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Doctor Who : Complete BBC Series 4 [2008] [DVD]

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Actors: David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Freema Agyeman, Billie Piper, John Barrowman
Studio: 2 Entertain Video
Category: DVD

List Price: ~~£69.99~~
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Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

111 reviews
Sales Rank: 175

Format: PAL
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region: 2
Number Of Discs: 6
Running Time: 500 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.7 x 1.8

EAN: 5014503260927
ASIN: B0011W2IN8

Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: November 17, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.co.uk Review
Kicking off with a jam-packed Christmas special and ending with a blockbuster extended closing instalment, IDoctor Who/I?s fourth series since it was revived is a breathless, exciting one, that also boasts some exceptional episodes. P You get fourteen episodes for your money here, and the ones in particular to watch out for are the outstanding ISilence In The Library/Forest Of The Dead/I double header, the almost single-location creepfest that is IMidnight/I, and the trio of ITurn Left/I, IThe Stolen Earth/I and IJourney?s End/I that round off the series. In the midst of those is also one of the very best cliffhangers that IDoctor Who/I has ever employed in its long and glorious history. P This is also the series of IDoctor Who/I that introduces Catherine Tate as full-time companion Donna Noble, working alongside David Tennant?s Doctor across time and space. And it?s--against initial expectations--arguably the best combination since the show returned. Here, there?s no hint of romance between the pair, as they instead knuckle down to business, occasionally helped by the likes of Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Jack Harkness (John Barrowman). p Let?s not forget too the collection of monsters we meet this time round. The daleks and Davros are the main attractions in IDoctor Who Series 4/I, while the return of the Sontarans proves to be a bit of a disappointment. But, after viewing the series, chances are you?ll be counting shadows around you, and wary of getting on the wrong side of the Ood. p As with most series of IDoctor Who/I, there are one or two bumpy episodes and missteps, but this is still unmatched at what it does, and finds the show in even more confident form than last time round. That, along with the immense rewatch value, is what makes this terrific piece of family entertainment such a compelling buy. --ISimon Brew/I

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 1-5 of 111

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Epic, yet personal July 30, 2008
ds (Whitby, UK)
83 out of 92 found this review helpful

