h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

So far on DVD I have "The Five Doctors", "Remembrance" and "The Movie", all of which I've been pleased with what's on them. True, "The Five Doctors" doesn't have any extras, but the menu system is excellent, and I don't have it on video... What effects did you hear where missing from "Remembrance"?

You haven't asked about "Starship Troopers" or "Cube" before, but I have seen both in the Uni's cinema, and they were both very enjoyable. "Cube" is the better film, but I'd definately get them both.

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I think I'll wait a while, to see if they bring out the five doctors agian with extra's but they'll probably not have the menu system that sounds good, and I don't want 4 copies, mind you they could do an original and special version or something

the missing effects, it might say on the doctor who restoration team web pages, I'll have a look if I remember, but I thing its where the daleks shoot at a man and he hits the wall, and you see an effect or something, I'm not being ver helpfull am I, I'll have a look later.

I love the Doctor who DVD's this is what the fans have been waiting for all these years, good quality version, fully restored, commentarys production notes behind the scenes stuff etc, dvd is a more collectors thing, it seems its more for the people who relly enjoy the stuuf if you see what I mean

I saw starship troopers for £9.99 in wh smiths, but it was the one with no extras, so if I see either I'll get them,

do you know about the new hhgg game?

I doubt they'll release "The Five Doctors" again soon, as there are so many DVDs that they haven't released yet. It will probably be one of the first ones they do re-release, though. But you're right, as it is extra-less, there isn't that much point in getting it on DVD when you already have it. I'll have a look at the Restoration Team's website in a bit, thanks for the tip.

I think you have a point that DVD is more for the collectors, as they tend to be £10 more expensive than a video tape, that will put off a lot of casual buyers. Although I did once see "The Five Doctors" in a Buy 3 for £something offer. If there are more offers like that, more people will buy them to make up a set of three, and perhaps become hooked. The extras are definately a nice feature, but when you already have them, such as the UNIT Recruitment extra on "Spearhead" I recorded when it was shown before "The Planet Of The Daleks", it makes you think again.

I don't really know much about the new game - although I did see some of the drawings from it and met most of the designers about this time last year when I visited the old H2G2 Offices. How far has it got? I've not got a PC with a CD-Rom, so I tend not to pay attention to the latest games out.

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I don't really know much about the game, its not out yet is all,

I got spearhead and robots as 2 for £25, which wasn't bad, I said somewhere, in reference to the model sequence shots on the robots dvd that it may not be that much to see but when it was made something like 25 years ago, and films that were made only a couple of years ago have no real extra's its quite good, and the caves of androzani were quite good

the only thing with the extra you've already giot mine tend to be on a number of different tapes and not very good quality


I copied this from the dw restoration site


'Remembrance of the Daleks' was released on 26th February 2001. Unfortunately, it wasn't until the disc hit the shops that a remastering error was discovered, which had caused the loss of some video effects in episode one and two. Right back at the start of the project, we had experimented with dropping in shots from the earlier edits where possible, in order to try to save one tape generation. This technique had been applied to all of episode one and the beginning of episode two before we decided that most of the improvement (ie decrease in video noise) would not be terribly noticeable after the episodes had been noise-reduced anyway. Regrettably, some of the shots that had been replaced were not exactly identical in the two versions, as some additional video effects work had been carried out and we just didn't notice them. The most obvious and important one is in episode one, the famous shot where the soldier is exterminated and his skeleton is visible briefly. The DVD is missing the actual ray that hits the soldier, although the skeleton effect is intact. Another ray blast is missing from slightly later and an overlay of smoke rising from a blown up Dalek casing is missing from episode two. We can only apologise for our error - we're only human and we do make mistakes. The master tapes will be recalled and the shots reinstated as they should be, which will mean that the forthcoming US releases will have them intact. It is possible that BBC Video may be able to correct the DVD master so that subsequent UK pressings will be correct, but this may prove to be prohibitively expensive.

been watching dune, not bad I might read it sometime

Where did you get Spearhead and Rbots for £25? Do you know if the offer is still on?
But I agree that it is more impressive to have extras on episodes of Doctor Who which are approaching 30 years old, when there are films made since the invention of DVD that contain nothing. But then, the BBC also put a few extras on some of the videos of Doctor Who - in the Cybertin, for example, there is the phone-in interview with Colin Baker. True, it isn't very exciting, but it *is* there, which shows that someone went to the trouble of finding it and including it. If there is a new release of "The Five Doctors", I wonder what extras they would include? Probably a selection of photographs, but what I would really like to see is them including all three parts of "Dimensions In Time" - which also features 5 Doctors. (Although perhaps that could be included on "Time And The Rani"?) I hope they have the Jim'll Fix It Special on "The Two Doctors."

