Doctor Who: The Complete Seventh Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

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

"Run, you clever boy. And remember!"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown September 25, 2013

Doctor Who: The Complete Seventh Series collects The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe, Series Seven, Part One, The Snowmen and Series Seven, Part Two. In addition to new special features, the 4-disc set also offers an upgrade for every special and episode, presenting each one with a 1080p video presentation and a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. (All previously released S7 titles were presented in 1080i and, in the case of Widow and Part One, a 2.0Mbps DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1 audio mix.)

Click on any of the links below to read a more in-depth review of the thirteen corresponding seventh series episodes and Christmas specials, which were released on Blu-ray between February of 2012 and May of 2013:

The Complete Seventh Series Disc One

• 2011 Christmas Special:
  
  
  • The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe


• Series Seven, Part One Episodes:
  
  
  • Asylum of the Daleks
  • Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
  • A Town Called Mercy
  • The Power of Three

The Complete Seventh Series Disc Two

• Series Seven, Part One Episodes:
  
  
  • The Angels Take Manhattan


• 2012 Christmas Special:
  
  
  • The Snowmen


• Series Seven, Part Two Episodes:
  
  
  • The Bells of Saint John

The Complete Seventh Series Disc Three

• Series Seven, Part Two Episodes:
  
  
  • The Rings of Akhaten
  • Cold War
  • Hide
  • Journey to the Center of the TARDIS
  • The Crimson Horror
  
  The Complete Seventh Series Disc Four
  
  • Series Seven, Part Two Episodes:
    
    
    • Nightmare in Silver
    • The Name of The Doctor

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

While all four previously released Series Seven Blu-ray releases topped out at 1080i, The Complete Seventh Series set presents both Christmas specials and all thirteen S7 episodes by way of a tip-top 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation. Colors are quite striking, skintones lovely and lifelike on the whole, black levels deep and satisfying, edge definition clean and refined, textures exceedingly well-resolved, and delineation excellent. Moreover, significant artifacting, banding, aliasing, ringing and other mishaps are kept at bay. I only noticed a single instance of aliasing and a single instance of banding (the former appearing along the bridge of Dougray Scott's glasses in "Hide," the latter during the opening fades of the same episode), and both were extremely negligible. Grain-like noise is still an inherent part of the image, yes, and, every now and then, contrast can be a wee bit overbearing. But the series' source is the cause, not the encode. BBC Home Entertainment has outdone itself with The Complete Series Seven, and that's a very promising sign that the Doctor Who: Series 1-7 mega set (which includes the new Series Seven AV presentation, as well as new 1080p video presentations for other seasons and specials already available on 1080i BD) will be the envy of many a Blu-ray collector this holiday season.

(Note: all screenshots are taken from The Complete Seventh Series 1080p video presentation.)

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

Of the previously released Series Seven and 2011-12 Christmas special Blu-rays, two offered DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1 surround (The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe and Doctor Who: Series Seven, Part One) and two featured lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround. However, both Christmas specials and all thirteen episodes included in The Complete Seventh Series set boast DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround, yet again making the 4-disc release a more enticing upgrade than most of us expected. And while the differences between DTS-HD HR and DTS-HD MA may be minute, it all leaves quite a mark, particularly when the action amps up, trouble begins brewing and the Doctor and his companions tackle alien threats head on (or slightly to the side). The LFE channel is bold and booming, throwing its weight behind every explosion, implosion, TARDIS crash, lumbering beast, and destructive interstellar anomally. Rear speaker activity is dense and convincing too, with smooth pans and accurate directionality (especially in more atmospheric or frightening episodes like "Hide," where the bizarre happenings are made that much more intense by the enveloping soundfield). Better still, overall dynamics are excellent, and dialogue is clean, clear and perfectly prioritized at all times. The series' score comes on a bit strong on occasion, but it hardly amounts to an issue. All told, fans will be most pleased.

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

The 4-disc Blu-ray edition of Doctor Who: The Complete Seventh Series offers a variety of new special features in addition to most of the extras that were included on the four previously released standalone titles (The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe, Series Seven, Part One, The Snowmen and Series Seven, Part Two). The only bonus content that remains exclusive to the individual standalone titles amounts to three 44-minute television specials: "The Best of The Doctor," "The Best of the Companions" and "The Best of the Monsters."

