary Tamm and Sue Engel who played Vivien Fay, the villainess, and David Fisher, the writer. The two women play off each other well, with Tom Baker flirting with both. At one point they jokingly comment that they seem to be the only three actors still alive from that episode, with an underlying seriousness to the comment. This commentary is recorded a little later than the previous ones. The result is that some anecdotes are repeated, since they have all probably forgotten they already told it. But also they acknowledge to some extent the new Doctor Who series. Tom Baker comments that he gets notes from David Tennant from time to time. 10/10 Getting Blood from The Stones – Documentary about the episode including more anecdotes about Tom Baker, a lot of discussion of the issues of location shooting versus studio and the merits of video versus film. A very professional and interesting documentary. 10/10 Hammer Horror. A documentary on the connections between Doctor Who and Hammer Horror including plots and personnel who went between Doctor Who and Hammer. 10/10 Stones Free – Mary Tamm narrates a documentary about the Rollright Stones where the episode was filmed. 10/10 The Modelwork of Robert Symes - 1979 documentary about the BBC modelwork for Doctor Who. Not as good as the interviews with Mike Tucker on the 2005 Box Set. 8/10 Blue Peter celebrates the 15th anniversary of Doctor Who. Stilted and annoying, especially when Lesley Judd fidgets on her chair, and patronising as ever. 7/10 Nationwide, almost as childish as the Blue Peter episode, but a classic because of the way Tom Baker made fun of Frank Bough and completely took over the interview. 9/10 Deleted Scenes – not that many really, and not particularly adding much to the original story. 9/10 Continuities – STILL downright boring. 0/10 Radio Times Listings DVD ROM PDF format. Nostalgia value only. 2/10 Coming soon trailer – AGAIN 0/10 Photo Gallery – a few original and new pictures but most of them are on Shillpages. 8/10 Production Subtitles – extra information about the making of the series. 10/10 Digital remastering of some scenes – not before time. 10/10 The extras are better on this disc than previous ones, but the ‘stock’ inclusions of the continuities and Radio Times Listings suggests a laziness about the compilations. 9 out of 10.
Androids of Tara, a wonderful science fiction variation of Prisoner of Zenda with lavish costumes and wonderful location sets. Romana has been a fashion plate all through, but in this instance she was meant to be. Playing aristocratic Romana and the princess Strella AS WELL as an android Strella she was seen in several very beautiful costumes and looking very regal. The plot was perhaps a little predictable, but it was enjoyable. And The Doctor had a magnificent sword fight. 10/10
Extras Tom Baker, Mary Tamm and Director, Michael Hayes have a wonderful time looking back on the making of this episode at Leeds Castle. Tom flirts shamefully with Mary as ever. Michael talks about the perils of a location shoot and they all talk fondly of the one-eyed horse and of Terry Walsh the late, great stunt co-ordinator. 10/10 The Humans of Tara – Documentary on the making of Androids including interviews with Mary Tamm, Guest actors Paul Lavers and Neville Jason, and members of the crew. It was fascinating to learn just how close they kept to the original Prisoner of Zenda, even assigning the original movie actor personas to the actors in Doctor Who. 10/10 Now and Then – a featurette on Leeds Castle and the tricks of film-making including fight scenes on steps that went nowhere and Terry Walsh jumping over a balustrade into boxes placed on a path below which should have been the moat. 10/10 Double Trouble – a featurette about the many occasions on which doubles have been used in Doctor Who. It misses out Nyssa/Anne in Black Orchid and doesn’t go as far as Mickey/Rickey in Rise of Cybermen, but otherwise is a fun bit of Doctor Who nostalgia 10/10. Radio Times Billing – DVD ROM PDF format. Nostalgia Value 5/10 Photo Gallery – rather beautiful, with plenty of location pictures. 10/10 Coming soon – same as the others. 0/10 Production Subtitles – extra information about the making of the series. 10/10
10 out of 10
9/10 Extras Commentary – Tom Baker and John Leeson – John, as well as being the voice of K9, had an actual acting part in this one. He and Tom talk enthusiastically about working on the location, despite appalling weather. A wonderful anecdote by Tom is worth listening for, about a fan from America who wrote to confirm that Tom Baker had died in 1984. Tom wrote back to say that it was true, but the fan club contacted him regularly by séance, and the fan wrote again to ask them to ask his ghost which was his favourite assistant. Details of how they made the giant Kroll attack the rig seem to pale into insignificance next to that! 10/10 In Studio – time-coded unfinished film from the studio recordings, 9/10 Variations – A local TV documentary about the poor actors who had to wear the green stuff for days on end. Bless them. 10/10 There’s Something About Mary – focussing on Mary Tamm as Romana. A good documentary about her Doctor Who career. 10/10 Phillip Madoc – A Villain for All Seasons – focussing on the actor who has played five different roles in Doctor Who over the years. 10/10 Continuities – Need I say it again? WHY?