Amongst fans, series four of Doctor Who has probably been more divisive than any of the the preceding three, causing some to lament that it had become little more than a soap opera, while others applauded its desire to push boundaries and experiment. br / br /Personally, I fall into the latter camp. As time has moved on, the bar has been moved ever higher in terms of performance, scripting and production values, even since series 3. As good as David Tennant is, and he is VERY good, this is most definitely Catherine Tate's series. When she was cast, there was a vocal tranche of opinion that dreaded her appearance, based purely on her role in the 2006 Christmas Special (in the series 3 boxset). Even that was a little harsh; she had merely played the part as written, though there were clear echoes of her sketch show in it. However, as time went on, the audience went on a journey with Donna and gradually warmed to her, as she gained some kind of enlightenment and a sense of wonder at all the things she saw. Not just that, but her relationship with Tennant's Doctor, though platonic, had that wonderful kind of spark that Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn shared in their movies. I think the perfect example of that comes at the very end of the series; it was the major highlight of the series finale for me. br / br /So, what of the episodes themselves: br / br /First episodes of a series are tough to judge at the time and while series 3's 'Smith and Jones' had been the best at that point, 'Partners In Crime' trumps it. The Adipose plot was admittedly barely a cypher to bring CT and DT back together, but Sarah Lancashire held her own and there were obvious signs of the great chemistry to come. And if that wasn't enough, there was THAT scene to finish the episode off. Hands up who saw that one coming? ( Liars! :-) ) br / br /I really loved 'Fires of Pompeii', with its (in hindsight) predictions of what was to come later and in-jokes ofr all those Cambridge Latin Course veterans. 'Planet of the Ood' was a relatively low-key and downbeat affair, though it too subtly presaged later events. It did still give us glimpses of the fact that Tate's Donna was not going to be content to be a mere mute (or screaming) ornament in proceedings. br / br /The Sontaran double bill, a Helen Rayner effort, was infinitely better than series 3's misfiring 'Daleks In Manhattan'. And Chris Ryan was wonderful as Staal. While it didn't hit the stellar heights of later stories it was certainly much better than merely adequate. br / br /'The Doctor's Daughter' was, in hindsight, probably the weakest episode of the series, which sounds bad but isn't really meant to be. I rather enjoyed it, Its very simple premise and its sense of time and history being compressed as they were was a very interesting one. And of course we have a new character floating around the universe. Who knows when we'll bump into her again... br / br /'The Unicorn and the Wasp' managed to keep up a tradition of doing nice historical author-ish episodes with some style and elan. Some quibbled about the effects and the climax, but such things border on the churlish in retrospect. The episode is a fun one, and perfect for peak-time Saturday family viewing. br / br /From this point onwards, however, the series seemed to hit another gear entirely. Steve Moffat's Library double was, quite simply a stunning tour de force on so many levels. By now though, this is what we have come to expect of the man who manages to put the fear of God into the nation's ten-year-olds every series. Job done this time round - "stay out of the shadows" br / br /For me, the two most surprising episodes were 'Midnight' and 'Turn Left'. The former's simple one-set staging reminding me very much of 'Twelve Angry Men'. It left RTD able to concentrate on what he does best, more than ably assisted by Lesley Sharp's performance. The mysterious and unresolved menace was beautifully realised. 'Turn Left' though, was the biggest shock of all. The usual Doctor-lite episode threw us into a world without the Doctor and shows us the consequences. It shows also how important Donna is in this context. And of course we get the return of Rose... br / br /Then, the finale: if this really is to be RTD's swansong then I think the intention was to comprehensively clear the decks and prepare the way for Moffat to do his stuff. As a result, there was an awful lot to pack in and, towards the very end, a suitably RTD-ish tendency to ladle on the cheese, but he largely gets away with it. Once again though, Tate steals the show, with her half-timelord, half-human meta-crisis showing just how fabulous she was all along. The best bits for me were the crackles of dialogue, like when the half-human Doctor regenerates: br /"It's you!" br /"Oh yes" br /"But..you're..NAKED!" br /"Oh YES" br /and then taking control of things once the threefold man is reunited with all the parts of himself. br / br /There were lots of nice touches, such as the Sarah-Jane references concerning Genesis of the Daleks, especially the moment where Davros recognises her: chilling. br / br /That all this was so wonderful makes Donna's fate all the more heart-rending and pathetic. We'll miss her. And Bernard Cribbins too: a national treasure. I'm not sure about Rose's resolution either, though it does tie up all those floaty, "wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey" bits, to steal a quote. br / br /In the end, what is series 4? Well, in my eyes it is certasinly a progression from the series 3. This season had no clunkers at all and was of a generally high standard. Tennant's Doctor is now utterly fully formed, having recovered from some of the overwrought gurning of series 2. Now he's alone again, next year's specials and 2010 series give the writers and team a blank slate to work from. It alsd helps to have such a talent of cast and crew talent and a wealth of goodwill to go wit hit. You really do get the sense that eveyone concerned loves this show. br / br /RTD has done a great job in reviving what many thought was a dead show and making it consistently the most popular, best produced, mote inventive and simply best drama on British TV. br / br /When release time finally comes it will be an essential purchase for me. I hope it will be for you too.

5 out of 5 stars

The Best Yet April 3, 2009
Lilli de la Field (Hampshire)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Season one? Great! Season Two? Brilliant! Season three? Very good, though sombre. Season four? WOW! br / br /They really surpassed themselves with this season. Catherine Tate's Donna Noble, rather than being dewey-eyed and love-lorn (as Martha was), she is strong and loud and funny and as the Doctor would say,`absolutely brilliant!' br / br /Even though season three was great, I have to admit there were one or two moments that made me cringe a little, but there was none of that this time. The stories were exciting, scary, funny and touching, often all at the same time. Surprisingly I do not have a favourite from this season either, because every single episode had me on the edge of my seat. br / br /This season also gave me an opportunity to see exactly how very talented an actress Catherine Tate really is; and in the final three episodes in particular, she really had me cheering and weeping for her. br / br /This one is a thumbs up all round. The whole thing is great. David Tennant is as brilliant as ever (if not more so) but even so, Catherine Tate's presence has made it what it is. Brilliant work. br / br /How on earth will anyone ever be able to step into the shoes of people like David Tennant and Catherine Tate? br / br /Watch this space!

