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Title:
Doctor Who: The Invisible Enemy With K-9 And Company: A Girl’s Best Friend: 2
Disc Set
Region:
One
Genre:
British Sci-Fi TV Series
Stars:
Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Elizabeth Sladen and John Leeson
Writers:
Bob Baker, Dave Martin, and Terence Dudley
Directors:
Derrick Goodwin and John Black
Feature
length: 143 minutes/50 Minutes
Extras:
Audio Commentary With Actors Louise Jameson and John Leeson, Visual Effects
Designer Matt Irvine and Co-Writer Bob Irving and Audio Commentary With
Elizabeth Sladen, John Leeson, Linda Polin, and Script Editor Eric Saward, Dreams
And Fantasy Making Of, Studio Sweepings, Visual Effects, Optional CGI
Effects, Easter Egg, The K-9 Files, K-9 – A Dog’s Tale, Pebble
Mill At One, Trailers And Continuities, Photo Galleries, DVD-ROM Features:
Radio Times Listings, K-9 Stories, Production Notes
Languages:
English Monaural Sound
Subtitles:
English Subtitles for the Deaf And Hearing Impaired
Chapter
Stops: 6 Per Episode/ 4 Episodes/ 6 For K-9 And Company
Packaging:
Single Size Two-Disc Keep Case
Sound:
Monaural Sound
Year
of Television Broadcast: 1977/1981/DVD Release: 2008
Home
Video Distributor: BBC Video
MPAA
Rating: Not Rated
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
Doctor
Who: The Invisible Enemy With K-9 And Company: A Girl’s Best Friend
is actually a double feature fans of the Time Lord and classic series in Region
One North America will want to add to their collections. Disc one contains the
four-part story, The Invisible Enemy, which stars arguably the most
popular incarnation of the Doctor ever, Tom Baker and co-stars Louise Jameson as
his companion and introduces the character of K-9, voiced by John Leeson, a
brilliant robot shaped in the form of a retro in appearance, (by modern
standards), metal dog that becomes an important participant in the Doctor’s
adventures and developed such a fan base that the character in various
incarnations continues to make appearances in the new Doctor Who series,
which keeps continuity with the classic in so much as one can expect and in the
spin-off aimed at children, The Sarah Jane Chronicles. The second disc in
the set contains what I think is a forerunner of sorts to The Sarah Jane
Chronicles, a backdoor pilot shown during the holiday season on the BBC back
in 1981 entitled K-9 And Company: A Girl’s Best Friend. This little
seen pilot is what makes this DVD release all the more collectible for fans
because I am not even sure if it was ever made available for retail legally on
home video in the States before.
In
the first episode included in the set, which was inspired by Fantastic Voyage,
The Doctor must stop a sentient virus that has infected humans on Titan and
seeks a way to grow out from microscopic size and conquer our own macro verse.
When the Doctor becomes infected, he somehow must find a way a journey in
microscopic size into his own brain and discover the secret behind the invisible
enemy. In addition to being presented in a clear digitally remastered (1.33:1)
aspect ratio with English Monaural Sound and optional English Language Subtitles
for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired, there is an option to view the episode with
new CGI effects. The effects for the most part actually are an improvement over
what was available back in 1977 under a tight budget and a tighter deadline, but
do not expect the kind of improvements present in the high definition enhanced
versions of Star Trek: The Original Series.
Like
the above-mentioned Doctor Who episode, K-9 And Company: A Girl’s
Best Friend is presented in the original (1.33:1) broadcast aspect ratio
with English Monaural Sound and English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing
Impaired. Arriving at her aunt’s home for the holidays, Sarah discovers that
her aunt is missing and The Doctor has left her a K-9 robot as her very own
companion. She is also left in care of her aunt’s ward Brendan as their
investigation into the disappearance leads the trio to a cult that practices
human sacrifice because they believe it will make the following year’s crops
bountiful. Sort of like the Christopher Lee classic The Wicker Man minus
a giant wicker man. Overall, the episode is rather dull and is only interesting
in so much as to see how The Sarah Jane Chronicles improved upon the
concept if one has seen that series when it aired on SCI FI here in the States.
Both
discs feature audio commentary tracks and text commentaries as an option too. Actors
Louise Jameson and John Leeson, Visual Effects Designer Matt Irvine and
Co-Writer Bob Irving participate in the commentary for Doctor Who: The
Invisible Enemy while Elizabeth Sladen, John Leeson, Linda Polin, and Script
Editor Eric Saward participate in the audio commentary for K-9 And Company: A
Girl’s Best Friend. Other extra value features include documentaries
covering the making of the respective programs, some behind the scenes outtakes
with Tom Baker from The Invisible Enemy, a special effects featurette, as
well as footage from Blue Peter, where K-9 was a guest. There is an
Easter egg featuring footage of K-9 with British Host Larry Grayson from the mid
1970s too. For K-9 And Company: A Girl’s Best Friend there are also
footage of the character appearing on British television, a mock interview with
K-9, and a making of documentary. Trailers and continuities for both episodes
are included on each disc along with DVD-ROM PDF files containing Radio Times
listings and in the case of K-9, original stories featuring the character.
Motion photo galleries for both programs wrap up the bonus features on both
discs.
Doctor
Who: The Invisible Enemy With K-9 And Company: A Girl’s Best Friend: 2 Disc
Set
is available on DVD-Video now at retailers on and offline courtesy of BBC Video.
©
Copyright 2008 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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