What Version is the Dr. Who Series 1 Set? (1 Viewer)

[Scott-S]

I was wondering if the new Dr. Who show that has been shown on BBCA and is now on DVD is the uncut versions or the BBCA versions? I assume they are different as BBCA tends to remove 10 minutes to allow for commercials.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

The DVD versions are identical to the versions released in Region 2, which are the original, unedited UK editions of the episodes, not the "syndicated" version as seen on BBC America and Sci-Fi Channel.

 

[Scott-S]

Thanks!!

I guess that is why they are pretty expensive. But now that I know, I guess I'll take the plunge.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Well, BBC releases (like ones from HBO) are always released at a sort of "premium" price. I'm not entirely sure as to why they charge as much as they do. In the case of New Doctor Who, perhaps they're claiming it helps to "fund" the show (though I think all programming is still funded through the licence fees).

If you're worried about the high price tag, a cheaper option (at least in the case of series one) would be to buy the four individual volumes rather than the boxset. They work out about $10 cheaper than the boxset, and you can buy them one-at-a-time if you like.

Also, some fans have pointed out that the 5.1 sound mix on the series one boxset is a bit "off", with the music and fx drowning out the dialogue, which it didn't on the broadcasts. The "individual" releases use the 2.0 stereo broadcast sound mix instead. Only bad thing about the individual releases (to me) is absolutely no extras, but since the series one box didn't have any deleted scenes or outtakes included anyway, those extras didn't really entice me.

I'm just glad they didn't cock up the sound on the series 2 box. When the price drops someday, I'll be havin' that one (will make do with my BBC1 recordings 'til then).

 

[Jonathan Kaye]

No, Doctor Who like all BBC programming is still funded by the licence fee. Co-productions do happen, of course, and Doctor Who is helped by funding contributions from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which is why they have a co-producer credit.