The Sontaran Experiment

Classic series adventure gets DVD release.

The next DVD release is October's Sontaran Experiment. Starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Elisabeth Sladen and Ian Marter as companions Sarah Jane and Harry.

The time travellers arrive on a desolate Earth, discovering a lone Sontaran warrior conducting gruesome experiments on a group of shipwrecked astronauts. Filmed entirely on location in Dartmoor, the story features Tom Baker acting with a dislocated shoulder, and one of the series more peculiar robots.

The Sontaran Experiment is the first in a new range of classic Doctor Who releases that will contain a limited number of extras, but at a lower price. The planned extras are:

• Audio Commentary with Elisabeth Sladen, Bob Baker and Philip Hinchcliffe
• Documentary – Built for War. A brief history of the Sontaran race, told by some of the actors and production personnel who worked on the stories, including Elisabeth Sladen, stuntman Stuart Fell, writer Bob Baker and more
• Photo Gallery
• Production notes
• Subtitles

The Sontaran Experiment is released on 09 October 2006.

Send us your comment now. We'll publish the best on this page.

Laurie Booth
Anything associated with Bob Baker is brill.

shannon
i did not like the part where the stuff on the ground where moving.

scott lorimer
could you make it abit longer and better

Phil Allely
I thought a budget release would be a poor one, boy was I wrong the story is simple yet wonderful, the fact that it is filmed on location makes all the more special. The extras may be minimalbut I found them to be informative and well worth viewing. I hope any future budget releases receive the same treatment.

Chris Gunn
Classic Tom Baker. Love it.

Nathan Lloyd
This story rocked! I'm glad the BBC have finally got round to publishing the story on DVD!

Tom Leslie
Good story with a location that isn't a quarry and looks good plus good documentary about Sontarans.

James
Bit of a strange one to be released on it's own this one, considering it's a 2 parter. Perhaps it should have been released with Robot or Revenge of the Cybermen (as the 2 stories it is between - Arc in Space & Genesis of the Daleks - have already been released) Still looking forward to it! Harry's stories are always appreciated!

Christopher
Alas, I sent comments, but you never published them....

tommy f
i like that idea of it being cheaper and it will now fit in with the ark in sapce the sontaron experiment (please could you relase revenge of the cybermen next)

Mark Kelly
Not a bad story but whoever cast Tom's Stunt double with that bad wig needed shooting, I know poor old Tom was Hurt when filming this and thats why he spends most of the time lent up against things but come on that wig was fresh from Harry Enfield's Scousers sketch( bought back in time in the Tardis )

Shorty
One of the best, yet, under-rated Dr. Who monsters... about time they showed their faces again.

Dave of AIRS
I recall this one as quite neat and enjoyable, and - as a two-parter - notably un-padded. Mind you, the robot was a bit rubbish!

Mark Wareham
This classic story shows how a well crafted story can fit into 45 minutes. 30 years ahead of its time !

Peter Witney
What a great idea! Now we will all be able to complete our Dr Who collection on DVD before another type of medium is released (excluding HD-DVD and Blu-Ray as they are really the same thing). And what a great story to release too. Now when are the Sontarans going to be in the new series?

Peter
A great addition to the DVD collection, from a period when the Sontarans actually looked good! More releases of the first four doctors please!

David Southwell
Good news. It's a classic and under-rated story and the perfect release to launch the low-frill DVDs. It is also great news to see that they are still keeping the wonderful commentaries and production subtitles.

Tom
This was the first classic series story I saw, back in 1998. Nice to see it released. And the whole limited extras thing is a very good idea.

Mark Saunders
Good to see the new "basic" releases starting. If we waited for every story to be "special editioned" as they have been, it would be decades before all the old stories came out on DVD! This is a sensible idea, to save the more influential, iconic stories for that treatment, while releasing the other stories at a more accelerated rate (hopefully digitally remastered?). Good stuff!

