Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4760 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-02-17
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Black & White, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 150 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
"The Seeds of Death" is the second Doctor Who adventure to feature the popular Ice Warriors. Broadcast six months before the first manned moon landing, here the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and companions Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Zoe (Wendy Padbury) beat Neil Armstrong and co in boarding a rocket to the moon, where they face the icy Martian invaders who have taken over Earth's T-Mat teleportation system in prelude to a full-scale invasion. The plot encompasses weather control, rising global disaster as food shortages sweep the world's cities, and--remarkably--a fungus which can remove oxygen from the atmosphere but which is destroyed by water.

Writer Brian Hayles might flunk Science 101 but he still tells an entertaining yarn filled with typical Whovian moments of danger and derring-do. The effects are prehistoric, but the Ice Warrior costumes prove a triumph of ingenuity over budget, and the central premise of a world-wide teleportation network is imaginative enough. Hayles brought the Ice Warriors back in surprisingly different circumstances in the Jon Pertwee Doctor Who classic "The Curse of Peladon" (1972).

On the DVD: Doctor Who: The Seeds of Death is presented as a two disc set. Disc 1 offers the six-episode serial complete, with reasonable mono sound and sharp, clear black-and-white images. That the programme was shot on film rather than video helps the picture quality enormously. Extras are on-screen trivia subtitles offering behind the scenes information, and a so-so commentary track with Frazer Hines, Wendy Padbury, Michael Ferguson and regular series writer Terrance Dicks. Disc 2 has a new 23-minute documentary, focusing mainly on the Ice Warriors and the actors who played them. This is absorbing stuff for serious Who-fans, but may leave others cold. The Last Dalek is ten minutes of 8mm b/w footage on the making of the lost story "The Evil of the Daleks" (1967), and is again of interest to serious fans. Also included is a brief montage of material censored by New Zealand from now lost episodes, a photo gallery and Tardis Cam No.5, a very short new animation. There are optional English subtitles. --Gary S Dalkin

Special Features
Commentary by actors Wendy Padbury, Frazer Hines, director Michael Ferguson, script-editor Terrance Dicks

Easter Egg

New Zealand Censor Clips

The Last Dalek TARDIS-Cam no.6

Sssowing the Ssseedsss documentary.

Synopsis
Doctor Who (Patrrick Troughton) is summoned on a treacherous journey to Earth's moon in the 21st century. But the travel station has been seized by Ice Warriors from Mars and the Doctor must now outwit them to save the dying Earth.

Customer Reviews

The Ice Warriors return.
There are sadly, not many stories surviving from Patrick Troughton's era as Doctor Who. In fact from his twenty-one stories, only six remain in full. This six-parter occurred towards the end of Troughton's time in the Tardis and I think it does that era justice. The story sees the return of the Ice Warriors, who made their first appearance during the previous season. Here they invade a lunar transmat station, and plan to send deadly poisonous seeds to earth. Having seen the surviving episodes of that particular story, I feel that this sequel is stronger. The Ice Warriors are at their most ruthless, despatching anyone who gets in the way of their plans.
Troughton, perhaps the finest overall actor to play the role in the classic series, is on fine form as the bumbling clown, with the streak of genius underneath. He is given good support by Fraser Hines and Wendy Padbury, as Jamie and Zoe respectively. The story is not without its shortcomings, however. Six episodes may just be a bit too much. It's worth pointing that Patrick Troughton doesn't actually appear in one of them, as he was on holiday at the time. Also, quite naturally, some of the effects are rather dated now.
The DVD package contains two discs. From the special features, of most interest will be the interviews with the actors who played the Ice Warriors, and rare footage from stories which no longer exist in the archives (The Evil of the Daleks and The Web of Fear).
Here we have a traditional base under siege story from the Sixties. The Ice Warriors come across as a worthy adversary for the Doctor in this story. We have still to see them in the new series. Russell T. Davies comments that he's bringing back the old adversaries one at a time, so let's hope that he doesn't overlook the Martian invaders.

"Warriors, weather and foam"
The 2nd Ice Warriors story is a slightly patchy affair. we can accept the Martians returning with no reference to where they have been since the 1st lot were caught by a glacier during an ice age, but their plan is bonkers. Spreading round a fungus that's vulnerable to water, did they just hope for good weather?

It's a fun story if a bit padded, a lot of the movement here is back and forth between the Moon and Earth.

Troughton is the advanced scientist posing as buffoon to a T. When the pod explodes in his face it really is his own fault! Occasionally as with the running there's a little too much buffonery but it doesn't get in the way of moments such as his reasoning that the Ice Warriors can't kill him as he's a genius. There is a lovely reaction as both Warriors face each other and hiss "genius!"

Wendy Padbury's Zoe is in her element helping to plan a Moon landing and sabotage. Jamie does not get very memorable stuff but played by Frazer Hines, he's always enjoyable.

The Ice Warriors are good, especially shot against the sky on location. They're slightly less effective on the lunar sets but the wobbly death effect is a good idea. Stupid when 1 smashes his way out of a cubicle they would be likely to need though!
The different costume for a Commander is a good one and no wonder it was reused as it clearly defines him as being of a different caste. He gets an undignified death gently falling to the floor, watch the documentary for why.
It's a good touch that in his spaceship, the Grand Marshall does not have such laboured breathing.

A major demerit for the future Earth costumes where the men appear to have Y-fronts on over their trousers!

This probably should have been at least 1 episode shorter but its' still fun.
"Sssowing the seeds" is a documentary telling us of the Ice Warriors 1st 2 stories focussing mainly on Seeds. We do get some sound bites from an audio interview with the late Bernard Bresslaw, the 1st ever Ice warrior as well as interviews with other Warrior actors and the costume designer. Good stuff.

Super 8 footage with commentary goes behind the scenes of the climax to Evil of The Daleks and of course there is a lengthier commentary on the whole story with Fazer and Wendy, plus the director and co-writer/Script editor Terrance Dicks. It's highly enjoyable. An easter egg shows footage of this being recorded.

A decent package for a fun story but for classic fans only.

Patrick Troughton keeps getting better!
This was the first Troughton story I bought, after purchasing The Five Doctors, The three doctors,The hand of fear,Earthshock,Rememberance of the Daleks and The Dalek invasion of earth.

I got this, then, put it on straight away.I watched the first episode, and wasnt surprised to see Ice warriors at the end of episode one, but it was great to see them! Six amazing parts, with great cliffhangers, and I am so happy this is surviving, and now to me the ice warriors beat the daleks and cybermen!

--DAVISON AND TROUGHTON RULE!