Doctor Who: William Hartnell: Complete Season Two (Blu-ray)

William Hartnell stars as the First Doctor in his-and the series's-second season. The Doctor returns the TARDIS to present-day Earth... but it and everyone inside it are now bug-size and trapped in a garden about to be doused with an experimental insecticide, in "Planet of Giants." Next, in the 22nd century, the Doctor, Ian Chesterton (William Russell), Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill), and Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford, making her last regular appearance) must stop "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" before any more humans are turned into mind-controlled Robomen. "The Rescue" finds the Doctor, Ian, and Barbara saving two survivors of a spaceship that crashed on a distant planet, only to discover that one is not what he appears to be. Features the first appearance of Maureen O'Brien as new companion Vicki. During a visit to Ancient Rome, the Doctor and his friends encounter a series of dangers and face mad emperor Nero (Derek Francis), in "The Romans." It's enough to drive a Time Lord buggy when the Doctor and his companions are held prisoner on the planet Vortis, home to a bitter power struggle between the ant-like Zarbi and the butterfly beings known as the Menoptera, in "The Web Planet." When the TARDIS arrives in Palestine in the 12th century, the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki meet King Richard the Lionheart (Julian Glover) during his effort to retake the Holy Land, in "The Crusade" (which includes reconstructed episodes two and four). The Doctor and company find themselves in "The Space Museum," where they must first figure out how they wound up in the wrong time track, then help an oppressed alien race rise up against their occupiers. Then, "The Chase" is on as the Daleks pursue the TARDIS to a variety of locales including the Empire State Building, an old sailing ship, and a haunted house. Features the departures of Russell and Hill, and the first appearance of Peter Purves as Steven Taylor. Finally, landing in 11th-century England on the eve of the Battle of Hastings, the Doctor, Vicki, and Steven learn that a mysterious monk with links to the Doctor's past is attempting to alter the course of history, in "The Time Meddler."39 episodes on 9 discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English.

Starring: William Hartnell, William Russell, Jacqueline Hill, Carole Ann Ford, Maureen O'Brien, Peter Purves, Julian Glover, Derek Francis, Ray Barrett, Peter Butterworth

Rating: NR