Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #610 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-05-11
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 95 minutes

DVD Description
Gallifrey. Planet of the Time Lords. The Doctor has finally come home, but not by choice.

Summoned by a vision from The Matrix, he is drawn into web of political intrigue and assassination. Nothing is quite what it seems, and in the shadows lurks his oldest and deadliest enemy...

Special Features:
• Commentary by Tom Baker [The Doctor], Bernard Horsfall [Goth] and Philip Hinchcliffe [Producer]
• The Matrix Revisited Cast, crew and critics look back at the making of this story, featuring director David Maloney, designer Roger Murray-Leach and the founder of the National Viewers and Listeners Association, Mary Whitehouse
• The Gallifreyan Candidate A look at Richard Condon’s novel The Manchurian Candidate, a major influence on the plot of The Deadly Assassin
• The Frighten Factor What exactly is Doctor Who’s ‘Frighten Factor’? A diverse panel of experts try to answer the question
• Radio Times Billings Listings for this story presented in a PDF file [DVD-ROM – PC/Mac]
• Photo Gallery
• Coming Soon Trailer
• Production Information Subtitles
• Easter Egg
• Digitally remastered picture and sound quality

This story was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 30th October – 20th November 1976

Synopsis
Originally transmitted in 1976, THE DEADLY ASSASSIN is a three-part adventure full of thrilling intrigue and finds Doctor Who wrongfully accused of murdering the President of the Timelords.

Customer Reviews

Simply a work of art. With LOTS of BLACK paint!
Two little words: Bob Holmes! So get it! Not convinced? Well Read on.

If you're not a fan, trampling over people to grab their own copy first then delve in with an open mind!

This is not your average Dr Who & had Mary Whitehouse raging at the BBC. This is a time where everyone just agreed to disregard every rule of children's Science Fiction & created a one off vision of Dr Who at it's most horrifying.

It's virtually impossible for me to write this review without saying the words: Dark, Gothic or Horror. Because it represents all those words perfectly!

Dark: Because of the lack of over lit sets, the Masters clobber & the fact that the theme of story is "The death of many, to save one life"

Gothic: Because of the casts robe costumes, Catheaderal like sets, Church Organ Music & a certain characters name!

And..

Horror: Because the Doctor gets Tortured, shot, drowned, framed, almost poisoned, he falls off a cliff, smacked over the head with a Gun handle.. it goes on! Also, the Master looks like he has had all the skin on his face ripped off & gave every kid who's parents complained; Nightmares!

This is one of my favourites because of it's uniqueness. We see Galifrey at it's best, the companion is dropped & Dr Who has to use cunning, violence & guile in order to defeat his arch enemy.

There is so much more about this story I could say but I'll leave that to the countless number of fans who praise this story!

So if you haven't seen it, then do so before you die because everything about this story apart from the fake spider in the bush is simply commendable & gives a very apt representation of how Dr Who could have been a perfect show if it was aimed at adults & not children.

When ever I accidentally see a clip from, or have the patience to watch an episode of the New series, & begin to cringe from over acting, weep from lack of a characteristic music score.. I just remember this little number!

Ladies & Gentlemen: Behold.. at long last.. "THE DEADLY ASSASSIN!"

"Predictable as a Hare Doctor.." - The Master

A dark and gritty iconic classic
Finally, this superb classic comes to DVD - and it's about time too. 'The Deadly Assassin' is a high-concept dark gritty tale that's one of Tom Baker's finest. This is the first time ever that we get to see the Time Lord featured on his own, plus the first time we properly get to see his home planet of Gallifrey. It's written by Robert Holmes, directed by David Maloney and produced by Philip Hinchcliffe (so how could it fail!), plus it's one of the most violent episodes-ever!

This is a 'story based' review only, but the extras should hopefully be pretty decent for such a big and important release. Plus for obvious reasons, it's essential that we get a Tom Baker commentary.

The Gallifrey set may look a bit low-tech, but this is because they were going for an operatic/theatrical look back in 1976, and for this reason it's still an effective and impressive set today that's very well lit. However, what really impresses the most, is the brilliant plot plus the Time Lord going through the Matrix. And once unconscious, he enters into an horrific virtual reality world where he faces imaginery threats. Later on, he's involved in a deadly game of survival with Chancellor/Hunter Goth (sorry about the spoiler - but hey! it's over 30 yrs old).

