BBC Home Entertainment has officially announced and detailed the Blu-ray release of
Doctor Who: Spearhead from Space. The 4-part debut of the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) was not only the first of the series to be produced in color, it was shot on 16mm film (rather than recorded on videotape), which allows for a true high definition remaster.
Spearhead from Space streets on August 13th, and includes lossless audio and several extras.
Synopsis: As punishment for breaking the laws of time, the Time Lords have forced the Doctor to change his appearance, taken away his ability to time travel, and exiled him to Earth. The digital media services team of BBC Studios and Post Production was commissioned by BBC Worldwide to retool the story, which was first broadcast in January 1970 and also introduced Caroline John as assistant Liz Shaw. That "facelift" became the Third Doctor's first adventure, which pitted the Time Lord against a malevolent collective intelligence from outer space, introduced the Autons, and established the Doctor's uneasy alliance with UNIT.
For the Blu-ray release, the original 16mm negatives were scanned and digitized using state-of-the-art equipment. From there, further strides were made, including repairing damage done to one episode's negative caused by a reaction with chemicals during a printing process some years ago. Dirt has also been removed, grain lessened, joins cleaned up, and picture movement stabilized. The soundtrack, which had previously been remastered, was then added to the final master version.
Spearhead from Space features a 1080p video presentation (at 1.33:1), a DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 track (with optional English subtitles), and the following extras:
- Restoration Comparison: Digitally Remastered Picture and Sound Quality
- A Dandy and a Clown
- Carry On: The Life of Caroline John
- Title Sequence Material