Elmacca
It is a good idea to release a series of limited extra dvds at a lower price but as this is only two episodes it still seems a bit stingy. The annoying thing is that I will still buy it!

Piggygruntebeest
Wouldnt it have been better to shove this on a dvd with another 2 parter like Black Orchid.. or with another Sontaran story?

time lord 101
Amazing, I just love the way the sontaran mutant moves.

jonnyb
i think this is an amazing story, one of tom bakers finest and am happy to see it out on dvd. the bonus fetures on this dvd makes it value for money. a must see for any dr.who fan

scott vance
a true classic in every sense of the word and long overdue for an airing on DVD. I remember quite vividly it's original transmission, especially the excitement at the realisation that the Sontarans were back, and having re-watched the episodes very recently I can assure anyone who has never seen it that it still stands up as an excellent piece of drama to this day. With Ark in Space and Genesis already released, this was screaming out for a dusting off, and now all we need is Revenge of the Cybermen to complete the story arc. Nice one Auntie Beeb.

hector
Brilliant news! One of the best of Tom Baker's first season!

Sir Reginald Styles
Many classic hilarious Tom Baker lines. paraphrased - to Harry:"it's a mistake to clutter one's pockets" followed shortly by "Never throw anything away" and a few more like that. Well I found it funny. *gets coat*

Scott
Surely there has never been a better made two-parter? This one definately gives the new series two-parters a run for there money. Also, it's about time we saw the sontarans on DVD. Glad to see that this won't be a vanilla release. Keep up the good work!

Ian Green
A Tom Baker episode with a classic Dr Who monster what more could you want. Be nice to see a 2007 take on the Sontarans if you are looking for a classic enermy to bring back (hope you are listening Mr Davies)

Robert Bannick
That Sontaran costume was awesome...I remember seeing these episodes over here in the states on public broadcasting (PBS) which was the only way we could get our beloved Doctor Who. I'm slowly building my own library of Doctor Who DVD's, and as soon as this gets released for region 1, I'm planning on owning it.

Melvyn Parnell
I reckon bring back the Sontarans!!!!!! They are a part of my earliest Dr Who memories and the younguns would love them!! A Rematch!!

Odds On
Now that's a sensible package. A number of the more recent DVDs seem to have had more than their fair share of what were nothing more than space fillers, so hopefully this will be the start of a series of better balanced packages.

John Harkett
What a shame the chosen tribute for this one wasn't a tribute to the late great and sadly missed Ian Marter, not least as his novelisation of the story turned an average two-parter into something more interesting (something to consider for a future Terror of the Zygons release perhaps?)

TJ
Glad to see that this part of Tom's season one gets a release as it links Ark with Genesis. The chemistry of Tom, Sarah and Ian is unbeatable and you genuinely believed the peril they faced. Always thought the Sontarans have been underused so it will be good to finally view them being sadistic and villainous rather than the panto monsters of The Two Doctors. Looking forward to this and future lower price DVDs.

Andy Scott
Another great release from the Baker period. Tom's really enjoting his role here, even with the damaged collar bone! Love the end bit when he's communicating with the Sontaran leader - watch for the biggest smile!!

Ian McArdell
Great to see some more Harry Sullivan available on DVD. Chin up, old girl!

Skar
One of the best Doctor Who Shorts (comparatively) of all time

Tim the slayer
Now you are talking! I loved this sooo much. Weird, simple , funny and believable (well to a 6 year old anyway). I especially liked the popped beachball effect at the end.Ha!

Steve D
How come these "limited extras" DVDs seem to have more extras than other TV series' special editions?! Good idea - get them releases churned out!

Faiz Rehman
Seems like a very good set of extras, considering this is a "limited" release. I'd still like to see at least a commentary and a documentary on all releases as they really add to stories that have been around for years.

Name:

Comment:

Thank you for your comments. The BBC reserves the right to modify any messages before appearing on this web page.