BBC Studios, out now

Jo Grant and the Master make their debut.

The old clichés about what constitutes the best season of Doctor Who have some validity – this is the season that ran when I was seven, and formed the basis of three of the very earliest Target books (we had to wait some time for The Mind of Evil to complete the set after the slightly belated Claws of Axos). It’s got one of my all time favourite stories in it (and I know that to say The Daemons is your favourite is also a cliché, but happens to be true). And it’s been given a great makeover by the team behind the Blu-ray Collection.

Each story has extra selling points – there’s 5.1 sound mixes from Mark Ayres on Terror of the Autons and The Daemons that work very well; Terror also has new CSO effects that improve the troll doll immeasurably (and although not quite what I was anticipating, give us an interesting manifesting Nestene). The episodes that we thought for ages would only ever be seen in black and white are now in glorious colour – the speedy moments reveal their ancestry, but the video sequences are excellent. We have alternate versions of episodes – whether it’s the extended ep 1 of Axos or part 2 of Colony in Space with some extra violence (!) – as well as a recreation of the Christmas Special version of The Daemons.

There are making-of documentaries on each story, as well as the Behind the Sofa (with some interesting observations as ever). Trailers, continuity links, assorted documentaries that look back from our modern perspective (the Daemons one reminds us of the many key personnel unsurprisingly lost over the last 50 years) all are well worth a look, but the two that I suspect I’ll come back to are Matthew Sweet’s chat with Katy Manning and The Direct Route conversations with the directors.

Add in a heartfelt tribute to Terrance Dicks and archive footage from both Panopticon and the 50th anniversary convention, and you’ve got probably the best package yet from The Collection.

Verdict: Great stories, presented the best way you’re likely to ever see them, with a strong package of extras. Essential for any fan of the era. 10/10

Paul Simpson