The Underwater Menace DVD release removed from schedules

It appears that The Underwater Menace, the last remaining classic Doctor Who story not yet released on DVD, which was originally scheduled for release this year with its two missing episodes replaced by an animated reconstruction, has now been removed from the schedule while "its viability is being reassessed". The second episode, recovered by the BBC in 2011 after being missing from the archive for decades, is now the only classic Who episode known to exist which has not so far been released in any format (episode three had previously been released with a number of other episodes from incomplete stories on the Lost in Time box set), and it's becoming something of a sore point for dedicated fans. There's a petition on Change.Org to get it released. https://www.change.org/p/bbc-worldwide-please-release-doctor-who-the-underwater-menace-on-dvd

Signed.

More than 800 signatures in three days. Are the BBC watching, I wonder?

...probably not.

I signed the Change.org petition.

Well, it's still growing (though not as fast as the petition to reinstate Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear).

I got this email this morning:

Thank you for your recent email. We appreciate that some Doctor Who fans are disappointed that we have not yet been able to release The Underwater Menace on DVD. We would like to reassure everyone that we are currently reviewing the best way to bring fans more Classic Doctor Who titles. Please bear with us-we'll let you know more as soon as we can. Best wishes, DVD ENQUIRY LINE.

The BBC Shop now has The Underwater Menace listed for pre-order at £13.99 with a release date of 26th October 2015.

The most recent update about the North American release of The Underwater Menace is that the release date for this title in the USA and Canada appears to have been finalized at March 1st . That continues to be the date, much to the relief of this fan of classic Doctor Who (me); we've waited quite long enough!

It's a single-disc release, priced at U.S.$24.98.

I'm surprised it hasn't been released already.