Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Doctor Who: The Complete Ninth Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 19, 2017

It’s perhaps indicative of just how long lasting Doctor Who has been that the lore of this now beyond iconic series includes the fact that the broadcast of its very first episode in 1963 was delayed at least slightly since it came in the wake of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The series has been through any number of changes over the course of the intervening decades, not the least of which has been the parade of actors portraying the title character. Peter Capaldi took over the character from Matt Smith in 2013 and has just recently announced that he will be moving on after the so-called “tenth series” (British nomenclature differs slightly from American verbiage, with “series” standing in for our “season”). The ninth series of Doctor Who aired in late 2015 (the annual Christmas special, also included in this four disc Blu-ray set, aired on Christmas Day 2014) and features what is arguably one of the strongest overall sets of episodes in the show’s by now seemingly timeless (sorry) history. Doctor Who is a show that rewards longtime viewers with any number of nuances and character beats, but which is surprisingly accessible even for those who wouldn’t know a TARDIS from a phone booth, and this ninth series is no exception, offering an array of episodes that feature both appealing through lines while also providing episodes that stand on their own and don’t really require that much contextual understanding to make them enjoyable.

Doctor Who has had a glut of Blu-ray releases, at least some of which have been reviewed here, but probably the best single place to start for newcomers is Ken Brown’s exhaustive Doctor Who: Complete Series 1-7 Blu-ray review, which will at least get readers generally up to speed with various plot elements and history. Ken’s Doctor Who: The Complete Eighth Series Blu-ray review also deals with the arrival of Peter Capaldi in the lead role, as well as his connection to recurring character Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman).

Capaldi was greeted with less than exultant reactions when he took over the role of the Doctor, including in what seems to be at least a little questioning of his performance choices by our own Ken Brown, with many longtime viewers having to adjust to a kind of crankier, more curmudgeonly, take on the character. That difference may have also played into Capaldi’s interactions with other cast members, notably Coleman as Clara. Though the Christmas special which kicks off this set isn’t intrinsically linked that strongly to the actual ninth season, it at least makes a couple of things clear. First of all, the writing staff, including Steven Moffatt who scribed many of of this season’s episodes, as well as perhaps Capaldi himself, have decided to at least partially soften the character, who, while still prone to angry outbursts, actually seems out to help people instead of just annoy them. Second of all, the chemistry between Capaldi and Coleman, arguably one of the most important elements of this season, is markedly improved, with some actual touching emotional content accruing.

The Christmas special is typically whimsical, with the Doctor and Clara encountering Santa Claus (Nick Frost), who may or may not be a hallucination, as this “dream within a dream” episode continually toys with. While the story is fun in a traditional Doctor Who way, perhaps its most noticeable aspect is the relationship it begins detailing between Doctor Who and Clara, something that will continue to spill out through the season proper. Once the actual ninth season gets underway, one of the more fascinating elements with regard to the at least slightly “kinder and gentler” Doctor Who is his almost nurturing interactions with Davros (Julian Bleach). At least a little surprisingly, more than once this season Doctor Who actually reaches out to help Davros, including in a sequence which seeks to provide some interesting backstory (if that’s the proper word, considering the series’ time hopping proclivities), where the Doctor encounters Davros as a little boy.

There are a number of callbacks or at least follow ups to plot elements that have informed previous seasons of Doctor Who, and those might provide occasional hurdles for newcomers to the series, but the show’s writers create such instantly recognizable and accessible characters that even when certain aspects to plotlines may be too labyrinthine to instantly divine, the broad outlines of the story are always clear. Even longtime fans will be exposed to plenty of new content, including an intriguing character named Ashildr (Maisie Williams), a character whose arc at least somewhat parallels that of Clara herself this season.

Speaking of Clara, and without posting any outright spoilers, it’s this relatively “normal” character who provides probably the strongest emotional element to this season, especially as things wend toward a bittersweet finale. In fact some of the Doctor’s machinations with regard to Ashildr, who at one point is another “damsel in distress”, become relevant to a predicament Clara faces, and Moffat rather smartly addresses the underlying angst of the Doctor, something that ironically only further “humanizes” (for want of a better word) him. In a way, it’s a little sad that Capaldi has announced his “retirement” from the role, since this ninth season proves that while there was a bit of a learning curve on the parts of both the actor and the creative staff supporting him, the series itself was able to overcome any perceived obstacles to craft a really winning, totally involving season. But as longtime fans of Doctor Who know, the winds of change blow pretty recurrently over this series, and as any time traveller will probably tell you, it’s often best to simply go with the flow.