5 out of 5 stars

Best British Television Series of All Time July 6, 2008
K. Mills (UK)
32 out of 43 found this review helpful

Doctor Who Series 4 has been a rollercoaster ride of action and emotion. David Tennants Doctor is the best ever, portraying both a lonely traveller and powerful Time-lord. Catherine Tate has also lived up to be one of the greatest companions of all time also, adding depth to the Doctors life and questioning the Doctors role. br / br /The stories have also been some of the best we have seen so far - from The Fires of Pompeii, Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead through to Turn Left and the Epic Finale. br / br /Series 4 is definately the strongest yet and has managed to capture a huge audience. It i not only a brilliant piece of British Television, but a piece of our Popular culture - a flagship show that is worthy of Worldwide viewing. br / br /Doctor Who has never looked or been so good. The production values are brilliant and are the best on British T.V. down to the cast and the wonderful scripts it never stops amazing the viewer. Whether you are 8 or 80 Doctor Who is must watch Television and this boxset is definately worth the money! br / br /

5 out of 5 stars

"Welcome, to my new Empire Doctor"!!! July 7, 2008
Mr. T. Goodearl
16 out of 23 found this review helpful

Ever since the re-launch of Doctor Who in 2005, popularity in the show has risen. The Doctor has become the BBC's biggest money maker and it is clear why. This series is by far the best of the New Who, not one dull episode in this series and it all began with the Children in Need special "Time Crash" where Peter Davison returns as the Doctor for 5 minutes of wonder. Great short ep, but Xmas brought out the best of yet to come. br / br /Voyage of the Damned, 3.5/5. Not bad, I enjoyed this episode very much with the heavenly hosts reminding me of the Tom Baker badie the "Robots of Death", the only let down is the master mind behind all of it was bad, a let down, but the rest is great, Kylie looked great after her Cancer recovery! br / br /Partners in Crime, 3.5/5, again not bad, very funny moments between Donna and the Doctor, but this episode felt like they only did it for the toy market with the Adipose, but still somehow works. br / br /Fires of Pompeii, 4/5. Great episode with the Doctor uncovering an Alien conspiracy in the Town of Pompeii, the only problem is, its Volcano Day! br / br /Planet of the Ood, 3.5/5. The first time a new who villain has returned br /for another story in two separate series, the Doctor and Donna arrive on the Ood planet where a Ood revalution is taking place, but who are the evil ones, the Ood, or their human masters? br / br /Sontaran Stratagem, 4/5. Martha Jones calls the Doctor back to Earth to help with the mysterious death toll in cars with the new Atmos system, the Doctor investigates and descovers an old enemy is behind the deaths. br /The Poison Sky, 4/5. Pt 2 of the Sontaran Stratagem, the Atmos cars are polluting the Earth choking every living being, what is the plan of the Sontaran's, and an the Doctor stop it? And why is Martha acting so strange? Two great eps, the Sontarans are as good as ever! br / br /The Doctor's Daughter 3.5/5. Not a bad epsiode, an interesting idea of br /seeing how the Doctor suddenly copes with a Daughter (Played by Geogina Moffat, actuall daughter of former Doctor Peter Davison), a war raging for generations is involved, can the Doctor unlock its secrets? br / br /The Unicorn and the Wasp 4/5. If you like Agatha Cristie, you will love this, the Doctor and Donna gate crash a party were Agatha Cristie is the guest of honour, one day before her mysterious disapearence, but a Giant Wasp is spotted after an Agatha Cristie style murder, can the Doctor solve this mystery? br / br /Silence in the Library Forest of the Dead, 5/5. Steven Moffat strikes again with another fantastic Doctor Who adventure, I only have one advice for you whn watching this ep, count the Shadows! The Doctor and Donna arrive in a Library that is an entire Planet, life readings go over 100,000,000, but not one human being in sight, does it have anything to do with the moving shadows? br / br /Midnight, 4/5. The Doctor takes a trip on a tour bus on the Planet Midnight which is made of diamonds, only to find a strange alien is trying to take over his mind using a human as host. (Featuring David Troughton, son of former Doctor Patrick Troughton) br / br /Turn Left, 5/5. What if Donna never met the Doctor? now you will know, in a world where she was never there to save the Doctor, we see reality crumble around her as disaster after disaster strikes with no one to help them, only Rose Tyler can help Donna go back and turn left to save the world. br / br /The Stolen Earth, 5/5. The Doctor and Donna arrive back to earth only for br /it to go missing while they are in the Tardis, Sarah Jane, Torchwood, Martha and Rose work to bring the Doctor to help prevent an invasion of Daleks, The doctor returns only to hear the voice of Davros. br / br /Journey's End. 5/5. Torchwood, Martha, Donna, Rose, Jackie, Micky and Two Doctor's, what more could you ask for? The Daleks are close to destroying reality and the universe, but can the Doctor and gang stop him? Which loyal companion will die as Dalek Caan has for told? Get the hankies out for a sad ending. br / br /Great series and a great way for Russel T Davies to hand the torch over to Steven Moffat, a must for your Dr Who DVD collection!

