Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4483 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-04-16
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Full Screen, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 73 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The final serial in Doctor Who's original run on the BBC (before it was revived in 2005), this three-episode story stars Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor, who brings his companion Ace (Sophie Aldred) back to Earth, only to discover that a race of feline aliens have turned the planet into their private hunting ground. The aliens, called Cheetah People, are traveling between their dying planet and Earth to kidnap humans for food--and lurking behind the whole scheme is none other than the Doctor's arch enemy, the Master (Anthony Ainsley in his final TV performance as the character). Despite the relative lack of quality of its video cinematography, Survival is a sold serial from the McCoy era, with some genuine suspense and an affectionate (if temporary) send-off for the venerable sci-fi hero.

The two-disc set of Survival is typical of the impressive presentations that the Doctor's adventures have received on DVD. Two commentary tracks have been recorded--one featuring McCoy, Aldred, and script editor Andrew Cartmel, and the other by the winners of a contest sponsored by Doctor Who magazine (this appears only for episode 3). The hour-long, two-part Cat Flap (one of the original titles for the serial) covers the making of the serial from start to finish, and Endgame is an intriguing look at how the program might've continued after Survival had it not been cancelled in 1989. Little Girl Lost is a 15-minute exploration of Ace's character from her debut story until Survival, and Destiny of the Doctors features footage of Ainley as the Master taken from the 1997 computer game of the same name. The extras are rounded out by several deleted and extended scenes, a round of outtakes, the standard photo gallery, text-only commentary track, Radio Times listings (in DVD-ROM format), and a 20-minute episode of a U.K. educational program called Search Out Science, which features McCoy and Aldred as their characters in a discussion of (what else?) time and space. --Paul Gaita

Synopsis
The original series ran from 1963 and culminated in Survival in 1989; a story that would be the show’s last until being revived in 1996. Having taken Ace to the present in order for her to visit her friends, the Doctor soon discovers that they have been shanghaied by the cat-like Kitlings, and transported through space to their home planet. Arriving on the planet, it soon becomes clear that the kidnappings had been undertaken in order to set a trap for the Doctor.

Customer Reviews

'We may just survive...'
Survival, for those who don't know, was the last transmitted new episode of Doctor Who for seven years, ending a Twenty-Six year run. Well... at least 'Who had ended on a good note.
McCoy's opening season was, truely, the worst season in the history of 'Who. The seconf McCoy season (though a HUGE improvement on the first) was still not perfect. By the time of the third season, Doctor Who was finally back on track with good quality stories, and a Doctor and companion that had finally understood their potential.
Survival represents why the last season was so good. It was a mix of a good Doctor, original companion and just good, solid stories. The concept of 'survival of the fittest' is very strong int this story and that just plays to the viewers good points.
After the 75 min story, we then have 190-odd minutes of extras. This is a two-disk release after all. The Cat-Flap feature is a good insite into the production and last days of 'Who. Then the documentaries of Endgame (which is BRILLIANT) and the Ace Documentary make this release all the beter.

This serial may only be three-parts, but it's still a bargain at the sheer amount of special features.

Here Kitty, Kitty ! Come Buy This Doctor Who Story
This is, as I'm sure most people have gathered the final Doctor Who story to be broadcast (though not recorded) by the BBC for the show's original run. It bookends the series very nicely with the very first Doctor Who story ever 'An Unearthly Child' back in 1963 in that they both feature contemporary London and this sees the Doctor bring a missing Londoner home in contrast to the first story where he kidnaps two Londoners.

The plot is really about the life cycle of an ancient alien race, the Cheetah People and shows how they use teleportation to send Kittlings, which look like domestic cats, to other planets to look for prey. These prey are then teleported back to the Cheetah's planet to be hunted and killed, anyone surviving for long enough contracts a virus and begins to transform into a Cheetah and because of the Tooth and Claw, strongest survives/weak perish scenario they begin to fight amongst themselves, this has an effect on the planet as they are telepathically linked in someway to it and it begins to self destruct.

The Doctor and Ace find themselves on the planet with a group of kids that are being used as prey by the Cheetahs, who themselves are being controlled by the Doctor's arch enemy, the Master, who has himself become infected by the Cheetah virus.

Sylvester McCoy's performance of the Doctor was one of extremes, on his day he was brilliant but when he was bad he was awful, this is one of his days thankfully, he is very moody and dark and gives the part an edge that we are more used to seeing Christopher Eccleston display, one of McCoy's finer performances.

The real surprise is the best ever performance of the late Anthony Ainley as the Master, this really is a distinct improvement over his previous appearances where he was ordered by the production team to 'camp up' the part for all it's worth, here he finally gets to play the part the way that he wanted to all along, menacing, sadistic and cruel here at last he found himself to be a worthy successor to Roger Delgado in his final ever story.

This release carries an impressive list of extras such as two commentaries, deleted scenes and continuity announcements, three big documentaries covering the making of the show and the story of the next season and why it was cancelled and one about the character of Ace. The school programme Search out Science which featured Sylvester McCoy in character as the Doctor is also included as are PDF documents and clips from the computer game Destiny of the Doctors featuring Anthony Ainley.

This is a very good story which ended the original series of Doctor Who and the sheer number of extra features make buying this DVD essential, it is a welcome addition to the ever-growing range of Doctor Who products.

Classic series goes out on a high
Survival is a watershed story in Doctor Who history and it doesn't disappoint. After this story it was a long wait for new Who and Survival ensured it had a hard act to follow. Sylvester McCoy is at the top of his game here and the 'dark Doctor' of his final season makes for a gripping showdown with his nemesis, the evil Master, played once again by the inimitable Anthony Ainley. The pair of them play cat and mouse for the first couple of episodes, before a thrilling fight at the stories climax leaves..........well, i won't spoil the surprise! Brilliantly directed, superbly acted and full of wonderful performances (Hale and Pace give a wonderful comic turn), this story will not disappoint. Fans of the new series will enjoy this, it fits very much into the style of episodes like 'New Earth'. Enjoy.