Many sci-fi fans wonder what classic Doctor Who might look like if the BBC bosses of the '70s and '80s could have budgeted more than £6 per episode for visual effects.

A new Who DVD set from BBC Video features a specially remastered episode that offers you just that experience. Doctor Who: "The Black Guardian Trilogy" serves up a trio of 1983 Who episodes featuring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor in a life and death struggle against a supernatural evil force. A team of restoration and digital effects artists took the final episode of that trilogy ("Enlightenment" -- a well-written, high-concept adventure featuring a simulated sailing race in deep space) and laid in 21st Century CG visuals.

The end result is a little jarring at times when the flatter look of BBC's video 1980s production technology inter-cuts with some industry standard space effects. But, it's intriguing to watch -- even for fans who know the episode well. Could this become a trend? If it's not cost-prohibitive, it'd be great to see more Doctor Who episodes receive sharp effects to match the show's grand imagination and clever writing.

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