5 out of 5 stars

The Doctor-Donna... Doctor Who Series Four! July 27, 2008
tigerthedog (Rochdale, UK)
6 out of 8 found this review helpful

In my opinion, Series 4 of the revived Doctor Who is probably the best yet. I certainly think it's the most consistent. David Tennant returns for his third year as the Time Lord, and Catherine Tate returns as his companion Donna Noble last seen in the 2006 Christmas Special `The Runaway Bride'. The box set features all 13 episodes and the 2007 Christmas Special. br / br /`Voyage of the Damned', first shown on Christmas Day 2007 and seen by a staggering 13.3 million viewers is a pretty enjoyable, if unspectacular festive offering. It's my least favourite Christmas Special, but it's still got enough going for it, including some lovely performances from comedy veterans Geoffrey Palmer and Clive Swift. I suppose the most notable thing about this feature-length episode is that it features Kylie Minogue in a guest role as Astrid Peth, a waitress abroad the Titanic (spaceship) who befriends the Doctor. It's a decent romp, with the occasional lovely moment. There's a little too much running about for my taste, and the main villain is disappointing but Astrid's journey is well-handled and the whole thing is pretty good fun. 7/10 br / br /Partners in Crime is the first official Series 4 episode and sees the Doctor reunited with Donna Noble when they team up to investigate the mysterious Adipose industries who have been connected to several sinister events involving weight-loss. Some fans hated the cute, cuddly Adipose, but I genuinely liked them. Very cheeky and funny. Sarah Lancashire makes a formidable foe as Mrs Foster, and there is a great miming scene, some wonderful scenes with Donna and Grandad Wilf stargazing and a surprise appearance from an old face! It's a typically light, action-packed, fast, funny adventure to kick-off the series. Yes, it may be light-hearted but the vitality of the script ensures that it's great fun. 9/10 br / br /The Fires of Pompeii is the season's annual historical, taking the Doctor and Donna back to 79AD, to the day that Mount Vesvius erupts. It's a great episode, full of great moments. I think the script needs tightening up in a few places, but the performances and special effects make up for it. The last 10 minutes, when the volcano erupts and the Doctor has to make a terrible choice gives me goosebumps. It's a well-paced, well-directed episode that feels, in some ways, a bit like an episode of the `classic series'. 8.5/10 br / br /Planet of the Ood is a traditional episode of Doctor Who. It doesn't break new ground or anything, but I love it. It's genuinely beautiful in places, and in one scene genuinely haunting, and features some gorgeous music from Murray Gold. It's also good to see The Ood make another appearance, last seen possessed by The Beast in `The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit' in 2006. The Ood are beneign slaves, and we see a new side to them than we did in the Series 2 episodes. We learn more about where they came from, etc. it's also nice to have an Ice Planet... don't ask me why, but it is. 9/10 br / br /The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky is an excellent, action-packed 2-parter, which sees the return of the Sontarans to the show after a 20 year absence, as they were last seen in `The Two Doctors' in 1985. It also sees the return of Martha Jones, who has now joined UNIT. There is plenty to enjoy here - loads of good set-pieces, some lovely moments featuring Grandad Wilf, played by Berbard Cribbins, and I really like the new re-design of the Sontarans. Admittedly, they're not the most menacing aliens to date, but they're funny and obsessed with war. Christopher Ryan is awesome as General Staal. 8.5/10 br / br /The Doctor's Daughter comes next, and well, I'll be honest, this episode really wasn't my cup of tea, despite some really good performances from David and Catherine. But, sadly, the story feels underdeveloped and rushed and feels some downright awful/cheesey moments. Georgia Moffet, real-life daughter of Fifth Doctor Peter Davison is decent as Jenny, but ultimately the character and premise do not manage to live up to the premise, because with a better script the idea could have worked brilliantly. Ah well, at least we get some lovely descriptions of Time Lords and Gallifrey. 5/10 br / br /The Unicorn and the Wasp is probably a bit of a love/hate episode. Personally, I absolutely loved it. It has a wonderful ensemble cast who all play to their roles brilliantly, and a brilliant, witty script from Gareth Roberts that delivers probably some of the funniest scenes in Doctor Who's 45-year history. Fenella Woolgar is the perfect Agatha Christie, and the whole 1920's murder-mystery setting is a real treat and suits the feel of Doctor Who superbly. One of my very favourites. 