This week, the BBC aired a new colorized, re-cut and updated version of the 1969 Doctor Who serial The War Games, with added appearances Peter Capaldi, David Tennant, Jodie Whittaker and Matt Smith. The storyline features the second Doctor played by Patrick Troughton as he learns about his future regenerated forms on Earth. The updated scene shows him looking at his later forms in horror and roasting the actors in the process.
Doctor Who: The War Games is an arc that took up about four hours of screen time in its original form, but on Tuesday, BBC Four broadcast a new 90-minute cut. It was colorized for the first time and edited for simplicity, but the real surprise was the addition of the newer stars in the regeneration scene. As you can see below, the other Time Lords consign the Doctor to a life on earth at the end of the story, and explain the regeneration process that would go on to define the series. The Doctor is not pleased, especially when they show him images of some of the regenerated forms he will take.
“Oh, he’s too old!” he shouts when Capaldi shows up on the screen. “He’s too thin!” he says of Tennant. “That one’s too young!” he says when Whittaker appears. “Oh, no, that won’t do at all!” He says when he sees Smith. He continues: “This is ridiculous! Is this the best you can do? I’ve never seen such an incredible bunch!”
Fans were amused not just by this retrospective cameo, but by the fact that it came with a subtle roast of all the actors involved. The real trick of this re-cut came next. Producers edited in footage of the Third Doctor, played by Jon Pertwee, to make for a seamless transition in the regeneration scene. This was actually a fan edit made by the YouTube Channel The Confession Dial, which the BBC has now legitimized.
Producers hope that re-edits like this one will help new fans explore the long history of the Doctor Who franchise and make it more accessible, with a shorter run-time and some modern effects added in. This was the last Doctor Who serial to be filmed in black and white, so colorizing it is a big deal.
Depending on where they live, fans may face a challenge tracking down all that content. In the U.S., Max has 13 seasons of Doctor Who starting with the introduction of the Ninth Doctor played by Christopher Eccleston through the run of the Thirteenth Doctor, Whittaker. This era is generally referred to as “Modern Who” in the fandom. The older seasons — “Classic Who” — are accessible in the U.S. via Britbox and Tubi, though the latter includes ads. Finally, the current era of Doctor Who staring Ncuti Gatwa as the Fourteenth Doctor is streaming only on Disney+.
As for Doctor Who: The War Games, the re-cut was only broadcast and streamed in the U.K., unfortunately. However, the BBC has announced plans to release the special for purchase sometime in 2025.
