Bamboozled by Dr Who DVDs

[margaritasbythesea]

Can anyone help me? I am completely mystified.

DS has asked for seasons 1-8 of Dr Who on DVD for Christmas, by which he means the old ones beginning with Patrick Troughton. He sayas his friend has them. I have asked for a picture of the box cover but none forthcoming yet.

I keep trying to work out what it is I am supposed to buy and am completely bamboozled by the whole thing. There seem to be so many brandings and rebrandings. He just wants to watch the series, as he has been watching the modern ones on iplayer.

Could any kind person please link to a simple box set or site that will explain it to me?

[DadOnIce]

No, nobody has deleted any Tom Baker episodes. All the colour ones exist. It's only the B&W ones they 'wiped'. (See the chart I linked to above.) This wasn't unusual - it was standard practice for TV shows in the 60s. Nobody imagined thousands of people would want to see these shows again in forty years' time.

[woodhill]

It was a bit of a random example😊

Have caught DH watching the repeats before now

[WitchesSpelleas]

Worth noting as well that although On the Buses has dated badly, the film was the highest grossing in the UK the year it came out.

[PigletJohn]

things like on the buses were made, as I understand it, for sale to the various regional TV companies, who paid a fee to the maker. So there may have been more copies, and there would have been repeat fees for each showing, so a financial benefit from keeping copies available.

The BBC had a different business model. They sent copies to overseas broadcasters in the colonies, some of which did not return them after use, so occasionally copies have been found in old store rooms. I imagine it is increasingly unikely any more will be found.

[WitchesSpelleas]

Can't understand why when they have other stuff preserved like On the Buses

On the Buses was ITV (made by London Weekend Television) - ITV kept hold of more of their stuff than the BBC.

[woodhill]

Oh so not all these dvds exist - real shame? Are these just the episodes that were made?

[Rememberallball]

This is a list of the first 8 Doctors episodes - not all are available any more but it’s a starting point

merchandise.thedoctorwhosite.co.uk/features/dvd/

[StanfordPines]

I think you are misunderstanding the ‘deleted’ bit here.

Many of the earlier episodes literally no longer exist. Tape was expensive in those days so they recorded over them. No one has seen them since broadcast.

[PigletJohn]

You will find some on Ebay.

[BigFatLiar]

Some are available on Amazon prime if you want to let him see them. Pick and choose stories, seasons can be expensive but it may give you an idea on whether subscribing to Britons is worth it.

[Hatters]

They don't seem to have anything you could describe as 1-8 though. DH is the fan, I think he mentioned that the numbering in the UK is more consistent. Here we have a season 1+ for each Doctor. I see at least one set for all from Pertwee to Colin Baker

[woodhill]

That's a real shame, no wonder they haven't been repeated.

Can't understand why when they have other stuff preserved like On the Buses

[Hatters]

They have been re-releasing old ones as blue ray sets and I think they are labelled as "season 1"...

I don't think they've done a Troughton set, but we have some Tom Baker and Peter Davidson like this and they are really nice sets.
Sorry for Canadian link. On phone and lazy!
www.amazon.ca/Doctor-Who-Complete-Season-Blu-ray/dp/B079PT1N7W&ved=2ahUKEwiMqbL4jNfsAhUFhOAKHawDA_YQFjADegQICRAB&usg=AOvVaw3evU-n_wa8-2kG4cP64Wrv

[margaritasbythesea]

They have deleted the Tom Baker ones

Those are the ones he really wants to see.

[TwoLeftSocksWithHoles]

I think the first ones are only available as 'wax cylinder' recordings.

[woodhill]

Yes such a shame. I am a fan and would love to watch the episodes again particularly Tom Baker ones.

Wish BBC would put some on again. Remember the birthday celebrations a few years' ago

[UselessTrees]

The BBC's formerly cavalier attitude to their catalogue annoys me, too, and I'm not even that much of a Who fan. Conclusive proof that time travel isn't possible, I suppose, that a future Whovian hasn't been back to rescue all the tapes for posterity!

[margaritasbythesea]

I told him about Britbox, but tgen also told him about the deleted episodes and he is very cross about it. He's a budding collector and always seems to choose something that he actually can't collect all of.

I am letting it lie for a bit and then will probably get the subscription.

Sorry for the mistakes I made. I am mortally sure he would not have made them.

[PigletJohn]

and it's "Doctor" not "Dr."



I went to school with a Companion. She was quite a stocky little girl but aged well.

[Holothane]

I’ve got all the classic series as well as new, if he wants to start from An Unearthly Child, .

[PigletJohn]

@margaritasbythesea

Can anyone help me? I am completely mystified.

DS has asked for seasons 1-8 of Dr Who on DVD for Christmas, by which he means the old ones beginning with Patrick Troughton. He sayas his friend has them. I have asked for a picture of the box cover but none forthcoming yet.

I keep trying to work out what it is I am supposed to buy and am completely bamboozled by the whole thing. There seem to be so many brandings and rebrandings. He just wants to watch the series, as he has been watching the modern ones on iplayer.

Could any kind person please link to a simple box set or site that will explain it to me?

They began with William Hartnell, not Patrick Troughton.

[PigletJohn]

Seasons 1 to 8 is presumably 1963 to 1971? Many of them are unobtainable as the old tapes were wiped and re-used, but you can get sound-only recordings.

You had better print off the contents you track down and show them to the lucky recipient to make sure that's what they want.

Pub Quiz fact:
The first episode was broadcast twice. It was scheduled for a Saturday evening. President Kennedy was assassinated the day before, and so many people were watching the news on TV that they did not see Doctor Who and it was repeated the following week.

[nosswith]

Could you time travel to watch them?!!!

[ErrolTheDragon]

@BigFatLiar

Lots of other things he may want to watch as well (depending on age). Space 1999, Blakes 7, Star Cops etc.

(probably stuff you may enjoy as well)

We're doing Blake's 7 at the moment - it's better than I remembered. Space 1999 otoh we gave up on after a few episodes.

[Oldandcobwebby]

Does he mean from the 1st to the 8th Doctor - that would be all the "classic doctors"?