A “Secret” No More!

Hot off the announcement of The Savages animation, Season 7 has been (officially) confirmed as the first Collection release of 2025, having leaked early via Rarewaves’ eBay outlet on Tuesday.

Season 7 is one of the worst-kept secrets when it comes to these sets, with several leaks preceding the above eBay one. The set is confirmed to be coming out on 3rd March according to Zavvi, the same month Season 9 was released in 2023. Looking at this pattern I expect Season 11 in 2027.

Designer Lee Binding gave us a tease of the colour palette being used for the cover like we’ve had for the previous few sets, and  I have to admit the Pertwee seasons tend to be amongst the lesser designs for me (Season 8 asides) mainly due to the composition of Pertwee’s head in relation to his body – season 9 was uncanny and this box, though striking, also feels a bit off in my opinion. However, the monster arrangement and colour scheme are very good, as is the interior artwork.

Where Season 25 had a more stripped-back trailer, 7 has been announced without one at all. Whether this is because the announcement was brought forward owing to the leak or because they simply haven’t made one is to be determined. 

Season 7 ran from 3rd January to 20th June 1970, and comprises four stories:

  1. Spearhead from Space
  2. Doctor Who and The Silurians
  3. The Ambassadors of Death
  4. Inferno

Season 7, the first season to air in colour for the classic era, marked a distinct change for the series by leaving the Doctor earthbound following his exile at the end of The War Games. This season especially would take on a more serious and grounded tone for the most part, with comparisons being made to the Quatermass franchise. It’s one of the finest of the classic era and I’m delighted to see it finally confirmed, and leaving just one Jon Pertwee season to go.

This boxset contains the following new special features:

  • Four brand new documentaries, including: SPLENDID CHAP, a profile of beloved Brigadier actor Nicholas Courtney; LOOKING FOR MAC, uncovering the story of writer Malcolm Hulke; TERROR OF THE SUBURBS, looking at when Doctor Who came down to Earth; and LUCKY 13: ROCKETS, ALIENS AND SPARE PARTS, how the science of the day influenced Doctor Who.
  • BEHIND THE SOFA: New episodes with Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Matthew Waterhouse (Adric), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Sophie Aldred (Ace), presenter Toby Hadoke, and the late Caroline John’s family: husband Geoffrey Beevers (who also played the Master) and daughter Daisy Ashford.
  • IN CONVERSATION: Matthew Sweet chats to John Levene, who played UNIT’s Sergeant Benton, about his life and career.
  • THE DOCTOR WHO ESCAPE ROOM: Will Team Third Doctor escape the room of doom?   
  • MOVIE-LENGTH OMNIBUS EDITIONS: Doctor Who and the Silurians and Inferno.
  • EXCLUSIVE CONVENTION FOOTAGE    
  • HD PHOTO GALLERIES   
  • INFO TEXT: Behind-the-scenes information and trivia on every episode.   
  • PDF ARCHIVE: Scripts, Costume Designs, Rare BBC Production Files and other rarities.

Though at first glance this set appears to be lighter on new VAM, this is a season where only a handful of cast and crew are still with us, and we also got feature-length biopics for both Jon Pertwee and Caroline John when Spearhead was released on BD back in 2013. The new content listed looks very impressive and I’m looking forward to seeing how they’ve been able to clean up these episodes – Silurians and Ambassadors especially. 

Stay tuned for the boxset review in March next year!

By HW Reynolds

Images provided by the BBC

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