Doctor Who: The Complete Ninth Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Doctor Who: The Complete Ninth Series is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of BBC with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Those who have been following Ken's reviews of the series will note I've more or less traded the scores for video and audio from what Ken awarded, not that there's that much difference between a 4.5 and 5.0. While I concur with Ken's assessment that the video presentation of the series is top notch, featuring generally excellent clarity and at times staggering detail levels, I couldn't completely overlook some less than felicitous CGI this season, including a couple of shots that look like they could have used just a bit more time in the rendering process (one notable example is the closing sequence of the Christmas Special, when the cast is in Santa's sleigh). A few isolated incidences of over zealous grading also can lead to occasional slight deficits in detail levels at times. Those two slight quibbles aside, this ninth season continues the often spectacular look of the series on Blu-ray, with an appealingly vivid palette, solid contrast and an absence of any bothersome artifacting or compression anomalies.

Doctor Who: The Complete Ninth Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Doctor Who: The Complete Ninth Series' lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track should delight virtually all audiophiles, for it provides near constant surround activity, as well as a glut of really forceful LFE in just about every episode. Panning effects are ubiquitous, and isolated channelization of other effects helps to establish a very vivid soundstage virtually every step of the way. Despite some raucous action sequences, dialogue is routinely prioritized very well and is delivered with crystal clarity. Fidelity is spot on and dynamic range extremely wide on this problem free track.

Doctor Who: The Complete Ninth Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• Prologue (1080p; 2:02) takes place on Karn, where Doctor Who is contemplating his relationship with Davros.


• The Doctor's Meditation (1080p; 6:39) is a whimsical piece by Steven Moffatt which might be described as Doctor Who attempting to do yoga.

Note: The two supplements above are available in the Special Features submenu, but are authored to automatically play after the Christmas Special and before the first "real" episode of the ninth season.


• Doctor Who Extra (1080p; 29:13) offers some fun EPKs devoted to "Last Christmas", "The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Famliar" and "Under the Lake/Before the Flood".


• Commentary on Last Christmas by Paul Wilmshurst and Paul Frift.


• Commentary on Under the Lake features Derek Ritchie, Toby Whithouse and Sophie Stone.


• Commentary on Before the Flood features Derek Ritchie, Toby Whithouse and Sophie Stone.

Disc Two

• Doctor Who Extra (1080p; 25:03) explores "The Girl Who Died/The Woman Who Lived", "The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion" and "Sleep No More".


• Commentary on The Woman Who Lived features Derek Ritchie and Maisie Williams.


• Commentary on Sleep No More features Mark Gatiss and Reece Shearsmith.

Disc Three

• Doctor Who Extra (1080p; 41:23) looks at "Face the Raven", "Heaven Sent/Hell Bent" and "The Husbands of Riversong".

Disc Four

• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 25:55)


• Wil Wheaton Interview (1080p; 42:12) features the preternaturally baby faced Star Trek: The Next Generation alum interviewing Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman.


• Comic Con Panel (1080i; 59:18) features devoted Whovian (and Wheaton BFF) Chris Hardwick hosting Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Michelle Gomez and Steven Moffat.


• Writing Who (1080p; 14:43) is an interesting profile of fan and episode writer Sarah Dollard.


• Dalek Devotion (1080p; 6:15) features some fun comments from Capaldi about these iconic characters.


• Fan Show Finest (1080p; 16:08) profiles some of the show's many fans.


• Clara's Journey (1080p; 19:18) is spoiler filled, so beware.


• The Adventures of River Song (1080p; 10:07) is a fun visit dealing with the return of an enjoyable character.


• Sublime Online (1080p; 22:57) has some fun candid footage mixed with interviews.


• Trailers (1080p; 8:28)

Doctor Who: The Complete Ninth Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Peter Capaldi, we hardly knew ye, or so it may seem once the actor departs Doctor Who after the tenth season. That's actually kind of sad in my estimation, for there's little doubt the actor really hit his stride in this ninth season, supported by some typically inventive writing and the always colorful supporting cast. That said, this season is probably more Jenna Coleman's, at least with regard to enduring emotional impact. BBC's technical presentation continues to be top notch, and the supplementary package is extremely enjoyable. Highly recommended.