I always quite liked the "slightly washed out" look of the old VHS ones. I wondered why they'd bothered recolouring Planet of the Daleks, as everything is beige and mushroom!

I'm sure I read something on the Restoration Team's website at some point saying they can't put CGI onto Invasion as the right sort of original print hasn't survived.

That's right. They need dinosaur-free film to be able to add CGI dinosaurs in. The original dinosaur-free film has gone, and all that exists now is the final version. It's far too big a job to paint out the existing dinosaurs and then CGI in new ones, so we're left with the original version.

I'm all for leaving originals as nature intended and not faffing with them. I haven't rewatched the fiddled-with versions of Day of the Daleks or lovely Enlightenment.

I haev my fingers crossed for Zygons . . . please have Skarasen free film footage for the CGI team!

To be honest, I kind of agree with you in principle, but Day of the Daleks is, I'm afraid, the release that proves us wrong. The CGI upgrade has been done so lovingly, unobtrusively and sparingly that the integrity of the story remains and I found myself on occasions not realising that some shots were upgrades but wrongly remembered them as actually part of the original.

As for Invasion of the Dinosaurs, I kind of like the naff effects (which aren't quite as bad as legend has it). But it's a bloody good story. And unlike Uncle Tom's final season, Pertwee wasn't phoning in his performance in his. Still, Pertwee is my favourite Doctor, so any new Pertwee release is fine by me.

I've not bothered with the DOTD megamix, but it's the extra scenes, re-filmed stuff, new scenes, bits cut out (etc) approach that has switched me off. There's a certain arrogance in suggesting that the original was poor and the new version is better. "Says who?" is my response to that.

You're right to pick me up on that, DB5, as I didn't get my point across adequately. My point is that replacing "bad" FX with "good" FX is the thin end of the wedge. What else? Replacing bad dialogue? Bad performances? Bad cliffhangers? Where does it end?

Who decides what we are allowed to watch? Paddy Russell accepted the final version of IOTD, rightly or wrongly, because that was what she was able to produce with the facilities available to her at that time.

My abiding memory of Peter Miles was at my first Doctor Who convention Panopticon 8 I think in 1988, we were sat at a table having a drink with other fans when Peter Miles staggered up drunk as a skunk, fell on our table with his wig hanging off, said "nice to meet you all again" and tottered off !

Oh how marvellous!

I sent PM a fanletter once, and he phoned me a few days later. A deeply weird conversation ensued.

Chuff, regarding the degree to which the releases should be tampered with, there was debate early on in the range as to whether goofs such as stray boom mics should be 'painted out'.
I believe they should be left 'as was' and remain so, for that's part of their charm and can add a different angle to viewing pleasure, looking out for the odd BBC camera making an unscheduled appearance, for example.
What would Pyramids.. be, without the fabled cushion-holding hand.

Totally agree with this. If you didn't know this was Pertwee's last series, you wouldn't think it actually was. His performances are as solid as ever and I didn't think he waivered in any story in that last Season at all.

In fact, Invasion Of The Dinosaurs is actually one of my favourite stories to feature his Doctor. His humour always seemed to come out more when UNIT were involved and it was the same with this particular story and I adore the scene where Benton asks The Doctor to knock him out so he can escape. The resulting scene with general Finch is just as good. I think this is one of my fave Benton stories as well.

Some of us would like to know the details.

I've finally got round to watching the DVD of this, good story, but the dinosaurs are absolutely horrific!!!

Horrific scary?

or

Horrific crap?

I can't speak for all the stories they have done CGI effects for, but after watching the CGI version of Enlightenment, I do think it is pretty ineffectual. It looks like poor video game effects. It made me think, if they don't have the budget to do it justice, don't bother. I'd rather see Invasion of the Dinosaurs with the rubbish rubber toy monsters than some really bad (SyFy Channel monster movie style) CGI.

Horrific crap!!

And what makes it worse is that they just stand there growling like dogs, and don't even bother attacking!

Bit late to the party but I've just started watching IotD and it's bringing back some very happy memories as it was the first story I ever saw, back when I were a lad.

Yes the Dinosaurs are rubbish, which is a shame as they were the selling point of the story, but as everyone above seems to agree, there's so much more to this story.

The characters are, as always in a Hulke script, very deftly drawn. The double crossing criminal in part one was only a minor role but excellently sketched out and portrayed.

I've only seen the first two episodes so far, but I'm having a great time. The kids are enjoying it, especially Pertwee's comedy scenes in the lab. Great comic timing as he locks one door only to have the Brig come in from the other door. Also a big 'oh no' moment as Mike enters Whitaker's lair.

Interesting that part one was colourised. I didn't realise this and happily watched in B&W as that's how the DVD default was set. The empty London streets look quite eerie in B&W.

Apart from the dinosaurs the only problem I have with this story is the length of the soldiers' hair. Far too long and bushy!

Glad you're enjoying it. It's a great wee story from Jon's final year in the role. I like the first episode in B&W. Really atmospheric.
And yes, the Brigs hair was certainly slightly longer from the beginning of the 1973/4 series!

Not just the Brig. That radio operator is positively shaggy!

Well, if you think they look hairy, have you seen the Pertwee adventure Inferno, in which Sergeant Benton, in an alternate reality, is turned into a kind of werewolf by chemical poisoning?

Ah, "Inferno", up there with the best Pertwee stories.
But it was difficult not to laugh when Benton turns into a ?primord? It was brilliant make up but I don't think it had the desired effect of horror!! It reminded me of when Harry H Corbett changed into that creature in "Carry On Screaming"!!!

I also found it funny-especially that close-up where he looks right into the camera and snarls. I cannot believe that wasn't deliberately being played partly for laughs!

Yes, that was brilliant!

There was another funny sequence when Benton's time was reversed, and he got transformed into a baby, in the laboratory, in Time Monster. At the end, he changes back, and stands up, without clothes on, looking baffled, and asking what happened, while everyone else is cracking up!

Yep, that was funny. I'm in a minority in that I'm one of the "few" who really enjoy "The Time Monster". On the DVD, John Levene commentates alone on 1 of the episodes. It's 'different'.