Doctor Who was a show that I adored as a child, but when it came back to television in 2005 I never expected that I would end up liking it even more as an adult! The updated version of the show is wonderful viewing for the entire family, with an excellent mix of comedy, action, and drama, as well as special effects that put most everything else on television these days to shame! Series four of the revived Doctor Who brings us new adventures, which will sadly be our last full season with the Tenth Doctor.

The Show:

For the uninitiated, here a very brief rundown:

Doctor Who is a long-running British sci-fi show that follows the exploits of "The Doctor", a super intelligent Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who has a special affinity for the planet Earth. The Doctor can travel to any point in space and time in his spaceship, the TARDIS, which looks like an old fashioned police call box on the outside but is quite massive on the inside. The Doctor usually travels with one (or more) young companion, usually human, as he travels the universe righting wrongs and saving the day. Although The Doctor looks human there are some major differences - the largest being the fact that he doesn't age, instead he "regenerates". If his body is dying he can change every cell and become a new man. Throughout each regeneration he has the same basic traits (his moral sense of right and wrong, his intelligence, his memories) but his appearance and certain quirks of his personality change.

Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running sci-fi show in television history, Doctor Who originally aired from 1963 to 1989 and also produced a television movie in 1996. Although it continued to live on through books and new audio recordings, the show was revived for television by Russell T. Davies in 2005. Christopher Eccleston was the first to resume the role of The Doctor, playing his 9th incarnation in the revived show's first year, along with new companion Rose Tyler (beautifully played by Billie Piper). Eccleston decided to only play the Doctor for one year, so in season two (or 28, depending upon how you look at it) the role of the 10th Doctor went to the very capable (and enjoyable) David Tennant, who continues to play the part today.

The Fourth Season (or 30th, depending upon how you look at it):

I'll admit it.  When I first learned that Catherine Tate, who had played "The Runaway Bride" Donna Noble in the previous year's Christmas Special, was going to be the Doctor's assistant for the fourth series, I wasn't exactly jumping for joy.  Donna, as a character, was originally designed as an anti-companion.  She was loud and rude and none too bright.  At the beginning of the episode she didn't even like the Doctor.  Now she was going to be his companion for a full series!?!  But I did have faith in the brilliant writers and showrunner Russell T. Davies, and now in retrospect the Doctor/Donna pairing was perfection and just the break we needed from the "love interest" companions of the previous years.

When the show first came back to our screens, the Doctor and his companion, Rose Tyler, shared a chaste love for each other.  After the two were torn from each other, with Rose trapped in an alternate universe, the Doctor was left hurting and as such didn't recognize that 3rd Season companion, Martha Jones, had feelings for him as well.  Right after saying his final goodbye to Rose, the Doctor had helped save Donna Noble from a nefarious alien plot, but Donna had declined an invitation to continue to travel with him.  Now, in Season Four, we learn that Donna regretted her decision to not travel with him, and she spent the past year attempting to find him again.  When the two finally meet (in a very humorous scene) and she invites herself on board the TARDIS, she quickly becomes his best friend with no love interest whatsoever -- which is a refreshing change!  Don't get me wrong, I adore Rose and Martha, but this break from people falling in love with him was a very good idea.

Donna is a great companion too.  She loves the excitement.  She loves the travel.  She's grown and matured since we saw her last.  She has gotten much smarter and much more observant.  She's older than his previous companions and not as in awe of him, which is also good (since the Doctor can stand to be taken down a peg every so often).  Donna continues to grow as a person and as a friend to the Doctor throughout the fourth series (which makes her ultimate fate that much more gut wrenching really).  Plus, Catherine Tate and David Tennant seem to sparkle around each other.  Both of them have impeccable comic timing, and their real life friendship shines through in their performances.

As in other years, there are some little moments in each episode that come together in the finale, including disappearing planets and the return of Rose Tyler, who is used to dramatic effect throughout the season as we catch glimpses of her unsuccessfully trying to contact the Doctor.

Overall I found the quality of stories in Series Four to be quite high, with no truly disappointing clunkers in the mix, and even ones that aren't the best are still entertaining and have moments of greatness.

