 Can’t
believe I missed reviewing this one when I got it folks…sorry.
Better late than never, here comes my review of Dr Who
– The Caves of Androzani (released on DVD by BBC Worldwide
publishing in June 2001). As usual we start with a plot
outline, so cover your eyes and ears for the next four
paragraphs if you want it to remain a surprise!
The fifth Doctor (played by
Peter Davison) and his companion Peri find themselves
on the extremely inhospitable planet of Androzani Minor
and pretty much immediately end up in the middle of
an underground war. Troops and gunrunners, from the
neighbouring world of Androzani Major, are battling
to the death ~ all in the name of military supremacy
and the control of a life-prolonging substance called
Spectrox. Spectrox is produced by a hideously disfigured
megalomaniac called Sheraz Jek (who is in self imposed
exile after suffering awful injuries in an “accident”
on the planet.
The Doctor and Peri, as per
usual, find themselves slap bang in this conflict! Jek
becomes infatuated with Peri (because of her beauty
and vibrant life-force), they fight androids, cheat
execution and generally end up fighting for their lives.
It turns out that the weapons used by Jek to fight the
establishment are actually being supplied by the man
who is responsible for his disfigurement (a powerful
magnate on Androzani Major called Morgus)~ this realisation
drives him virtually insane!
While escaping their captor
(Jek) the Doctor and Peri become infected by Spectrox
Toxaemia ~ a deadly disease that can only be cured by
the milk of a giant Queen bat deep in the planet’s caves.
The Doctor is faced with a race against time to get
the antidote and administer it to himself and Peri.
On his return he gives Peri her dose, but some has spilt
and he doesn’t have enough for himself.
What follows is one of my saddest
moments during my whole time watching Doctor Who ~ Peter
begins to regenerate (a process by which Time Lords
like the Doctor change their bodies into new ones when
their present form is injured or old) and we are not
sure if he will live. Peter Davison was my favourite
Doctor so this regeneration, although visually the best
I have seen, was also the most difficult for me to watch
(yes I’m a sad old mare!). KarenUK will be really pleased
at this moment because he is replaced with the wonderfully
unique Colin Baker!
The Caves of Androzani was
originally broadcast on BBC Television from the 8th
to the 16th March and is made up of four episodes.
Right then…now here comes a
review of the DVD itself starting with the Special Features…
SPECIAL FEATURES
COMMENTARY
This time the commentary, that
you have the option to turn on while watching the programme,
is from Peter Davison (the Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri)
and Graeme Harper (the Director of the show at the time).
I found this really entertaining, but I always make
sure that I watch the show first without the commentary
otherwise I get too distracted. Peter and Nicola’s enthusiasm
comes through, as well as lots of fond memories and
stories of working together. Graeme’s contribution is
good too because he highlights the difficulties encountered
in making the shots work and lots of behind the scenes
info too.
TRAILER
This is a bit of a trip down
memory lane because I remember waiting for this to start
on BBC 1 and I remember the trailers really well. This
is a nice feature ~ short and worth a look.
NEWS ITEMS
These include a news report
announcing that Peter Davison was leaving the show (Cue
me crying softly in the background), a BBC News interview
with Peter (I’m still sniffling into my hankie) and
a South East at Six feature about Peter and John Nathan-Turner
(who is sadly and untimely death was sad for all us
Who fans). I really enjoyed watching these items and
was surprised at how many memories they bought back
for me. They may not be as interesting for anyone who
isn’t a fan of the show, but I would recommend you to
take a look.
BEHIND THE SCENES DOCUMENTARIES
There are two little documentaries
included and both are really interesting. One lasts
for around eight minutes and shows how the regeneration
sequence was produced. This was a particularly good
sequence features the fifth Doctor’s companions and
enemies ~ there is a sense of chaos and uncertainty
produced and I enjoyed seeing how the whole thing was
brought together. There is also the option to watch
this with a commentary.
The other documentary is slightly
too short at five minutes, but it is good all the same.
It has a commentary from Christopher Gable (who played
Sharez Jek; another actor who is sadly no longer with
us) and is all about the creation of this sinister yet
touching character. There are some interesting photos
of Jek’s makeup too.
PHOTO GALLERY
The usual run of stills, cast
shots and behind the scenes photographs. I do like to
look at this but, unlike some of the older episodes,
I had seen many of the pictures before.
PRODUCTION SUBTITLES
I don’t like to watch my Doctor
Who DVDs without having the info-text turned on. Alun
and I like to read as we watch and once again the subtitles
are great. I’m sure they’d be really useful for quizzes
because they have information on what all the actors
have been in (before and after Dr Who), as well as stuff
about viewing figures and how things were filmed. This
has always been my favourite addition to the Dr Who
DVD releases and, although I do prefer the subtitles
on the “earth based” adventures (because I like to know
the locations of the shots for potential visits ~ SAD!),
these info-texts don’t disappoint.
GRAPHICAL MENUS
These are very slick and provide
a way to navigate around the disc with ease! They provide
an interesting way to select the scenes, etc, and give
little snippets of the programme as a taster. Well produced
and executed!
ISOLATED MUSIC SOUNDTRACK
If you wish you can watch the
action just with the music (created by Mark Ayres using
the original tapes) and not the effects or voices. I
thought this would be a bit silly and a waste of time,
but I listened to it anyway in the interests of research.
I actually found it quite entertaining and was surprised
how well the music complemented the action on screen
~ kind of a Doctor Who Silent Movie!
All in all there are some great
special features contained on this disc…another credit
to the BBC. It’s also a good adventure story that is
still watchable today. It is a fitting end to Peter
Davison’s tenure as the good Doctor and a thoroughly
good DVD too. The special features once again make it
a worthwhile addition to any Dr Who fan’s collection.
Even if you already have it on video or taped it off
UK Gold, it’s still worth going out and buying it on
DVD. It’s available from all the usual stockists (currently
£19.99 on Blackstar and the same price at the
BBC online shop), but shop around for the best prices.
(DWO Price
is £15.99)
If you haven’t got Caves of
Androzani already, then you are missing out on a treat!
» Review
by Andrea
Waterhouse,
Copyright 2003.
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