Latest Updates
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3 October 2026
- The home page and the Releases page now call the releases still to come Future Releases.
- On the home page, every future release now carries the Coming Soon label, with its date when one is announced.
- A release outside a boxset can now be listed before its date is announced. On the Releases page, a future release with no date sits under one heading, Date not announced.
- Addresses such as /handbook now work without the slash at the end.
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19 September 2026
- The home page now shows releases from the past month, three months and six months, then from each year back to ten years ago, then every five years after that.
- More facts about the database now appear between the sections of the home page.
- Bonus features on many boxsets now sit on the disc that holds them.
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18 September 2026
- A boxset can now record more than one packaging type, such as an O-ring sleeve and a steelbook.
- Bonus features titled PDF Material or PDF Documents are now titled PDF Materials, like the rest.
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15 September 2026
- A release in a boxset that has no cover of its own can now show the boxset cover in place of the sleeve of an earlier release.
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7 September 2026
- A VHS release now counts Tapes, not Discs.
- The cards on the home page now line up, and a release with no date says Coming Soon rather than TBC.
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2 September 2026
- Links, bonus feature states and the selected filter or tab are now clear in every theme.
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1 September 2026
- Boxset pages now group their titles by disc, so you can see which disc holds each story.
- Releases and boxsets now have short addresses, such as /time-lord-victorious. Older links still work.
- A link to the site shared on social media now shows the cover artwork.
- Pages load faster. The cover images on the home page are a fraction of the size they were.
- Fonts are now served by this site rather than by Google.
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31 August 2026
- Error pages now look like the rest of the site.
- An advertising script had been loading on every page. It has been removed. The site carries no adverts.
- Colour contrast and keyboard access were corrected across the site, along with the labels a screen reader reads out.
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17 August 2026
- A release with no cover of its own now shows the artwork from an earlier release of the same format.
Introduction
The TARDIS Archives aims to be a complete, searchable record of all official UK Doctor Who physical media releases and their bonus features.Bonus features are categorised by status (whether they are new or have been repeated, updated, or removed since a previous release), description, duration, aspect ratio, type, and contributors (where applicable).This handbook explains how to search and filter the release list, and documents the conventions used when release and bonus feature data are recorded.
Using the site
Pages
- Home - Shows future releases, recent releases grouped by milestone dates, and random facts about the database.
- Releases - Lists all physical media releases with sidebar filters for era, format, Doctor, rating, and more. The search box can be used to find specific titles or apply operators. Click any release title or boxset name to view its full details.
- Release detail - Reached by clicking a release title. Shows full details for a single release: cover image, formats, bonus features (listed inline with their status relative to previous releases), and contributor credits.
- Boxset detail - Reached by clicking a boxset name. Shows all releases grouped under a boxset, along with any bonus features attached to the boxset as a whole rather than to individual discs.
- Search - Search for specific releases or bonus features using the search box.
- Stats - A summary of database statistics: total releases, bonus features, serials, stories, and more, plus fun facts and a contributor leaderboard.
- Handbook - Explains how to use the site and documents the conventions used when data is recorded.
- Contact - Send a message to the TARDIS Archives team.
Two ways to search
There are two search boxes on the site, and they share the same syntax:
- Releases page ↗ - the search box (with the sidebar filters) narrows the release list, including the Future Releases section.
- Search page ↗ - searches releases and bonus features together, returning them as separate sections, and adds bonus feature, contributor, and character filters.
Everything below - plain text, operators, exclusions, and combining terms - works in both boxes, except where noted.
Content operators
Type these directly into either search box to filter by a specific piece of content:
- serial:<id> - browse classic serials ↗
- story:<id> - browse modern stories ↗
- film:<id> - browse films ↗
- spinshow:<id> - browse spinoff shows ↗
- spinep:<id> - browse spinoff episodes ↗
- related:<id> - browse related shows ↗
Search page operators
These additional operators work on the Search page ↗ only, where bonus features and characters are searchable. The Search page also offers the same filters as dropdowns (bonus feature type, status, contributor role, companion, and adversary).
- cohort:<id> - browse contributors ↗
- vamtype:<id> - browse bonus feature types ↗
- companion:<id> - browse companions ↗
- adversary:<id> - browse adversaries ↗
Excluding results
In either search box, prefix any term with - to exclude matches. This works with plain text and operators alike. On the Releases page it also applies to the Future Releases section, including filtering by format. For example:
- -blu-ray - hide all Blu-ray releases
- -serial:5 - hide all releases for serial 5
- serial:5 -blu-ray - show serial 5 releases, excluding Blu-ray
Combining search terms
In either search box, combine multiple terms and operators in a single search. Each term further narrows the results. For example:
- serial:5 -blu-ray - show serial 5 releases, excluding Blu-ray (either page)
- serial:5 commentary - on the Search page, find Commentary bonus features for serial 5
- cohort:42 vamtype:7 - on the Search page, find bonus features of that type involving that contributor
Bonus features
Bonus features (also referred to as VAM or Value Added Material) are the extra items included on a release beyond the main programme. These include audio commentaries, making-of documentaries, photo galleries, trailers, and more. Contributors such as cast or crew are credited against individual bonus features rather than releases as a whole.
Future releases
The homepage lists future releases. The search box on the Releases page also filters its Future Releases section - so you can use operators and exclusions to narrow down what's coming up, just as you would for previous releases.
Themes
The site supports light, dark, and celebration modes. Switch between them using the theme toggle in the top navigation bar.
Data conventions
The following sections document the conventions used when recording data.