REVIEW: The Doctor, The Widow & the Wardrobe DVD

Woo~hoo, it's Christmas!

No doubt, the majority of you have already seen this episode and will either want to watch it again and own it or not. The special got an amazing 13 million viewers (almost, anyway) in the UK alone (including iPlayer and repeats) and attained a respectable AI figure of 84 - the majority seemed very happy with it indeed. My thoughts are available HERE and haven't changed (having watched it a few times), no biggie.

EXTRAS
Before I discuss the actual content of the special features, I will congratulate the producers of this release on giving us well over two hours of additional content. An astute move. Though, sadly, these extras are a poor bunch.

First off there's the "prequel" (heavy air~bunnies for that 'cos it is NOT a prequel!) which is good, thankfully. Completing the selection are three "Best of" specials, originally broadcast on BBC America. The shows are 45 minutes each and look at The Doctor, The Companions and The Monsters with various American celebs chatting about the world's greatest television show.

Yup, it's a weird experience seeing people with an accent talking about Doctor Who so gushingly. Weird but heart~warming. Ruefully, this warm sensation doesn't last. Although there's some laughs to be had early on, these specials quickly become a tad tedious and repetitive. I should also point out that despite being being called the "Best Of", these specials only look at the Matt Smith era. You won't be coming back to them, if you manage a first sitting.

And here's my real gripe. This is what we get instead of Doctor Who Confidential. Two and half hours of meaningless waffle with a bunch of clips we've seen countless times. Given that some footage was shot for the Christmas edition (around 10 minutes), it's a real shame to see none of this included. I would rather have 10 minutes of Confidential than what's presented here.

2|entertain really need to sharpen up their approach to the current series releases - take a page out of the "classic" Doctor Who range where every DVD is an essential purchase. Anyway, if you like the story, I'm sure you'll be purchasing this or waiting for the next box set. Those on the fence, don't waste your money.

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