Earlier this week, the BBC aired its second Doctor Who colourised classic episode in celebration of the show’s 60th year – but this time, the 90-minute episode entitled The War Games included some unexpected additions.
The War Games featured actor Patrick Troughton’s iconic exit from the series, and trimmed down the originally 10-part series (totalling four hours) into a 90-minute colourised TV special which managed to weave in answers to questions that fans of the series have been asking for years.
We’re talking pointed references and acknowledgements to what happens later (in the world of Dr Who canon) galore!
So, what were some of the biggest changes to the The War Games? Well, here are our top three:
The War Chief and the Master
What was a previously a question mark has now been made canon in that the War Chief is now officially an earlier incarnation of The Master. Throughout his appearances, the background music now playing is the Master Vainglorious theme by Murray Gold.
As his body was dragged away, the episode also played the regeneration sound effect from the modern era, which was a nice addition for fans.
The Trial and the Faces of the Doctor
Although the Doctor’s trial has kept the same result of exile and forced regeneration, the options the Doctor is given have been changed to include some familiar faces. In the original broadcast, the Doctor was offered identities played by random actors, but is now shown future incarnations.
As before, these were all rejected for reasons such as “too old” (the Twelfth), “too skinny” (the Tenth) and “too young” (the Thirteenth) – with the Eleventh being described as “just won’t do at all”.
The Second Doctor’s Regeneration
This change is a completely new addition, and not just an edit. The regeneration between the second and third Doctor (Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee) previously happened off-screen, whilst here, rotoscoped footage was used to create a scene similar to the modern regenerations.
And there we have it! If you want to spot ALL of the additions to this delightful colourised episode, you’ll have to watch it (and maybe you already have).
Have you watched this special colourised special of The War Games yet? If so, what did you think – were the changes welcome, or were some of them just overkill? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
