Take a peek at Dr. Who's diary

Christopher Eccleston only had one season of Doctor Who in him, reportedly because he was afraid of being typecast as a genre actor. Now he's joined the cast of Heroes.
Bit of a step down, but the good news is that we got an even better doctor in the bargain: David Tennant – a bit wackier, a tad darker and a lot cuter – was the result of the regeneration and makes a terrific 10th incarnation of the BBC fave.
Tennant also makes a remarkable contribution to the lovely second season (of the modern era) package. We get a two-hour video diary in which he takes us from his first nervous days on set, through watching himself as The Doctor for the first time surrounded by his opinionated family, to filming the last (tear-filled) episode of the season.
The diary is an extraordinary insight into an actor's thoughts and feelings on becoming the embodiment of a cultural icon. And sometimes it's just funny, as when a gleeful Tennant sees the prototype for his action figure: "Utterly surreal, but I'm kind of digging it...That's a very odd moment, when one becomes an action figure."
The set has fine commentaries by creators, writers, actors and producers on every episode. Five of the commentaries are "in-vision," which basically means that you can see the speakers in a corner of your screen. I fail to see the purpose of this, but at least they're wearing party hats for the Christmas special. Speaking of the Christmas episode, do yourself a favour and watch the short "Children in Need" before you start season two. It bridges that season with the first. (The commentaries must be accessed through the set-up function and subtitles are non-functioning while the commentary is on.)
We get over three hours of "Doctor Who Confidential," which are severely cut, but still coherent, versions of companion documentaries originally shown after each episode. They deal with such subjects as the writers, the set designers, how to make a werewolf, bringing back beloved monsters and finding out who would win in a fight between the Daleks and the Cyberman.
Also, eight minutes of ho-hum outtakes, 16 minutes of deleted scenes and a very short video diary from Billie Piper (Rose). 1/2
AND SPEAKING OF CULT SHOWS: One of the all-time faves, Beauty and the Beast, is finally coming to DVD courtesy of Paramount. Twenty years after Ron Perlman's beast and Linda Hamilton's Catherine put high, almost courtly, romance on the Friday schedule, the first season is out this coming Tuesday.
The show lasted two years with the Hamilton-Perlman pairing, telling the story of lawyer Catherine and her bond with tunnel-dwelling, lion-faced, Shakespeare-loving Vincent.
I'm genuinely sorry to report that it is a severely disappointing set. There is not a single extra feature to be found and obviously no one could be bothered to clean up the dusty prints or write some subtitles. The title-screen is static and has no music. Fans have been clamouring for this release for years and this is what they get? While it may have been impossible to get the stars to do commentary or interviews, there must still be someone around who can speak to the allure of the show or Perlman's intricate make-up or the dangers of fashion fads (see Hamilton's shoulder-padded outfits). Please, pick up the pace for season two.