Doctor Who: Tales of the TARDIS

Part of the 2023 celebrations involved burping up a sequence of the older episodes with the some newly written bumper segments with the old actors. By-and-large all of these bits are excellent, and ranged from charming to genuinely heart-breaking, The shows themselves vary depending on who you get, and definitely loose a little something being crammed together into a single long feature. You really need those cliffhangery episodic ending bits otherwise it can all feel a bit overwhelming. It's lovely to rewatch them all in this context though and even the slightly flabbier or dated serials feel a bit "special" here. There was a brief revival of the format the year after to add context to Ncuti's first series finale, beset with the same issues but added some interesting effects.

Tales of the TARDIS is a nostalgic experience that reunites beloved Doctor Who characters, but it carries a bittersweet feeling. Seeing classic Doctors and companions together again is heartwarming, but it's hard to ignore the passage of time, with actors now older, reflecting on adventures that feel both vivid and distant. Each mini-episode adds depth to their journeys beyond the original stories, allowing fans a glimpse into their lives after their TARDIS days. While it celebrates the show's rich history, the sense of time passed can makes these reunions feel a bit depressing, blending joy with a touch of sadness.

I don't mind this.

As an add-on to the 60th Anniversary, this is a good way of getting some of the old faces back (especially those who don't turn up for the opening of an envelope and every convention going...) and it proves to be a nice way of then going into some old episodes.

I imagine if you were a new fan wanting to see some of the old episodes this would be a nice introduction.

I don't need more of it, I don't want to see it become a regular thing, but as an add-on/extended DVD extra type thing it's fine.

It's actually in some ways better than any of the episodes they actually put out for the 60th Anniversary.

"Well that's alright then". No, Russell, it wasn't.

Various guises of The Doctor, and several companions look back at some of the adventures they shared together.

This was such a nice way to celebrate the show's sixtieth anniversary, a great way to look back, I think they got the six episodes pretty much spot on.

So nice to see so many familiar faces back, the highlight for me, was seeing Maureen O'Brien returning to the role of Vicki, something I'm pretty sure she once said she wouldn't do, a lovely, special moment, a quality actress.

One thing that certainly comes across, the closeness of some of the duos, Colin and Nicola, Sylvester and Sophie, the bonds are evident.

I adore the idea of A Memory TARDIS, a wonderful way to imagine that The Classic Doctor and his wonderful companions can live on forever.

Wel put together, I only wish they'd shown the episodes in HD, The Time Meddler somehow looked sharper than The Three Doctors, which was pretty grainy.

8/10.