The threat scenarios from Goth (monitored by the Master) are very imaginative, for example: the Doctor stumbling down, hanging onto and then falling off the edge of a cliff caused by a samurai warrior cutting his scarf, getting his foot caught on a railway track as a train races towards him, being shot at by a biplane, the pond water getting poisoned, plus being almost drowned in a gas-filled marsh etc.

This is not only one of Baker's best (as mentioned), but also one of his finest ever performances. He literally fires on all cylinders here, ranging from the deadly serious to the comical, plus the physical but wounded man of action.

Overall, this is a real gem that's action packed, with great use of that iconic quarry again (Betchworth Quarry, near Reigate, Surrey - the same one they used for 'Genesis of the Daleks'). The tropical jungle landscape is also very effective (Royal Alexander and Albert School, Surrey). This is an absolute must!

"Yes Cardinal"
I declare a bias here as this is my favourite story of all time.
Robert Holmes and Philip Hinchcliffe (producer)had long since hit critical mass and all the nuances for the Doctor that Holmes writes are pure uncle Tom. He doodles during his trial for the assassination of Gallifrey's President and his hair curls when he gets an idea.
This is a story influenced by both the original film and/or book of The Manchurian Candidate and the real life assassination of JFK. The Doctor revisits his home planet Gallifrey and is framed for shooting The President.
Holmes offers us a more fun version of the Timelords, no longer dull part-time Gods, they are back biting and double dealing. Especially Borusa the Doc's old tutor who cares very little for the truth. No wonder Holmes' more House of Cards Gallifrey replaced the original model for many stories on TV, audio and in books for years to come.
The designs are very good and were unfluential too, those high collars even made a comeback in the new Who.
The script is the 1st companionless story, not that that bothers the Doctor who simply finds a pair of pensioners who are good listeners to share the plot with- the dormouse like Engin and the Insp Frost like Spandrell (bet he likes bacon sandwiches!).
Uncle Tom gets 2 good antagonists. Who rep actor Bernard Horsfall plays a Chancellor obsessed with seeing him executed as a murderer and his best enemy The Master is back too.
Peter Pratt plays an emaciated dying Master (like Geoffrey Beevers in Keeper of Traken) who retains his cunning and evil. Very effective.
There's a terrific battle within the neverland of the matrix (sans Keanu Reeves) full of great imagery, war, surgery, a clown, trains-only an immobile spider lets it down.
I don't think the drowning climax to part 3 is too much. As a 10 year old, I found it exciting, not scary.

Very well directed and enjoyable. recommended for all.

"The Gallifreyan Candidate" is a good grounding in the novel and 1st film version (the one with Janet Leigh & Frank Sinatra) of The Manchurian candidate and their influence on this story,even including film clips.

"The Frighten Factor" considers the scary elements of Who, what makes good ones, their effect on children and offers some celebrity fan types, a psychologist and old hands like Barry Letts. It considers new as well as classic Who, including the recent Blink. A bit short at 15 minutes though.

The Matrix Revisited looks at the making of the story from conception, Philip Hinchcliffe wanted a conspiracy thriller and Tom wanted to carry the show on his own, though production, location work, model airplanes, trickery to double up extras, and finally to broadcast reaction cue archive footage of Mary Whitehouse and the fan view on why it was unpopular with many at the time.
Treats include archive footage of director David Maloney and a look at Peter Pratt without mask.

The easter egg is continuity announcement stuff but best of all Sir Tom Baker is on excellent commentary form, opening with the now obligatory moans of pleasure at the title sequence. Philip Hinchcliffe,an old hand at Tommentaries, is justly proud of this story. When he reminds Tom that he wanted to carry the show with no companions, Tom agrees that sounds like him.
Bernard Horsfall is great value recalling in another story looking like "the King of the fairies in an ridiculous wig" and disputing that the pace of the story's not up to current standards.
Tom who attacked this story for realistic violence on the Tom Baker Years video, seems to warm to it and concludes it's "as good a story or episodes as I did"

And so it is. 5/5 for extras as well as story.