Doctor Who - The Key To Time (Box Set) (DVD)

The first complete season boxset for classic Doctor who, and it's packed full of worthy extras as compared to the lacklustre region 2 release from 2002. There's some great moments to be had, and some less memorable parts, but watch the six serials and the insightful documentaries and it makes you appreciate what Doctor Who can achieve on a low budget. The one hour documentary on the then current producer Graham Williams definately shows what he achieved on the show. The sound and picure quality is excellent and every DVD contains interviews with cast and crew whom emphasise their views (and the fun times they had).
The Ribos Operation is a well scripted story of rogue conmen and mystery. Although perhaps not the strongest of season openers, it does well to introduce the quest for the key and the charactter of Romana.
The Pirate Planet written by Douglas Adams is full of ambitious and high concept ideas. With some great one-liners and jokes, the
tongue in cheek mayhem is brought to the screen with some great acting by the main characters.
Te Stones of Blood starts off as something of a throwback to the gothic era of Tom Baker's early years, acting as a genuine horror. This leads to some more scientific and political concepts in the last two parts when the story moves to hiperspace.
The Androids of Tara is a more lighthearted tale of swashbuckling action and a battle of wits. A tribute to "The Prisoner of Zenda", it is produced by a genuinely enthusiastic crew who give the sets and direction a boost.
The Power of Kroll centres around the (supposed) legend of a giant squid worshipped and honoured by believers and considered a threat by all else. The giant squid effects have dated but the story is nonetheless entertaining.
The finale The Armageddon Factor does a good job in providing a satisfying end to the Key to Time story arc, containing enough twists
to keep the six part story going. This particular story is middle ground and is what you can expect from most Doctor Who stories of the time.
All in all, an enjoyable season with very different stories of variable quality. With 9 commentaries and a over 6 hours of extras, this is a Doctor Who fans paradise.