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October 9th, 2013 83 comments

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BBC to Reveal a Number of Missing Dr Who Episodes

BBC to reveal a number of missing Doctor Who episodes

From BBC News…

A number of early episodes of Doctor Who, which were believed to have been permanently lost, have been returned to the BBC.

BBC Worldwide is expected to confirm the find at a press conference in London later this week.

It follows weeks of speculation that some lost episodes had been located.

A total of 106 episodes featuring the first two actors to play the Doctor, William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton, are currently missing.

The BBC destroyed many of the sci-fi drama’s original transmission tapes in the 1960s and 1970s.

However, the majority of the episodes had been transferred on to film for foreign broadcasters. It is often these prints found in other countries that are the source of retrieved episodes.

In 1993, all four instalments of the Patrick Troughton adventure The Tomb of the Cybermen were discovered in Hong Kong.

The latest find comes as Doctor Who celebrates its 50th birthday. A special episode featuring the current Doctor Matt Smith and his predecessor David Tennant will be shown on the programme’s anniversary on 23 November.

A raft of other programming to celebrate the long-running drama was also recently announced by the BBC.

Details of how fans will be able to watch the recovered episodes are also expected to be revealed later this week.

Please keep to reasonable speculation until the press conference mentioned in the article has been held and all the facts are known and any embargoes in place are lifted. All comments will be on moderations until then


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83 comments

  • The Doctor

    October 14th, 2013 - 11:46pm

    They found them the enemy of the world oh joy joy joy

    Reply
  • HornsOfAzal

    October 11th, 2013 - 1:06am

    1.04 and I just received my BBC shop email telling me I can order the enemy of the world on dvd (and a t-shirt if I want it) alas the BBC shop site is down….

    As for ITunes I think you need to be a timelord to sort it…

    Reply
  • HornsOfAzal

    October 11th, 2013 - 12:26am

    Was there any mention of ‘more to come’ at the conference …or is this all of the ones recovered ??

    Reply
    • booboo

      October 11th, 2013 - 12:28am

      none, only that the search continues

      The BBC however are only going to comment on “done deals” in the bag, ready for market.

    • HornsOfAzal

      October 11th, 2013 - 12:37am

      Well cant complain the Brigs first ep…the yeti at their best…but after all the nonsense surrounding the build up…its not quite the same as the out of the blue revelations when Tomb of the Cybermen was found and the same when I put on Doctor Who news to read that an ep of Galaxy Four had been found…lets hope the next revelation comes totally out of the blue…far more fun.

    • HornsOfAzal

      October 11th, 2013 - 12:39am

      Lol I notice the BBC shop site is down…wonder why 😀

  • WFK DVD Collector

    October 10th, 2013 - 9:35pm

    2H 25M to go…

    Reply
  • matparks08

    October 10th, 2013 - 8:29pm

    Hi Booboo – when will you be putting information from today on your site, at midnight or sometime tomorrow?

    Reply
    • booboo

      October 10th, 2013 - 8:44pm

      no 00.01 tonight

    • matparks08

      October 10th, 2013 - 8:50pm

      that’s fine – I can wait the extra minute 😉 (unless the site crashes!!)

    • booboo

      October 10th, 2013 - 8:52pm

      it will be everywhere dont worry

  • thedaleksdeath

    October 10th, 2013 - 7:40pm

    Debroah Watling (Victoria Waterfiled) Has just tweeted all episodes of The Enemy of the World and all episodes of The Web of Fear have been found…Happy with Fear but never listened to Enemy oh well lets hope this is true!

    Reply
    • gordon

      October 10th, 2013 - 9:24pm

      its a true Story that its those episodes that were found but deborahs Twitter Account is a parody Account.

  • drjakeyoung

    October 10th, 2013 - 3:52pm

    Some people who went to the conference are tweeting that it’s all the episodes from enemy f the world and 4 episodes from the web of fear that have been found with more on the way.

