Such blatant advertising would be disappointing, were it not for the fact that the disc also includes four nifty little conversations between the Big Finish Doctors and newly-installed producer, Nick Briggs.

Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and even the usually interview-shy Paul McGann all took time from Summer 2006 recording sessions at BF to have a chat with Briggs. All told, the disc includes about 40 minutes of fresh interviews with the classic Doctors.

Now to be sure, I don't think the CD justifies picking up the latest issue of DWM on its own. But as a bonus, this "informally newsy" approach to the bonus CD does directly extend the value of DWM. At the same time that the magazine is giving the latest news about TV's series 3, these interviews remind us that Doctors 5-8 are still currently relevant to Doctor Who.

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Nevertheless, "Sontaran" is hardly an also-ran. It features not only a great story that's the same length as an RTD episode, but a cracking good commentary between co-writer Bob Baker, producer Phillip HInchcliffe and actress Elizabeth Sladen. As the commentary reminds us, "Sontaran", and not "Ark in Space" or "Robot", actually opened the Hinchcliffe era on Doctor Who. It also showcased the first "returning villain" in Tom Baker's era.

On top of all that, it was, like Barry Letts' first story, a technical innovation. Where Letts' "Spearhead from Space" had been the first all-film serial, this was the first to be shot entirely on location.

Consequently, the commentary bubbles over with all sorts of interesting tidbits, both technical and personal, which quite transformed the overall importance of the story for me. While I'd always liked the story, I'd never thought of it as a milestone of any sort until this DVD release.

The DVD also includes a documentary on the Sontarans which runs longer than either of the two included episodes.

Considering that "classic vanillas" now have a lower price point, "The Sontaran Experiment" delivers surprising value for money.

In the first "Roseless" adventure since her debut in issue #355, the part of the companion is played by none other than Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (retired).

It marks the first encounter between an RTD-era Doctor and the Brigadier. It's only the second time that an RTD Doctor has encountered a past companion.

Filled with lots of neat continuity touches, and some damned good characterizations, the story portrays the Tenth Doctor's relationship with the Brigadier as quite multilayered one. By turns exhuberent and somber, the Tenth Doctor here relates to the Brigadier much more as a military man than he ever has.

Despite having the ability to draw the Brigadier from any point in his long career, this version of the Brigadier is roughly Nicholas Courtney's current age. Thus, for the Brigadier, the adventure definitely happens sometime after his last appearance in "Battlefield", and possibly after the Big Finish Eighth Doctor story, "Minuet in Hell".

This makes the Brig probably the oldest companion the Doctor has ever had in a story, and the writers don't miss the opportunity to have some fun with the idea. Far more than simple age gags, though, the Brig's age has a character point--somewhat akin to Kirk's age issues in The Wrath of Khan.

While the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip has been, at its worst, little more than an afterthought in the history of Doctor Who tie-ins, "The Warkeepers Crown" continues the recent tradition of providing high quality, series-relevant fiction.

The concluding part of "Crown" goes on sale March 1 in the UK.

The change is such a refreshing one, one wonders why Big Finish have waited so long to test the format in their audio range. Forced to focus their story ideas into 30 minute blocks, writers Paul Cornell and Mike Maddox give us what is the most satisfying release from the Fifth Doctor line since the Big Finish productions began. It may even be the best Big Finish Doctor Who ever.

Like many classic televised stories, the four episode audio format does often lead to padding around the last half of episode three. Those doldrums are neatly avoided here, simply by virtue of the format switch. Yet, Cornell and Maddox somehow seem to avoid the trap of inconsequence. Not only is there much of substance here, but the stories are so relevant that one is awfully tempted to immediately add them to one's idea of personal canon.

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