Doctor Who - The Key to Time Collection

Starring:Tom Baker, Mary Tamm, John Leeson
Studio: BBC Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
The Key to Time: The Complete Adventure encompasses one of the more ambitious chapters in the history of the long-running BBC television series Doctor Who, and its landmark status, combined with the presence of the well-loved Tom Baker in the title role, should make this six-disc boxed set irresistible to Who fans. The 26-episode series was conceived by producer Graham Williams, who was intrigued by the idea of a season-long story arc, and after several setbacks he finally achieved it in 1978-79 for the program's 16th season. In The Key to Time, the Doctor and his new companion, the elegant and sharp-witted Time Lady Romana (Mary Tamm) are dispatched by the White Guardian to recover the six segments of the Key of Time, a powerful device with the ability to stop time. The Doctor and Romana must travel the universe to find the hidden segments before the nefarious Black Guardian discovers them. Their adventures bring them in contact with a host of unusual personalities and, in a time-honored Doctor Who tradition, a number of terrifying monsters.

Unlike the other Doctor Who DVDs from BBC America, The Key to Time: The Complete Adventure is debuting in North America rather than the United Kingdom, the reason being that the Baker serials have proven more popular with American audiences. And while offering somewhat fewer supplemental features than the previous releases, the boxed set is a rare opportunity to own an entire season of Doctor Who at one time. For fans of the series and Baker in particular, The Key to Time: The Complete Adventure is a must-have. --Paul Gaita
Description
The longest running Sci-Fi program in the history of this universe. The Doctor is a Time Lord who travels the universe for kicks because his planet is the dullest in the universe and Earth is much more fun. Million of fans continue to enjoy this series on many levels, from the fantasy and sci-fi to the tongue in cheek humor.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Biographies
Photo gallery
Production Notes

Average customer rating:

"Look, I'm sure there must be plenty of other Time Lords who'd be delighted..."
The Doctor from the States
Dr. Who/ The Key To Time
Marvelous Gift for Any Dr. Who Enthusiast.
Like taking a trip back in time

Doctor Who - The Key to Time Collection
Starring: Tom Baker , Mary Tamm , and John Leeson
Manufacturer: BBC Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

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Television | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000067FPE
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Amazon.com

The Key to Time: The Complete Adventure encompasses one of the more ambitious chapters in the history of the long-running BBC television series Doctor Who, and its landmark status, combined with the presence of the well-loved Tom Baker in the title role, should make this six-disc boxed set irresistible to Who fans. The 26-episode series was conceived by producer Graham Williams, who was intrigued by the idea of a season-long story arc, and after several setbacks he finally achieved it in 1978-79 for the program's 16th season. In The Key to Time, the Doctor and his new companion, the elegant and sharp-witted Time Lady Romana (Mary Tamm) are dispatched by the White Guardian to recover the six segments of the Key of Time, a powerful device with the ability to stop time. The Doctor and Romana must travel the universe to find the hidden segments before the nefarious Black Guardian discovers them. Their adventures bring them in contact with a host of unusual personalities and, in a time-honored Doctor Who tradition, a number of terrifying monsters.

Unlike the other Doctor Who DVDs from BBC America, The Key to Time: The Complete Adventure is debuting in North America rather than the United Kingdom, the reason being that the Baker serials have proven more popular with American audiences. And while offering somewhat fewer supplemental features than the previous releases, the boxed set is a rare opportunity to own an entire season of Doctor Who at one time. For fans of the series and Baker in particular, The Key to Time: The Complete Adventure is a must-have. --Paul Gaita

Description

The longest running Sci-Fi program in the history of this universe. The Doctor is a Time Lord who travels the universe for kicks because his planet is the dullest in the universe and Earth is much more fun. Million of fans continue to enjoy this series on many levels, from the fantasy and sci-fi to the tongue in cheek humor.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Biographies
Photo gallery
Production Notes

Customer Reviews:

"Look, I'm sure there must be plenty of other Time Lords who'd be delighted...".......2007-05-27

This fantastic "Doctor Who" box set is unprecedented in at least two ways. Firstly, the very idea of linking all six storylines of the show's sixteenth season into one epic meta-story was and remains ambitiously inventive, something not really attempted before and rarely repeated on such a grand scale since. Each story is quite different and episodic in the usual "Doctor Who" fashion, and yet in all of them the Doctor and his assigned assistant Romana are searching for the six segments of the Key to Time hidden scattered throughout time and space--a mission hoisted on the reluctant Doctor by the White Guardian, an immensely powerful cosmic being concerned with maintaining the balance of the universe. In this quest, the Doctor, Romana, and K9 will come across all manner of challenges: clever con-men and tenacious tyrants, peregrinating planets and apoplectic pirates, daft Druids and strolling stones, antique androids and crafty counts, cornered colonialists and colossal calamari, and finally missile-happy militarists and sadistic shadows. All in a day's work if you're a Time Lord, I guess.

