The Doctor met the Sea Devils and Silurians on three separate occasions (and two regenerations) and this box set brings all three together and adds some great special features to sweeten the deal.
Doctor Who and the Silurians (1970):
Investigating a nearby cave system, the Doctor discovers it is the base of a group of intelligent reptiles, termed Silurians, who went into hibernation millions of years ago but have now been revived by power from the research center.
The Sea Devils (1972):
Investigating, the Doctor learns from Captain Hart (Edwin Richfield), commander of a nearby Naval base, that the sinkings have centered around an abandoned sea fort. He and Jo then visit the fort and are attacked by what one of the men there terms a Sea Devil, an amphibious breed of Silurians. The Master, aided by a misguided Trenchard, is stealing equipment from the Naval base in order to build a machine to revive the remaining Sea Devils from hibernation.
Warriors of the Deep (1984):
Three Silurians led by Icthar (Norman Comer) - the surviving member of a Silurian triad - revive a colony of Sea Devil Warriors in order to invade the base and use its weapons to attack the opposing power bloc, thus provoking a global war that will allow the reptiles to conquer the Earth.
Both the Sea Devils and the Silurians are great examples of Jon Pertwee’s era. Silurians was the first and only time that Doctor Who appeared in the title of an episode. It does suffer from some seven-episode bloat (which makes it a two-disc set), but there are still some great Doctor moments such as how the Doctor handles meeting an alien.
The Sea Devils has the added fun of Roger Delgado’s Master and the participation of the Royal Navy. The Sea Devil costumes are a bit wonky but they look golden compared to what comes next.
The Silurians and the Sea Devils team up for an episode in the Peter Davison era, Warriors of the Deep, which is sunk by its poor special effects and confusing plot. I thought the monster costumes of the 70s actually looked a little better than what appears on the screen in the 80s since the seams appear far more obvious, especially the horrible Myrka.
Who fans will eat it up, but I found the Pertwee ones a more tasty treat. Pertwee’s my favorite Doctor so I’m probably biased. However, even if Warriors is a bit of bleech it still has some great special features to make it go down better. The titles in this set are also available separately for those that don’t want to be choosey, but Who fans know they want all of them no matter what.
The shows are presented in fullscreen as they aired on the telly. Special features are rather generous. First up is the Silurians first disc which has a commentary by actors Caroline John (Liz), Nicholas Courtney (The Brigadier), Peter Miles (Lawrence) and Geoffrey Palmer (Masters), director Timothy Combe, producer Barry Letts, and script editor Terrance Dicks.
There’s also an isolated music track and trivia track. Next is the 35-minute “What Lies Beneath” in which the socio-political climate of the era shaped some of the show. Disc two starts with “Going Underground” which is a making of feature. The 9-minute “Now and Then” looks at the locations at the time of filming and as they appear today. The 14-minute “Musical Scales” looks at the music of Who.
The 4 minute “Color Silurian Overlay” shows how this episode was restored, even more so than the restoration done for its appearance on VHS. The episode only exists in a high quality black and white print, but a fan taped it off of a broadcast in color. This shows how they married the two together digitally to make it look as good as new. There’s also a photo gallery, a 1-minute preview of the Time Meddler, and the Radio Times Listings on DVD-ROM.
The Sea Devils has a commentary by director Michael Briant, producer Barry Letts, and script editor Terrance Dicks, and is moderated by Andrew Cartmel. There’s also an isolated music track and trivia track. Next is the 36-minute “Hello Sailor!” making of feature. There’s also a 4-minute 8mm amateur film with commentary. There are also 6 minutes of “Trails and Continuities” (think commercials).
There’s also a photo gallery, Time Meddler preview, Radio Times Listing (DVD-ROM) and “The Making of Doctor Who” the entire text of the 1972 Piccolo book (DVD-ROM). The Warriors of the Deep has a commentary by actors Peter Davison (the Doctor) and Janet Fielding (Tegan), script editor Eric Sward and visual effects designer Matt Irvine. There’s also an isolated music track and trivia track.
The 31-minute “The Depths” is a making of feature. The 13-minute “They Came from Beneath the Sea” is about how they created the beasties for the episode. The 6-minute “Science in Action” is an interview with Matt Irvine. There are also 4-minutes of “Trails and Continuities,” a photo gallery, Time Meddler preview, and Radio Times Listings (DVD-ROM).
Even if one of the episodes isn’t particularly up to snuff, I’m talking to you Warriors of the Deep, but there are enough special features to appease your Dr. Who appetite. The Silurians have been restored even further thanks to modern technology and it looks great. All the aquatic fun is worth having, but I favor the Pertwee episodes. Wonderful chaps all of them.
Doctor Who - Beneath The Surface is now available at Amazon . As of yet, this version of the DVD is not available in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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