    Reply
    • the ergon

      October 10th, 2013 - 4:19pm

      All this speculation is killing me.No one actually knows anything till the announcement.Knowing BBC worldwide, if they can milk the cashcow for as long as possible by delaying the release of the dvds they will, now the range is coming to a close. The sooner we get to know which titles, if its true it is a haul, the better.

    • Some bloke

      October 10th, 2013 - 4:24pm

      yeah I hear the same. Why ‘more on the way’? Why can’t they tell us now. I don’t expect we’ll hear anything more on any others found till the new year 🙁

    • sammyboi101

      October 10th, 2013 - 4:30pm

      So good news then?!

    • gordon

      October 10th, 2013 - 6:35pm

      northern echo has comfirmed it

    • gordon

      October 10th, 2013 - 9:26pm

      Probably negotiations are still ongoing some bloke

    • HappyZero

      October 10th, 2013 - 10:55pm

      Possibly more on the way. There’s a suspected haul in Ethiopia which is being investigated. These episodes were found in Nigeria. (from what I’ve read so far.)

  • sammyboi101

    October 10th, 2013 - 3:22pm

    I Want:
    Mission To The Unknown
    The Daleks’ Master Plan
    The Celestial Toymaker
    The Tenth Planet (episode 4)
    And All Of Troughton That Is Missing!

    Reply
    • MasterKasterborous

      October 10th, 2013 - 9:55pm

      That’s quite a big list you’ve got there. I think the last one will be partly satisfied.

  • Anonymous

    October 10th, 2013 - 2:46pm

    I hope evil of the daleks is back

    Reply
    • the ergon

      October 10th, 2013 - 4:22pm

      Evil and masterplan with just a touch of web of fear and fury from the deep for dessert.

  • Cyberking281

    October 10th, 2013 - 2:19pm

    I hope they release Lost In Time 2 dvd with new special features and the newly found missing episodes, im hoping some episodes for The Daleks’ Masterplan, The Celestial Toymaker, The Power Of The Daleks, The Evil Of The Daleks, The Abominable Snowmen and The Web Of Fear (fingers crossed)

    Reply
    • Cyberking281

      October 10th, 2013 - 2:22pm

      Sorry, forgot The Wheel In Space (there is a lot on my list but i will still be happy to what episodes they’ve found)

  • sammyboi101

    October 10th, 2013 - 2:13pm

    I hope we get some classics back!

    Reply
    • Some bloke

      October 10th, 2013 - 2:44pm

      What do you mean, you ‘hope’ We are!

    • sammyboi101

      October 10th, 2013 - 3:17pm

      My Bad!!!! LOL

  • Some bloke

    October 10th, 2013 - 2:09pm

    Is it true we have to wait til midnight to find out?

    Reply
    • Some bloke

      October 10th, 2013 - 2:17pm

      It is, everyone who was there is saying on twitter that we’ll find out at midnight so…

    • booboo

      October 10th, 2013 - 2:43pm

      Yes that’s right

    • booboo

      October 10th, 2013 - 2:41pm

      Yes

    • Cymon Hodson

      October 10th, 2013 - 3:58pm

      Looks like I’ll be going to bed late tonight.

    • the astronaut of death

      October 10th, 2013 - 4:03pm

      I doubt my mum will let me stay up that late as I have school tomorrow

      so I will just get up early tomorrow morning

  • Dalek The Supreme

    October 10th, 2013 - 1:08pm

    I hope for episodes from Power of the Daleks, Evil of the Daleks, and The Web of Fear! We NEED complete Troughton era Dalek and Classic Series Great Intelligence stories! 😀

    Reply
    • booboo

      October 10th, 2013 - 1:27pm

      We can hope but let’s be grateful for what we are getting
      Never thought I would see the day

  • Some bloke

    October 10th, 2013 - 12:39pm

    THE CONFERENCE IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW!

    Reply
    • booboo

      October 10th, 2013 - 12:51pm

      Yes we know

    • sammyboi101

      October 10th, 2013 - 3:31pm

      I didn’t know that!

  • Anonymous

    October 8th, 2013 - 4:30pm

    Sounds like these wont be released on DVD…probably just going to be digital downloads.

