Doctor Who - The Seeds of Death

Sometime in the 21st century, the Earth is dependent on T-Mat, a futuristic transport system that allows simultaneous transporting of matter to anywhere in the world (providing it is part of the T-Mat network), with the main use being the instant transportation of people and freight such as food and medical supplies. The T-Mat control centre is helmed by Commander Radnor (Ronald Leigh-Hunt) and Gia Kelly (Louise Pajo), but all is not well, and the Moon relay station is malfunctioning.

Meanwhile, the second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and his companions Zoe (Wendy Padbury) and Jamie (Frazer Hines) find themselves floating in space with a cosmonaut trying to claw his way into the TARDIS, or at least that is what it appears to them as they study the TARDIS’ video screen. They have, in fact, landed in a space museum on Earth, and decide to have a bit of a poke around. However, the owner springs them - at gunpoint.

Back on the Moon, trouble’s a brewin’. The base has been overrun by Ice Warriors, a race of warlike creatures that are rather ugly, rather slow and, thankfully, rather dim. Their purpose is not immediately clear, but the T-Mat is involved. Several of the workers at the Moon base are killed for non-compliance, bar one who manages to run off to try and raise the alarm, and another who is cowardly enough to work for the Ice Warriors to save his skin.

The controllers on Earth are frantically trying to find a way to get to the Moon to find out what is wrong when they recall on old-timer scientist who had been working in rockets before the T-Mat transport system left such things behind in the technological stakes. Commander Radnor visits Professor Daniel Eldred (Phillip Ray), who is still busy dealing with the three intruders who have gatecrashed his museum.

As plans are formulated in an attempt to regain control of the Moon base, the Ice Warriors’ invasion plans are revealed, as is their intention for the T-Mat system. They are using it to send seedpods to Earth that emit a foam-like fungus which feeds on oxygen, thereby suffocating Earth’s inhabitants – us. The Doctor has to call on all his skills to stop them and save the Earth – again!

"I do not look like Moe from the Three Stooges, alright?!"

This 1969 six-part adventure is one of the few complete Patrick Troughton stories in existence, and the second to be released on DVD. It was Troughton’s third last appearance as the Doctor, one of the last to be filmed in black and white, and is a run-of-the-mill story that's typical of the Doctor Who adventures of the first few years. It is essentially aimed at children, and therefore the basic storylines are linear, the plots to conquer the Earth are straightforward, and all monsters are evil and should be killed on sight.

The acting is varied, though the regular cast is solid. Most of the supporting cast are respectable enough, with one or two questionable, almost amusing, exceptions. There are some minor flubs such as stumbling over lines, cameras bumping into the set, wobbling walls, actors trying not to giggle and flimsy props.

There are the usual dodgy special effects, actors in clumsy rubber suits doing their best to look scary, and some amusing and inventive uses for everyday items such as torches, curtain material, fuse wire and tinfoil. You gotta love it!

Those who are collecting the series will be pleased to learn that the packaging and menus are consistent with previous releases, and the video and audio quality, and extra features, are of the usual high standard.

It should not come as a surprise to learn that this full frame release is in black and white, and as with previous releases has been give the full restoration treatment from the BBC Restoration Team using the vidFIRE process. You can read more about that at their website. The overall image is quite sharp, though it does drop when there is rapid action on screen, and the camera is forced to pan to keep up.

There is good contrast with solid blacks and whites. There is some evidence of grain and good shadow detail, apart from some infrequent stock footage that is of a lower quality. Virtually all artefacts have been removed and there are no glitches or jumps.

There is no edge enhancement, and only some very minor shimmer that occurs each time a particular loud speaker appears on screen. There is evidence of mild background noise, and the layer change is placed between episodes. This is a vast improvement over any VHS copy you may have seen, even if the original source material was not in as much of a need for restoration as some other Doctor Who footage from this period.

The audio for this release is a Dolby Digital 2.0 mono and is also a fine improvement on the hiss-ridden VHS release in the 1980s. There is still some very minor hiss, but it should trouble no one as it does not interfere with the overall fidelity and clarity. It is a consequence of being old and nothing more.

Audio synch is fine, and all dialogue is audible. Being mono there is not a great depth of sound, but it is quite adequate. There is no separation or panning of sound, and all but the left and right front speakers are silent.

As with previous releases, there are numerous extras included in this two-disc set.

Audio Commentary: This commentary is from the director, Michael Ferguson, actors Wendy Padbury and Frazer Hines (Zoe and Jamie), joined from Episode Three on by script editor Terrance Dicks, who is uncredited with writing the final episodes. All four impart anecdotal snippets mixed with remembrances, occasionally providing something of real interest, and Ferguson focuses more on the direction and production side of things. There are numerous pauses that increase in length.

Production Subtitles: When watched with the aforementioned commentary, these subtitles provide extra information about the cast, flubs, production notes, audience figures, rehearsal/filming dates, further anecdotes, special effects, and genuine trivia.

New Zealand Censor Clips: In early 2002, a New Zealand fan, helping catalogue a private collection, stumbled on to some clips that were censored by the NZBC, and several of these clips are from missing episodes. Die-hard fans will be excited by this 90 second find of snippets from The Web of Fear and The Wheel in Space..

The Last Dalek: Accompanied by commentary from effects designers, Michaeljohn Harris and Peter Day, this ten-minute ‘silent’ piece in black and white was recorded in 1967 by Tony Cornell, and is a behind the scenes look at the recording of the final battle scenes in The Evil of the Daleks, another ‘lost’ story.

Sssowing the Ssseedsss: This will interest many viewers and fans alike. Over 24 minutes, it is a series of recent interviews with the various one-off cast members that were the Ice Warriors and includes footage from the feature, and some behind the scenes shots.

TARDIS-Cam No.5: This is another of the short special effects shots that shows what Doctor Who might look like if it was in production today.

Photo Gallery: At a little over five minutes, this self-navigating gallery combines shots of models, cast, crew, on-set goings-on, publicity stills and the set. It is accompanied by ‘music’.

Easter Egg: Enjoy a short piece of film that shows the four commentators recording the audio commentary when you find the hidden Doctor Who logo on Disc Two. See our Easter egg page for instructions if you get stuck.

2003 marks the 40th Anniversary of Doctor Who and will see at least one DVD release that features each of the seven Doctors. Doctor Who – The Seeds of Death is the one from the Patrick Troughton era and as there are few of his stories that exist in full, it may be a while before we see another from this time.