When
the Film & Videotape Library began their hunt for ‘exterminated’ material
in 1978, they determined that although Hartnell and Troughton material was in a
poor condition, much of Jon Pertwee’s era had been hit as well. An initial
discovery heralded a 16mm film haul of all episodes from season seven to ten.
Original 2” Quad master tapes however were much harder to find. In 1983 when
the last Pertwee episode was found, attention then turned to the possibility of
returning the footage to their original condition, namely PAL colour.
The
episodes were a combination of 2” PAL masters, 2” NTSC converted masters, 16mm
black & white film and off-air domestic recordings. The process of
combining the various sources and video signals fell to the Restoration Team.
What follows is a list of conversion and restoration techniques employed by the
team over the years. I have chosen to ignore the BBC’s conversion of all
programmes to D3 videotape in the 1990s and the subsequent remastering of all
episodes to DigiBeta once an episode has been prepped for a DVD release. I have
only included the original format and the conversion used.
The
basic techniques are as follows:
|
TYPE
|
DESCRIPTION
|
|
ORIGINAL FORMAT
|
When
the BBC Film Library was audited in 1978, the original 16mm colour prints of Spearhead from Space were found and
transferred to the new Film & Videotape Library. This is the only story
to have been shot this way; due to industrial strike action at the BBC, this
serial was forced out of the studio. Similarly, when the Engineering
Department at the BBC had its own audit in 1978, only a handful of episodes
from the first three seasons of Jon Pertwee’s era were found (only 15, and
one of those was damaged). The final two seasons was missing only a few, and
while most of these were recovered later, only two episodes – Planet of the Daleks 3 and Invasion of the Dinosaurs 1 – are the
only episodes from seasons ten and eleven that don’t have 625-Line masters.
|
|
COLOUR RESTORATION (1)
|
US fan Tom Lundie had recorded several episodes off-air onto Betamax
tape, which was later transferred to U-matic tape. In the 1990s the
Restoration Team began experimenting with lifting the colour signal from
these NTSC recordings and matching them to the PAL black & white
telerecordings. Most of these were successful, but most episodes from The Ambassadors of Death suffered
from colour banding, and only one episode was suitably restored.
|
|
REVERSE STANDARDS CONVERSION
(1)
|
In 1979 Sue Malden received shipment from Canadian television stations
containing standards-converted NTSC 2” Quad tapes of various Pertwee
episodes. In a bit to avoid artefacts creeping in by simply standards
converting these back to PAL, the Restoration Team managed to perfect a
conversion process that reversed the original standards conversion process. The Sea Devils 5 was damaged and so
this was initially RSC’d, but later the PAL tape was repaired to broadcast
standard (see notes at bottom of table).
|
|
COLOUR RESTORATION (2)
|
Initially all six episodes of The Time Monster were going to be REVERSE STANDARDS CONVERTED like most episodes of Season Nine, but in 1987 a black and white
2” PAL Quad tape of episode 6 was
found at the BBC. This allowed the Restoration Team a new avenue of restoring
colour to an episode. By applying the techniques used in COLOUR RECOVERY but using the black & white 2” quad tape instead of a 16mm
telerecording, a much cleaner luminance signal was obtained. This is the only
instance of such a process being used on a Doctor Who episode.
|
|
REVERSE STANDARDS CONVERSION (2)
|
Beginning with the special edition DVD of The Claws of Axos, the Restoration
Team refined their technique of REVERSE STANDARDS CONVERSION and combined it with the
technique of matching the luminance signal from surviving 16mm
telerecordings, such as the process done using the COLOUR RECOVERY above, with help from techniques used during the CHROMADOT COLOUR RECOVERY (below) which will help in identifying geometric distortions on
the recordings. This will presumably be eventually applied to all stories
that were initially processed using the original method. The Claws of Axos SE DVD article featuring this new process can
be read here.
|
|
CHROMADOT RECOVERY
|
Recolourised using a
(brilliant) technique whereby colour information is recovered from black
& white telerecordings in the form of Chromadots embedded in the film
print. These Chromadots can be used to extrapolate the YUV colour video
signal information and rebuild a colour print. More information can be
found here. Examples of their work can be found on the Colour
Recovery Wiki.
|
|
MANUAL
RECOLOURISATION
|
With no colour version of
any kind to refer to, nor any Chromadot information within the only surviving
monochrome print, The Mind of Evil 1 was manually re-coloured by BabelColour, who processed roughly 20% of the frames (roughly
7000 images) and the Restoration Team re-coloured the rest. The DVD was
released on 3 June, 2013.
