Just got my BluRay Doctor Who Specials Box set. Loved the David Tennants Video Diaries and his commentrary on Part 1 of End of Time. However very disappointed that there are no commentaries for the first 3 specials, why was this. Was it money on because of unavailability of the usual participants?
Why only 2 commentaries on the specials box set
- Thread starter ActiveMan
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It probably has more to do with the fact the set (as I understand it) includes the full-length Doctor Who Confidentials for each special which is something they haven't done before. Everything that needs to be said would be said on those.
It wouldn't be a money issue. BBC Video always goes whole-hog on these things. Between the Confidentials and David's video diaries, what else is needed to be said?
Alex
It wouldn't be a money issue. BBC Video always goes whole-hog on these things. Between the Confidentials and David's video diaries, what else is needed to be said?
Alex
It can be said without fear of contradiction that, a far as DVD releases go, Doctor Who is the most extensively covered series of all time. If you consider that every story of the classic series gets at least one documentary and other featurettes, while the new series is extensively covered via Confidential, video diaries and commentaries (even if they don't do every single one). If only other DVD TV series releases were as in-depth as this.
It must people "outsiders" who have no knowledge of Doctor Who to see how heavy the coverage is. Can you imagine NCIS or 24 having a weekly one-hour documentary series devoted to every single episode? Doctor Who has (and some Confidentials have rivalled the main series for ratings, so people are watching them). Actually two, since we forget about Totally Doctor Who which ran for a couple of years as well.
Alex
I agree with this for the most part, though there's something to be said about listening to the participants' comments & reminiscing scene-by-scene in "real-time" as the episode plays. Y'know, it's kinda like having DT or Billie or RTD chatting away on the couch next to you as you're all watching the episode together. That's something you don't get in a documentary.
With a lot of shows, it wouldn't work to have that kind of coverage. DW is one of the few shows that I can think of where it works really well.
Saturday nights are great when DW is airing. You get the episode, and then you can turn over and watch Confidential straight afterwards. Then there's the podcasts as well at some point. Every episode becomes an 'event'.
the thing about NCIS and other US shows is that the episodes are so samey the just would not be able to fill that time. 24 might get away with it however.
I think the best example of this is "The Eleventh Doctor" a 35 minute early evening BBC 1 show, to announce the 11th Doctor, that was a bit surreal. I would guess the ratings were about 5 million, but I cant find them.
Fanboys have been known to bitch in the past when other shows include previosly released podcasts on the DVD releases. Seriously, I read one review for Enterprise's fourth season set which docked several points for including the podcasts.
And trust me, fanboys have bitched.
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