[Demdike@Cult Labs]

My first few months of Blu-ray have brought in a lot of upgrades from dvd of old favourites including StudioCanal's Masque of the Red Death which with all it's extras and stunning print is definitely worth a mention.

Arrow's Years of Lead box set looks terrific and features five films i have not seen before, as does their Cold War Creatures - The Films of Sam Katzman box set. Chock full of goodies as well as extra features.

I was also impressed by 88 Films The Tough Ones and The Violent Professionals box sets. Although at £24 they were hugely overpriced but as i got them for £15 and £14 respectively they can be included along with Silent Action, An Italian police thriller from new label Fractured Visions. Although perhaps not the best looking HD movie their package is well worth it for the plentiful extras and soundtrack cd making it a worthwhile collectible.

When it comes to my favourite movie Blu-ray of 2021 it has to be Dark Eyes of London from Network.

A film i hadn't seen before beautifully restored. Housed in a delightful rigid embossed slipcase along with six beautiful double sided art cards and an informative booklet plus a couple of great extras in the company of Kim Newman and Stephen Jones. At £11.50 delivered direct from Network this is the best value release of the year easily and puts the ridiculous prices the likes of Arrow, 88 and others ask to shame. Keep up the great work Network. You've now a lot to live up to.

BUT....

And i can probably say this each and every year. When it comes to physical media releases nobody beats the BBC with their Doctor Who releases.

From animating lost stories like Galaxy-4 and Evil of the Daleks to their hugely comprehensive classic season Blu-ray box sets no other company comes remotely close.

Season 24 which features the stories Time and the Rani, Paradise Towers, Delta and the Bannermen and Dragonfire, has been lovingly restored yet again for Blu-ray with hours and hours of special features for each story. From commentaries to info tracks to brand new documentaries to previously released material there is so much to go at. Hell, this set has 4068 pages of PDF material alone.

Four stories, 14 twenty five minute episodes = 8 discs. Says it all really.