Review of Tripods, The: Series 1 (2 Disc Set)

Introduction

I remember “Tripods” being on years ago – I can also remember watching some of it but to be honest, I have absolutely no idea how much of the series I saw, and don’t recall much about it – I was twelve at the time!

Seventeen years later, Second Sight Television have compiled all 13 episodes of the first series on two DVDs and released them for the many fans of old BBC sci-fi to buy.

“Tripods” is one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by the BBC, it ran for two series – the 13 Episodes featured on this DVD comprised Series 1, with 12 Series 2 episodes following. A scheduled third series never saw the light of day.

In the year 2089, aliens who patrol the land in towering metal Tripods control the human race. All humans are “capped” with a mind control device at the age of 14. Will Parker has seen his friends who have been capped lose their independence and when he hears of a place where men live free, he decides to make a run for it with a friend. “Tripods” tells their story…

Video

The first thing to remember about the video is that "Tripods" is now seventeen years old and was made for television. Not surprisingly, the video quality is a mixed bag - some scenes have quite good resolution whilst others appear slightly out of focus. The main problem is that some whites have excessive brightness and "glow" slightly. Another problem is that some shots suffer a lack of focus at each side but are in focus in the middle. I can only assume that these problems have more to do with the age of the master material and how it has been stored than the process of transferring it to DVD. However, even with the above problems, on the whole, the video quality is adequate and certainly in general is better than VHS can offer.

Visually what was groundbreaking for a TV series back in 1984 looks pretty ropey today, but the whole thing is very well put together and ignoring the dubious looking Tripods, certainly has the feel of a quality production.

Audio

The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 and luckily doesn’t appear to have suffered the deterioration apparent on the picture.

In this case, 2.0 means mono sound through two channels, however the sound is pretty good, with some classic 80’s BBC sci-fi music alongside the usual atmospheric effects. The dialogue is always clear and easy to understand. The theme tune is a classic!

Features

Nothing extra on offer I’m afraid.

The DVD is packaged in a double Amaray-style case. There wasn’t an insert in my review copy – I’m not sure if the retail issue will have one.

Conclusion

The most important consideration when writing this summary is the video quality, which in places isn’t great. I’ve already assumed that these problems are down to the master tapes and age of the series, so it is unlikely that we’ll ever see a better transfer – especially given the length of the series and prospective market. In addition, there are no extras on the disc – a making of, or some input from the show’s designers would have been nice.

However the video, audio and extras take a back seat with “Tripods” as the quality of the series more than makes up for the shortcomings elsewhere. Quite apart from anything else, credit must go to Second Sight television for releasing all 13 episodes of Series 1 in one package, retailing for £24.99 (and available cheaper of course) – usual practice seems to be releasing things like this in 2-3 hour chunks, each selling for £20. This DVD is also Region 0, so everyone can enjoy it.

This is classic top-quality BBC sci-fi material – I sat down to watch the first episode and ended up watching all of the first DVD – six episodes in one sitting, with the time just passing by – I was engrossed. That’s about the best compliment a 17 year old series could get.

Series 2 just can’t come quick enough...