Secondly, as of this date this is the only fully complete season of classic "Doctor Who" available on DVD, and so it gives the viewer a much more realistic and authentic sense of what watching this show from week to week would've been like. That is, in other DVD releases the BBC has concentrated on classics, fan favorites, turning points--storylines that really stand out for some reason, in other words. But no show can maintain such a high strung level of intensity constantly, even a great show like "Doctor Who"--no, mixed in among the rare landmarks will of course be unremarkably good or just okay stories and, yes, even a few clunkers. And that's exactly what we find here in "The Key to Time Set" in fact: all six stories are very enjoyable, creative, and fun, but the quality is indeed noticeably variable. More representative of the show's overall stellar strengths and endearing weaknesses, really.

Besides, with Tom Baker as the Doctor, what have you got to lose? Yeah, it's a box set, but go ahead and splurge a little. After all, you only live once--unless you're a Time Lord, of course.

P.S. The six storylines in this DVD set all make up one overarching story arc, as mentioned, and they're probably best watched in that manner. For that reason, and in terms of economics and convenience, this box set is probably the way to go, especially if you're a fervent Doctor Who fan. However, if you are exclusively interested only in a single DVD from this set, they are sold individually as well:
1. Doctor Who - The Ribos Operation (Episode 98) (The Key to Time Series, Part 1)
2. Doctor Who - The Pirate Planet (Episode 99) (The Key to Time Series, Part 2)
3. Doctor Who: Stones of Blood (Episode 100) (The Key To Time Series, Part 3)
4. Doctor Who - The Androids of Tara (Episode 101) (The Key to Time Series, Part 4)
5. Doctor Who - The Power of Kroll (Episode 102) (The Key to Time Series, Part 5)
6. Doctor Who: The Armegeddon Factor (Episode 103) (The Key to Time Series, Part 6)

The Doctor from the States.......2007-05-14

This is been one of my best purchase from United States. Impossible to find elsewhere, the season of the Key to Time can't be missed by any Doctor Who fan, by any Douglas Adams fan (the second episode of the season sees Doctor Adams leave for a while his labour of love, Hitchhicker Guide to the Galaxy, to accomplish his duty for the other "Doctor"), by any english television fan (a lot of surprises about the other actors in the series all around!!!). Wish someday the next season will come out, when Douglas Adams where script editor, but in the meanwhile, this box is providing me as much fun as I could expect. though I think that the best Doctor Who period is still the one of the Hinchcliff's production, this season shows still enough care and professionality by the actors, the writers, the producers and all the television workers. Need to know more? Oh, come on, just buy it!

Dr. Who/ The Key To Time .......2007-05-14

Each episode has a fantastical story base; including real outdoor environment locations (different landscapes--coal mine,castle,swampland.etc.),and very colorful interior sets/stages (spaceships,catacombs,rooms). There are unique creatures and peoples that The Dr. and his assistants, (including his robot dog K-9), come into contact with; in order to obtain the 6 keys to time. Some crude special effects are used to convey certain ideas, but each story makes sense and the outcome is fulfilling. It's comedic too; and at times, it has thought-provoking themes.

Marvelous Gift for Any Dr. Who Enthusiast........2007-03-14

Bought this set for my husband as a Christmas Gift. He's really enjoyed it. The special features, including commentary by Tom Baker, Mary Tamm, and others, really makes it fun.

Like taking a trip back in time.......2007-03-05

The key to time series was not one of the seasons I originally saw when I use to watch Doctor Who with Tom Baker, but nevertheless it still brought back all those memories. If your a current Doctor who fan you will find the effects cheezy, and somewhat corny, but at the time this show ran they were amazing on the old 19 inch tvs. If your an old Tom Baker fan you should enjoy this! Mary Tamm does a great job as Romana and the other characters are excellent! the stories are top rate and Tom Baker is just as you remembered!

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