JOE 90 DVD BOX SET (UK)

Joe 90 made its DVD debut on September 30th 2002 (three weeks later than originally announced, and 34 years almost to the day since its initial broadcast) with a box set release of all thirty episodes - five discs featuring six episodes per disc. The discs are contained in a Digipak® and not in separate boxes, which has upset some fans.

As all video releases of Joe 90 from the mid 1980s and UK television screenings since 1994 have been from very poor quality 16mm prints (and sadly that includes BRAVO's 2003 run), the DVD releases were eagerly anticipated. The thirty episodes have been remastered from 35mm interpositive prints and magnetic audio source material, ensuring a quality of picture and sound even better than on the show's first airing in 1968. You can see a comparison between the old VHS versions and the new DVD transfers by clicking here.

• Disc 1: Character biography: Joe McClaine, Information file: World Intelligence Network (W.I.N.), Warning Sequence footage ("These are Joe 90's special glasses..."), and production stills gallery.
• Disc 2: Character biography: Ian McClaine, Information file: Mac’s Culver Bay cottage, The Unorthodox Shepherd location reconnaissance, and production stills gallery.
• Disc 3: Character biography: Sam Loover, Information file: The BIG RAT, promotional items gallery, and production stills gallery.
• Disc 4: Character biography: Shane Weston, Information files: Mac's Jet Air Car & Joe's Case, and production stills gallery.
• Disc 5: Merchandise gallery, original designs for the end title backgrounds, “I Love The 90s” trails*, production stills gallery and behind the scenes gallery.

* It should be noted that these do not feature the finished soundtrack as transmitted - Joe's opening voiceover is the 1990 "generic" version on all three, many sound effects are missing, and the voiceover "tag" and BBC TWO captions are absent. To see the versions that aired, visit the I Love The 90s section of BIG RAT.

UK residents should be able to buy the DVD or VHS box set at a reasonable price in most high street video outlets.

THE GREAT SUPERMARIONATION SAMPLER (UK)

Released on April 7th 2003, only available from HMV (and apparently already deleted), this DVD contains the first episode from five consecutive Gerry Anderson series: Planet 46 from Fireball XL5, Stingray from Stingray, Trapped In The Sky from Thunderbirds, The Mysterons from Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons, and The Most Special Agent from Joe 90.

Not much in the bells & whistles department (nothing in fact, not even animated menus) but a unique opportunity to get five pilot episodes on one disc.

Annoyingly, the Fireball XL5 episode does not appear to be a new transfer.

154 mins approx
625/50 (PAL) Region 2 DVD
37115 04813  Certificate U

JOE 90 - THE COMPLETE SERIES (US)

A&E in the US released the complete Joe 90 series as a 4 disc box set on July 29th 2003. Extras include a commentary from designer Mike Trim on The Most Special Agent and director Ken Turner on The Unorthodox Shepherd, in addition to character biographies and data files on the gadgets & vehicles.

This set is only available in the US and Canada, but the discs are free of region coding so they should work in any DVD player.

As of January 2007, Amazon.com lists the price as $71.99. PlayUSA's price with free delivery to the UK is £42.99, and DVD Concept sells the set for £36.99. At A&E's web site it'll cost you $79.95 - but you get a free poster.

12 hrs. 30 mins. total + extras
4x525/60 (NTSC) Region 1-6 DVD
AAE-70928 (individual discs AAE-70929 - AAE-70932)

JOE 90 DVD BOX SET (AU)

Australia finally caught up with their own release on 8th October 2003. The discs are in individual boxes (not a Digipak®) and are more or less straight repackages of the Region 2 discs, featuring the same menus and extras. The covers of the boxes have been adapted from the Region 2 versions as well, but instead of going back to the original artwork they have used what looks like compressed JPGs - which means they are a bit soft and have the characteristic "mosquito noise" around the text. Looks a bit amateurish really.

750 mins approx
5x625/50 (PAL) Region 4 DVD
DBX10005  Rated G For General Exhibition

3 GERRY ANDERSON CLASSICS (UK)

Released on 20th October 2003, this is simply a repackaging of the first three volumes of the Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons, Stingray and Joe 90 DVDs.

Erm... that's it really. The covers of the individual discs are no different, and there's nothing "extra" as such. No incentive to buy it at all if you've bought the discs before.

475 mins approx
3x625/50 (PAL) Region 1-6 DVD
(N.B. The Stingray DVD is ONLY Region 2)
37115 05643  Certificate U

PC PRO COVER DVD (UK)

Computing magazine PC Pro featured two episodes of Joe 90 on their January 2004 cover DVD (issue 111), The Most Special Agent and Hi-Jacked.

Not bad for £4.99, and you get a whole heap of software too.

50 minute-video
625/50 (PAL) Region 0 DVD
DPPRO0104DVD  Certificate U

JOE 90 DVD BOX SET (FR)
"Joe Quatre-Vingt-Dix - Agent Très Spécial"

Montreal-based company Imavision released a 4 disc box set in a rather flimsy Digipak® on 25th May 2004. This features all thirty episodes with French soundtracks.

The episode titles are listed in French on the box and animated menus, but bizarrely it's the standard English titles that appear on-screen in the episodes themselves. Even the title sequences are in English, so the original voice artistes get a nod even though they cannot be heard on these discs!

There are no subtitles and no alternate soundtracks, so if like me you only scraped a "C" at O Level French this set is more of a curiosity than anything. Erm... unless you're French of course... or French Canadian... I'll get my coat.

The extras are somewhat thin on the ground. Disc one features text biographies of Joe, Shane, Mac & Sam, and Disc 2 has an animated photo gallery featuring a sad array of just nine very "dupey" photos - and one of those is from Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons!

An obvious extra would have been the French title sequence, but there's no sign of it. Fortunately BIG RAT has a copy and you can exclusively watch the original French version of the opening titles here in a pop-up window.

13 hrs. approx
4x525/60 (NTSC) Region 1-6 DVD9
10-982 (individual discs 10-98201 - 10-98204)