STACK #189 Jul 2020

FEATURE TV

It’s the departure story for 12th Doctor Peter Capaldi, who’s facing a regeneration crisis together with his very first incarnation (brilliantly played by David Bradley, channeling the late William Hartnell). Then of course there’s the introduction of Jodie Whittaker’s 13th Doctor. But before we get to that historic gender switch there’s the matter of a disrupted timeline that has displaced a World War I soldier (Mark Gatiss), the appearance of a soul-harvesting spaceship called Testimony, and the seemingly impossible return of companion Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie). A cracking regeneration episode with the Christmas theme dialled down but nicely integrated, and a poignant farewell speech from Capaldi.

Now, Shada can be enjoyed in its entirety, with the remastered live-action footage combined with colour animation and recorded dialogue from the original cast.

SHADA A Time Lord secret. A brain-draining sphere. An alien criminal with appalling fashion sense. A trip to Cambridge for the Doctor, Romana and K-9. Originally set to close Season 17

TWICE UPON A TIME The 2017 Christmas Special gives you three Doctors for the price of one disc.

of the classic series in 1979, production on this six-part adventure – written by the great Douglas Adams and starring Tom Baker as the Doctor – was halted by a BBC strike and then abandoned, with only 50 per cent completed.

DOCTOR WHO: CLASSIC SEASON 14

T he next limited edition Blu-ray box set in the ongoing series of classic Doctor Who seasons is the third release to feature Tom Baker’s Doctor and includes some of the programme’s all-time great stories. Originally broadcast September 1976–April 1977, Season 14 saw the departure of much-loved companion Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and the introduction of warrior woman Leela (Louise Jameson); the return of the Master and a deeper look into Time Lord society; killer robots aboard a mobile mine; and an absolute classic of the series – The Talons of Weng- Chiang , which brilliantly combines Sherlock Holmes with The Phantom of the Opera, Fu Manchu and Jack the Ripper in foggy Victorian London.

For the record, the stories included are: The Masque of Mandragora , The Hand of Fear , The Deadly Assassin , The Face of Evil , The Robots of Death and the aforementioned fan favourite The Talons of Weng-Chiang . All 26 episodes have been newly remastered for Blu-ray and the extensive bonus features include new documentary Our Sarah Jane , celebrating the life of the late Elisabeth Sladen; new audio commentaries fromTom Baker on selected episodes; Matthew Sweet in conversation with producer Philip Hinchcliffe; and new VFX for Talons , which will no doubt fix the risible giant rat scene! This Limited Edition Collection is a must-have for Whovians, so grab it while stocks last. Out July 15

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