Product Description

On the planet Varos, prisoners and guards alike are subject to severest forms of punishment, which are then broadcast to the masses as entertainment. For the Doctor, Varos is the only hope for him to locate the rare mineral Zeiton-7 to power his ailing TARDIS. Arriving on Varos, he and Peri are soon caught up in events beyond their control.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Actors Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant and Nabil Shaban (who played the slithery villain Sil)
Featurette:Behind the scenes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22947 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2003-03-04
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 89 minutes

Amazon.com
One of the most popular of Colin (the sixth Doctor) Baker's adventures, "Vengeance on Varos" finds the Doctor and Peri (Nicola Bryant) involved with rebels on a 1984-like planet, Varos, where televised torture is used to support and enforce the ruling regime. When first broadcast, the episode aroused condemnation over the violence shown--particularly two men falling into a vat of acid--as well as the implied horror and moral corruption. However, these complaints missed the satiric subtext of a world in which reality-TV suffering pacifies the masses while big business exploits them. While there is too much running about in corridors, the surreal terrors of the Punishment Dome make for good Doctor Who, and the adventure develops ideas from both "The Sun Makers" (1977) and "The Caves of Androzani" (1984) with considerable low-budget aplomb. Filled with bizarre touches, such as Peri's transformation into a bird creature, the show also marked Jason Connery's TV debut as a rebel leader. --Gary S. Dalkin

DVD features
There's 15 minutes worth of deleted and/or extended scenes and four minutes of behind-the-scenes footage, but by far the finest DVD feature is the three-way commentary track, with Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, and Nabil Shaban. Affectionately sending up the show and themselves, while still demonstrating a great love for Doctor Who, the track sometimes degenerates into trivia but at its best is simply hilarious. Both original BBC1 trailers and a continuity link are included, as is a photo gallery and the option to listen with the unfinished "production sound," something likely to appeal only to die-hard fans. Rather more interesting are the optional onscreen production notes, which offer a wealth of behind-the-scenes information. The extras are completed with a small selection of outtakes. The sound is strong, clear mono, and the full-screen transfer is good enough to reveal the weaknesses in the original studio-bound video production. --Gary S. Dalkin

Customer Reviews

Opposing eras showcase The Doctor
BBC Video has released two further adventures from their long running TV series Doctor Who on DVD. The two stories come from the very early days of the programme, and one of its much later seasons, twenty two years later. Comparing the two stories now, 1964's The Aztecs and 1985's Vengeance on Varos, it's very hard to accept that they are even part of the same series.

Whereas The Aztecs is a purely historical drama, Vengeance on Varos is based entirely in the genre of science fiction, although since it's original broadcast in 1985, much of what was fictionalized at the time is now horribly accurate. The story was the second of the twenty-second season, possibly the most controversial season in the show's history. Mid-way through its broadcast, the BBC executives cancelled the show, resulting in an 18 month hiatus. The main reason for this decision was cited as the violence that was dominating the programme, and indeed Vengeance on Varos is perhaps the most striking example of the violent tendency engulfing the show.

Colin Baker certainly had the potential to be one of the best incarnations of the Doctor, but alas his performance was hampered from the outset. The choice of costume did not help, and in the commentary for this DVD release, he bemoans the costume policy himself. His characterisation of the Doctor was also flawed, presenting him as a bad-tempered, arrogant and violent character, a million miles from anything that had gone before. The scenes where two characters die in an acid bath and the Doctor's reaction, are particularly shocking. Baker's commentary justifies this as his attempt to portray the Doctor as an alien being, but it was clear from public reaction that viewers just couldn't accept the character as he appeared in this story. It didn't help either that most of his stories were taken up with the Doctor squabbling with his "American" companion Peri, played by the very English Nicola Bryant.

The production values on this story are somewhat disappointing, with the sets relying on that old standby: The identical corridor, shot from different angles. There is a cheapness about the production which overshadows the quality of the script, which is in itself pretty strong. Many guest actors, including Martin Jarvis, Stephen Yardley and Jason Connery (son of Sean, in his TV debut) certainly help bring the script to life, but undoubtedly it is Nabil Shaban's portrayal of the hideous creature Sil that steals the show. Shaban joins Baker and Bryant on the commentary soundtrack.

The commentary is just one of many extras on the DVD. There are also out-takes, extended and deleted scenes, original broadcast trailers and on-screen production notes.

Unlike the sister release, The Aztecs, a story very reliant on characterisation and performance, and played dead straight by all the actors involved, this cannot be said of the tongue in cheek camp playing of Vengeance on Varos.

The quality of the images are very good, and the story is presented in two 45 minute episodes, as it was when originally broadcast.

It's a taught piece of TV sci-fi, and I admit it will be very popular with fans of the sci-fi based Doctor Who. If you like Vengeance on Varos, you almost certainly won't like The Aztecs and vice-versa.

A thoughtful story for a great season!
The second adventure of Colin Baker's first spectacular season as Doctor Who is, as a whole, breathtaking.

The plot is centered around Varos: A planet originally set up as a penal colony, but grew to be a planet of its own accord. Problem is, its citizens are treated like prisoners by the government. They are forced to mine for slave wages and rations and those who rule live in power. And to keep the citizens quiet, forms of punishment are broadcast live or taped. There is a third party, Sil, manipulating events to gain more wealth for himself...

A great story and frighteningly ahead of its time, considering how TV is like these days, yet criticized unfairly and wrongfully for being violent.

The story itself is well-written, excellently paced, daring, and best of all are the shakespearean concepts such as a character talking *to* the camera to help convey the plot along and the characters of Etta and Arak who are showing we, the viewers, how they live - they are the citizens and we get to see how the citizens live along with the other events which in turn makes this story extremely well-rounded and multi-dimensional.

But the only problem is with the acting - solely by Jason Connery (yes, Sean's son and proves he's as much of an actor as daddy). Jason comes across as a mannequin at many times, as does his 'girlfriend' (played by Geraldine Alexander), and it's a shame since everybody else, particularly Martin Jarvis and Forbes Collins steal the show.

Still, I'm being harsh. There are far worse actors out there and their acting could have been worse. The story is indeed a classic and proves that Colin Baker's era is not devoid of compassion and morals as one might think. (they're merely presented in an unconventional point of view)

"Seems he needs a little more than water, Peri, eh?"
"Vengeance on Varos" might be the most violent and sadistic Who adventure ever. It's also written wonderfully. Ultra-Black comedy runs amok as citizens of Varos are forced to watch torture, acid baths, canabalism and cell mutation. A grim satire of TV and video sales, with lots of voyeurism. Sil is a great villian with his tongue laugh. Colin Baker excells, and we all know why Nicola Bryant was hired. "Carnival of Monsters" of the 80's?