Thursday, 17 March 2011

The Return of K9, Dr Who's classic sidekick !


Knock Knock
Who's there ?
Doctor
Doctor Who ?
You just said it !

Oh how that joke used to make me and my cousins squeal with laughter when we were kids back in the seventies ! I still remember watching Dr Who too, half fascinated-half scared out of my wits. It was one of those programmes I couldn't bear to miss but spent half of it peeking out from behind a cushion or watching through the gaps between my fingers as I kept my hands over my eyes because it was too scary to watch ! I still think the Daleks (with that voice I still find creepy !) are one of the best all-time TV villains, even without all the high-tech computer wizardry that now exists.

I was therefore really pleased to learn that K9, Dr Who's trusty four-legged sidekick, is not only back but has his own DVD. Even better, we were offered a copy of Series 1 Volume 1 to review. A bit of K9 trivia to begin with. K9 was created by Bob Baker and Paul Tams. Bob Baker was a long standing contributor to Dr Who from the Jon Pertwee days through to the Tom Baker era, and also co-wrote Wallace and Gromit with Nick Park. Bet you didn't know that !

I wasn't sure whether to watch this with the girls (aged 9 and 6) or if they'd find it too scary, but I needn't have worried. It reminds me of the kid-friendly spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures more than the scarier Dr Who so it's absolutely fine for family viewing.

Story-wise, I have to say it's not as gripping or exciting as Dr Who but the kids enjoyed it nevertheless and it's certainly action-packed. Special effects-wise, well, there aren't any really ! Think men flopping about in rubber suits rather than high-tech computer-generated images, but that's all part of the charm and I felt quite nostalgic remembering the "low-tech" programmes of my childhood !

For hardcore Dr Who fans used to the latest series, you may be disappointed by the lack of drama and breath-taking special effects, but for some fun family viewing, it's a great way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon snuggled up on the settee !

star rating : 3/5

RRP : £29.99

Number of discs: 2
Classification: PG
Studio: Brightspark
DVD Release Date: 31 Jan 2011
Run Time: 450 minutes



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