House MD: Season Six

Like patients in the series, this box set has been given a full work-up. There is plenty here for fans to get their teeth into but probably the least interesting are the three commentary tracks. The commentary from director Katie Jacobs and writers Russel Friend and Garrett Lerner over Broken is particularly disappointing. They seem unsure what to really talk about, meaning that the observations lack any real spark or direction. The other two commentaries - from writer David Foster and Robert Sean Leonard (Wilson) on Wilson and from Lisa Edelstein and writer Thomas L Moran on 5 To 9 - are much more engaging, though neither is essential listening.

Much better is A New House For House, which is an incredibly detailed feature explaining how they created the psychiatric ward used in the first two episodes - taking us through from concept to casting. The set backdrop is particularly fascinating to see - created from huge digital images to replicate the outside of the hospital and then used on a massive indoor set. Before Broken - The Concept Reel is also an excellent addition. Katie Jacobs proves much more engaging here than on the commentary track as she explains how, after shooting the last episode of Season 5 in the morning, during which House arrives at the hospital, she decided to spend the afternoon shooting Laurie doing 'business' around the grounds. The resulting concept reel, which is dialogue free, is surprisingly affecting and was clearly used as a building block for the resultant two episodes.

New Faces For A New House discusses the casting in more detail, with plenty of praise being meted out to the supporting cast of the first two episodes. Equally fascinating is A Crazy Cool Episode: Epic Fail - a substantial feature explaining how they mixed the virtual reality of gaming with the usual hospital drama and showing how the stunt guys in motion capture suits and early visual effects morphed into the finished product. Rounding out the extras is A Different POV - Hugh Laurie Directs, which shows the star stepping behind the camera to helm the Lockdown episode. It's enjoyable to see the behind-the-scenes footage although, inevitably, no one has anything but nice things to say about 'the boss'.

All in all an excellent package.