Lost ‘Doctor Who’ Episodes From the 1960s Found and Restored

Two previously lost episodes of the iconic British science fiction television series Doctor Who have been rediscovered and restored, offering a rare glimpse into the indicate’s early years. The episodes, “The Nightmare Begins” and “Devil’s Planet,” originally aired in 1965 as part of the third series featuring William Hartnell as the First Doctor.

A ‘Holy Grail’ for Fans

The recovery of these episodes is significant because many original Doctor Who recordings were wiped or deleted by the BBC in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. At the time, the BBC did not anticipate the future value of re-runs and routinely reused videotapes to save money. 95 of the 253 episodes from the program’s first six years are currently missing, making the discovery of recent material a major event for fans. “In some ways finding missing ‘Doctor Whos’ is the holy grail” of classic TV discoveries,” said Justin Smith, a cinema professor at England’s De Montfort University and film archivist according to Slashdot.

The Daleks Feature in the Recovered Episodes

Both “The Nightmare Begins” and “Devil’s Planet” feature the Daleks, the show’s infamous pepperpot-shaped metal aggressors known for their catchphrase, “Exterminate!” Smith notes that the episodes “have it all…it is intergalactic, it’s got some great performances. It stands up really, really well.”

How the Episodes Were Found and Restored

The episodes were located in a private collection by the charity Film is Fabulous! The charity then approached the BBC archive team, who restored the episodes from their original 16mm telerecordings. Deadline reports that the restoration process ensured the episodes were brought up to broadcast quality.

Availability on BBC iPlayer

The restored episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer this Easter as part of the Whoniverse collection, which includes Doctor Who content from across the show’s history, including the most recent season starring Ncuti Gatwa. The episodes come from the third series of the sci-fi epic entitled “The Daleks’ Master Plan.” The cast includes William Hartnell as the Doctor, Peter Purves as Steven Taylor, Nicholas Courtney as Bret Vyon, Adrienne Hill as Katarina, and Kevin Stoney as Mavic Chen.

Future of ‘Doctor Who’

Whereas the future of the show is currently in flux after Disney pulled out of its co-production deal, the BBC’s head of drama has stated that Doctor Who “isn’t going anywhere.” The next episode will be a Christmas special penned by Russell T. Davies.