Doctor Who - Series 1 - Complete (DVD)

For someone like me the return of Doctor Who in 2005 was scary: I’d grown up with it. From Tom Baker in my dimmest memory as a youngster to McCoy as the series waned. Following the adventures of the TARDIS crew is a fondly remembered part of my childhood. I followed the Doctor in books and CDs in his years of exile between 1989 and 2005. Looking back now, I remember worrying that the new series could have been terrible.

There was no need to worry: the new series is fantastic. Sassy, lavish, funny, fast and still miraculously recognisable as the Doctor Who we remember. Eccleston is brilliant as the Time Lord and Billie delightful and convincing as his companion. Other star turns through these 13 episodes from John Barrowman, Richard Wilson, Zoe Wanamaker, Camille Coduri and Penelope Wilton (to name only a few) all contribute to the classiness of this return to form.

As you enjoy these 13 episodes, you will be swept away by the inventiveness, humour and superb quality of the production. The special effects are actually good. Let’s face it, the kids of today wouldn’t flock to the dodgy sets and terrible monsters that pleased me when I was young. They rightly expect more and they get it by the bucket-load.

There’s lot here for grown ups too. The Bad Wolf leitmotif is dangled in front of us from the very beginning and it intrigues and niggles until it is resolved in the last episode. Issues of sexuality and love aren’t shunned and we are left wondering exactly what is going on between the Doctor and Rose.

And you get daleks! Yes, daleks: scarier, more malevolent and more dangerous than ever before. They can fly and there are thousands of them! I tell you, it’s worth it for the daleks alone. EXTERMINATE!

What do you get on this boxed set aside from the fantastic 13 episodes and loads of daleks? In terms of extras, it’s a bit disappointing. There are some engaging ‘making of...’ vignettes which will probably only appeal to the seriously spoddy, but they do pass the time. The commentaries too are a bit boring and self-serving. Billie, Russell T and John Barrowman are interesting enough when they appear but Christopher Eccleston is sadly missing. The set also includes the Doctor Who Confidential series originally seen on BBC 3. That said, these aren’t the full episodes but ‘cut down’ versions.

A lot of stick in the mud Whovians don’t approve of the new series. I’m glad. This is Doctor Who and it’s better than ever before. Grab this box set so you can enjoy it again and again until the Doctor returns again in the spring.