|
Episode with a *** indicates there are additional
notes listed at the bottom of the table.
|
TITLE
|
SEASON
|
COLOUR RESTORATION TECHNIQUE
PER INSTALLMENT
|
||||||
|
Spearhead from Space
|
7
|
ORIGINAL
16MM COLOUR
FILM
|
ORIGINAL
16MM COLOUR
FILM
|
ORIGINAL
16MM COLOUR
FILM
|
ORIGINAL
16MM COLOUR
FILM
|
|
|
|
|
The Silurians
|
COLOUR
RESTORATION
(1)
|
COLOUR
RESTORATION
(1)
|
COLOUR
RESTORATION
(1)
|
COLOUR
RESTORATION
(1)
|
COLOUR
RESTORATION
(1)
|
COLOUR
RESTORATION
(1)
|
COLOUR
RESTORATION
(1)
|
|
|
The Ambassadors of Death
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
CHROMADOT
COLOUR
RECOVERY
|
CHROMADOT
COLOUR
RECOVERY
|
CHROMADOT
COLOUR
RECOVERY
|
COLOUR
RESTORATION
(1)
|
CHROMADOT
COLOUR
RECOVERY
|
CHROMADOT
COLOUR
RECOVERY
|
|
|
Inferno
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (2)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (2)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (2)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (2)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (2)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (2)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (2)
|
|
|
Terror of the Autons
|
8
|
COLOUR
RESTORATION
(1)
|
COLOUR
RESTORATION
(1)
|
COLOUR
RESTORATION
(1)
|
COLOUR
RESTORATION
(1)
|
|
|
|
|
The Mind of Evil
|
MANUAL
RECOLOURISATION
|
CHROMADOT
COLOUR
RECOVERY
|
CHROMADOT
COLOUR
RECOVERY
|
CHROMADOT
COLOUR
RECOVERY
|
CHROMADOT
COLOUR
RECOVERY
|
CHROMADOT
COLOUR
RECOVERY
|
|
|
|
The Claws of Axos
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (2)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (2)
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
|
|
|
|
|
Colony in Space
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
|
|
|
The Daemons
|
COLOUR
RESTORATION
(1)
|
COLOUR
RESTORATION
(1)
|
COLOUR
RESTORATION
(1)
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
COLOUR
RESTORATION
(1)
|
|
|
|
|
Day of the Daleks
|
9
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
|
|
|
|
The Curse of Peladon
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Sea Devils
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
REPAIRED
MASTER TAPE
ON D3 ***
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
|
|
|
The Mutants
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
|
|
|
The Time Monster
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
REVERSE
STANDARDS
CONVERSION (1)
|
COLOUR
RESTORATION
(2)
|
|
|
|
The Three Doctors
|
10
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
|
|
|
|
Carnival of Monsters
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
|
|
|
|
|
Frontier in Space
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
|
|
|
Planet of the Daleks
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
CHROMADOT
COLOUR
RECOVERY ***
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
|
|
|
The Green Death
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
|
|
|
The Time Warrior
|
11
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
|
|
|
|
Invasion of the Dinosaurs
|
CHROMADOT
COLOUR
RECOVERY ***
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
|
|
|
Death to the Daleks
|
2” PAL
COLOUR MASTER
TAPE ***
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Monster of Peladon
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
|
|
|
Planet of the Spiders
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
ORIGINAL 2”
PAL COLOUR
MASTER TAPE
|
|
|
The Sea Devils 5 – This episode has an existing PAL 2” master tape however there are
scratches present from 10 minutes in. Initially the recovered NTSC master was
reverse standards converted but attempts by Steve Roberts at the Restoration
Team managed to sufficiently hide the numerous scratches (over 30 lines across
the picture). The process was later refined for the DVD release in 2008.
Planet of the Daleks 3 – The episode was coloured via a computer method used by Legend Films in San Diego, but was also the first episode to attempt the chromadot
colour recovery on. Both attempts weren’t considered 100% perfect, so the DVD
release is a hybrid of both restoration techniques. The Restoration Team
article can be read here.
Invasion of the Dinosaurs 1 – The condition of the film print prevented a fully successful colour
recovery from taking place. Because of this, the existing monochrome version
was used as the proper episode on the DVD release, and the recoloured attempt
included as an extra.
Death to the Daleks 1 – This episode isn’t the ‘original’ master; initially an NTSC 2” tape
was recovered from Canada in 1979, then later a PAL 1” copy was recovered from
Australia, though the episode was edited. Finally in 1991, David Stead
recovered a PAL 2” quad tape from a pile of tapes recently sent back from the
United Arab Emirates.
