DVD Review: ‘Doctor Who The Enemy Of The World’ From 1968

August is fast approaching- are you ready for Twelve? Before Peter Capaldi brings the TARDIS to our living rooms this summer, the BBC is introducing scores of new Whovians to the Classic Doctors by releasing serials of the early series. The latest is “The Enemy of the World”, featuring The Second Doctor (played by Patrick Troughton). In this six-episode miniseries, The Doctor and his companions Jame and Victoria (Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling) land in Australia in 2018. Rather than enjoying their time on the beach, The Doctor is almost assassinated. They are rescued by Astrid Ferrier (Mary Peach), who reveals that The Doctor is a doppelganger of Salamander (with Troughton playing double duty). The reason for the assassination attempt? Salamander is a ruthless tyrant who came to power by exploiting new technology developed to harness the sun’s light to produce more crops and reduce famine. Salamander instead uses it to increase his own power, and now The Doctor is persuaded into helping the populace by pretending to be Salamander and learn his plans. Not everyone is convinced, however, and The Doctor and his companions have to get creative to keep their scheme running.

The DVD has all six episodes of the serial, but the interesting fact is that these episodes have not been seen since they first aired in 1968. All the episodes have been restored to eliminate much of the graininess that tends to occur in older films and television shows when shown on high definition sets. If like me, you or someone you know has gotten into Doctor Who via the newer series (I’ll always love Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor), this is a great way to introduce them to the show’s beginnings. As the missing episodes are found, they are all being carefully restored and saved.

“Doctor Who: The Enemy of the World” is now available on DVD. And get ready for NEW Doctor Who this summer!