Koch Media/Reeltime, out now

Insights into the early 1980s era of Doctor Who from those who were there.

The Doctor DVDs from Koch Media come to a close with this lookback at the early 1980s, with interviews with the key companions from the Peter Davison era, as well as a fascinating piece with the late Anthony Ainley. There’s no interview with Davison on his own – despite the producer’s best endeavours right the way down the line – but there’s plenty of material with him from early conventions.

The solo interviews make for interesting watching with the interviewers remembering that the pieces are not about them but their subjects. The familiar anecdotes turn up, but there’s far more than just Janet Fielding’s costume malfunction or German tourists not understanding that Nicola Bryant was shooting a TV show – there’s insight into how the late John Nathan-Turner oversaw production, and the stresses and strains that went into making the series.

The Anthony Ainley interview is worth the price alone, if you’ve not already got this from its separate release – let’s just say that he and JNT had differences of opinion (to find out more…)

Verdict: An enjoyable look back at a period of the show when much was in flux. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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