September 18th, 2007 6 comments

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The Key to Time Box set

The Key to Time Box set

In The Key to Time, the Doctor and his new companion, Time Lady Romana (Mary Tamm) are dispatched by the White Guardian to recover the six segments of a powerful device with the ability to stop time.

The six stories that make up The Key To Time are as follows:

The Ribos Operation: The Doctor and Romana trace the first segment of the Key to Time to the planet Ribos, where they encounter two con artists who are engaged in a scam to sell the entire planet to the Graff Vynda-K, deposed ruler of Levithia.

Extras include:

* Commentary with Tom Baker and Mary Tamm.
* A Matter of Time – the flagship documentary of this box set explores Graham Williams’ three year tenure as Doctor Who’s producer.
* The Ribos File – cast and crew look back at the making of this story.
* Continuities – off-air continuity links from the story’s original BBC1 transmission.
* Season 16 Trailer.
* Photo Gallery.
* Coming Soon.
* Radio Times Listings.
* Programme subtitles. Subtitle Production Notes.

The Pirate Planet: Douglas Adams penned this episode in which the tracer detects the second segment on the planet Calufrax. The TARDIS makes a bumpy landing, and the Doctor and Romana soon discover that they are not on Calufrax at all.

Extras Include:

* Commentary 1 – With Bruce Purchase and director Pennant Roberts.
* Commentary 2 -With Tom Baker, Mary Tamm and script editor Anthony Read.
* Parrot Fashion – cast and crew look back at the making of this story.
* Film Inserts, Deleted Scenes and Outtakes – a collection of extra material from the story’s production.
* Weird Science – a spoof seventies schools science show looks at some the science seen in ‘The Key to Time’.
* Continuities – off-air continuity links from the story’s original BBC1 transmission.
* Photo Gallery.
* Coming Soon.
* Radio Times Listings.
* Programme subtitles. Subtitle Production Notes.

The Stones of Blood: The search for the third segment of the Key leads the Doctor and Romana to the English countryside and an ancient stone circle called The Nine Travellers. But the third segment is nowhere to be found.

Extras Include:

* Commentary 1 – With Mary Tamm and director Darrol Blake.
* Commentary 2 – With Tom Baker, Mary Tamm, Susan Engel and writer David Fisher.
* Getting Blood from the Stones – cast and crew look back at the making of this story.
* Hammer Horror – looks at the influences of horror films on Doctor Who stories down the years.
* Stones Free – Mary Tamm visits the Rollright Stones location used in the story to meet local experts on this ancient stone circle.
* Deleted Scenes – deleted scenes from episode two.
* Continuities – off-air continuity links from the story’s original BBC1 transmission.
* Model World – an excerpt from The Model World of Robert Symes looks at the model work for this story, with designer Mat Irvine.
* Blue Peter – the famous children’s show looks back at the history of Doctor Who on the show’s fifteen anniversary.
* Nationwide – the BBC1 news magazine programme looks back on 15 years of Doctor Who.
* Photo Gallery.
* Coming Soon.
* Radio Times Listings.
* Programme subtitles.
* Subtitle Production Notes.

The Androids of Tara: The tracer brings the TARDIS to the planet Tara. Romana finds the fourth segment disguised as part of a statue, but is then taken prisoner by Count Grendel of Gracht.

Extras Include:

* Commentary – With Tom Baker, Mary Tamm and director Michael Hayes.
* The Humans of Tara – cast and crew look back at the making of this story.
* Now and Then – The Androids of Tara – comparing and contrasting present day locations as they are now with how they appeared in the story.
* Double Trouble – a brief history of ‘doubles’ in Doctor Who.
* Photo Gallery.
* Coming Soon.
* Radio Times Listings.
* Programme subtitles.
* Subtitle Production Notes.

The Power of Kroll: The search for the fifth segment of the Key to Time lands the Doctor and Romana in danger. The Doctor is shot and Romana is kidnapped.

Extras Include:

* Commentary – With Tom Baker and John Leeson.
* In Studio – a fascinating glimpse inside the studio recording of the story, recovered from timecoded monochrome production recordings.
* Variations – a BBC local news programme visits the story location during filming.
* There’s Something About Mary – Mary Tamm looks back at her single-season starring role as the Doctor’s companion.
* Philip Madoc – A Villain for All Seasons – a retrospective of actor Philip Madoc’s numerous roles as a Doctor Who villain down the years.
* Continuities – off-air continuity links from the story’s original BBC1 transmission.
* Photo Gallery – design, production and publicity stills for the story.
* Coming Soon.
* Radio Times Listings.
* Programme subtitles. Subtitle Production Notes.

The Armageddon Factor: The search for the Sixth (and last) Segment of the Key to Time bring the Doctor, Romana and K9 to the planet Atrios, where they encounter a interplanetary war and Princess Astra.

Extras Include:

Disc 1

* Commentary 1 -With Mary Tamm, John Woodvine and director Michael Hayes.
* Commentary 2 – With Tom Baker, Mary Tamm and John Leeson.
* Coming Soon.
* 1979 Doctor Who Annual.
* Radio Times Listings.
* Programme subtitles.
Subtitle Production Notes.

Disc 2

* Defining Shadows – cast and crew look back at the making of this story.
* Alternative / Extended Scene – taken from a timecoded monochrome studio recording.
* Directing Who – Michael Hayes looks back on his directing career on Doctor Who.
* Rogue Time Lords – a potted history of errant Time Lords.
* Pebble Mill at One – Tom Baker interviewed on the long-running lunchtime magazine show in 1978.
* Radiophonic Feature – a Pebble Mill at One interview with Dick Mills and Brian Hodgson looking at Radiophonic music and effects in Doctor Who.
* The New Sound of Music – sound effects supremo Dick Mills talks about creating a Doctor Who sound effects in this extract.
* Merry Christmas, Doctor Who- a special Christmas sketch, recorded on the set of ‘The Armageddon Factor’ for the BBC Christmas Tape that year.
* Continuities – off-air continuity links from the story’s original BBC1 transmission.
* Photo Gallery.
* Late Night Story – Tom Baker reads five spine-chilling stories from this 1978 series – The Photograph, The Emissary, Nursery Tea, The End of the Party and Sredni Vashtar.
* Easter Egg.

The Key To Time box set is released on 24 September 2007.

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