It is a really unusual story that makes full use of the BBC costume department. It is more of a historical drama than a science fiction story ~ the black and white makes it atmospheric and it really is a bit chilling and mysterious. The Aztecs was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 23rd May - 13th June 1964 and is a great chance to see a remastered classic Dr Who historical adventure ~ something they seemed to do so well at the BBC.
So…a thumbs up for the story: what about the DVD?

@@COMMENTARY@@

This an interesting documentary featuring John Ringham, Walter Randall and Ian Cullen ~ The actors who play Tlotoxl, Tonila and Ixta respectively. I liked listening to their stories and about what they enjoyed about working on this programme ~ funny stories come out about slipping wigs, etc. This lasts for 28 minutes, so it’s a good length documentary with quite a lot of info. It’s also nice to see that some of the original cast are still with us ~ this was put together from recent interviews.

This really exactly what it sounds like ~ a documentary with the set designer, Barry Newbery. I actually found this extremely interesting because he talks about how difficult it was to produce a realistic picture of Aztec life. We learn about the restrictions in terms of budget, technology and time that were placed on him. To say when it was made it is a great achievement ~ set painting and costumes are well worthy of a costume drama with a much larger expense account! This lasts for 25 minutes, so is also a lengthy piece ~ I would recommend that you watch these documentaries at a separate sitting to the actual main feature because otherwise you could start to get a bit of information overload!

This was a documentary that was originally produced for Blue Peter in September 1970. It was aimed at a younger audience than me, so a lot of it was information I already knew (I studied this period in my history course). For anyone who isn’t familiar with Aztec history I would recommend that you watch this first. It gives you a good background to the story and will help you understand the significance of some of the dialogue. It’s presented by good old Valerie Singleton too so it’s got to be worth a look!

Although this bit only lasts for around 8 minutes I found this to be the most interesting documentary of the lot. It tells how the original (slightly shabby and crackly) television programme has been transformed into a clean and crisp DVD. What we now have is four episodes that have been cleaned up and restored using a process called VidFIRE ~ a process developed by the Doctor Who Restoration Team's Peter Finklestone to restore the 'video look' to film recordings. It is a fascinating look at how long it takes to make the programme suitable for the DVD format, how the digitising process works and how difficult it is sometimes to produce the finished result.

I always love to learn more about the actors, the viewing figures and the actual production of the series, so this is always one of my favourite special features. I was not disappointed this time either! I always make sure we have these on-screen notes switched on so I can learn as I watch. I find the little snippets of information useful and informative ~ I know when, how and why things were filmed, what the actors have done before or since and other interesting insights into filming. Well done to Richard Molesworth of the Restoration Team for researching and writing this for us to enjoy!

~~~TECHNICAL INFORMATION & CAST DETAILS~~

CAST
The Doctor William Hartnell
Barbara Wright Jacqueline Hill
Ian Chesterton William Russell
Susan Foreman Carol Ann Ford
Autloc Keith Pyott
Tlotoxl John Ringham
Ixta Ian Cullen
Cameca Margot van der Burgh
Victim Tom Booth
Captain David Anderson
Tonila Walter Randall
Perfect Victim Andre Boulay