Spearhead from Space
 

No. 4 of 154 in the BBC classic series DVDs series
<< Previous     Next >>

Starring: Jon Pertwee, Caroline John & Nicholas Courtney
By:Robert Holmes
Rating:   8.6  (240 votes)  Vote here
Review:  Auton be released again!  Read more (4 in total)
Editions:  UK UK | US US (standard) | Australia Australia | US US (special) | UK UK (Blu-ray) | Australia Australia (Blu-ray) | US US (Blu-ray)
Note:A remastered version of this story (with an expanded set of special features) was released in 2011 in the UK and Australia as part of the Mannequin Mania box set.

Cover image for Spearhead from Space
Edition: UK UK
When:  January 2001
Format: 1 x DVD
Owned:
Buy:
Order from Amazon.co.uk
New:  £23.98
Used:  £4.87
eBay

Note:  In July 2007, this DVD was one of 8 discs re-released in the UK with different cover artwork (in all cases, the discs and their contents were unchanged). The other DVDs which received the same treatment were Genesis of the Daleks, The Hand of Fear, Earthshock, The Five Doctors, Revelation of the Daleks, Remembrance of the Daleks and The Movie.

Cover blurb:
Exiled to Earth in the late 20th Century by his own people — the Time Lords — the newly regenerated Doctor arrives in Oxley Woods alongside a shower of mysterious meteorites. Investigating these unusual occurrences is the newly-formed United Nations Intelligence Taskforce — UNIT for short. Led by Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, UNIT is soon called into action when people and meteorites start going missing. Most puzzling of all is the attempted kidnap of a strange hospital patient — a man with two hearts, who insists that he recognises the Brigadier.

The new Doctor soon joins forces with his old friend, UNIT, and the recently recruited Dr Liz Shaw, but time is running out.

Irregular things are happening at a nearby plastics factory, while faceless creatures lurk in the woods. The Nestenes have arrived, and want to conquer the Earth.

This story was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 3rd - 24th January 1970.

Special Features

  • Commentary by Nicholas Courtney & Caroline John
  • On-screen Production Notes (Information text)
  • UNIT Recruitment Film
  • Trailers
  • Photo gallery
  • Digitally Remastered Versions of all Four Episodes

Cover image for Spearhead from Space
Edition: US US (standard)
When:  September 2001
Format: 1 x DVD
Owned:
Buy:
Order from Amazon.com
New:  $29.98
Used:  $9.94
Order from Amazon.ca
New: CDN$ 79.39
Used:  CDN$ 14.99
eBay

Note:  Contains an extra not present on the UK or Australian releases — "Who's Who", which consists of short text biographies of the main cast.

Cover blurb:
Exiled to late 20th Century Earth by his own people — the Time Lords — the newly regenerated Doctor arrives in Oxley Woods during a shower of mysterious meteorites. Investigating these unusual occurrences is the newly formed United Nations Intelligence Task Force (UNIT). Led by Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, UNIT is soon called into action when people and meteorites begin to go missing. Most puzzling of all is the attempted kidnapping of a hospital patient, a severely disoriented man with two hearts who had instantly recognized the Brigadier, then had difficulty placing his own face.

By the time the Doctor is able to join forces with the Brigadier and the recently recruited Dr. Liz Shaw, time is running out for UNIT. Already irregular things are hapening at a nearby plastics factory, while faceless creatures lurk in the woods. The Nestenes have arrived with world conquest on their collective mind.

DVD EXTRAS INCLUDE:

  • Commentary by actors Nicholas Courtney and Caroline John
  • Pop-Up Production Notes Option
  • Unit Recruitment Film
  • Trailers
  • Photo Gallery
  • Who's Who

Cover image for Spearhead from Space
Edition: Australia Australia
When:  September 2001
Format: 1 x DVD
Owned:
Buy:DVDLand.com.au
DoneDirtCheapDVD.com.au
eBay

Cover blurb:
Same as UK edition.

Cover image for Spearhead from Space
Edition: US US (special)
When:  August 2012
Format: 1 x DVD
Owned:
Buy:
Order from Amazon.com
New:  $16.82
Used:  $18.50
Order from Amazon.ca
New:  CDN$ 19.43
Used:  CDN$ 74.27
eBay

Note:  This is the same special edition (i.e. remastered and with additional extras) that was released in the UK and Australia as part of the Mannequin Mania box set.

Cover blurb:
Exile! The Time Lords have banished the newly regenerated Doctor to Earth.

But the Doctor isn't the only alien to have arrived, as a swarm of meteorites have crashed into the sleepy English countryside, bringing with them a terrible new threat to mankind.

As the Nestene plan takes shape, UNIT, the Doctor and his newly appointed scientific advisor, Liz Shaw, race against time to stop humanity being replaced by a terrifying plastic facsimile race.

DVD EXTRAS INCLUDE:

  • Audio Commentary 1 with actors Nicholas Courtney (The Brigadier) and Caroline John (Liz Shaw)
  • Audio Commentary 2 with producer Derrick Sherwin and script editor Terrance Dicks
  • Down to Earth "Making Of" with Jon Pertwee, producers Derrick Sherwin and Barry Letts, Terrance Dicks, costume designer Christine Rawlins and assistant script editor Robin Squire (22 mins)
  • Regenerations: From Black and White to Color On the challenges for Doctor Who in 1970 as it moved into color (18 mins)
  • UNIT Recruitment Film Spoof film from 1993 (5 mins)
  • Photo Gallery (4 mins)
  • Trailers (1 min)
  • PDF materials: Radio Times Listings
  • Production Notes Subtitle Option
  • Digitally remastered picture and sound quality

Originally transmitted January 3-24, 1970

No cover available
Edition: UK UK (Blu-ray)
When:  15 July 2013
Format: 1 x Blu-ray
Owned:
Buy:
Order from Amazon.co.uk
New: £14.00

Note:  

  • The first classic series high-definition release, and likely to be the only one — other than the 1996 TV movie, Spearhead was the only classic series story shot entirely on film (i.e. no video inserts) so is the only story that would benefit from a Blu-ray release from start to finish.
    (Note, technically The Pyramids of Mars was released on Blu-ray as an extra on The Sarah Jane Adventures Series 4 box set in 2011, but that was in standard definition, not HD)
  • It has been confirmed that this release will not contain all of the extras from the special edition DVD above, however it will contain 4 special features exclusive to this edition:
    • A Dandy and A Clown — The Life of Jon Pertwee (42 mins)
    • Carry On — The Life of Caroline John (24 mins)
    • HD restoration featurette (2 mins)
    • Jon Pertwee title sequence elements (22 mins)

Cover blurb:
No cover information available yet.


No cover available
Edition: Australia Australia (Blu-ray)
When:  17 July 2013
Format: Blu-ray
Owned:
Buy:DVDLand.com.au

Cover blurb:
No cover information available yet.


No cover available
Edition: US US (Blu-ray)
When:  August 2013 (Exact date unconfirmed)
Format: DVD
Owned:
Buy:
Order from Amazon.com(Not currently available)
Order from Amazon.ca(Not currently available)

Cover blurb:
No cover information available yet.




Go Back