New to The Complete Seventh Series Set

• Audio Commentary: The Snowmen (Disc 2, HD): Production designer Michael Pickwoad and art director Paul Spriggs deliver a rather dry, technical commentary for the 2012 Doctor Who Christmas special, but the two offer a great deal of detail about the design, sets, environments, visual effects and atmosphere of the special. (New to The Complete Seventh Series set.)
• Doctor Who in the U.S. (Disc 2, HD, 43 minutes): A look at the appeal and sudden popularity of the series on this side of the pond, as well as America's many appearances in the show over the decades. Includes interviews with Steven Moffat and other members of the production team, 10th and 11th Doctors David Tennant and Matt Smith, and supporting actors John Barrowman (Captain Jack), Karen Gillan (Amy Pond), Arthur Darvill (Rory) and Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith), among others. (New to The Complete Seventh Series set.)
• Last Days of the Ponds (Disc 2, HD, 12 minutes): Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill prepare for their final scene, then reminisce about Amy and Rory's run on the show, chat about the things they'll miss most, and share a few heartfelt farewells. The bittersweet featurette also includes interviews with Steven Moffat, Matt Smith and others. (New to The Complete Seventh Series set.)
• The Battle of Demon's Run: Two Days Later (Disc 2, HD, 3 minutes): After the Battle of Demon's Run, Vastra and Jenny recruit Strax and answer the eternal question, "what do you do on this Planet London?" (New to The Complete Seventh Series set.)
• Doctor Who on The Nerdist (Disc 3, HD, 15 minutes): Three interviews are included: two with Matt Smith on the new Nerdist BBC America series (via satellite), and one with Jenna-Louise Coleman on host Chris Hardwick's Nerdist podcast. (New to The Complete Seventh Series set.)
• Creating Clara (Disc 3, HD, 10 minutes): Steven Moffat, Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman dissect Clara, outline her development, and touch on her character and Coleman's performance. (New to The Complete Seventh Series set.)
• Seventh Series Audio Commentaries (Disc 3, HD): Episode audio commentaries are included for "Cold War," with writer Mark Gatiss, visual effects supervisor Murray Barber and visual effects producer Jenna Powell; "Hide," with director Jamie Payne and actor Matt Smith; and "The Crimson Horror," my personal favorite commentary, with chummy trio Catrin Stewart (Jenny Flint), Neve McIntosh (Madame Vastra) and Dan Starkey (Strax). (New to The Complete Seventh Series set.)
• Behind the Scenes (Disc 4, HD, 55 minutes): Fourteen behind-the-scenes featurettes are available, one for each Series Seven episode and one for The Snowmen. Featurettes include: "Life Cycle of a Dalek" (Episode 1), "Raptors, Robots and a Bumpy Ride" (Ep2), "Wild, Wild Spain" (Ep3), "A Writer's Tale" (Ep4), "A Fall from Grace" (Ep5), "Clara's White Christmas" (The Snowmen), "The Bells of St. John" (Ep6), "The Rings of Akhaten" (Ep7), "Cold War" (Ep8), "Hide" (Ep9), "Journey to the Center of the TARDIS" (Ep10), "The Crimson Horror" (Ep11), "Nightmare in Silver" (Ep12) and "The Name of The Doctor" (Ep13). (Thirteen of the fourteen featurettes are new to The Complete Seventh Series set. "Clara's White Christmas" was previously available on the Doctor Who: The Snowmen Blu-ray release.)
• The Companions (Disc 4, HD, 45 minutes): An exploration of The Doctor's companions and their function in the series, as told by numerous members of the Doctor Who cast and crew, among them Steven Moffat, Caroline Skinner (executive producer), 10th and 11th Doctors David Tennant and Matt Smith, and supporting actors Jenna-Louise Coleman (Clara), Karen Gillan (Amy Pond), Arthur Darvill (Rory), John Barrowman (Captain Jack) and Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith). Also featured is footage of Doctor Who table reads, episode shoots and other fun surprises. (New to The Complete Seventh Series set.)
• She Said, He Said (Disc 4, HD, 4 minutes): Another prequel minisode, one that begins with an in-character monologue/interview with Clara. (New to The Complete Seventh Series set.)
• Inforarium (Disc 4, HD, 2 minutes): More prequel madness (and fun), this time with Matt Smith's Doctor working to prevent an Inforarium's data-peddling scheme with a little trick picked up from The Silence. (New to The Complete Seventh Series set.)
• Clara and the TARDIS (Disc 4, HD, 2 minutes): One more prequel for the road, with Clara going toe to... timey wimey wire with the TARDIS. (New to The Complete Seventh Series set.)
• Rain Gods (Disc 4, HD, 2 minutes): The last of the Moffat prequels available follows the 11th Doctor and River Song working to escape ritual sacrifice. (New to The Complete Seventh Series set.)