10/10. br / br /Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead combine to form an excellent two-parter by Steven Moffat, the much heralded writer behind the much-loved `Blink' in Series 3. Moffat gives us more of the same, delivering a typically dark, clever and intriguing plot that fits together like a jigsaw. What I like about these episodes are that they take the viewer on a completely different experience to what we're normally used to from Doctor Who - using the primal fear of shadows and the dark to create a fairly nightmarish and genuinely scary piece of drama. The majority of the tale takes place in the largest library in the Universe, except it is deserted. Along the way, the Doctor encounters the mysterious and enigmatic River Song (played by ER's Alex Kingston), who claims to have a mysterious connection to the Time Lord. The threat comes in the form of the Vashda Nerada - "Piranhas of the air!", who prove effective and original. The story moves along nicely, and although it sometimes tries to be a little bit too clever for it's own good, it's an impressive story. As ever, the performances are good, and it's very atmospheric. 9/10. br / br /Next comes `Midnight', a self-contained little episode that takes place almost entirely on a bus. Yes, you heard me. A entire episode of Doctor Who... on a bus! And as it turns out, despite it's rather simple premise, `Midnight' is far and away the best episode of Series 4 and a contender for one of the greatest episodes ever. As ever, Russell T Davies delivers a superb script, one in which plays to two of his biggest strengths, character and dialogue. `Midnight' is a tightly-written, claustrophobic ensemble piece, featuring a brilliantly sinister performance from Lesley Sharp as the possessed Sky Silvestry. David Tennant is on top form, supported by possibly the best ensemble cast the show has ever had - featuring David Troughton, the son of Second Doctor Patrick Troughton. The threat feels real and genuinely creepy, due to the fact that it works on a psychological level. It's hard to describe the episode without giving too much detail away, but put simply, `Midnight' is a masterpiece of television. I think it's brilliant that an episode such as this went out at 7pm on a mainstream channel on a Saturday evening and was seen by 8 million people. Superb. 10/10 br / br /Then, `Turn Left', which could be seen as a stand alone episode, but for me, makes up the first instalment of the epic 3-part season finale. It's a very interesting episode. Fairly similar to `The Butterfly Effect' in it's premise. Execution wise, it's brilliant. I love the way writer Russell T Davies managed to re-use past events of his Doctor Who era and completely turn them on their head, resulting in quite possibly the bleakest episode of Doctor Who ever. The episode is notable for two things, in my opinion. An absolutely stunning performance from Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, combining so many different emotions, veering seamlessly from despair to anger to hope. It was also nice to see a more Runaway Bride-esque version of Donna again. It was like coming full circle and also demonstrated brilliantly how far Donna has come as a character since meeting the Doctor. It also pin-pointed the moment that I decided that Donna was my favourite companion ever to board the TARDIS... sorry Sarah Jane! It also sees the return of Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper, last seen trapped in a parallel universe at the end of Series 2. Oh, and just wait `til you see the cliffhanger... 10/10 br / br /The Stolen Earth/Journey's End follow straight-on from `Turn Left', and make up the most epic, ambitious finale to date. Okay, so they're not perfect, but for me, they come close. It's so good to see so many characters together on screen again. Such a massive cast, including David, Catherine, Billie, Freema Ageyman, John Barrowman, Elisabeth Sladen, Penelope Wilton, Camille Coduri, Noel Clarke, Bernard Cribbins, etc. Brilliant. And every single one of them rises to the challenge and acts their socks off. As you'd expect from RTD, the script is top-notch - exciting one minute, devastating the next. It also features the return of the Daleks creator, Davros, brought to life wonderfully by Julian Bleach who gives a chilling performance. This is the best incarnation of Davros we've seen since the Michael Wisher original in `Genesis of the Daleks', and it is clear that Bleach used that `blue-print' for his inspiration. The Daleks also return, en-mass, and are probably the best they've been in New Who. I won't give away too much about the finale, but for me, it's a joyous piece of television. One for the fanboys anyway! 10/10 br / br /So, all in all, another great series, full of excitement, adventure, action and scares. Suitable for the whole family. Great fun. An eclectic mix of episodes, all of which, bar one, keep up a very high standard. Recommended. I've pre-ordered my copy.

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