Get ready to relive one of Doctor Who’s most epic adventures in vibrant new colour. The BBC has announced that the classic story The War Games will be airing on BBC Four and iPlayer on 23rd December.
Originally broadcast in 1969, The War Games marked a pivotal moment in the Doctor’s history, as the Second Doctor, played by the iconic Patrick Troughton, faced his regeneration. The story follows the Doctor and his companions, Zoe and Jamie (Wendy Padbury and Fraser Hines), as they are transported to a terrifying war zone where soldiers from different historical periods are being manipulated by a sinister force.
To celebrate this iconic story, the BBC has painstakingly colourised the original episodes and added updated visual effects, creating a visually stunning 90-minute feature-length experience. With improved sound and a new score, this reimagined version of The War Games is set to captivate both longtime fans and newcomers to the Doctor Who universe.
Doctor Who executive producer Russell T Davies: “From the day I arrived back on Doctor Who, this was the plan. To colourise old stories and bring them back to life. And on Doctor Who Day itself, it’s great to announce this, celebrating the show’s wonderful heritage with an all-time-classic. It looks so vivid and new – and for fans of black-and-white, the story in its original form will stay on BBC iPlayer, so everyone wins!
“I actually watched this transmit in 1969, at 6 years old, terrified of the Roman soldiers, fascinated by villains with glinting spectacles, and in awe of the Doctor’s brand new origin. Now fans old and new can enjoy it all over again.”
A particular highlight of this new release is the inclusion of a newly created sequence of the Second Doctor’s regeneration into the Third Doctor, played by Jon Pertwee. It also features footage cut from the original broadcast.
The release follows the 2023 colourization and abridging of The Daleks, the serial that put Doctor Who on the map, culturally speaking. The War Games is a good bookend to the black and white era, but we’re hoping more will be released in this form as time goes on. Cutting classic serials into a third of their original run time isn’t ideal, but it is a way to draw in younger viewers.
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