Although there are 5 specials that take place after this series, it is the last full series with David Tennant as The Doctor and Russell T. Davies as showrunner (also the last with executive producers Julie Gardener and Phil Collinson).  While Doctor Who is a show that has thrived on change, I am going to miss them terribly.  Russell T. Davies deserves much praise for bringing it back and raising it to such heights of popularity (in the UK it is one of the most popular shows on television).  David Tennant also deserves tons of praise for his portrayal of the Doctor.  Both men clearly love the show and display such fanboyish enthusiasm when talking about it in commentaries or in the "Making of" documentaries that accompany each episode.  While I have high hopes for the new team in 2010 and wish them the very best of luck and continued success, I cannot help but mourn the passing of this golden age of Tennant/Davies.

Technical Specs:

This boxed set consists of 6 discs.

Each disc contains a number of episodes, commentary tracks, video dairies, teaser trailers, and other special features.

The English audio track is in Dolby Digital 5.1.

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 (anamorphic widescreen).
Enhanced for 16x9 television screens.

Subtitles in English

The packaging is always very nice.  I got my copy from Best Buy, which had an exclusive tin case offered only at Best Buy stores.  I love the hard case, with my only complaint being that there's no place to store the accompanying booklet.

My overall commentary on the commentaries - Each episode has an accompanying commentary track.  I have my favorite commenters -- show runners Russell T. Davies, Julie Gardner, and Phil Collinson are always great fun as commenters, as is David Tennant whose enthusiasm and genuine love of the show always shines through. All four of them are so chatty and happy and knowledgeable.  I a new addition to my list of favorite commenters for this year: Catherine Tate!  Catherine is funny and seems to genuinely enjoy herself in the recordings.  I also always love it when the authors comment on their own works, particularly Steven Moffat who becomes showrunner in 2010. Although there are a few commentaries on this set that do not include at least one of the people I mentioned above, there are a slew of episodes that feature 2 or even 3 of my favorites commenting together, which are usually a riot to listen to.

Each of the discs (with the exception of the "Confidential" disc) contains a number of Teasers and Trailers that aired at movie theaters and as television commercials to generate interest in the show.

Disc One

Voyage of the Damned - Doctor Who meets the Poseidon Adventure, guest-starring Kylie Minouge on an outer-space cruise ship named The Titanic.  This was the Christmas Special for 2008, and was a big action-adventure romp.  It isn't perfect (the "big bad" is rather lame), but it is an over-the-top adventure and is rather fun.
Audio commentary by Composer Murray Gold, assistant director Peter Bennett, and guest actor Russell Tovey

Children in Need Special "Time Crash" - This is an 8-minute short filmed especially for the Children in Need fund raiser.  Written by one of the series' best writers, Steven Moffat, and starring 5th Doctor Peter Davison along side Tenth Doctor David Tennant, it is a loving tribute to the show's past.  Peter Davison was one of my favorite Doctors from my childhood, so this short is rather special to me.

David Tennant's Video Diary - Blackpool Illuminations - David's video diaries have been one of my favorite things on each of his series so far, and I was sad to find that there are only 2 diaries on this set, but the two we get are really great (and each are roughly 15 minutes long, giving us a full 30 minutes of diary goodness).  In this one we see Tennant and Exec Producer Julie Gardener on the way to the big Blackpool Illuminations celebration, of which David is to be the star (he is supposed to turn on the Illuminations as the culmination of the big celebration).  The bad news is that they're running late and traffic is bad, so we get to see Julie and David acting like gleeful little kids as they get a police escort to the event.  It is a really cute look at life in the eye of the Doctor Who storm.

Deleted Scenes from Voyage of the Damned - a few minor scenes, introduced by show runner/head writer Russell T. Davies to explain why they were cut (which is a nice addition to the deleted scenes this year).

Disc Two

Partners in Crime - A great opening episode that finds Donna seeking out the Doctor by investigating the types of strange events that she thinks he might investigate.  The scene when they finally meet after missing each other so many times is one of my favorite comedic moments in the entire series.  This episode also features some very cute and cuddly aliens as the "bad-ish guys" (but it's not their fault).
Audio commentary by Executive Producer Julie Gardener, Showrunner/Writer Russell T. Davies, and Director James Strong.