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the robots and spearhead were from MVC, I don't know if the offer is stil on sorry

yeah they have put some good stuff on the videos before

as for dimentions of time I very much doubt we'll see it, as i recall they only agreed to do it as long as it was never shown again and never put on a video or anything, shame,

the cybertin was good nice to see the tenth planet, my wife wasn't so impressed, she doesn't like willian hartnell, he doesn't do anything she says..............

Sadly there is no MVC in Southampton, so even if it was on, I cannot take advantage of it.

I heard that as "Dimensions In Time" was made for charity, they could only show it the once, and not release it as a video. Whether that means that there may be a loophole where it could be an extra on a DVD or not, I don't know. It seems a waste if it is never broadcast or released again.
William Hartnell wasn't my favourite Doctor (who is, I've no idea.) I agree that he isn't as dynamic as some of the others, but I would never say I dislike him. But then, I've not seen as much of WIlliam Hartnell as I have of the other Doctors, mainly because they tend not to show them. If he doesn't do anything, it could be due to his relative youth; he is, afterall, only the first Doctor.

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yeah it does seem a waste, I see that a new CD is out the audio version of genises of the daleks and the thing tom and liz sladan did for schools or something, its only twenty minutes long and the dalek one is a cut down version but might get it

I don't mind the first doctor so much, but i don't watch so much of his stuff, but when i do I enjoy it

cant wait for the hitchhikers tv series dvd to come out

Have you read TIMELORD's interview with the actor who played several cybermen?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A619120

I'm not sure I'll ever get the audio versions of episodes I have on video. Lost episodes, certainly (when I have the money!), but will probably only get on audio what I can't get on video. I don't really listen to that much, the Goon Show, the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy (I think the radio version was the best) and "Dead Ringers" (on Radio 4 tonight at 6:30! Tune in, it's great.) Let me know what the thing for schools is like if you get it.

I wonder what extras the Hitchhikers DVD will get? If it doesn't have much, I probably won't get it.

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no I haven't seen it I'll have a look

I've got a couple of missing episodes tapes, 4 to pbe precise don't listen to them much,, I would and have been thinking about getting more of them but I kinda hope the actual episodes will turn up

I've got the genesis/exploration earth cd so when i listen to it i'll tell you waht is like, but its only 20 minutes long and a more of an education thing so i doubt it'l be anything worthwhile

The HHGG DVD, as I've heard it'll have the complete episode six, the videos were compiled into two 'films' for video so the dvd will have the episodes and some material was edited out for timing when it was shown, that's all I really know

the radio version was deffinailty the best

I know what you mean about the actual episodes. I think we all wish that they will turn up, which is the main reason I've not bought them before now. I have started to collect any Target Books I find of missing Doctor Who episodes, however. This reminds me, I'd better get "The Crusades/Space Museum" box set before they sell out for good.

I've found the information about the "Tombs of the Cybermen" DVD:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/dvdvideo/tomb.shtml
It's one of the ones I'm most looking forward to seeing, as I have not seen it before. It seems the next DVD they're releasing is "Vengeance On Varos", so at last Colin Baker is on DVD. I always thought Colin's Doctor was over-criticised and disliked, as he was one of my favourite Doctors. The "Hitchhikers" DVD sounds worth getting - do you know when it's going to be released?
I'm still hoping "Day of the Triffids" will come to DVD.

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yeah I stopped getting all the novelisations and just went fro the missing one's, I really should look them out there all in a box in the attic, hum..........

The Crusades/Space Museum box was quite good although I had the hartnell years and so had the one episode and the space museum from ukgold, but good none the less

I have seen the new planet of the apes, not bad not great its a mixture of the original film and book and some new stuff, very bad ending though, it spoilt the film


the doctor who dvd's sound really good, can't wait to get my hands on them, don't know when the hhgg dvd is comming out, the day of the triffids I don't remember much about it, but i've always rememberd it


the doctor who exploration earth thing was OK, nothing great but alright

I'm hoping to get them all one day, it's just a case of picking up what I can find. It gets annoying when they released them under different titles to the episodes, or released the book with about 3 different titles.

I've heard quite a lot about the ending, except what it actually is. Which is good, as I don't want it spoilt for when I finally see it. But everyone said that the final twist was, not so much an anti-climax, just an attempt to out-do the original dramatic ending that doesn't work. I'll have to see it to decide for myself.

