A shortened version of The Daleks, the second ever Doctor Who serial, has been colourised for release on DVD, Blu-ray, and limited edition steelbook.

Though the truncated 75-minute version of The Daleks will first air on BBC4 on the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who (i.e. 23rd November 2023), 12th February 2024 will see the 75-minute version of this Terry Nation-scripted story colourised and out on physical formats.

This release also includes the original seven episodes on DVD in black and white, as they were first broadcast, plus a 15 minute exclusive featurette and all special features from the previous release.

With brand new sounds and score – created by Mark Ayres – The Daleks has been updated, with extra material too.

The tale is the first to feature the iconic Doctor Who monsters on Skaro, alongside their opposites, the peace-loving Thals, and their first meeting with the Doctor (William Hartnell), who’s travelling with his granddaughter, Susan (Carole Ann Ford) and her two schoolteachers, Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill). It is, of course, a much-loved classic, and, thanks to An Unearthly Child being withheld from BBC iPlayer for rights issues, the earliest Doctor Who story on the streaming service.

No, not all seven episodes have been coloured for this release; it’s just a 75-minute edition, as the full thing would’ve taken at least a couple of years to produce and the production team has started work on another serial by now instead. Smart money is on a Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) story.

You will be able to watch the colourised edition on iPlayer after it airs on 23rd November, but of course, fans will still buy the physical version in their droves. Considering we rely so heavily on streaming nowadays, and that we actually don’t own any of that content anyway, getting it on DVD or Blu-ray seems a fair enough idea anyway.

The Daleks will be available on 12th February 2023 on DVD, Blu-ray, and limited edition steelbook.