    Reply
    • Some bloke

      October 10th, 2013 - 10:36am

      sounds VERY silly. They will most likely release them on dvd, just probably not within the next year or so

  • HornsOfAzal

    October 8th, 2013 - 4:26pm

    Oh dear Lizo is merely repeating all the stuff other people have laughed at and rubbished…..

    I suppose he doesnt care the Beeb are paying him no matter what….

    Reply
    • MasterKasterborous

      October 9th, 2013 - 11:24pm

      I kinda trust Lizo but still have my doubts. He’s a canon Doctor Who character you know…

    • booboo

      October 9th, 2013 - 11:55pm

      all will be revealed

  • matparks08

    October 8th, 2013 - 4:26pm

    I don’t care which episodes are going to be available as this is very exciting news indeed. I think in the last 20 years we’ve seen 8 episodes recovered and the prospect of more was certainly slim. I hope they at least make it onto dvd at some point and I guess the collection will continue. I do wonder if more of the Underwater Menace has been found which is why the dvd release is delayed, possibly even Moonbase for the same reason? If only we were finding out tonight!!! It’s going to be a long week but i’m sure it’ll be worth it. personal preference would see the return of Abominable Snowmen, Power of the Daleks and Web of Fear

    Reply
  • TheExtremeBlueTARDIS

    October 8th, 2013 - 4:15pm

    Yay! Do we know how many episodes have been discovered?

    Reply
    • booboo

      October 8th, 2013 - 4:15pm

      not officially no

    • Anonymous

      October 8th, 2013 - 4:17pm

      Officially nothing has been announced other than there are “a number” of episodes.

      Unofficially though the number is nine (although this hasn’t been formally announced and the source claims there might be more they aren’t admitting to).

    • HornsOfAzal

      October 8th, 2013 - 4:29pm

      Nine ? I thought it was ninety …or was it two…its as bad as trying to guess how many times a timelord can regenerate these days 😀

  • videogamemad00

    October 8th, 2013 - 4:14pm

    I would prefer Troughton stories than Hartnell. I have lots of Hartnell recons so wouldn’t want to buy the episodes again.

    Reply
    • Some bloke

      October 8th, 2013 - 4:15pm

      so wait, you BOUGHT the recons? 🙂

    • videogamemad00

      October 8th, 2013 - 4:28pm

      Yes I did. I thought it would be better to buy one that is well done than burn it onto a disc and print covers etc myself.

  • Anonymous

    October 8th, 2013 - 3:52pm

    ii hope they found power of the daleks

    Reply
    • Tardis’nt

      October 8th, 2013 - 4:05pm

      Same Here! And Evil, and Wheel in Space!

  • Mark Simmons

    October 8th, 2013 - 3:47pm

    I for one shall be happy for any amount, large small or singular to return to the BBC. This find gives us ‘all’ hope…

    Reply
    • booboo

      October 8th, 2013 - 3:47pm

      cant wait to hear the story behind all of this

    • Anonymous

      October 8th, 2013 - 3:53pm

      All we know for certain is it won’t be “singular”.

    • booboo

      October 8th, 2013 - 4:09pm

      my guess is if its a lot, they wont reveal them all in one go, just feed them out over a period of months

    • Some bloke

      October 8th, 2013 - 4:14pm

      That will be another thing that will REALLY annoy fans, including this one! I know for them its a logical thing to do, but we don’t want to be kept in the dark. We have a right to know!

    • booboo

      October 8th, 2013 - 4:16pm

      problem is everyone will “want them now” – which may not be possible

    • Some bloke

      October 8th, 2013 - 4:19pm

      I don’t completely understand why and if they are going to release them on itunes/amazon and stuff for download and release information about them slowly. Surly they should just announce which episodes have been recovered and then as usual release on dvd when they have been restored. Just seems like they’re torturing us for an unknown reason

    • booboo

      October 8th, 2013 - 4:21pm

      or they are not all back in their hands yet

      we will just have to wait and see

      all will be revealed

    • Anonymous

      October 8th, 2013 - 4:21pm

      Which would explain breaking them up, bring out the ones they can get out now.

