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July 9th, 2011 44 comments

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Doctor Who – The Sun Makers DVD

Doctor Who – The Sun Makers DVD

The TARDIS arrives in the future on the planet Pluto where there are now six suns, a breathable atmosphere and a large industrial community. The Company controls the planet and exploits the workers, pays them a pittance and then taxes them on everything imaginable. The Doctor and Leela join forces with an underground band of rebels led by a man named Mandrel…

Special Features

*Commentary with cast and crew
*Documentaries and behind the scenes footage
*Photo Gallery
*Digitally re-mastered picture and sound quality

the-sun-makers-vhsOriginal VHS cover and information

The Sun Makers stariing Tom Baker
by Robert Holmes

Far in the distant future Earth has become uninhabitable, forcing man to colonise first Mars, then Pluto

No longer the coldest planet in the solar system Pluto is now warmed by a series of artificial suns access to the sunlight is limited to a select few… 1 majority of the citizens of the vast Megropolis cities are being overworked and overtaxed by the ruling elite, led by the Gatherer, and the sinister Collector.

The Doctor, Leela and K9 arrive, and discover that all is not well on Pluto. The human population is being totally exploited, whilst deep in the Undercity, a small band of rebels seeks to overthrow the mysterious ‘Company’ that controls all aspects of everyday life.

As the situation gets more desperate, the Doctor is forced to fight the oppression of the evil corporate rulers of Pluto. And their taxes…!

The scenes set on top of the roof of ‘Megropolis One’ were recorded at the WD & WO Wills Tobacco Factory in Bristol, which had just been completed in 1977. The roof was enormous – the size of two football pitches, according to director Pennant Roberts – and as a bonus, the factory had a lengthy underground tunnel, which doubled as corridor P-45. Other material was recorded in tunnels around the Camden Deep Tube Shelter in London.

This story was broadcast on BBC 7 between 26 November – 17 December 1977.


Categorised under: Doctor Who DVDs, DVD

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44 comments

  • McGann is the Doctor

    July 29th, 2011 - 2:11pm

    Yuck, what a disgusting DVD cover ! 2E have really been dropping the ball, lately, in terms of DVD-cover making. πŸ™

    No bother, 2 me there’s no point in getting this without the Face of Evil on DVD , which has STILL yet to be made. 😑

    Reply
    • Gordon

      July 30th, 2011 - 10:58am

      The cover aint that bad. Its just very basic. From what i heard the artist lee binding didnt have much photo stills to base the cover on which is probably the reason for being so basic.

      I do not think its esential that you need to get face of evil first before getting this.you can watch this without having any prior knowlege of face of evil. As for the face of evil dvd its coming out within the next 5 to 12 months so its really not that far away considering I have been waiting over 6 years for the dvd release.

    • McGann is the Doctor.

      August 9th, 2011 - 3:25pm

      πŸ™ You’re quite right sir !

    • McGann is the Doctor.

      August 9th, 2011 - 3:25pm

      I’ve been such a spoilt fanatic !

  • K-Kobus-K

    July 28th, 2011 - 1:20pm

    In the HMV near where I live they have put it out to buy 3 weeks early accidentally !! πŸ˜€

    Reply
  • the flaw games

    July 25th, 2011 - 9:13am

    pluto isn’t even a planet anymore

    Reply
    • Finlay

      July 25th, 2011 - 9:31am

      This was made when it WAS a planet!

    • Doctor Who DVD Collector

      August 9th, 2011 - 8:55am

      what is pluto now then?

    • The Whofan101

      August 9th, 2011 - 2:05pm

      dwarf star I think…

    • McGann is the Doctor.

      August 9th, 2011 - 3:24pm

      A planetoid. Its too small to be a proper PLANET but it doesn’t count as a moon because it aint next to anything ! πŸ˜†

  • Ryan

    July 22nd, 2011 - 9:57pm

    Ooh, never, ever seen this one, should be enjoyable, although, if in “The Solar System” boxset with “The Ambassadors of Death”, I would enjoy it sooooo much more, but Sun Makers looks good still.

    Reply
    • lewis

      July 23rd, 2011 - 11:20am

      Hello,
      Please to Let you know which date in August 2011 doctor who the sun makers dvd has not out Yet? Thankyou, Lewis?

