Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		2.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.0

Doctor Who: Jon Pertwee: Complete Season Three Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 1, 2023

When you're a Time Lord, you really don't need to worry about things like a traditional forward chronology, and as I joked most recently in our Doctor Who: Jon Pertwee: Complete Season Two Blu-ray review, that may mean that the BBC's release strategy for this incredibly long lived series can resemble a ping pong match at times. Thus far and with regard to the Jon Pertwee incarnation of the Doctor, in addition to this release and the aforementioned Complete Season Two, the venerable BBC has seen fit to also release Doctor Who: Jon Pertwee: Complete Season Four, though in terms of that "traditional forward chronology", it may be salient to note that the release regimen offered the fourth season on Blu-ray first, the second second and the third third, so to speak, which I guess is mostly traditionally chronological. This particular batch of episodes originally aired in the first six months or so of 1972, but perhaps quaintly, they may suggest more of a "sixties" attitude than some of the pseudo-mod elements that would define the Tom Baker era of the series (and don't get me started on the BBC's mind boggling releases, or lack thereof, for those particular Doctor Who years).

This is actually a rather interesting season (to use our vernacular from this side of the pond) for Doctor Who, with clear "kiddie show" elements still very much in play, but with a perhaps slightly more cosmopolitan aspect entering the fray at times, as in The Mutants and The Time Monster in particular. As quaint as it may sound, this season's opening serial Day of the Daleks was evidently the first time Brits got to see the television version of the Doctor's seemingly indestructible nemeses in color (feature films had already provided that attraction). There are some undeniably goofy creatures populating various episodes, with some in The Sea Devils in particular probably prone to provoke laughter or at least some giggles in more modern day sensibilities. Despite what were some recurrent budgetary constraints, this season also gets out and about quite a bit, helping to free the stories from the confines of being so obviously set bound as so many Doctor Who episodes from this same general era could be.

Doctor Who: Jon Pertwee: Complete Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Doctor Who: Jon Pertwee: Complete Season Three is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of BBC with AVC encoded 1080i transfers in 1.33:1. Just as there seems to be no real logic in how BBC is choosing to release these standalone series, there's also a sometimes baffling variance in quality between seasons, and for whatever reason, I'd actually rate this near the top of the Jon Pertwee releases thus far, but that may be damning with faint praise, as fans who have been collecting these upscaled releases may already be aware. There's quite a bit of filmed material here, some of which actually has what I'd state is at least a relatively "true" high definition appearance, though that said, there are certainly some deficits in both detail and palette at times. But even some of the videotapes material here doesn't have the really ragged appearance that has afflicted several other seasons of the series, though I don't want to mislead anyone into getting their hopes too high. There are still regular manifestations of everything from aliasing to ghosting to moire patterns, so set your expectations bar appropriately.

Doctor Who: Jon Pertwee: Complete Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Helping to seal the deal for this set at least for audiophiles may be the addition of DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and even a Dolby Atmos track for The Sea Devils, with all episodes offering DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono tracks. I have to say as far as surround reimaginings of mono tracks, both the 5.1 and Atmos versions are commendably free of that kind of quasi-phased quality that often attends such efforts, but that said, the actual surround activity tends to be limited to the sporadic sound effects and score. All of the mono tracks offer secure fidelity and clear reproduction of dialogue, effects and score. Optional English subtitles are available (and commendably they're offered on the supplements as well).

Doctor Who: Jon Pertwee: Complete Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One - Day of the Daleks

• Making of Documentary (HD; 30:34)


• Behind the Sofa (HD; 31:52)


• A View From the Gallery (HD; 20:00) offers some information on BBC's Television Centre and the series' production.


• Now and Then (HD; 5:22) is a look at locations.


• Blue Peter (SD; 4:48)


• BBC Trails and Continuities (SD; 1:23)


• Photo Gallery (HD; 11:12)


• Audio Archive

  Sunday Best - Terry Nation (HD; 9:20)

  
  

  Free Thinking - The Daleks (HD; 43:15)

• Episode Commentary features a revolving set of cast and crew and can be found under the Audio Options Menu.


• Episode Info Text can be found under the Subtitles & Info Text Menu.


• PDF Files are available via a computer drive.

Disc Two - Day of the Daleks Special Edition

• 1973 Omnibus Version (HD; 1:00:19)


• Making the Special Edition (SD; 13:34) gives some background on some of the updated effects for this the Special Edition.


• The Cheating Memory (SD; 8:26) offers Special Edition producer Steve Broster ruminating on Proustian things like the inaccuracy of memory (e.g., contrasting his childhood memories of the original version of Day of the Daleks with his adult reaction).


• The Unit Dating Conundrum (SD; 9:04) addresses the absence of a certain romance.


• Convention Footage (HD; 42:18) is from November 1986.


• Teaser Trailer (SD; 00:20)

Disc Three - The Curse of Peladon

• Making of Documentary (SD; 23:23)


• Behind the Sofa (HD; 30:39)


• Jon & Katy Featurette (SD; 7:07)


• Storyboard Comparison (SD; 2:17)


• Film Sequences (HD; 3:24)


• BBC Trails & Continuities (SD; 4:12)


• Photo Gallery (HD; 9:30)


• Audio Archive

  Abridged BBC Audiobook - Side A (HD; 45:00) features Jon Pertwee.