I'm definately looking forward to getting the next DVD - but if they continue to release only 6 a year, seems like it's going to take a very long time before my collection is even near being complete. But I'd rather they did release one every 2 months where they've taken a lot of trouble over it, and put good extras on, than rush-out the complete set without making any effort. And this way I'll be able to afford each one when it comes out.

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i've just loked through all my book from the attic, and was quite surprised by what i had, of the missing episodes there are severn I don't have, I've also got a few of the new adevture ones and a coupl of others, some i haven't even read, so there all going in my things to read pile.

the of the aopes is very close to the book, so much that my heart was thumping, but I found it confusing

I quite agree about the dvd's, i read somewhere that their planning to release all the stories that haven't be released on video, on video in the next two years, but with the one every two months its nicely affordable,

I trying to decide what to read next, its eithe 2064, frankenstien or a doctor who,. hum..........

At the moment I'm plowing through "Arthur C. Clarke: The Collected Stories", which is every short-story he's ever had published. Many of which I've read before, but even so it's taking me an awful long time! I don't expect to be done quite yet. I have quite a few of teh New Adventure Doctor Who books to read, though - about 12 I think. I've only got about 15 novelisations, most of which are Jon Pertwee or William Hartnell. It's very amusing how both "The Daleks" and "Unearhly Child" have the story of how Susan and the Doctor met Ian and Barbara.

Sorry about the short reply - I've got to run off.

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I have the daleks book never read it though, I'll have to get it out of the attic, I bought loads of novelisation years ago many are un read, due to the new adventure comming and not being able to keep up, so I've bought 17 missing episodes ones down from the attic, which leaves 7 missing episode ones that have been published, 8 if you include the ice warriors but I have the video, and I also have the first 12 new adventure ones I only read a couple of them, and 2 of the missing adventure one (the old doctor new adventures), one based on the LP, and 3 of colin bakers missing season, oh and a choose your own adventure one as well,

when i've cleared, or got somewhere near to, my things to read pile I 'll get some more of arthur c clarke, I think I'll read 2064 next

I know what you mean about not being able to keep up with the Doctor Who books - someone on the BBC's Doctor Who message board said that Doctor Who was in the Guiness Book of Records for being the television series with the most spin-off books. After nearly 40 years, I can easily believe it, and they're still publishing the BBC ones at a fantastic rate. I just pick up what I find cheap in second-hand book shops, but I've drained all the nearby ones of all their stock, so I've got a bit of a breather before I need to buy more.

Which is just as well, as I've no-where to put any more books, and I've got over 30 books on my to-read pile as it is.

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well i'll read the ones I have but with getting the audio's every month and wanted to read other stuff I'll be giving thema miss, i did read beltempest, an eight doctor book nto see what they were klike and I hated it, the eight doctr audios are very good though and can't wait to listen to the next ones of his.

I'd like to get the abbys dvd I saw it today for second hand at £14.99, 2 dvd original film, and then with extra footage lots of extra's, etc, but no money

phone bill came £280, wow, and then the washing machine broke £120 to get it fixed and we stil haven't payed off the money for our wedding, sop things are more than a little tight.

I'm halfway through the Arthur C. Clarke book, only about another 75 short stories to go
I've been disappointed by only one of the Doctor Who books I've read; it was all about Vampires, and seemed to be more "Buffy" inspired than Doctor Who. But that was a 5th Doctor adventure. I've not read any 8th Doctor yet, but I will when I have the time. So, what is the new companion for the Doctor like? Is she in the books as well as the audios?

I've worked out that I'll have paid off all my debts and start having money which I can spend on myself again in 10 weeks time - although chances are, by then I'll have to wait 10 weeks to save up enough money to pay off the bills I run up in the next 10 weeks. Was it the Abyss Special Edition? Or the original film with the bits added to the Special Edition as extras?

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the eight doctor companion is different in the books and audio's, I do have another eight doctor book the my friend got free with a magizine he gave me so I'll read it, just in case the first I read wasn't tipical, in the audios the companion doctor and stories were all very good, and I can't wait for the new ones.

its gonna be a while before we pay off the debts we have, christmas is comming, and i have the feeling any debts we pay off now will be run up just as quick then.......

the abyss, as i remember it waas the original film and the special edition, and the original screen play, but how its presented i don't know, I was just read the back, but its a two dvd set, and I'd love to get it.