The perfect summertime entertainment, this underrated gem from season 24 makes it's way onto DVD at last. Delta is bright, breezy and glorious fun, a rip-roaring adventure done in an appropriate comic strip style. There are some excellent performances with Sara Griffiths, Richard Davies and Don Henderson being particularly memorable and Ken Dodd is fantastic but wasted in such a small part, the stand-out for me though is the magnificent Sylvester McCoy who by this point had really made the role his own. Taken for what it is Delta and the Bannermen is a joy from start to finish and has never been riper for reappraisal.

On the special features front there is plenty to enjoy, although the omission of a making-of and lack of Dolby 5.1 mix is very disappointing. Most interesting of the lot is a complete first edit of episode one without music or sound effects that runs six minutes longer than the transmitted version with many significant differences between the two. This is truly… more »

The perfect summertime entertainment, this underrated gem from season 24 makes it's way onto DVD at last. Delta is bright, breezy and glorious fun, a rip-roaring adventure done in an appropriate comic strip style. There are some excellent performances with Sara Griffiths, Richard Davies and Don Henderson being particularly memorable and Ken Dodd is fantastic but wasted in such a small part, the stand-out for me though is the magnificent Sylvester McCoy who by this point had really made the role his own. Taken for what it is Delta and the Bannermen is a joy from start to finish and has never been riper for reappraisal.

On the special features front there is plenty to enjoy, although the omission of a making-of and lack of Dolby 5.1 mix is very disappointing. Most interesting of the lot is a complete first edit of episode one without music or sound effects that runs six minutes longer than the transmitted version with many significant differences between the two. This is truly fascinating stuff and the stand-out extra on the disc. Also included is another instalment of the stripped for action series on the doctor who comic strips which neatly summarises the seventh doctor era , I hope we get to see a continuation onto the excellent eighth doctor strips at some point. There's an all-too brief interview with the marvellous Hugh Lloyd on his career and part in Delta, a short behind the scenes report from the location shoot with Andy Crane and interview rushes conducted for that item, an extract from a BBC Wales news programme, and a segment from some god-awful Noel Edmonds show featuring Sylvester McCoy. The commentary with McCoy, Sara Griffiths, Chris Clough and Andrew Cartmel is great, the only thing really missing here is a contribution from Bonnie Langford, who doesn't seem to want to take part in the DVD's for some reason, let's hope they can coax her out of hiding for further season 24 releases. Otherwise this is a thoroughly satisfying extra's package, if only a retrospective documentary had been included it would be outstanding.