In 1969, Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor regenerated in an epic, 10-part Doctor Who story entitled "The War Games." Originally recorded and broadcast in black-and-white, this over-four-hour-long story will soon be reimagined, 55 years after its first broadcast. After the success of 2023's Doctor Who: "The Daleks in Color" comes "The War Games in Color." The ten 25-minute episodes have been cut down to just a single 90-minute feature, with the story itself painstakingly restored and brought into full color from its original black-and-white sources.
"The War Games" was an important narrative within Doctor Who -- it was the final serial broadcast in the 1960s, the last to be made in black-and-white, and the final story for Patrick Troughton's Doctor, as well as his companions, Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Zoe (Wendy Padbury). With a vast array of locations and characters, the plot follows the Doctor and his companions as they battle the Doctor's people, the Time Lords, across various time periods and planets. Co-written by Malcolm Hulke and the series' script editor, Terrance Dicks, "The War Games" has long been a fan-favorite, and its story would be an important one for Doctor Who as the show entered the 1970s.
Beautiful Color for a Landmark Story Close
Lead colorist Rich Tipple and his team worked from as many original sources as they could, including some material which was recently rediscovered and has not been seen since the original broadcast. The new movie version of the 10-part serial looks more stunning than it ever has before, with vivid colors and clean restoration. The picture quality is vastly higher than the previous DVD release, and Tipple's team have taken real care in making sure that the colors chosen are complementary to the story being told on-screen.
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"The War Games" is a significant story from Doctor Who's history, as it was the first ever serial to show viewers the Doctor's home planet, Gallifrey. Its plot centers on the Doctor's trial at their hands for stealing a TARDIS and interfering with the events of other planets and civilizations -- something which they discover after he is forced to ask for their help to defeat another renegade Time Lord, the War Chief, and his rival, the War Lord. The original episodes are wonderfully cinematic, and the color experience only adds to the visual flair.
A Cut-Down Experience with an Exciting New Scene
The serial has been cut down from four hours and 10 minutes to just an hour and a half by editor Benjamin Cook. Cook's previous work includes a selection of the Doctor Who Blu-ray Collection trailers as well as 2023's "The Daleks in Color," which had been trimmed to just 70 minutes from nearly three hours. That version was released to celebrate Doctor Who's 60th Anniversary, and was a huge success both among seasoned fans and new viewers who previously found the black-and-white episodes inaccessible.
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Also included in "The War Games in Color" is a full regeneration scene for the Second Doctor. When "The War Games" was originally broadcast, the Third Doctor had not yet been cast. However, this new edit will feature, for the first time ever, the full regeneration from Patrick Troughton to Jon Pertwee. This was an important moment for the series, as it set up the Doctor's exile to Earth for the first five series of the 1970s, which starred Pertwee in the title role. This was when the show started to be made in color, so it's an exciting prospect to be able to see the regeneration take place as such. It's a perfect appetizer before the new Doctor Who Christmas Special.
Doctor Who: "The War Games in Color" airs on BBC Four on 23rd December with DVD/Blu-ray and digital availability to follow.
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*Availability in US Release Date November 23, 1963 Seasons 26 Cast William Hartnell , Patrick Troughton , Jon Pertwee , Tom Baker , Frazer Hines , Nicholas Courtney , Pat Gorman , Elisabeth Sladen