Two lost Doctor Who episodes broadcast only once…
Who would have thought it?
Two lacking “Doctor Who” episodes feared to be lost eternally might be broadcast for the first time in 60 years after they have been discovered stuffed in a cardboard box.
The episodes of the long-lasting British science fiction tv sequence have been found wrapped in plastic in the personal assortment of a deceased movie collector by the charity “Film is Fabulous!” according to BBC News and a news release.
Two ‘Doctor Who’ episodes, lost for 60 years, have been discovered and will air this Easter. ©BBC/Courtesy of Everett Collection / Everett Collection
The trust, run by film collectors and lovers of classic TV, approached the BBC Archives, which labored to restore the unique 16mm telerecordings of the 2 black-and-white episodes.
The episodes — “The Nightmare Begins” and “Devil’s Planet” — have been initially broadcast in November 1965 during the show’s third season starring the late William Hartnell as the Doctor. The episodes are half of a 12-part serial called “The Daleks’ Master Plan” which is still largely lacking.
Both of the recovered episodes might be made obtainable on the BBC’s streaming platform, BBC iPlayer, this Easter.
“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,” said Noreen Adams, director of the BBC Archives.
“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,” she said.
The world’s longest-running sci-fi sequence, “Doctor Who” options an eccentric alien main character touring through time and space in the TARDIS — a spaceship resembling an old style British police box. It initially ran from 1963-1989 and continues to air after a 2005 relaunch.
The 1965 episodes, starring William Hartnell, have been discovered in a collector’s box and restored. BBC
Over the a long time, it has constructed up a cult appeal in the US, thanks to its campy particular results, glamorous assistants, and iconic villains such as the Daleks and the Cybermen.
Hartnell was the first of 15 actors to play the Doctor, the most current being Ncuti Gatwa between 2023 and 2025.
Of the 253 episodes aired as half of the 26 seasons in the unique “Doctor Who” sequence, 95 episodes are lacking.
Between 1967 and 1978, the BBC frequently deleted archive applications for causes of a lack of space and a lack of rebroadcast rights.
The BBC deleted many previous episodes; 95 are still lacking, with 11 discovered in Nigeria in 2013.
“Doctor Who” superfans have labored for a long time to attempt and get better or restore the lacking episodes. The last discover of any lacking installments of the sequence was in 2013, when copies of 11 long-lost episodes have been discovered in a Nigeria TV station.
“In some ways finding missing ‘Doctor Whos’ is the holy grail,” De Monfort University movie professor and Film is Fabulous! member Justin Smith told the Associated Press.
With Post wires
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