William Hartnell in colour? The first Doctor Who Dalek adventure is getting a fresh DVD and Blu-ray release.
Debuting on BBC iPlayer later this month is one of the more surprising announcements to do with the 60th birthday of Doctor Who. For as we reported here, the Doctor’s very first adventure with his most famous enemy, The Daleks, has been slightly repurposed for a modern audience.
The William Hartnell-headlined adventure has undergone a colourisation process for a start, and it’s also been edited down to a ’75 minute blockbuster’. Mark Ayres has added a fresh score to the adventure too, for those who want to try something different from the original seven episodes in black and white.
Now we learn that as well as being available on the iPlayer service, the BBC is issuing this new look at The Daleks on DVD and Blu-ray as well.
Thankfully, the release will include not just the new version of The Daleks, but the old one as well. There’s what looks like a fresh 15 minute featurette, along with extra features ported over from the original BBC DVD release of the story.
All of this has been put together to go on sale from February 12th 2024, and it’s gone up for preorder now.
The DVD release can be found here, and the Blu-ray is here. Furthermore, there’s a limited edition Steelbook that will presumably sell out that you can find here.
We’ll leave you with the official blurb for the release…
Originally transmitted from December 1963 to February 1964, The Daleks introduced one of the Doctor’s most formidable and enduring foes.
The story follows the very first crew of the TARDIS as they land in a petrified forest on an alien planet. Determined to explore, the Doctor (William Hartnell) leads his companions into the metal city, where they discover danger at every corner and what will become his deadliest enemy, the mutant Daleks.
The seven original 25 minute episodes have now been colourised and weaved together into a 75 minute blockbuster. With brand new sound and a new score – created by Mark Ayres – The Daleks has been gloriously updated, whilst ensuring the original classic story remains as thrilling as it was when it was first seen back in 1963.
This release also includes the original seven episodes on DVD in black & white, as they were first broadcast plus a 15 minute exclusive featurette and all special features from the previous release.
