Time to Regenerate!

After a disappointing end to the current Ncuti Gatwa run of Doctor Who, which has left the mainline series on uncertain ground (for now, at least), the news of a new Collection boxset is welcome. Season 13 makes the second and likely final set for 2025, and was another that was long touted to be next in line. Though there’s no release date yet, I suspect this will be out in September/October.

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 has gone for an unorthodox background to the set, paired up with Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor donning the Scottish garb from Terror of the Zygons. I’m not entirely sold on the design of Tom’s head here (it seems a tad off, like with where previous sets have had issues), but otherwise, it’s a visually pleasing piece of artwork, and the interior artwork is also a winner.

Season 13 receives another stripped-back trailer showcasing clips from the story and the new special features, see below:

Season 13 ran from 30th August 1975 to 6th March 1976, and comprises six stories:

  • Terror of the Zygons
  • Planet of Evil
  • Pyramids of Mars
  • The Android Invasion
  • The Brain of Morbius
  • The Seeds of Doom

Season 13 is considered one of the legendary entries in the classic era’s run by many, with Tom Baker hitting his stride and forming an iconic duo with Elizabeth Sladen’s companion character in Sarah-Jane Smith, as they face off with legendary monsters like the Zygons, Sutekh, Kraals, Morbius and the fearsome Krynoid. This is also the season where the pairing of Producer Philip Hinchcliffe and Script Editor Robert Holmes really gets going, blending science fiction and gothic horror throughout the season with many callbacks (and borrowing) from classic horror.

This boxset contains the following new special features:

  • WORLDS WITHIN: A profile of actor Ian Marter, who played Harry Sullivan.
  • RETURN TO THIRTEEN: Philip Hinchcliffe returns to the locations of several Season 13 stories and is reunited with old friends.
  • IN CONVERSATION: Director Graeme Harper chats to Matthew Sweet about his life, career and Doctor Who.
  • TOM TALKS: Tom Baker on Season 13 and more.
  • THE DOCTOR WHO ESCAPE ROOM: The Fourth Doctor team attempt their escape
  • BEHIND THE SOFA: New episodes with Colin Baker (the Sixth Doctor), Maureen O’Brien (Vicki), Katy Manning (Jo), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Sophie Aldred (Ace), Sadie Miller (Elisabeth Sladen’s daughter), and comedian Toby Hadoke.
  • BRAND NEW AUDIO COMMENTARIES: Tom Baker on episodes from Terror of the Zygons, Pyramids of Mars and The Android Invasion.
  • UPDATED SPECIAL EFFECTS: On Terror of the Zygons.
  • OMNIBUS EDITIONS: HD recreations of the Pyramids of Mars and The Brain of Morbius repeat screenings, plus a brand-new edit of The Seeds of Doom.
  • TALES OF THE TARDIS: A 2024 edit of Pyramids of Mars with updated effects and appearances from the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson)
  • EXCLUSIVE ARCHIVE TREATS: Including never-before-released footage from Mathshow, Disney Time and more
  • INTERVIEWS: Unreleased footage of Elisabeth Sladen and Michael Sheard (Laurence Scarman in Pyramids of Mars)
  • 5.1 SURROUND SOUND: New surround mix on Pyramids of Mars
  • HD PHOTO GALLERIES
  • INFO TEXT
  • PDF ARCHIVE
  • PLUS LOTS MORE!

Season 13 packs in a nice selection of new VAM, and I’m especially looking forward to the documentary on Ian Marter, who left us far too soon. Graeme Harper getting an In Conversation is a nice surprise – I had wondered whether he would get one, though I was expecting it more so on a Season 21 set. Familiar VAM like Behind the Sofa and the Escape Room return here, and though Tom is absent from both, we’re getting new Tommentaries and another Tom Talks episode, so there’ll be plenty of him on the set elsewhere. I’m also curious to look at the omnibus editions and new edits mentioned above, as I know they’re often requested by fans. All in all, this is shaping up to be another promising box set.

Stay tuned for the boxset review later this year!

By HW Reynolds

Images provided by the BBC

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