Slotting in between classic stories "The Ark In Space" and "Genesis of the Daleks" this two-part tale presented viewers with a rather rapid return for new alien adversary the Sontarans in a production produced atypically, entirely on location. Despite having such a strange filmic quality it's a pleasant enough outing and, as the first of the new 'standard release' DVD titles, the contents of this disc make for an appealing package. I certainly feel that commentary contributors (Elizabeth) Sladen, (Philip) Hinchcliffe and (Bob) Baker provide a cosy welcoming viewing companion in the absence of a detailed 'making of feature'. The main extra here however is the approx 40 minute "Built For War" feature which is very successful, through key cast and crew recollections in chronicling the Sontarans appearances throughout the classic series. It's certainly a nice touch to occasionally break up this 'talking head' format with the sight of a Sontaran stomping around the Dartmoor location which… more »

Slotting in between classic stories "The Ark In Space" and "Genesis of the Daleks" this two-part tale presented viewers with a rather rapid return for new alien adversary the Sontarans in a production produced atypically, entirely on location. Despite having such a strange filmic quality it's a pleasant enough outing and, as the first of the new 'standard release' DVD titles, the contents of this disc make for an appealing package. I certainly feel that commentary contributors (Elizabeth) Sladen, (Philip) Hinchcliffe and (Bob) Baker provide a cosy welcoming viewing companion in the absence of a detailed 'making of feature'. The main extra here however is the approx 40 minute "Built For War" feature which is very successful, through key cast and crew recollections in chronicling the Sontarans appearances throughout the classic series. It's certainly a nice touch to occasionally break up this 'talking head' format with the sight of a Sontaran stomping around the Dartmoor location which helps to further tie in this documentary to the discs main feature. Factor in the usual worthy photo gallery (this time around 4-5 minutes) and a pleasingly effective cover by Lee Binding and it all leads me to say that this is a very nice and welcome 'budget' release.

Yes, it's full of plot holes, but the Sontaran Experiment is only 2 episodes long and doesn't overstay its welcome. Here we have one of the best Doctor/companion combinations in the history of the series, with Tom Baker still relatively new to the role and hence tremendously committed, Elizabeth Sladen as the often amusingly sarcastic Sarah-Jane Smith, and the late Ian Marter as Harry Sullivan, the well-intentioned but usually gormless UNIT medical officer dragged along on the Doctor's unpredictable travels.

An unusual story in the series' history given that it's shot entirely on location, with Dartmoor providing an atmospheric image of the far-future depopulated Earth. Given this grim, windswept landscape, it's a miracle that Liz Sladen's dayglo waterproof mac doesn't draw Field-Major Styre's attention as soon as she appears, given that she's probably visible for 30 miles. :) As for Styre himself, it's nice to see a Sontaran on the prowl again, and this time he's even more… more »

Yes, it's full of plot holes, but the Sontaran Experiment is only 2 episodes long and doesn't overstay its welcome. Here we have one of the best Doctor/companion combinations in the history of the series, with Tom Baker still relatively new to the role and hence tremendously committed, Elizabeth Sladen as the often amusingly sarcastic Sarah-Jane Smith, and the late Ian Marter as Harry Sullivan, the well-intentioned but usually gormless UNIT medical officer dragged along on the Doctor's unpredictable travels.

An unusual story in the series' history given that it's shot entirely on location, with Dartmoor providing an atmospheric image of the far-future depopulated Earth. Given this grim, windswept landscape, it's a miracle that Liz Sladen's dayglo waterproof mac doesn't draw Field-Major Styre's attention as soon as she appears, given that she's probably visible for 30 miles. :) As for Styre himself, it's nice to see a Sontaran on the prowl again, and this time he's even more bloodthirsty than his predecessor and definitely more sadistic.

Given Tom Baker's aforementioned commitment to the role, it's no great surprise that he managed to break his collarbone whilst clambering around on location, so part of the entertainment value of this story is spotting all of the shots where the Doctor is played by stuntman Terry Walsh instead (hint - if you can't see Tom's face, it's the stuntman).

Kudos is also due to the visual effects team, who manage to conjure up a quite effective little robot servant for Styre, which buzzes about looking endearingly cute whilst it searches the moorland for experimental subjects - although it does look as if it's having a bit of trouble with the terrain from time to time.

Only the humourless will be able to restrain a snicker at Styre's eventual fate. (It made Tom Baker laugh in the Tom Baker Years video).

As this is a "budget" release according to the BBC, we get a rather sparse selection of extras compared to the plethora with which we are usually presented. At least one of them is the now-compulsory commentary track, which rarely fails to be highly entertaining, and the same is true here. It's just a shame that Tom himself didn't contribute to this one. The "Built for War" documentary is also moderately entertaining.