Having bashed ‘Delta and the Bannermen’ to hell a few weeks ago, you’ll probably be expecting me, whilst reviewing this, the ‘Remembrance of the Daleks’ special edition DVD, to angrily remove both discs from their case and Frisbee them out of a nearby window. You can, however, relax. This 1988 adventure is the shining jewel in the crown of Doctor Who’s twenty-fifth season. Although it does have faults, ‘Remembrance’ is helped along by a first-class script, some ingenious set design and a stellar cast.

This story marks one of the few occasions during the period on which factors during the production generally gelled. Ben Aaronovitch’s script seems to nail not only the Doctor’s characterisation, but that of most of the other characters, too. There’s a depth to the narrative, an undertone of darkness and manipulation that is sadly misplaced during the course of Ben’s season twenty-six story, ‘Battlefield’. Much like many of the worst Doctor Who stories, ‘Remembrance’ is the product almost of a series of coincidences. The environment in which the series was produced during the late 1980s was rather confused and hap-handed. However, on occasion, the production team would create something marvellous.
The pre-titles sequence, for a start, is genius. Combined, the image of the ship looming over Earth and the famous, historical sound bites create an extremely effective atmosphere. Again, it’s a shame about Keff McCulloch’s incidental music, but he does his best, and it seems to compliment the action throughout the story relatively well.

Most of the regular cast perform well, Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor being particularly mysterious and manipulative. He also acts as a great foil to the military-minded Group Captain Gilmore, played by Simon Williams. His character seems to mirror that of the Brigadier, a fact referenced in the story itself. Also strangely familiar is the rather erudite Dr Rachel Jensen, who bears a resemblance to Jacqueline Hill’s Barbara Wright from the good old days. The whole adventure is laced with nostalgia, references to Omega, Zygons and indeed the Totter’s Lane junkyard being just a few. Despite these ties to the programme’s past, Ben Aaronovitch is successful in moving the story along at a fair pace, allowing them to underpin the plot to some extent, but not inhibit its progress.

While many of the sets resemble soap opera environments, they help to reinforce the reality of the 1960s setting. Alongside the earthly sets, there are also those of the Dalek shuttle and mother ship interiors, which beggar belief. Considering the limited budget and studio space available, these are remarkable constructions. What’s more, the imperial Daleks look right at home, standing at their posts.

It’s often said that it was a mistake to put giant spheres beneath the bases of the Dalek props. I’d have to agree on that. The sight of a squadron of renegade Daleks wobbling along the cobbled roads of London is not a menacing one. However, they aren’t overused in this story, and it’s great to see them trundling around on earth again after such a long time. The reveal of the first renegade Dalek in episode one is nicely done also, adding an extra dimension to the story at the right moment.

The factional war between the imperial and renegade Daleks during this serial takes a story strand which had been prominent throughout the Davros ‘arc’ and develops it. The conflict reaches its climax, acting as an illustration of the Daleks’ ultimate quest for superiority, and also alluding to racism that was still existent in 60s Britain. Aaronovitch really does well with this concept, building on loose implications from previous stories in the show’s recent past.

If nothing else, this story shows us what Doctor Who of the 1980s could have been like, if it had been taken better care of. As it is, ‘Remembrance of the Daleks’ stands out amongst most others of its era as a true classic.

Onto the special features, and something that, rather reassuringly, hasn’t changed. There is no new commentary on the special edition DVD, but the original track is one of the best. Sylvester and Sophie still have a real rapport, and it never becomes tiresome.

The Two main documentaries on this release are very well put together. ‘Back to School’ has lots of interesting anecdotal and behind-the-scenes insight into the production, and also pays tribute to Dursley McLinden, who sadly died well before his time, in 1995, aged just 30. ‘Remembrances’ is also interesting, and looks at the references to past adventures within the story. Ben Aaronovitch’s contributions are fascinating, and explore how he played around with this mythology.

A documentary chronicling every Doctor Who story featuring Davros is also included, on the second disc. Not everyone will be unfamiliar with ‘Davros Connections’ though, it having previously been included on the Davros box set. It is initially interesting, but is a little thin and seems to skirt around numerous details. In the end, it is informative but a little dissapointing.

The deleted scenes and outtakes packages are fun to watch, as are the multi-angle sequences. They have thankfully been corrected and work properly, unlike the multiple-angle feature presented on the 2001 release. Also noticeable is the new 5.1 surround sound mix, which helps give a greater realism and grandiose to what takes place on-screen.

Once again, I appreciate dearly the continuity announcements, which I hope will continue to be included on as many DVDs as possible. The photo gallery is a usual but brilliant addition, presented better than on the original release. Also welcome are the Radio Times billings, available to view as a PC DVD Rom. Having only watched a short section of the production subtitles, I cannot fully appraise their content, but what I saw showed that a lot of research, care and attention went into them.

Sylvester McCoy’s era is often looked upon as undeniably bad. However, with twists and surprises, a great story and some brilliant casting, ‘Remembrance’ mourns the passing of so many pre-conceptions about both Sylvester McCoy and 1980s Doctor Who. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

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