  • Intergalactic

    July 22nd, 2011 - 12:11pm

    Booboo, did you know about Series 6 Part 2. They’ve got a DVD cover on Amazon now! See link: (Amazon) http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004URO3OS/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dowhtv-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B004URO3OS. See this link: (Actual image) http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110722085822/tardis/images/3/3b/Series-6-part-2-dvd-cover.jpg.

    Reply
    • booboo

      July 22nd, 2011 - 12:13pm

      yes i have seen , were not really interested in doing anything with DVD’s now. we will just add them in as they come out

  • jordan

    July 19th, 2011 - 6:19pm

    this look good

    Reply
  • Twelth Cyber Legion

    July 19th, 2011 - 5:47pm

    Does anybody know a website where you can make your own dvd covers??????

    Reply
    • booboo

      July 19th, 2011 - 5:54pm

      what is it you want i have a template?

  • KRYNOIDY

    July 19th, 2011 - 11:27am

    A U rating? They knock a man of a building! It should be a PG at least

    Reply
  • gordon

    May 17th, 2011 - 12:09am

    Looks like the next 4th doctor release after sunmakers (not including the special edition of robots of death in revisitation 3 box set) will be Nightmare of eden. Producer ed stradling has said his extras are done plus the production subtitles are done. Would not suprise me a january 2012 release

    Reply
    • McGann is the Doctor

      July 29th, 2011 - 2:19pm

      But the Nightmare of Eden was meant to be in a boxset with Shada ! It WAS !!

      And waht about the Android Invasion ? I want that story so I can get Planet of Evil and the Seeds of Doom and watch them all in a month or so ! πŸ˜₯

  • Gordon

    April 8th, 2011 - 1:23pm

    1st of august is the release date!

    Reply
  • Policebox

    February 27th, 2011 - 8:36am

    Due to the delay of The Ambassadors of Death, they have abadon this boxset and a single release of The Sun Makers will be released instead. When i get this, I will own all compleate Tom Baker stories either on DVD or VHS. I have already got all the stories in some form for Troughton,Davison,C.Baker, McCoy, MgGann,Eccleston and Tennant. Only needing two for Hartnel and about half a dozen for Pertwee.

    Reply
  • Scarves are awesome

    February 14th, 2011 - 7:07pm

    Lets start a petition to get people to join the petition!

    Reply
  • gordon

    February 14th, 2011 - 12:33am

    Totally agree with both scarves are awsome and Mcgann is the doctor. A special edition of vengance on varos should happen. But dan hall (head of 2/entertain) did a q and a on the dr who online forum and said this:

    The Facebook group for a VAROS SE only has a few hundred members. For this to really be considered a viable product we’d need a considerably higher purchase rate than this. It’s something I am watching for sure, but after a flurry of interest from fandom it seems interest has faltered.

    DH

    Shame!

    Reply
  • McGann is the Doctor.

    February 12th, 2011 - 11:44pm

    -Youre rite, πŸ™‚ and that matters alot because WE SHOULD see Vengeance on Varos get a worthy DVD release. Better cover, factual subtitles (yep, the old DVD was so long ago it doesnt even have that!) and the proper image of Colin Baker on the back. Also, better special features, whihc would actually address the complexity and controversy about this story, assess the “Do you get it, or dont you?” opinions there are around Vengeance on Varos. The DVD commentary was totally excellent on the last DVD, adn since then Nabil Shaban has played Sil…

    Reply
  • Scarves are awesome

    February 6th, 2011 - 7:21pm

    What I want to see is The Tenth Planet and The Ice Warriors with Recons, Terror of the Zygons, Dragonfire and specila edition Vengeance on Varos.

    Reply
  • McGann is the Doctor.

    February 5th, 2011 - 8:21pm

    The thing I want to get sooner rather than later, is the story “Colony in Space”. Probable that I would get that story on DVD as soon as it were available! Its the adventure where the Jon Pertwee Doctor pilots his first real, independant-voyage in the Tardis since his regeneration. Wait, no I think its another story where he has to pilot the Tardis, the Colony in Space was where the TimeLords are teh reason the Doctor travels in the Tardis, they send him out for that story. -Ofcourse!!

    But still, that is one crucial story I intend to own.

    Reply
    • McGann is still the Doctor.

      April 4th, 2011 - 12:56am

      My dear past self ,I will have to correct you. The Three Doctors was actually the story, or was it the Mutants? Lets just count them ALL as his first journey in the Tardis. Why dont we jsut have a nice Big BoxSet for Jon Pertwees escape from earth? The Mutants The Three Doctors and Colony in Space. I wasnt going to get those first two, heh. (???)

