Two Doctor Who episodes from 1965, thought to be lost forever, were found by a charitable trust run by film collectors, cinema lovers and vintage television enthusiasts. The recovered episodes represent the first missing Doctor Who material to be announced since 2013.
Film is Fabulous! approached BBC Archives after finding the episodes in a private collection. BBC Archives then worked to restore the original 16mm telerecordings – meaning viewers will be able to watch them in the best possible condition – to transmit on BBC iPlayer this Easter weekend.
The two episodes, written by Terry Nation, The Nightmare Begins (broadcast: 13 November 1965) and Devil’s Planet (broadcast: 27 November 1965) were from the fourth series The Daleks’ Master Plan.
The Daleks’ Master Plan is a 12-part serial. The intervening episode, Day of Armageddon (broadcast 20 November 1965), was found in 2004 by a former BBC engineer, meaning the first three instalments of the serial are now recovered.
The series starred William Hartnell as the Doctor and Peter Purves as Steven Taylor. It also featured Nicholas Courtney as Bret Vyon, Adrienne Hill as Katarina, Jean Marsh as Sara Kingdom and Kevin Stoney as Mavic Chen.
Episode one sees the TARDIS landing on the planet Kembel in search of help for the Doctor’s injured companion, only to learn the Daleks are planning with Guardian of the Solar System Mavic Chen to conquer the Earth. By episode three, the Doctor has stolen a vital component needed for the conquest, but after leaving Kembel they are forced to land on penal planet Desperus – pursued by the Daleks.
Noreen Adams, Director of BBC Archives said: “We’re thrilled to have worked with the team at Film is Fabulous! to bring these lost Doctor Who episodes to viewers on BBC iPlayer this Easter. BBC Archives has been working to restore the original recordings and update these to broadcast quality, ensuring fans can enjoy a little extra treat with their Easter Eggs this April.”
The Film is Fabulous! team have organised a special screening event at Riverside Studios with Peter Purves as a special guest on Saturday 4 April at 2:30pm, at which the two missing episodes of Doctor Who will be shown. The screening sold out on March 17, the day the tickets became available. The two restored episodes will be available in full on BBC iPlayer on Friday, 3 April at 6am.