1. Will all the stories that are on VHS be transferred over to DVD at some point in the future?

2. Is there anywhere you can see future release dates/schedules so I can pre-order as early as possible.

Thanks

1. Pure guess - yes but the BBC won't be in any great rush to do so. More money to be made from getting stories out that HAVEN'T been issued on VHS first.

2. Try the Doctor Who page on the BBC website. Failing that, keep an eye on the future releases section of Play.com (I found out Web of Fear is due for release on here before the BBC even had it up on its release schedule!!).

1 - Actually all the stories have already been released on VHS, some even twice as they were originally done in the "Movie" Format rather than individual episodes. The last VHS release was about 18 months ago when they released the remaining William Hartnell Stories (The Time Meddler, The Gunfighters and The Sensorites) as a box set. Some did get deleted quite quickly (Hand Of Fear was one) and are very rare.

In fact of all the exisiting material in the BBC Archive, including those where only part of a story exists has been released with the exception of "The Daleks Masterplan" Episode 2 which came to light after the last VHS release - this has since been released on the DVD box set "Lost In Time" which came out about 9 months ago.

The BBC have stated it is their intention to release every episode on DVD but as SweetCheater says this may take some time as the release rate is currently 6 a year. However there are now some box sets being looked at, a policy the BBC would not entertain before, and "The Beginnings" box set consisting of WH's first three stories looks set for a January release - includes the first appearance of the Daleks.

2 - While some of the retail outlets do give out information before it is released on the BBC web site, the BBC have always said that this is subject to change. There are many reasons why they do not give out a schedule - the main one is that they have to clear rights with participants and if anybody blocks anything then the schedule is changed. I believe this happened to at least one release in the last couple of years.

Personally the best place to get information about the DVD releases and a wealth of technical information about how they have been restored is to visit the Dr Who Restoration Team web site. They prepare all the releases for the BBC including cleaning up the video and Audio and in some cases adding a 5.1 soundtrack. This is why the Dr Who DVD's are so good. However they wont give any information about future releases however and if you ask you'll be slapped (if you go there read the FAQ before you participate).

The Web Planet is the one you're talking about. Unfortunately, only one episode (and a few clips) of The Web of Fear still exist.

Thank you kind sirs

I have "Revelation of the Daleks" (Out on July 11) and "The Web Planet" (Out in Sept) pre-ordered on Play.com as they're the only ones available for pre-order at the moment I believe.

Hi,

I've been thinking about ordering a couple of classic Dr Who DVDs, but I'm a newcomer to the classic series. Does anyone have any sugestions of a good starting point (as which dvds to get first)?

Why not start with the earliest DVD's (William Hartnell) and perhaps go in order?

That did seem the most logical way to me but I wasn't sure if it was the best. Thanks for your advice tho.

The City Of Death, featuring Tom Baker and Lalla Ward is on the cards for November, it also allegedly features a documentary by Tom Baker on Paris, where the story is mostly set. This was revealed on the BBC Web site a few months ago. And as I said we are supposed to be getting The Beginnings Box set in January with "An Unearthly Child", "The Daleks" and "Edge Of Destruction".

The other thing I should have mentioned earlier is the release schedule does have a sort of plan to it (though this does get varied sometimes). Basically the Restoration Team make recommendations to BBC Worldwide (or whatever thay are called now) based on The Doctor, The Companions, The Writers, The Director etc. to try and get a fair balance across the 26 years of the original series. BBC Worldwide then make the final decision. However his seems to have gone to pot with the Beginnings so soon after The Web Planet - but this is probably to cash in on the new series.

Sir Urban Bassman you seem to know an awful lot. I shall be stalking you from now on.

I don't seem to be able to pre-order any more than the 2 DVD's I mentioned above and the new series box set so shall keep my eyes peeled for future.

Going in order may not be the best way I would recomend starting with Robots Of Death with Tom Baker and Louise Jameson - it is a classic and has all the elements of a good Dr Who. Also I would recomend The Ark In Space (Also Tom Baker) as another good story for a beginner.

Other recomendations:

From the earlier stories - Dalek Invasion Of Earth with William Hartnell and also The Aztecs, which shows the early historical stories and also investigates the question of changing history.

For Troughton, the choice is limited to Tomb Of The Cybermen, The Seeds Of Death (Ice Warriors) and The Mind Robber, though this is tad more surreal than others. Tomb would be my choice.

Pertwee - Spearhead from Space is the first appearance by the Autons and a good introduction to the events in Rose (Terror Of The Autons is great and the first story with The Master but not yet on DVD).

Davison - Earthshock (Cybermen) is probably the best of his releases.

Colin Baker - Must be Vengance On Varos - an early look at reality TV. I really like Revelation Of The Daleks, which is out in July but the Doctor's involvement is limited.

McCoy - Rememberance Of The Daleks is a good story but requires some knowledge of other Dalek stories. The Curse Of Fenric is also a great mix of history and horror but can be a little confusing at times for a novice. If your feeling really brave then Ghost Light - but it takes some watching to get the plot!!

I've actually been a serious fan since the programme started in 1963 and can still recall watching the first episode at the tender age of 7. To me it had the same effect then that the new series has had on those who have only just discovered it.

As I said, keep an eye on the Restoration web site - it is a great source of information and is run by a group of very dedicated people.

Thanks for the advice, shall hopefully give me something to watch on saturday night now