Previously Released Special Features

• The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe Prequel (Disc 1, HD, 2 minutes): The Doctor, his finger holding down a red button, calls Amy Pond for help. If he lets go of the button, his ship will explode. (Previously available on The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe Blu-ray release.)
• Asylum of the Daleks Prequel (Disc 1, HD, 3 minutes): Another short prequel minisode, this time for the seventh season opener "Asylum of the Daleks." (Previously available on the Doctor Who: Series Seven, Part One Blu-ray release.)
• The Making of the Gunslinger (Disc 1, HD, 2 minutes): Rather than a production documentary, which would warrant more attention, this is an in-universe commercial for a gunslinger cyborg. (Previously available on the Doctor Who: Series Seven, Part One Blu-ray release.)
• Pond Life (Disc 2, HD, 6 minutes): A five-part mini-adventure featuring Amy, Rory and the Doctor. (Previously available on the Doctor Who: Series Seven, Part One Blu-ray release.)
• Doctor Who at Comic Con (Disc 2, HD, 11 minutes): Smith, Gillan and Darvill hit Comic Con and participate in an amusing Q&A panel that has unfortunately been edited down to only include the best bits. (Previously available on the Doctor Who: Series Seven, Part One Blu-ray release.)
• Vastra Investigates (Disc 2, HD, 3 minutes): A prequel to The Snowmen featuring Vastra, Jenny and Drax. (Previously available on the Doctor Who: The Snowmen Blu-ray release.)
• The Great Detective (Disc 2, HD, 3 minutes): Yet another Snowmen prequel short, albeit one that also stars The Doctor. (Previously available on the Doctor Who: The Snowmen Blu-ray release.)
• The Bells of St. John (Disc 2, HD, 3 minutes): This prequel opens Part Two of the seventh series, and finds a little girl talking with a lonely Doctor sitting on a swing at a playground. (Previously available on the Doctor Who: Series Seven, Part Two Blu-ray release.)
• The Science of Doctor Who (Disc 4, HD, 44 minutes): Is it possible to one day develop a TARDIS-like spacecraft? Achieve invisibility? Travel between dimensions and time? Where does the science fiction in Doctor Who stop and science fact begin? Examine the science behind the series, the advances that may be possible within our lifetime, and the theories behind many of the elements, tech and futuristic wizardry featured in the show. (Previously available on the Doctor Who: Series Seven, Part One Blu-ray release.)
• Clarence and the Whispermen (Disc 4, HD, 2 minutes): This Series Seven epilogue serves as a lead-in to "The Name of the Doctor," the upcoming Doctor Who 50th Anniversary film, and involves an imprisoned murderer who's visited by the Whispermen. (Previously available on the Doctor Who: Series Seven, Part Two Blu-ray release.)

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

Not everyone will be happy to see The Complete Seventh Series set. Those who didn't plan ahead and already purchased the individual season releases and Christmas specials will feel as if they wasted their hard-earned cash, especially once they realize there's more to the 4-disc set than exclusive special features. Meanwhile, those holding out for the Doctor Who: Series 1-7 Limited Edition Gift Set have to wait another month to get their mitts on the new and improved Series Seven. However, those who do buy in -- whether by way of The Complete Seventh Series or the Series 1-7 mega set -- will be treated to new 1080p video presentations, new DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround tracks, and a number of extras that weren't previously available. It amounts to a true upgrade that will delight and thrill undeterred Whovians.