Steve Roberts says...

[SiHart]

There is every intention to release every story, including those with episodes missing, within the next four years.

It's going to be an expensive few years then!

Is this good news folks?

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

BUT DOES IT INCLUDE "SHADA"??

Si.

[Lissa]

Woo hoo - this means Doctor Who will start being released on a new format in three and a half years.

Times ahead.

[Pip Madeley]

It's going to be an expensive few years then!

Not really, I don't religiously buy them on release. I'll pick and choose what I really want, then wait for the others to go cheap

[Jon Masters]

I thought this thread was going to be like the public information films:

"rowlliyowliscruffityowelmiaow"

"Stevie says...don't go off with the strange man to see the puppies"

[Captain Tancredi]

I did a bit of vague arithmetic earlier on, and that suggests 40-45 slots for 70-odd stories. Not exactly a mad rush if you bear in mind that you can easily put the Peladon stories together, the E-Space trilogy, the Guardian trilogy and so on, not to mention some doubling-up.

Where it's slightly disappointing is that it presumably means that at best, those stories needing a little bit extra on the restoration front will only get what's available in 3-4 years at best. Then again, I suppose the economics of it are that DVD is such a cheap and commonplace format that it probably won't pay to throw loads of money into the tail end of the run.

[Andrew Curnow]

I presume they're keen to get them out while the current series remains popular - we know it's good to 2010, and assuming nothing goes awry it should last at least a couple of years after that.

[Captain Tancredi]

It may also be that they've learned their lesson from the long tail of the VHS range and don't want to be bringing out unpopular stories for completists when the rest of the world is going high definition. And given that 1963-89 Who isn't really suitable for the HD treatment (the novelty of being able to see every individual line of the 405 in a Hartnell episode will probably wear off after a while) it could become tricky to market.

[Simon R]

The sooner they get them out then the sooner they can re-master and re-issue them in complete season boxed sets.

[Rob McCow]

Are they coming out on vinyl?

[Si Hunt]

I have to say my thoughts on this after thinking about it is "what's the big hurry?". I'd be happier if they took their time on tricky releases like "Shada" and the black and white Pertwee's. I'll be very annoyed if "Mind of Evil" isn't recoloured because they're trying to dash them all out in four years.

Si.

[Antony Cox]

I'm sure they'll at least try to leave the trickier ones until near the end so that hopefully by then technology will have progressed a bit as well as the costs having come down.

[Larry]

I have to say my thoughts on this after thinking about it is "what's the big hurry?". I'd be happier if they took their time on tricky releases like "Shada" and the black and white Pertwee's. I'll be very annoyed if "Mind of Evil" isn't recoloured because they're trying to dash them all out in four years.

Si.

DWM did do an interview last year with a couple of guys from 2/entertain, and they did say they did not want to end up with the same same scenario as the video releases and take take nearly 20 years to get every thing out.

That's why the release rate was increased from 6 a year to what we have now but what Steve Roberts, has said is actually only confirming what 2/entertain said in that same interview that they want every thing released within the next 5 years.

[Perry Vale]

but what Steve Roberts, has said is actually only confirming what 2/entertain said in that same interview that they want every thing released within the next 5 years.

True, it's also confirming what he himself said at an american convention over a year ago, when he stated they should all be out within five years, iirc.

[Pip Madeley]

It'd be a shame if this means a reduction in extras.

[Larry]

It'd be a shame if this means a reduction in extras.

Don't see why it should I think we had some thing like 18 releases last year and the quality of extras was not effected in any way.

[Milky Tears]

I though he'd already said this last year, or something!?

Or maybe it was one of my RT DREAMS!

[Si Hunt]

DWM did do an interview last year with a couple of guys from 2/entertain, and they did say they did not want to end up with the same same scenario as the video releases and take take nearly 20 years to get every thing out.

Is there not some ground in the middle though?

I would be happier if they'd pledged to get all the STANDARD stories out within 4 years, and then said they'd leave all the missing/black and white Pertwee stories til last, doing them as 'special editions', one every six months, using up multiple budgets/time resources on them required for the additional animating/recolouring work.

Si.

[Jason Thompson]

Is there not some ground in the middle though?

I'd say we are heading for middle ground. Assuming they aim to get everything out by the end of 2012, that makes the range complete in 12 years since the first release. (Taking the comment that the original Five Doctors release, in 1999, is not considered part of the 'official' Doctor Who range, the first would be Spearhead From Space in January 2001.)

We'd all be happier if they released them at a lower rate with loads of extras and recoloured/animated episodes to plug the gaps, but whatever we get on shiny DVD is going to be an imprevement on the VHS releases, even if Mind Of Evil does come out in black and white. I'd rather see the episodes cleaned up and released sooner, before the tapes deteriorate any further, and the extra atention lavished on recolouring later, as special editions after the original release if necessary.

[Si Hunt]

I'd rather see the episodes cleaned up and released sooner, before the tapes deteriorate any further, and the extra atention lavished on recolouring later, as special editions after the original release if necessary.

I agree with your general point Jason, but isn't this straining credibility as a reason? I doubt the tapes are deteriorating THAT fast, and surely they'd have backed up digital copies anyway. That said, I'd be happy to buy any of the stories twice if it meant getting better versions later.

Si.

[Larry]

it will be interesting to see what they do with the stories with missing episodes animation is of course one option but the huge cost of animating all the missing episodes makes it a non starter.

As much as I enjoyed the animated episodes on Invasion, I think the bestter policy would be to do simmiler releases like The Tenth Planet/Ice Warriors and use telly snaps and audio to subbistute for those missing episodes.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

I'd rather see the episodes cleaned up and released sooner, before the tapes deteriorate any further.

I doubt even my VHS copies will deteriorate to the point where they are unwatchable before I shuffle off this mortal coil.

[Jason Thompson]

I'm not suggesting they will become unwatchable. The more they deteriorate the harder it becomes to restore them. OK, they might not deteriorate much more in the next four years, but every little helps.

[Antony Cox]

I doubt the tapes are deteriorating THAT fast, and surely they'd have backed up digital copies anyway.

Si.

As I understand it, most of (if not all) the original quad tapes have already been 'backed-up' onto Digibeta anyway, and that's what they use as their master source for the DVD's.

[Dirk Gently]

I thought that a lot of the Hartnell/Troughton/Pertwee episodes are on film & as such every minute counts with regard to the emulsion deteriorating.
I'd ask the RT if you want a definitive answer.