DOCTOR WHO SEASON TWELVE

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RELEASED OUT NOW! 1974-1975 | PG | Blu-ray Producer Philip Hinchcliffe Cast Tom Baker, elisabeth sladen, Ian Marter

Commissioned and cast before new broom Philip Hinchcliffe swept in, Tom Baker’s first season saw the series in transition. But while the producer’s gothic tendencies were yet to fully flower, he and script editor Robert Holmes still placed a firm imprint on the show.

Pitting UNIT against boffins plotting world domination, opener “Robot” is a Pertwee tale with Baker parachuted in. But the very next story, Holmes’s “The Ark In Space”, is peak Hinchcliffe; a taut, gripping tale of alien insects feeding on the sleepers in a space ark, it’s cut-price Cronenberg – bubble-wrap body horror. And Who rarely gets darker than “Genesis Of The Daleks” (which tasks the Doctor with preventing their creation). Its blend of Third Reich analogy/action-adventure is crammed with teatime sadism.

The season never hits such heights again. “Robot”, slight two-parter “The Sontaran Experiment” (in which a spudhead Mengele tests humans) and the plodding “Revenge Of The Cybermen” (which gives the cyborgs a susceptibility to gold, as they attack a planet made of it) are meat-and-potatoes fare.

But elevating them all is Baker’s Doctor, who arrives fully-formed – thyroid eyes, manic grin, alien detachment – and whose bond with Lis Sladen’s gutsy companion Sarah Jane remains matchless.

Extras HD upscaling is the main draw, but there are great new bonuses too (most of the DVD extras have been carried over, a few set aside for future box sets). Matthew Sweet probes Tom Baker intelligently in an interview (64 minutes); the actor responds with thoughtfulness and sincerity. A new Making Of for “Experiment” (37 minutes) tells tales of Baker fracturing his collarbone; the one for “Revenge”’ has been tarted up with fresh interviews. Baker joins Hinchcliffe and Sladen’s daughter to watch every story for “Behind The Sofa” featurettes (175 minutes) – think Gogglepolicebox.

Not as amusing as you’d hope, but Baker chuckling away is lovely, and a second sofa of companions Louise Jameson, Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton provides a neat counterpoint. “Doctor Who Times” (42 minutes) places the season in context via clips of other shows and news stories; a simple idea, handsomely presented. Archaeological treasures include delightful footage of a readthrough of “Robot” (36 minutes) – sound lost, sadly – and a regional radio news report. Muffled audio of fan Keith Miller meeting Hinchcliffe and his stars in the BBC canteen (47 minutes) features much grousing about fan politics. When the producer mentions Miller’s rival – one Peter Capaldi – it feels like a violation of the laws of time… Plus: new CGI effects for “Revenge”; Baker reacting to clips in ’90s VHS The Tom Baker Years; an omnibus edit of “Genesis”, script PDFs and more. Ian Berriman