Lost Doctor Who Episodes from 1965 Rediscovered and Restored
In a remarkable find for television history, two episodes of Doctor Who from the William Hartnell era, which had been missing since their original broadcast in 1965, have been released after being discovered in a private film collection. The episodes, titled The Nightmare Begins and Devil's Planet, are parts one and three of the largely lost 12-part adventure The Daleks' Master Plan, written by Dalek creator Terry Nation.
Discovery and Restoration Process
The recovery was orchestrated by Film is Fabulous, a charitable trust dedicated to preserving private film collections. The episodes were found among the holdings of a deceased collector, whose identity remains anonymous at the estate's request, limiting public details about the discovery. Alongside these two episodes, the collection included four other Doctor Who episodes, but those were already archived by the BBC.
The original 16mm telerecordings have undergone meticulous restoration and were made available on BBC iPlayer in the UK on Friday morning. Additionally, a sold-out screening event is scheduled at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, west London, on Saturday afternoon, allowing fans to experience these rare pieces of television heritage.
Significance for the Series and Cast
These episodes mark a pivotal moment for Doctor Who enthusiasts, featuring the first appearance of Nicholas Courtney as Bret Vyon. Courtney would later become iconic as Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, the Brigadier of UNIT, a recurring character who appeared alongside Doctors from Patrick Troughton to Sylvester McCoy. The episodes also star Peter Purves as the Doctor's companion Steven, with Purves expressing surprise and delight at a private screening in mid-March, where he praised the direction by Douglas Camfield as "beautifully directed."
Historical Context of Missing Episodes
Currently, 95 episodes of Doctor Who from the 1960s remain missing from official archives. This loss stems from the BBC's practice in the 1970s of wiping or discarding episodes to conserve space and reuse costly videotape, a time when television was viewed as transient and before the home media market emerged. The last major discovery occurred in 2013, when nine episodes from the Patrick Troughton era were found in Jos, Nigeria, after being sold for international syndication.
This recent find not only enriches the cultural legacy of Doctor Who but also highlights ongoing efforts to preserve and celebrate early television productions, offering new insights for fans and historians alike.
