Returning the Colour to 1970's Doctor Who (Remastered)

Summary

The script recounts the history of colorizing Doctor Who episodes from the Pertwee era, which were initially broadcast in black and white due to tape wiping practices. It details the efforts of the BBC and the Doctor Who Restoration Team from 1978 onwards, using various techniques like re-colorizing, reverse standards conversion, and chroma dot recovery to restore episodes to their original color glory. The process involved sourcing Betamax tapes, using vision mixers, and digital technology, culminating in the release of restored episodes on DVD and Blu-ray.

Takeaways

• 📺 The BBC began searching for lost Doctor Who episodes in 1978, with the aim of restoring them to their original color format.
• 🎥 Initial discoveries included black and white 16mm film recordings, but the original two-inch quad master tapes were more difficult to locate.
• 🌐 In 1992, the Doctor Who Restoration Team started re-colorizing episodes using a technique that combined black and white film with color from Betamax copies.
• 🇺🇸 Betamax color copies primarily came from America and Canada, where Pertwee episodes were sold in color, unlike most countries broadcasting in black and white at the time.
• 🔍 The restoration process involved synchronizing black and white film with U-MATIC tape transfers to create a broadcast-quality color version.
• 🌈 The technique used involved separating the luminance (black and white) and chroma (color) components of the image to create a detailed color version.
• 🚫 Broadcast interference sometimes made colorization challenging, limiting the use of certain techniques to specific episodes.
• 🔄 Reverse Standards Conversion (RSC) was developed to restore color to episodes converted from PAL to NTSC, avoiding artifacts from direct conversion.
• 🎨 Manual colorization was used for specific episodes where other techniques were not feasible, involving a labor-intensive process of applying color to each frame.
• 💻 With the advent of digital technology, restoration projects started afresh using high-quality film scans and digital restoration techniques for better results.
• 📀 The release of Doctor Who on Blu-ray continues the restoration journey, indicating that the quest for preserving and enhancing these classic episodes is ongoing.

Q & A

What period of Doctor Who episodes were wiped between 1972 and 1976?

Many color episodes of Doctor Who were wiped between December 1972 and November 1976.

When did the BBC start searching for the exterminated Doctor Who material?

The BBC began the hunt for exterminated material in 1978.

What was the initial discovery that helped in the restoration of Doctor Who episodes?

The initial discovery was a black and white, 16mm film haul of all episode four seasons 7 to 10 original two-inch quad master tapes.

What was the main challenge in restoring the original color of the episodes?

The main challenge was finding the original two-inch quad master tapes, which were much harder to locate.

Which Doctor Who episodes were initially restored using the Betamax color copies from America or Canada?

The episodes that were initially restored using the Betamax color copies include the finale of season eight, Jon’s second season, 'The Daemons' and 'Terror of the Autons'.

What technique was used for the first time to re-colorize Doctor Who episodes?

The first technique used for re-colorizing was overlaying the chroma from the Betamax recording onto the black and white film print.

What is Reverse Standards Conversion (RSC) and which episodes were restored using this process?

Reverse Standards Conversion (RSC) is a process that reverses the original standards conversion process to avoid artifacts. It was used for episodes such as 'Inferno Parts 1-7', 'The Claws of Axos Parts 2-3', and others mentioned in the script.

What was the issue with episode five of 'The Ambassadors of Death' during the colorization process?

Due to broadcast interference which created rainbow banding on the image, episode five was the only episode able to be colorized using the initial technique.

How were the color tapes improved for the special edition releases of certain episodes?

The color tapes were improved by taking the chroma from the reverse standards convert tapes and pairing it with the black and white 16mm film recordings, making the tapes much sharper.

What was unique about the colorization process for 'The Mind of Evil' episode one?

Episode one of 'The Mind of Evil' was unique because a filter was applied to stop a cross-hatching pattern, known as Chroma Dots, from appearing, making it the only episode filmed with this filter.

What manual process was used for the colorization of 'The Mind of Evil' episode one?

Manual colorization was used for 'The Mind of Evil' episode one, which involved Stuart Humphreys colorizing the main keyframes and Peter Crocker colorizing the in-betweens, taking nearly two years to complete.

How was the color restored to 'The Time Monster' episode six, which was initially thought to undergo Reverse Standard Conversion?

The color was restored to 'The Time Monster' episode six by applying the chroma from the Canadian Betamax tapes and using the black and white two-inch PAL quad tape instead of a 16mm film recording, resulting in a cleaner luminance channel.