In a recent development, the charity Film is Fabulous! (FIF) made a significant discovery by locating two long-lost episodes of the renowned sci-fi TV series, Doctor Who. The episodes, titled “The Nightmare Begins” and “Devil’s Planet,” featuring the original Doctor played by William Hartnell, were found in excellent condition among a collection of films stored in a garage. These episodes, last aired in 1965 during the show’s third season, have been restored by BBC archivists and will soon be accessible on the broadcaster’s streaming platform.
The recovery of these episodes has reduced the count of missing Doctor Who episodes to 95, which were lost due to the BBC discarding film recordings or reusing video tapes. To surprise actor Peter Purves, who portrayed the Doctor’s companion Steven Taylor, FIF invited him under false pretenses to a local theater in Leicester, U.K., where the episodes were revealed.
Justin Smith, a cinema professor at De Montfort University in England and chair of FIF, shared insights on the discovery with As It Happens host Nil Köksal. Smith described the moment of uncovering the episodes in a dilapidated collection, highlighting the remarkable condition of the films despite the storage conditions.
The episodes were later presented to Peter Purves, who was deeply moved and elated to see the long-lost footage from his past work. The mystery behind the whereabouts of these episodes, hidden in a private collector’s possession, reflects a time when the preservation of television history was not a top priority due to the financial constraints of storage and technology limitations.
The collector, who amassed a diverse film collection, seemingly recognized the value of these episodes as they were well-preserved compared to other films in the collection. The fortunate discovery and subsequent return of these episodes to the BBC mark a significant moment for Doctor Who enthusiasts worldwide.