Starring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, the serial originally aired in February 1982 and will be available on DVD from Monday 6 May.
> Pre-order the DVD on Amazon.
The official synopsis reads: “It’s 1666, and medieval England is in the grip of the Great Plague. But when the Doctor and his companions arrive, they discover an even greater threat: the entire planet is in danger. As the Grim Reaper stalks the countryside, the Doctor uncovers an alien menace intent on wiping out humanity and claiming our planet for themselves. The Terileptils have arrived – and only the Doctor can stop them…”
The extras are as follows…
Disc 1
– 4 x 25 mins approx colour episodes with mono audio.
– Commentary – stereo. With actors Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton and Matthew Waterhouse, director Peter Moffatt
– Film Trims (dur. 5′ 32″) – including extended / deleted scenes.
– Directing Who – Peter Moffatt (dur. 26′ 13″) – a featurette about the work of the director of this and several other Doctor Who stories.
– Writing a Final Visitation (dur. 12′ 50″) – an interview with the story’s writer, Eric Saward.
– Scoring The Visitation (dur 16′ 19″) – Mark Ayres interviews composer Paddy Kingsland about his music for the story.
– Picture Gallery (dur. 5′ 12″)
– Isolated Music – option to view the story with the isolated music score.
Disc 2
– Grim Tales (dur. 45’ 09” ) – cast members Peter Davison, Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton are taken on a trip back to the filming locations used in the story by fellow TARDIS travelling companion Mark Strickson. A slice of a very impressive cake awaits them at the manor house in return for their memories of the time…
– The Television Centre of the Universe – Part One (dur. 32’ 12”) – Blue Peter presenter Yvette Fielding takes Peter Davison, Mark Strickson and Janet Fielding on a trip through BBC Television Centre, meeting up with old friends and colleagues as they reminisce on their time spent working in the iconic building. With film traffic supervisor Neville Withers, assistant floor manager Sue Hedden, costume designer Odile Dicks-Mireaux, production assistant Jane Ashford, make-up artists Joan Stribling and Carolyn Perry, BBC producer and writer Richard Marson.
– Doctor Forever – The Apocalypse Element (dur. 27’ 29”) – the latest instalment of our new series looks at the work of those who kept Doctor Who alive in the form of audio adventures following the TV’s show’s cancellation in 1989. With actors Colin Baker , William Russell and Lisa Bowerman, new series executive producer Russell T Davies, Big Finish executive producers Jason Haigh-Ellery, Nicholas Briggs and Gary Russell, Big Finish producer David Richardson, BBC range editor Steve Cole, writers Mark Gatiss, Robert Shearman, Paul Cornell, Joseph Lidster and Justin Richards, AudioGO commissioning editor Michael Stevens. Introduced by Ayesha Antoine.
Doctor Who returns at 6.15pm on Saturday 30 March on BBC One with ‘The Bells of Saint John’.
> Find out all the latest cast news and story details in our Series 7 news summary.
What do you think of ‘The Visitation’? Let us know below…
> Order Series 7 Part 2 on DVD on Amazon.
> Buy Series 7 Part 1 on DVD on Amazon.
Watch the Series 7 Part 2 trailer…