  • the mr master

    October 8th, 2013 - 3:46pm

    WHEN?!?!?!?!?!?

    Reply
    • booboo

      October 8th, 2013 - 3:47pm

      patience…

    • the mr master

      October 8th, 2013 - 3:49pm

      AGGHH IM SO EXITED 🙂

    • DoctorPlatypus

      October 8th, 2013 - 4:25pm

      Brilliant name!

  • Giddy Aunt

    October 8th, 2013 - 3:45pm

    Oh my giddy Aunt. Web of Fear and Enemy of the World here we come. We just knew it had to happen. Hope Toby Hadoke is ready to do those commentaries. Look forward to hearing William Russell, Barry Newbery, Carole Ann Ford, Waris Hussein and Mark Eden on the Marco Polo DVD.

    Reply
    • booboo

      October 8th, 2013 - 3:46pm

      we might get a yeti now

    • thedaleksdeath

      October 8th, 2013 - 3:49pm

      Have these two stories been confirmed? If so……. IT IS BLOODY FANTASTIC!!! GERONIMO!!!!

    • booboo

      October 8th, 2013 - 3:51pm

      nothing has been confirmed, although its clear much of what’s been said now is becoming true

    • DoctorPlatypus

      October 8th, 2013 - 4:28pm

      I hope it includes a COMPLETED Troughton Dalek serial. Also, from the wording ‘Thought permanently lost’, could it mean that the First ever Christmas Special ‘The Feast of Steven’ is among the found???

    • MasterKasterborous

      October 9th, 2013 - 11:27pm

      I think that’s just a phrase. FoS really cannot exist; at least not from an overseas broadcaster.

  • The Big Blue Box

    October 8th, 2013 - 3:41pm

    This will be so great. By the way,Booboo, there is a mistake I spotted on the new timeline. When you scroll over the 1966 annual, it says 1996 annual.

    Reply
  • Some bloke

    October 8th, 2013 - 3:19pm

    Hopefully there are a decent amount of episodes found, not something silly like 2 orphan episodes. Hopefully with this new find we can complete a couple or more stories 🙂 Can’t wait til the end of the week!

    Reply
    • Johnny

      October 8th, 2013 - 3:22pm

      Nine seems to be the commonest quoted number on various websites.

    • Some bloke

      October 8th, 2013 - 3:25pm

      I hope it’s more than that, because by the sounds of it those nine episodes are ‘The Enemy of the World’ episode 1,2,4,5,6 and ‘The Web of Fear’ episodes 2,4,5 and 6. I’m OK with that, but I just wish it’s more or better than that 🙂

    • Anonymous

      October 8th, 2013 - 3:36pm

      Nine comes from Ian Levine who was one of the various people under embargo, although he has since “broken” it because others have so he doesn’t want to be silenced any more.

      He is convinced however that more episodes have been recovered and claims that the BBC first became aware of this batch three years ago.

    • Some bloke

      October 8th, 2013 - 3:38pm

      I know, I’ve been following his twitter feed 🙂 HA Hope there are more. My top story I would LOVE to have been found is Fury from the Deep (fingers crossed)

    • thedaleksdeath

      October 8th, 2013 - 3:46pm

      I’d love to see anything from: Power of the Daleks, The Macra Terror, The Faceless Ones, Evil of the Daleks, Abominal Snowmen, Web of fear,Fury of the Deep and last but not least Wheel in space!

      Would be fantastic to see some of this classic stories but I doubt it’ll a full serial. But it can happen! 😀

  • Anonymous

    October 8th, 2013 - 3:17pm

    You know things are getting bad when somebody asks if its the missing episodes they’ve found are the rest of the 2013 series.

    Reply
  • drjakeyoung

    October 8th, 2013 - 3:14pm

    Yes! I knew it! I hate to say it but i told you so….

    Lol, i hate it when people say that!

    Reply

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