The Fires of Pompeii - A darker, thrilling episode where the Doctor takes Donna on a joy ride to ancient Rome only to discover that they've landed in Pompeii on "Volcano Day".  There is an alien menace afoot though that must be investigated, and the Doctor and Donna have a major disagreement over what can and what must not be changed in Earth's history.
Wonderful audio commentary by David Tennant (The Doctor), Catherine Tate (Donna), and Production Manager Tracie Simpson

Planet of the Ood - Another dark episode explores one of the more interesting alien races introduced since Doctor Who came back to television, the Ood.  While I personally loved some aspects of this episode (the big claw chasing the Doctor through the warehouse, an examination of human nature's darker side) there were some that didn't thrill me (the "big brain" and the fact that the Doctor and Donna didn't really play a big role in the resolution of the plot), but it is still a rather entertaining episode.
Audio commentary by Director Graeme Harper and actor Roger Griffiths

Deleted Scenes - There are a number of deleted scenes from each episode on this disc, with helpful commentary from head writer Russell T. Davies explaining why each scene was cut.  I was very pleased to see the scenes filmed with Howard Attfield, the actor who played Donna's father in "The Runaway Bride" but who became too ill during the filming of Series Four to reprise his role (and sadly passed away before filming was completed).  Although Howard's scenes were re-recorded with Bernard Cribbins as Donna's Grandfather, it was wonderful to see the original scenes with Attfield as Donna's Dad.

Disc Three

The Sontaran Stratagem - The first part of a two-parter featuring another baddie from the Doctor's past -- the short, stocky Sontarans.  The Sontarans look quite cool, and the commander is brilliantly played by Christopher Ryan (of "The Young Ones" fame).  This episode also features the return on U.N.I.T. and former series three companion Martha Jones.
Audio Commentary by actor Dan Starkey, visual effects supervisor Neill Gorton, and exec. producer Julie Gardener.

The Poison Sky - The second part to the Sontaran two-parter, featuring some pretty neat visual effects (the Sontaran space ship and a burning sky) and the Doctor being his usual brilliant, selfless self.
Entertaining audio commentary by David Tennant (the Doctor), show runner/writer Russell T. Davies, and producer Susie Liggat

The Doctor's Daughter - An episode wherein the Doctor inherits a daughter in the form of a soldier produced from a sample of his DNA.  The acting in this episode from stars Tennant, Tate, and Georgia Moffett is wonderful (Tennant in particular), and the story idea is a good one, however they try to shoehorn far too much into the episode, and it suffers for it.  While I love the overall character study of the Doctor that this episode provides, and love the fact that the Doctor's daughter is played by a Doctor's daughter (Georgia Moffett is the real-life daughter of Fifth Doctor Peter Davison), the story doesn't hang together all that well and would have been better served with a longer running time.
Another very fun audio commentary by Catherine Tate (Donna), actor Georgia Moffett, and orchestra conductor Ben Foster (where we get introduced to the "I've got a new business" game).

The Unicorn and the Wasp - An episode that is an homage to Agatha Christie stories, featuring Agatha Christie herself.  I appreciate that this is a "different" kind of episode, what with it's "whodunnit" murder-myster nature, but to be honest it isn't my cup of tea.  I do get endlessly amused by the scene where the murderer attempts to poison the Doctor through.
Audio commentary by actors Fenella Woolgar and Felicity Kendal

Deleted Scenes - Again featuring Russell T. Davies explaining why they were cut, the most interesting bits are a couple of scenes that were to bookend "The Unicorn and the Wasp" featuring an aged Agatha Christie toward the end of her life.

Disc Four

Silence in the Library - A confusing and entertaining part one of a two-parter featuring a library-planet and a group of travelers investigating the disappearance of the library's patrons.  Another beautiful, spooky story with a twist from future show runner Steven Moffat.
A great audio commentary by David Tennant (The Doctor), author Steven Moffat, and exec. producer Julie Gardener.

Forest of the Dead - The second part of a two parter, which also features a mysterious woman from the Doctor's future (but her past) played by E.R. alum Alex Kingston.
Audio commentary by producer Euros Lyn, script editor Helen Raynor, and costume designer Louise Page

Midnight - This is my very favorite episode of series four.  This is not your typical Doctor Who episode - it is contained and claustrophobic as it focuses on a small group of vacationers trapped together with a creepy alien entity.  After taking over one of the humans, the alien repeats everything everyone says, then says things as the same time as everyone, then goes on to the next step...  It's an acting tour-de-force for David Tennant and guest actor Lindsay Sharp, and features a pre-Merlin Colin Morgan.
A great audio commentary from David Tennant (The Doctor), show runner/writer Russell T. Davies, and director Alice Troughton.

