Shada was intended to be a crown jewel of Tom Baker‘s run as the Fourth Doctor. Written by Douglas Adams, it was scheduled for production during one of the show’s biggest spikes in popularity. However, filming was abandoned due to strike action and the story has remained trapped in limbo ever since. Adams himself mined it for ideas for Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency and footage from it was cheekily dropped into The Five Doctors. But now, at last, it’s been completed.

On 4 December, BBC Worldwide will release a version of Shada featuring everything that was shot and animated sections to connect them. Voiced by the original cast, the animation sequences will finally complete one of Doctor Who‘s great missing stories for new and old fans alike. Better still, the extras on the disc look fantastic too. They include:

Special Features:

–  Taken Out of Time (25′ 39″)
–  Now and Then (12′ 45″)
–  Strike, Strike, Strike! (27′ 50″)
–  Studio Sessions – 1979 (44′ 38″)
–  Dialogue Sessions (14′ 16″)
–  Model Filming (04′ 36″)
–  Deleted Scenes (01′ 22″)
–  Title Sequence Films (TBC)
–  Live Action Reference Footage (02′ 48″)
–  1979 Gallery (04′ 50″)
–  2017 Gallery (02′ 52)

Shada will be released as a digital download on 24th November and on physical discs, both Blu-ray and DVD, on 4 December and it’ll be in our Christmas stocking for sure. Thanks to Doctor Who Online for the story.