BBC/Warner: the David Tennant DW specials (1 Viewer)

With David's announcement on Wednesday that he is departing "Doctor Who", please give the five forthcoming "Doctor Who" specials a separate release. Also, I would love to see included a lot of bonus material with David (if possible). Thanks.

I think you may get your wish. Based on prior information and Tennant's comment about staying "through the 2009/2010 specials," I think this is the upcoming schedule:

1 - Christmas 2008 special
2 - Easter 2009 special
3 - September 2009 special
4 - Christmas 2009 special
5 - early 2010 special

I wonder how long BBC Video in the US will want to wait for a new Doctor Who release.

Season 4 is out this November, so having the next release in November 2009 might seem logical. That would be a release with the first 3 specials (plus bonus materials -- with enough extras they could make it a 2-DVD set).

Normally, the Christmas special is attached to the full season set that follows. However, if there is indeed an early 2010 special before Season 5, then BBC could release a single DVD with Tennant's last two specials.

Alternatively, BBC Video could wait until early 2010 and release all 5 specials in one set. However, they would probably make more money by having two sepearate releases!!

I love this approach for the specials. I don't think I can wait until 2010 for all five of the specials to be released together.

If you really can't wait, another alternative would be to get a cheap multi-system/multi-region player (if you don't have one), and buy each of the specials as they come out in the UK. They'll be released individually in R2 within a few weeks-months of transmission.

Like most other people, I suspect Worldwide will release a boxset of all of the 2009-10 specials collected together, as that is, essentially, their "season" boxset.

Regardless, it's quite likely that whatever type of boxset emerges, it will be identical to whatever they have planned for a boxset in the UK, which won't be until next November, at the earliest.

Thanks for the alternative Andy. I can wait on whatever they end up releasing (I hope) next November. The only importing I'm doing is from Canada.

Finally this incarnation of "Doctor Who" will be in HD.

The Doctor Who News Page

Yep and I can imagine how much the BBC will charge for the blu-rays.

For those still wondering about how the specials will be released it looks like they're going to follow the same pattern as previous seasons (barebones or near barebones disc first, loaded boxset later) and a boxset with new features will be released later next year. The current dvd of The Next Doctor doesn't have a commentary, 5.1, the confidential special covering the making of the episode and the proms on the disc is a cut down version. It seems unlikely that the barebones discs will be released here in region 1 but who can say for sure. Hopefully the boxset will be released shortly after the 10th Doctor's final adventure is aired and a blu-ray version is released day and date with the standard def set.