Radio Times Billing – DVD ROM PDF format. Nostalgia Value 5/10 Photo Gallery – Plenty of location pictures of green people. 10/10 Coming soon – same as the others. 0/10 Digital remastering – worked wonders on this otherwise dull looking episode mostly recorded on video in the rain. 10 out of 10
9/10 Extras The first commentary is by Mary Tamm, John Woodvine who played the Marshall and director, Michael Hayes. Of particular interest is the honest way all of them admit that this six parter was hard work, entirely based in Studio with a complicated plot to get through. Mary Tamm and Michael Hayes both admit to being tired and fed up by the end, and give a strong impression of just how much hard work their ‘glamorous’ job in television actually is.
The second Commentary is by Tom Baker, Mary Tamm and John Leeson, begin with a good old fashioned laugh at the line “young men are dying for it”. More than any other episode commentary, Mary Tamm seems to laugh far more in this one, and her laugh is a strange one, almost a cackle. There were times when you had to laugh with her. Especially Tom’s story about the play about two Russian peasants with Irish accents! 9/10 Production Subtitles – extra information about the making of the series. 10/10
5/10 Coming Soon – The same as the other discs. 0/10 Doctor Who Annual 1979 - DVD ROM PDF format. FUN! 10/10 9 out of 10
Disc Two Defining Shadows – documentary about the making of Armageddon
Factor, including a lot more from Lalla Ward, who is only talked about
on the commentaries. 10/10 Alternative/Deleted Scenes. Mostly monochrome time coded recordings. Technically, ONE deleted scene with Shap coming to terms with being on Zeos Directing Who – Michael Hayes talks about his time as a director Doctor Who quite fondly and honestly. 10/10 Rogue Time Lords – a short history of rogue Time Lords through the ages, from The Monk onwards. Could be longer and more detailed. 8/10 Pebble Mill at One - An interview with Tom Baker in 1978. Nearly as annoying as Blue Peter. Who WAS that strange Irishman who did that show in those days? 9/10
8/10 The New Sound of Music- A very short piece about the Doctor Who sound effects from Dick Mills. Hardly worth the bother. 7/10 Merry Christmas, Doctor Who.- That infamous scene of Tom Baker, Mary Tamm, K9 and a bottle of whiskey. 7/10 Late Night Story – This was a series of horror stories read by Tom Baker in a series in 1978. The stories are REALLY creepy, mostly involving children who come to really nasty ends. I really am not sure why it is on the box set. Unless you like the sound of Tom’s voice but don’t mind WHAT he’s saying, it’s way too surreal. 5/10 Continuities! Enough said. 0/10 9 out of 10 Overall; a beautifully presented box set. The limited edition box is an ornament on its own. Mine is number 288, by the way, of 15,000. A few let downs in the extras, but worth the £54.99 it was in Woolworths. Not sure it was worth £70 in W.H. Smiths. The PRICE of these box sets is a major issue. Would it be better to sell them individually? 9 out of 10 overall.
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The Ribos Operation is very colourful with fantastic costumes and
equally colourful characters. It is a new style of story with mythological
and literary allusions rather than the gothic stories of past years.
It follows the quest for the first segment of the key to time on the
planet of Ribos, a sort of medieval society where belief that there
is life on other planets is heretical and where it is winter for 32
years. An intergalactic conman tries to sell the planet to an over-zealous
tyrant and everyone gets their just deserts in the end while The Doctor
and Romana get their first segment.
Commentary – Not as good as I expected. Mary Tamm and Tom Baker
talk among themselves, flirt shamelessly, and talk about the episodes.
Tom Baker is usually the sort of man who could hold people’s
attention, especially people who are fans of his. But actually, by
episode three I was almost getting tired of his voice. Mary Tamm seemed
to be playing devil’s advocate, asking questions that kept Tom
talking. I’m not sure it was necessary. Really, I think it could
have done with a writer, director or producer with them just to maintain
a bit of balance. 
The
Power of Kroll was never a particular favourite of mine because the
marsh location was so dull and depressing. But watching it again it
is possible to see a few positive things about it. The digitally enhanced
version on DVD looks less dull and even the monster seems a bit more
realistic than I remembered it, though far from up to modern standards.
The story has more depth than it appears to have on first view. 
including some fun with the three rig operators trying to get in and
out of their small set. 
0/10
The
Armageddon Factor – a six parter to round off the story arc.
This time the segment is actually a person, Princess Astra, but before
we find that out there is a long, convoluted story about over-ambitious
war-mongering Marshall, a war that isn’t a war, megalomaniac
computers, and The Doctor meeting an old school friend who knows that
he used to be known as Theta Sigma.
10/10
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