BitTorrent — it’s not just for piracy. The peer-to-peer file transfer system has always been keen to find new legitimate applications for its tech, most recently with the introduction of BitTorrent Bundles, which allow creators to set their own prices for the content they offer. The BBC is the latest high profile provider to utilise the platform, releasing a 12-episode batch of Doctor Who episodes to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the show’s 2005 return.
The bundle is set at a fixed $12 (a shade over £8) worldwide, and is more of a baker’s dozen. Along with the episodes themselves, buyers will also get the special Doctor Who: Earth Conquest, a behind-the-scenes documentary following the 2014 global tour that launched Peter Capaldi’s first season as the Time Lord. Capaldi also offers introductions on selected episodes. All episodes in the bundle are 720p resolution, BitTorrent has confirmed to WIRED.co.uk.
As to what exactly you’re getting for your eight quid, fans can enjoy at least one story from each season since the show returned. From Christopher Ecclestone’s one and only year as the Ninth Doctor, we have premiere episode Rose and the seminal two-parter The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances; David Tennant’s era as the Tenth Doctor is represented with The Girl in the Fireplace, Blink, and The End of Time; Matt Smith’s Eleventh gets The Vampires of Venice, the Neil Gaiman-scripted The Doctor’s Wife, and The Rings of Akhaten; while the creepy Listen is selected from Capaldi’s own run. Perhaps best of all, the feature-length 50th anniversary crossover special, The Day of the Doctor, is also included.
and we are honoured to welcome the Doctor to BitTorrent.”
The Doctor Who bundle is by far the most prestigious to be offered through BitTorrent’s scheme, and having an establishment brand like the BBC on board is clearly a coup. And if you don’t care about that, it’s still a great way to get a whole bunch of Who for effectively pennies.
