Disc One:
Starts with a promo for sci-fi shows on BBC America. What's Galactica doing on here? Is that somehow a British show now?
Only one episode on the disc, "A Christmas Carol", along with "A Christmas Carol Confidential".
Two Comic Relief sketches, called "Space" and "Time". Both amusing, mildly "blue" by Doctor Who standards.
They left out the "Proms" concert which was on the episode disc when it was sold individually, however.
Disc Two:
Starts with a promo for season three of something called Being Human, which appears to be a sort of yuppie Munsters.
Three episodes on the disc:
1)The Impossible Astronaut
2)Day of the Moon
3)The Curse of the Black Spot.
With commentary for "The Impossible Astronaut" by series producer Marcus Wilson, line producer for the U.S. segment David Mason and Rory-portrayer Arthur Darvill.
Also, a Monster File for The Silence and prequels for Episodes 1 and 3.
Disc Three:
Starts with a promo for season one of something called Bedlam, which appears to be about a haunted looney bin.
Three episodes on the disc:
4)The Doctor's Wife
5)The Rebel Flesh
6)The Almost People
With commentary for "The Doctor's Wife" by Neil Gaiman, who revelas himself as a hardcore, old-school Doctor Who nerdboy, and for "The Rebel Flesh" by director Julian Simpson, Marshall Lancaster who played Buzzer and Mark Bonnar who plated Jimmy.
Our Russell gets a credit on "The Doctor's Wife" for creating the Ood.
There's a Monster File for The Gangers, and four mini-episodes called "Bad Night", "Good Night", "First Night" and "Last Night", all about what the Doctor gets up to while Amy and Rory are sleeping.
Disc Four:
Four episodes on this:
7)A Good Man goes to War
8)Let's Kill Hitler
9)Night Terrors
10)The Girl Who Waited
With commentary on "A Good Man Goes to War" by Neve McIntosh, who played Madame Vastra, on-set effects supervisor Tim Barter (sp?) and the ever-reliable Arthur Darvill.
Our Russell gets credit on "A Good Man Goes to War" for both the Ood and the Judoon, along with Pedler/Davis getting a mention for the Cybermen, Mac Hulke for the Silurians and Bob Holmes for the Sontarans, making this one of the most heavily creator-credited episodes that I can recall.
Monster File for the Anti-Bodies, and prequels for episodes 7 & 8.
Disc Five:
Three episodes on this disc:
11)The God Complex
12)Closing Time
13)The Wedding of River Song
Which last has commentary by Steven Moffat, Frances "Madame Kovarian" Barber and director Jeremy Webb.
Monster File for the Cybermats and a prequel for episode 13.
Also "Night and the Doctor 'Up All Night'", which is basically a prequel for "Closing Time".
Trailers for parts 1 and 2 of the season.
Disc Six:
Episodes of Doctor Who Confidential for all thirteen episodes, plus "Doctor Who Confidential: The Nights' Tale" for the various mini-episodes.
Interesting that in the RTD era they managed to get commentary tracks for every episode, but nowadays they only get in a few.
Replies
Tracy called me just now to tell me we have received The Complete Sixth Series as well as The Lost TV Episodes, Vol. 3 and William Shatner’s sci-fi concept album Seeking Major Tom.
Well, the first season or two was made in conjunction with Sky TV in the UK. Sky TV is an entertainment channel which is part of Murdoch's worldwide media empire. This is really surprising as BG is largely a critique of the Bush era War on Terror mindset and the security and human rights issues that it brought along with it, and Murdoch's 'organs' were boosters of that whole scene.
I've watched it almost to the end now, and it is fascinatingly of its time. One of the reasons its such a despairing show, for the most part.
Which Proms show are you referring to? Was there a second one? I was at the first show, in the Albert Hall, which I was able to buy packaged along with the Dickens-era Cyberman episode with the two Doctors.
Ah, this is somewhat interesting on a personal level. One of my best friends is also called Mark Bonnar, but when he was about to graduate from acting school, they told him that he couldn't use his own name professionally as it was already 'taken'. This is common practice in acting circles. So here we have the chap who got in there first!
My friend had to take the surname of his favourite poet instead.
The moral of the story is that if you expect your children to become actors, gave them a name like Rock, River or Heath. Or possibly any other geographical feature, such as Scree or Barrier Reef.
Barrier Reef Wombat IS Fiddler On The Roof!!
Yes, there was a second Doctor Who themed "Proms" - one was on the "Next Doctor" disc, and one was on the "A Christmas Carol" disc.
Interesting that in the RTD era they managed to get commentary tracks for every episode, but nowadays they only get in a few.
The problem with series that try to have a commentary for every episode is that on too many of them, you end up with commentaries by the second assistant costume designer and the caterer.
There's only 4 commentaries here (based on your list) and other than the Gaiman episode, and Moffat's perspective on the season finale, I can't say I'm all that excited about any of them.
So, basically, worst of both worlds.
Some day, I'm going to do a thread on great Doctor Who commentary tracks I have known. The Davison era shows have some of the best commentaries.
you end up with commentaries by the second assistant costume designer and the caterer.
"Now, Christopher Eccleston loved him some cheddar, but, David Tennant, now he's a mozzarella man."
The Baron said:
It does. It helps that the principal cast of those years are still hale and hearty, have most of their members, and seem to still enjoy one another's company.