With the exciting news that Patrick Troughton’s debut story, ‘The Power of the Daleks’, long missing from the BBC archive, is to be animated and released through BBC Store, thoughts naturally turn to what other stories might benefit from the same treatment.
With no missing episodes returned since Phillip Morris’ terrific 2013 discovery of ‘The Enemy of the World’ and all but one episode of ‘The Web of Fear’, we are thrilled that the BBC is looking to this method to restore lost stories.
Order ‘The Power of the Daleks’ on DVD on Amazon here.
Missing episodes have animated before, to supplement existing episodes and complete stories, but this is the first time a whole story will be recreated. Of course, as it features the ever-popular Daleks, ‘Power’ is an ideal first choice and we imagine the sales figures will be closely scrutinised.
Here’s our wish list of stories we’d love to receive the same treatment…
‘The Highlanders’ (1966-1967)
Patrick Troughton’s second story was also the last pure historical tale of the black and white years, and introduced the Doctor’s longest running male companion, Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines).
Finding themselves in Scotland 1746, in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden, the Doctor, Ben and Polly become embroiled in the fate of a group of Jacobite soldiers who are to be sold into slavery.
‘Marco Polo’ (1964)
The programme’s foray into human history, other than meeting the cavemen of 100,000 BC, was a seven-part epic and the first celebrity historical.
The TARDIS arrives in 1289 and its crew accompany the famous Venetian explorer Marco Polo on his travels. Only the show’s fourth story, this ambitious tale took them across the Gobi Desert and to the court of Kublai Kahn.
‘The Evil of the Daleks’ (1967)
Another ideal choice for animation would be the other Troughton Dalek story, of which only a single episode remains, while six are missing.
Taking the Doctor and Jamie from the present day to Victorian London, and then on to Skaro, the story sought to deal with the Daleks once and for all. It also served as an introduction for Victoria (Debbie Watling), who joined the TARDIS crew after her father died saving the Doctor.
‘The Myth Makers’ (1965)
Serving as the exit story for Vicki, ‘The Myth Makers’ is another trip into history from which no episodes survive. Finding themselves at the siege of Troy, the time travellers end up on opposite sides of the battle.
Another one of writer Donald Cotton’s comic historicals, The Doctor is mistaken for the god Zeus, and in the company of Achilles and Agamemnon he finds himself devising a very familiar strategy to enter the city of Troy.
Meanwhile, Stephen and Vicki are captured by the Trojans and Vicki finds love.
‘The Daleks’ Master Plan’ (1965/66)
While not missing in its entirety, Season 3’s ‘The Daleks’ Master Plan’ was an epic twelve-parter (thirteen if you include its Doctor-less single episode prologue ‘Mission to the Unknown’) and yet only three remain in the archive.
In a battle across space and time, the Daleks hatch a plot to conquer the solar system and control time itself. With the return of his old foes and the loss of a friend or two, this lengthy tale also contains the first Doctor Who Christmas episode in ‘The Feast of Steven’.
Order ‘The Power of the Daleks’ on DVD on Amazon here.
For more information on Doctor Who’s missing episodes, we heartily recommend a read of Richard Molesworth’s excellent book Wiped!.
Which missing Doctor Who stories would you like to see animated? Let us know below…