Doctor Who: The Wheel in Space Returns on Vinyl

While fans eagerly await the return of Doctor Who on Christmas 2026, Demon Music Group is continuing to release classic Doctor Who adventures on vinyl. The label recently announced a Record Store Day release of The Rescue, a 1965 story starring William Hartnell as the First Doctor and has now released The Wheel in Space on vinyl.

A Classic Cybermen Story

The Wheel in Space originally aired in six episodes from April 27, 1968, to June 1, 1968.^{theseconddisc.com} It marks the final serial of the show’s fifth season and features Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor. The story follows the Doctor and his companion Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines) as they become stranded on a spaceship and discover a space station targeted by the Cybermen.

Notably, The Wheel in Space introduced a new companion, Zoe Heriot, played by Wendy Padbury, who continued with the series for eight more storylines.^{theseconddisc.com} This serial was also the first Cybermen story not written by the villains’ creators, Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis; the script was penned by David Whitaker, based on story notes by Davis.^{theseconddisc.com}

A Partially Lost Serial

Unfortunately, The Wheel in Space is incomplete in the BBC archives. Only episodes 3 and 6 currently exist.^{theseconddisc.com} The remaining episodes were destroyed in the 1970s, though a collector donated a copy of episode 3 to the BBC. Reconstructions using audio and still pictures were released in 2017 and are available on Britbox.^{theseconddisc.com}

The Vinyl Release

The new vinyl release features an audio presentation with linking narration by Wendy Padbury, originally issued on CD in 2004.^{theseconddisc.com} It is presented on 3 LPs with six sides of 140-gram translucent “Bernalium Blue” vinyl – one side per episode. The packaging is adorned with a Cyberman image and has been newly mastered by Phil Kinrade.^{theseconddisc.com} Bernalium is the mineral used to power the X-ray laser in the serial.

The three LPs are housed in a single pocket sleeve, with each record in an illustrated jacket featuring a photo and full episode credits.^{theseconddisc.com}

The 3LP set is currently available for purchase.