The Savages, a four-part serial from Doctor Who‘s original third season, will return in animated form on DVD, Blu-ray and a limited-edition Blu-ray Steelbook next spring.
With the original master recording lost and wiped after transmission, the BBC Studios Home Entertainment teams have worked with original audio recordings and a team of animators to bring this long-lost story back to life.
First broadcast between May and June 1966 on the BBC, this early story features the Doctor (William Hartnell) and his travelling companions, Steven (Peter Purves) and Dodo (Jackie Lane), as they arrive on an unnamed planet where they encounter two distinct people – the Elders and the Savages. They soon discover the Elders are the evil ones, draining the primitive Savages for their life source to remain young and powerful forever. This story marks the final appearance of Purves as Steven.
This three-discs release will include all four 25-minutes animated episodes in colour and black and white, as well as exclusive bonus features.
Paul Hembury (Executive Producer) commented: “We have a wonderful team of creators who work together to bring these lost Doctor Who stories back to life through animation. It’s always an exciting time when a story nears completion, and we prepare to share it with the fans, for whom it has been made. “
In addition, BBC Studios Home Entertainment will also be releasing the new colourisation of The War Games. Originally aired in 1969, The War Games marked the end of an era for the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), following him and his companions Zoe and Jamie as they land in a battlefield that appears to be a World War I military zone – but all is not as it seems. They soon discover that soldiers from different historical periods have been abducted and are being manipulated in a cruel game. As they work to uncover the mystery behind the War Lord and his twisted experiments, the Doctor faces one of his most difficult challenges.
For the first time, these original episodes have been meticulously colourised and enhanced with updated visual effects edited into a new, 90-minute feature-length experience to appeal to today’s modern audiences. With updated sound and a new score, this newly updated version of The War Games offers both fans and newcomers even more ways to watch the much-loved classic story. This title will be released on DVD, Blu-ray and limited-edition Blu-ray Steelbook and will air on BBC will air on 23 December 2024 on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer:
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