The Power of the Daleks: Special Edition - Review

The Special Edition of The Power of the Daleks (animated) is out now.
The reason given for releasing this so soon after the original release (2016) is that that version was somewhat hurried. It had to be out on the 60th anniversary of the story's broadcast, which marked Patrick Troughton's first appearance as the Doctor. An initial 8 month preparation time was suddenly cut to 5 months. This meant that corners had to be cut with the quality of animation, and this is why it has been revisited. It was hoped that the new edition could be released in time for Troughton's centenary in the Spring of 2020, but the current pandemic has pushed it back to now.
It is the first episode which has the most new work done to it. Previously it was more static, and they have now added some more fluid movement, as well as some cutaway scenes. The sequences where Lesterson goes into the spaceship and witnesses what the Daleks are really up to have been redone from scratch.
Apart from that, it looks pretty much the same as the 2016 version from what I can see.
This new edition is in B&W only.
If this sounds like it is hardly worth buying if you already own the 2016 version then think again, for the strongest thing about this release is the package of extras.
There are two other ways to enjoy the story on Disc 2. One is the BBC audio soundtrack coupled with telesnaps, narrated by Anneke Wills. The other is the 1993 audio version which was released on tape. This sees the soundtrack coupled with narration from Tom Baker, in character as the Fourth Doctor.
Disc 2 also sees a compilation of all the surviving clips from the story, some of which weren't included in the Lost in Time DVD set. We also get a photo gallery which includes new images from the estate of Derek Dodd, the story's designer - many of which are in colour.

Disc 3 is where the real gems are.
First of all we get a brand new documentary (Script to Screen) about the making of the story, narrated by Toby Hadoke. As well as covering the story, it tells you a lot about how TV series were put together in general at this time, with lots of behind the scenes footage from a Z Cars episode. Graeme Harper is one of the interviewees, who had just started at the BBC at this time and was an AFM on The Power of the Daleks. The original making of (Servants and Masters) is also included.
A particular highlight for me is the episode of Whicker's World - "I Don't Like My Monsters To Have Oedipus Complexes". Bits of the Terry Nation / Dalek section of this programme have appeared in other documentaries, but here we get the entire episode with more from Nation. It includes an interview with Christopher Lee, and one with Italian cinema's scream queen Barbara Steele. We also see Whicker interviewing a few stunt men who have played monsters on screen - including Havoc's Alan Chuntz. He's accompanied by a pair of stuntmen I know from the Bond movies. Watch to the very end and you'll see another Doctor Who monster make an appearance, as a Mark I Yeti chases Whicker through Highgate Cemetery.
The 1992 documentary / orphan episode compilation Daleks - The Early Years is also included on Disc 3. This features all of Peter Davison's presentation links and clips from the original VHS release. The three full episodes have been omitted, replaced with a lengthy clip from each.
Then we get 8 minutes worth of Patrick Troughton's earliest surviving TV work - his performance as Robin Hood from March 1953. This demonstrates the perils of live TV at the time, as you can clearly see the back projection fail in the scene where the Merry Men first encounter a knight who has wandered into Sherwood Forest. It's a fascinating piece of TV history.
Two other items of note are also archive pieces, this time from the BBC's Southampton and Welsh regional offices. They depict 1960's local news items about BBC roadshow events, at which Dalek props were present. We also get a bit of vintage Blue Peter, featuring the classic line-up of Peter Purves, Valerie Singleton and John Noakes, launching their 'Design a Doctor Who Monster' competition, which included a clip from The Power of the Daleks, and is the reason this clip has survived.
Worth buying this new release just for Disc 3 as far as I'm concerned.
The next issue of DWM magazine promises a feature on the animated version of Fury From The Deep, so it looks like that might be due for release in September / October. No news yet about the resumption of the Blu-ray season box sets, however.