Doctor Who - The Krotons (1968)

Correction... this is in 4x3 aspect ratio. The Krotons is from the last B&W series made in late 1968/69. This season was Patrick Troughton's last. It features a taut, first DW script from TV veteran Robert Holmes who went on to write more DW TV episodes than any other writer. It was also a serial featuring early outings (not debuts) for David Maloney and Terrance Dicks, names which should be familiar to long term DW fans. On screen you'll see Jamie (Fraser Hines) and Zoe (Wendy Padbury) as companions and Philip Madoc in an early role as one of the baddies. Presented for the first time in Vidfire (restored Video Look) The Krotons has been a curiosity for a while. For a long time it was one of the few 60's B&W stories to have actually been seen by anybody. It was repeated on TV in the UK in 1981 and was seen in the Australia and the USA in the mid 80's. This was in an age before most DW was widely available on VHS which means that The Krotons has been picked apart by fans/critics rather a lot. So it's hard to be objective about it. I remember when I first saw it as a grown up in the 80's that it seemed more sophisticated than typical 60's DW in that it was very atmospheric and the actors played their parts with conviction. Older serials seemed very stage-y and very slow by comparison. Extras on this disc are very interesting as usual for the DW range. Of note is a 50 minute documentary on the history of DW production throughout Patrick Troughton's 3 years on the show. This is an interesting look at a period of DW history which suffered devastating archive purges and is consequently less well known and regarded in modern times.