DVD / Blu-ray review (region 2)
Starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan
Release date 7 June 2010

The 11th Doctor has a major crisis to deal with as his regeneration settles. He then takes new companion Amy Pond into the far future, and back to the Second World War…

Much as I enjoyed most of the David Tennant era of Doctor Who, it definitely felt like time for a change, and new Doctor Matt Smith and incoming head writer Steven Moffat have provided that.

While the pre-credits sequence of The Eleventh Hour may feel like a hangover from Tennant’s time (close encounters with London landmarks included), Matt Smith owns the role of the Time Lord from his first encounter with a young Amy Pond.

There’s an assuredness to the production as it sends the Doctor and his companion off into more of a fantasy world, liberally borrowing from other genre sources – Terry Pratchett may well feel a little aggrieved at the denouement of The Beast Below – while someone is definitely a fan of Independence Day, with key plot points from that appearing in both the opener and Victory of the Daleks.

If you’ve been watching these on BBC HD, hold onto your originals – these are stereo only versions on both DVD and Blu-ray. For some reason the throw-forwards have been removed, which annoyingly includes the great trailer that followed The Eleventh Hour. And the much-vaunted extras are pretty much outtakes from the Dalek edition of Doctor Who Confidential. Peter Quentin

VERDICT: 7/10 (3/10 for presentation)
If you didn’t see them in April, then get them now; otherwise, wait for the box set.

Doctor Who: Series 5, Volume 2 is released on 5 July 2010.