      Anyway, is this Leelas first time with the Doctor, Louise Jameson the savage. She learns alot from our old Doctor, does she not? She probably learnt alot more from Romana in the Gallifrey Series.

  • harold saxon

    February 2nd, 2011 - 1:24pm

    at lest we have day of the daleks and terror of the autons to look forward to,shame it got delayed but i agree they can’t rush these things! Maybe we will get an alternative release in it’s place.

    Reply
  • McGann is the Doctor.

    January 29th, 2011 - 11:12pm

    The Ambassadors of Death is not one I’m entirely familiar with, but I do know its very special and significant. Its been of inspiration to the future stories of this series, (“Silence in the Librarys” monsters, the Creature from The Pits plotline) and was ofcourse third in the third Doctors timeline.

    It was following the style and story likeness of the culture-classic Quatermass, which scared the hell out of me last year.
    The sunamkers I beleive SHOULD be released seperate. Its silly how 2E place two very difrent stories in the same box.

    Reply
  • GORDON

    January 28th, 2011 - 11:30pm

    @biggest doctor who fan ever: Its restoration issues getting it back to colour.

    I’m Very disapointed but on the bright side it gives them extra time to get the restoration right. Id rather see it delayed than rush released.

    Reply
  • Scarves are awesome

    January 28th, 2011 - 4:51pm

    This is a disaster there goes one of the best releases of the year πŸ™ .I can’t believe they can’t release it until at least 2012 :shock:. At least we still have Day of the Daleks to look forward to.

    Reply
  • biggest doctor who fan ever!

    January 28th, 2011 - 1:15pm

    @ GORDON

    omg! why? πŸ™

    Reply
  • GORDON

    January 28th, 2011 - 12:37pm

    From classic dr who twitter. Solar System Box cancelled. Sunmakers to release on its own in same slot. Ambassadors delayed to at least 2012

    Reply
  • Alex

    January 26th, 2011 - 4:35pm

    Ambassadors delayed πŸ™ so does this mean The Sun Makers will now be released separately?

    Reply
  • Scarves are awesome

    January 23rd, 2011 - 6:48pm

    This looks set to be 2 entertain’s best year so far. 2 Hartnell releases :smile:, special editions of 7 stories, popular stories like Terror of the Autons :grin:, Frontios and Planet of the Spiders, CGI additions to Day of the Daleks and Ambassadors of Death will be in colour for the first time since the original transmission! Its going to be hard to top this!

    Reply
  • McGann is the Doctor.

    January 23rd, 2011 - 6:28pm

    Id love to own that story the Sunamkers. First heard of it with the scene where he plays chess with K9, “machine mind computes mate, in six moves”
    So much for the Doctors theory from Destiny of The Daleks about using “irrational decision” against an opposing enemy faction.

    Also because, the name the Sunmakers struck me as being a bit odd a title. It was that kind whcih made me double take when I first heard of it, kind of odd. πŸ˜†

    Reply
  • daleksvscybs

    January 19th, 2011 - 5:24pm

    i like the ambassators of death i cant w8 for it to come out πŸ˜†

    Reply
  • The Pandorica

    January 17th, 2011 - 8:50pm

    They could have come up with a more inventive name for the box set. The Solar System, I mean come on! So predictable!

    Reply
  • GORDON

    January 17th, 2011 - 1:17am

    Extras announced on dwm:

    Ambassadors of death:
    Commentary
    Battle for mars Probe 7 (making of docummentary)
    Tommorow’s Times: The third doctor
    More tba
    The sunmakers:
    Commentary
    Running from the Tax man (making of documentary)
    Doctor’s Composer: Dudley Simpson
    TX Trail
    More tba

    Reply
  • GORDON

    January 17th, 2011 - 12:08am

    And before anybody asks why are they in a box set. The connection is both story’s take place in the same solar system.

    Reply
  • GORDON

    January 17th, 2011 - 12:05am

    Ambassadors of death has to be the dvd release of this year. due to the bbc wiping and trashing episodes the colour episodes were gone but black and white copys of some of the episodes were found alongside some colour episodes. When the vhs version that came out the story was complete but parts were black and white and some colour. But due to new technology the version out on dvd later this year will be in full colour! First time in full colour since broadcast in 1970! Shame it probably wont be out on dvd till about september/october.

    Reply

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