The Doctors, 30 Years of Time Travel and Beyond

This was the first video I purchased after watching my very first episode, The Enemy Within starring Paul McGann in 1996 and so the first programme I had seen on Doctor Who. I found the video a bit confusing at times when they were talking about the whole changing of the programme with Tom Baker leaving but since reading up on the series and now being a nine year fan, find this video more informative to watch now than back then. If I was to recommend to anyone who want's to purchase a video or watch a documentary on Doctor Who try getting hold of a Doctor Who Night video, which you can only find on recorded cassette sop very rare, but Doctor Who: More than thirty years in the Tardis is a good start. I agree with others who have commented on this video that seeing home footage of lost episodes or generally old ones with deceased stars of the show like Roger Dalgardo, Patrick Trouhgton and Jon Pertwee was a huge benefit over not having any of the BBC archive footage. I was not really put out by what Peter Davidson was saying because the sets and props were crap, but that's only if you look at the effects that evolved years after his era. I loved Sophie and SDylvester talking about there muck-ups and the music that gave it a sad felling, but at the same time was a very honest video which is one of the best in my not very big but average collection.

This contains some 8mm footage of the DOCTOR WHO stories , The Smugglers , The Abominable Snowmen , and The Daemons . Unfortunately these clips ( Shown out of context I might add ) are the only decent moments from one of the most disgraceful video releases ever inflicted onto the public.

First of all , because of copyright reasons , THE DOCTORS doesn`t include any clips from the show itself ! Yes that`s right , a video ( Though I saw this on DVD ) about DOCTOR WHO doesn`t include any clips from DOCTOR WHO . Strange how this isn`t mentioned on the video box , instead we`re " treated " to 80 minutes of mind numbing talking head interviews with still photos . What about the interviews ? Well with the exception of the late Jon Pertwee saying the show shouldn`t be brought back there`s nothing here that I haven`t heard before , and are Don Henderson , Brian Blessed and Sally Faulkner - All of whom have appeared in one DOCTOR WHO story each - really going to give much insight into the show ? It should also be pointed out it was Donald Wilson who got Sydney Newman`s idea for the show off the ground , not as is insinuated by Shuan Sutton . There`s also too much product placement on sale here with plugs for video spin off tales which are more often than not produced by Bill Baggs , the producer of this piece of crap

Another thing I detested about this video was something so bad it deserved its own paragraph - THE PICTURE QUALITY IS ABSOLUTELY DREADFUL . I`ve seen pirated porn films with better picture quality , and no it`s not down to a dodgy video copy either , I`ve seen umpteen other comments about how poor the picture quality is from other fans of the show on other websites

I got this as a gift from my mother and felt that I had been ripped off even if it didn`t cost me a penny . No doubt the producers of this released it knowing how gullible some DOCTOR WHO fans are , well I`ve got a message for them - I`m no schmuck . If you`re thinking of buying this please think again , and do not confuse it with the classic video DOCTOR WHO : 30 YEARS IN THE TARDIS

It is a shame that so few Americans have had a chance to see it (my copy was a surprise inclusion on a "Dr. Who Video Compilation Tape" from a mail-order "collectors' service") because this is in some ways the best of the "Who" documentaries. Sadly, it is very low-budget and some of the interviewees are not the best choices. One man suggests that the concept of the Doctor being able to regenerate, and thus be played by different actors, was part of the concept from the beginning, when it was created because William "The First Doctor" Hartnell's failing health forced him to leave the show. Actress Sally Faulkner only had a damsel-in-distress guest part in one story. While actor Brian Blessed also appeared in only one story (and his very informal clothing suggests that the producers, while setting up to interview two others, happened to see him walking by and said "Hey, Brian! Care to join the discussion?"), his comments indicate that he is a knowledgeable "Who" fan of long standing. But other people have much first-hand testimony to offer. There's Second Doctor companion Wendy Padbury, the late Third Doctor Jon Pertwee (did he not take part in every "Doctor Who" celebration that came along?), Fourth Doctor companion Louise Jamison, Fifth Doctor Peter Davison and his companion Mark Strickson, Sixth Doctor Colin Baker, Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy and his companion Sophie Aldred and producer of the 1980s run, John Nathan-Turner. The fact that this was produced outside the BBC means that clips from the series couldn't be included (though color home-movie footage taken during location shoots is nice to see, especially that from "The Smugglers", a story which no longer exists in the BBC archives at all), but it also means that those commenting on their experiences can be very frank and candid. This results in some surprising comments from JN-T about Tom Baker's behavior at the very end of his tenure, as well as his and Colin Baker's accounts of that actor's controversial time on the show. But best of all are Davison and Strickson's reminiscences of low budgets and tight schedules. Peter's tongue-in-cheek pronouncement "It's crap!" has gotten him into trouble with some fans, but, in context, it clearly is not intended to be taken seriously. Despite all its flaws, this is definitely must viewing for all serious open-minded "Doctor Who" fans.