My copy arrived yesterday and even took priority over watching The Pandorica Opens.
Planet of Fire, for me, is one of the strongest stories of the 80s; a genuinely original and well-written story and a superb production. It is one of the many episodes I fondly remember watching as a young boy and being thrilled by, which, like many others from that period, still give me a great pleasure to enjoy today.
I hadn't seen it for some time, having decided to hold off watching the VHS until the DVD comes out.
Whilst I still intend to watch the original 4-part edit, I started off by watching the new feature-length version with new effects. Actually, I was surprised at how poor and corny some of the new CGI looked - yet in other places, it looked absolutely superb. Either way it brought the story right up to date and was an overall improvement.
I'm not so sure about some of the re-editing, and I'm sure they took the "Elton John" line out! It is interesting to compare Doctor Who (or any other TV) of this period to the fully-orchestrated, fast-paced show(s) we have today. Planet of Fire had many scenes with just dialogue and no music, which gave it a slight incomplete feel - however when the incidental music was used, it was so effective, being one of the programme's best incidental scores of that decade, by my book. Very atmospheric.
Planet of Fire may not be an all-action story, but it doesn't need to be. In addition, we have two significant events; the introduction of Peri, and the departure of Turlough, with his mysterious background finally explained.
Overall, I was pleased to find I still absolutely love Planet of Fire. There's also a short, but nice tribute to Anthony Ainley on the DVD, which sheds a little light on the elusive man behind the beard. I was lucky enough to meet him at his last convention appearance in 2003; as somebody terrified of his Master as a child, it was a genuine thrill, and I'm so glad I was able to have that moment. It's a great shame he's gone.
The great thing about the Kamelion Tales set, it I've still got loads more to watch! I've never seen The King's Demons since the original transmission, so I'm looking forward to that, and all the other superb value-for-money extras the BBC give us on these releases.