Deleted Scenes - This disc includes the rest of the deleted scenes for series four - including scenes for episodes not included on this disc, most notably a (understandably) cut extra ending for the series four finale which gave an advance look as to the baddies for the then-upcoming 2008 Christmas special.  Also included is the semi-controversial TARDIS-coral handover in Rose's parting scenes for "The Journey's End".

Disc Five

Turn Left - The "Doctor lite" episode for this season, this is an excellent episode that shows what would have happened had Donna never met the Doctor.  It's also what would have happened in the past couple of years if the The Doctor hadn't been around to save us time and time again.  Catherine Tate does an outstanding job as the feisty yet downtrodden Donna, who finds hope in a former companion of the Doctor...
Audio Commentary by actors Catherine Tate (Donna), Bernard Cribbins, and Jacqueline King

The Stolen Earth - the first part of the finale two-parter, it features a slew of former companions and friends of the Doctor as the Earth is stolen by the Daleks, headed up by Davros, the creator of the Daleks.  This episode features one of the very best episode-ending cliffhangers ever!
Another wonderful audio commentary by David Tennant (The Doctor), show runner/writer Russell T. Davies, and exec. producer Julie Gardener.

Journey's End - The ending part of the completely bonkers finale.  Yes, the science (or lack thereof) of dragging the Earth home is a bit out-there, but I'm hesitant to complain about an episode that gives so much to fans of this show.  Even though there is such delight/happiness in certain parts of the episode, it gets followed up by such sadness as the Doctor must say goodbye to everyone in his extended/adopted family of friends.  An episode with this much of an emotional punch simply must be celebrated.
Yet another fantastic commentary track, this time featuring David Tennant (The Doctor), Catherine Tate (Donna), and show runner/writer Russell T. Davies

David Tennant's Video Diary - The Finale Two-Parter - The finale essentially features David getting back together with a bunch of his friends from his time on the show, so he documented a bit of this for us in his diary.  My favorite bit features a sweet moment between David and Sarah Jane actress Lis Sladen, as well as the night-vision conversation with David, Catherine Tate, and Billie Piper (with an added Captain Jack Attack) as they huddle in a car on location.  It is great to see this group of people enjoying each other's company on set, and I thank David Tennant for sharing it with us.

Featurette: The Journey (So Far) -  This is a pleasant, 30 minute look back over what will no doubt be considered the Russell T. Davies era of Doctor Who (if a bit premature since there are 5 more specials to follow before he hands the keys over to Steven Moffat).  It features new interviews with series stars and producers, and covers both Eccleston's Ninth and Tennant's Tenth Doctors nicely.

Disc Six:

The sixth disc is devoted entirely to the "cut down" versions of the "Doctor Who Confidential" documentary show.  The Confidentials as they air overseas accompany each Doctor Who episode and are roughly 45 minutes apiece, but on this DVD they are "cut down" to 10-15 minute bits on each episode.  I would rather have the whole thing, of course, but it is nice that they are able to include a bit of each episode on this boxed set, providing 3 hours of additional footage on each of the 14 episodes.

Final Thoughts:

If I had any complaints about this set, it would be that I wish there was a way to get the full-blown Confidential episodes, as well as the mini-Confidential for "Time Crash" (which was available online, but I'd love it in a higher quality DVD form).  I'm hoping that before the 2010 season starts we'll get another boxed set containing the 2009 Specials as well as the Doctor Who Proms concert - so I'll forgive them for not including the Proms on this DVD set as long as it shows up in the future.  All minor complains on a very feature-packed boxed set.

I love this season, although now it makes me sad to know that this is David Tennant's last full season as the Doctor.  Catherine Tate made an awesome companion, and taken as a whole Series Four maintains a high standard of quality throughout.  This is definitely a set that gets played over and over in our house (particularly now that my young sons have become fans as well).  I highly recommend this boxed set!


Related Reviews:
Doctor Who: The Complete Second Series: http://www.epinions.com/content_327370051204
Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series: http://www.epinions.com/content_407511600772

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD