Possibly the high point of Doctor Who in the 1980s was Peter Davison's swan song to the series, 1984's outstandingly suspenseful Caves Of Androzani. Combining Shakespearean plot twists with modern day political intrigue and violence, Caves is one of those Doctor Who stories you can show to anybody with no shame. It's often been pointed out as the jewel in the crown of the late John Nathan-Turner's reign as the show's producer, and looking at it again in newly-restored form on DVD, I think that's a justifiable claim.

One of the highlights is a three-pronged attack on the audio commentary, with Peter Davison, Nicola Bryant and director Graeme Harper giving the four episodes a first look in many years. Davison is a bit sarcastic, but all three seem to realize they had a rare oppotunity to create something special here. But if anyone gets a laugh in now and again, it's Davison, especially what sounds like a well-rehearsed, ready-for-stand-up scree about how, if getting shot at, blown up and threatened for all four episodes isn't enough, the final insult is turning into Colin Baker!

The other features include a stereo isolated music track of Roger Limb's foreboding all-synth soundtrack, and a first for Doctor Who DVDs, a reworked version of the matte painting shot opening episode one. This slight change presages the more drastic changes of later releases such as The Ark In Space, but at least BBC Video knows enough about Who fandom to know that there'll be purists who will be extremely offended if there's not an option to watch the original opening shot. You can watch with either version.

We've had high praise for the box sets of Star Trek: The Next Generation's early seasons, as well as relatively obscure shows like Battle Of The Planets which have been rescued from the often-inaccurate mists of memory by DVD, but I still have to say that thus far, my favorite television-originated DVD releases have been the Doctor Who stories committed to DVD. There's really a lot to look forward to in each release.

Reviewed by Earl Green
theLogBook.com webmaster / editor-in-chief