  
  

  Abridged BBC Audiobook - Side B (HD; 44:42)



• DVD Version

  Episode One (SD; 24:36)

  
  

  Episode Two (SD; 24:35)

  
  

  Episode Three (SD; 24:20)

  
  

  Episode Four (SD; 24:18)

• Episode Commentary features a revolving set of cast and crew and can be found under the Audio Options Menu.


• Episode Info Text can be found under the Subtitles & Info Text Menu.


• PDF Files are available via a computer drive.

Disc Four - The Sea Devils

• Making of Documentary (SD; 36:39)


• Behind the Sofa (HD; 31:39)


• Defenders of Earth (HD; 7:28) is a fun short with Katy Manning as Jo Jones.


• Behind the Scenes Footage (SD; 3:53)


• Music Featurette (SD; 13:55)


• Nationwide (SD; 3:25)


• South Today (HD; 3:55) is from 2013.


• BBC Trails & Continuities (SD; 9:56)


• Photo Gallery (HD; 10:45)


• Coming Soon (SD; 00:43)


• Audio Archive

  Radio Solent Jon Pertwee Interview (HD; 3:52)

  
  

  Radio 4 Today (HD; 2:09)

• Episode Commentary features a revolving set of cast and crew and can be found under the Audio Options Menu.


• 5.1 Surround Episode Audio can be found under the Audio Options Menu.


• Dolby Atmos Episode Audio can be found under the Audio Options Menu.


• Isolated Music Soundtrack is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and can be found under the Audio Options Menu.


• Episode Info Text can be found under the Subtitles & Info Text Menu.


• PDF Files are available via a computer drive.

Disc Five - The Sea Devils Omnibus

• Omnibus Version (HD; 1:28:27)


• Location Location Location (HD; 42:52) is a fun tour of sorts showing spots utilized for Doctor Who , hosted by Katy Manning.


• Michael Briant Documentary (HD; 51:46) profiles the director.


• Stuart Fell Documentary (HD; 26:35) does similar service for a legendary British stunt man.


• DVD Version

  Episode One (SD; 24:42)

  
  

  Episode Two (SD; 24:32)

  
  

  Episode Three (SD; 24:08)

• 5.1 Surround Audio can be found under the Audio Options Menu.


• Dolby Atmos Audio can be found under the Audio Options Menu.

Disc Six - The Mutants

• Making Of Documentary (SD; 19:11)


• Behind the Sofa (HD; 30:55)


• Diversity Documentary (SD; 37:43) is from 2010 and looks at how the series tried to address current events, including in this instance colonialism and empire.


• BBC Trails & Continuities (SD; 1:01)


• Photo Gallery (HD; 8:03)


• DVD Version

  Episode One (SD; 24:26)

  
  

  Episode Two (SD; 24:24)

• Episode Commentary features a revolving set of cast and crew and can be found under the Audio Options Menu.


• Episode Info Text can be found under the Subtitles & Info Text Menu.


• PDF Files are available via a computer drive.

Disc Seven - The Time Monster

• Behind the Sofa (HD; 30:52)


• Between Now. . .and Now! (HD; 23:39) attempts to give some scientific credence to the story of The Time Monster. This has a bit of backstage drama involving Barry Letts, evidently, at least seemingly from some of Letts' comments.


• Nationwide (SD; 3:26)


• BBC Trails & Continuities (SD; 00:37)


• Photo Gallery (HD; 10:03)


• Episode Commentary features a revolving set of cast and crew and can be found under the Audio Options Menu.


• Episode Info Text can be found under the Subtitles & Info Text Menu.


• PDF Files are available via a computer drive.

Disc Eight - The Time Monster Special Features

• DVD Version

  Episode One (SD; 25:08)

  
  

  Episode Two (SD; 25:08)

  
  

  Episode Three (SD; 24:02)

  
  

  Episode Four (SD; 23:59)

  
  

  Episode Five (SD; 24:34)

• Making Of Documentary (HD: 50:16)


• DVD Restoration Comparison (SD; 3:23)


• Jon Pertwee Sketch (SD; 3:27)


• The Panopticon Archive (HD; 43:33) features Ingrid Pitt and Terrane Dicks from 1992.


• 50th Anniversary Archive (HD; 10:14) offers Richard Franklin at the 50th anniversary celebration.


• Studio Clocks (HD; 9:25)

Doctor Who: Jon Pertwee: Complete Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

You can almost feel the Doctor Who writers trying to stretch out a bit this season with some more thoughtful enterprises, but there's still the unmistakably goofy "kiddie show" ambience here that can tend to drive more modern day Doctor Who fans a little batty. Video, while still far from optimal, actually looks relatively decent, contextually speaking, and audio is fine, aided by the 5.1 and Atmos versions on The Sea Devils. As with virtually of these standalone Doctor Who releases, the supplementary package is absolutely outstanding and may help to counterweigh the deficits in the video presentation for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.