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Two previously missing episodes of Doctor Who have been found by Film is Fabulous!

According to their press release:

Two recent finds are missing episodes of Doctor Who, which were discovered in a deceased enthusiast’s private collection:

• The Nightmare Begins (Broadcast: 13th November 1965)
• Devil’s Planet (Broadcast: 27th November 1965)

The episodes are from the serial, entitled ‘The Daleks’ Master Plan’. Written by Terry Nation, they were broadcast during the third season of Doctor Who. The serial starred William Hartnell as the Doctor, and Peter Purves as Steven Taylor. It also featured Nicholas Courtney as Bret Vyon, Adrienne Hill as Katarina, and Kevin Stoney as Mavic Chen.

The recovery means that the first three instalments of a once totally missing 12-part story now exist. They provide a dark and gritty outing for the Daleks, who were being groomed by their creator, Terry Nation, for their own series, and life outside of Doctor Who. Indeed, ‘The Daleks’ Master Plan’ was not sold by the BBC to overseas broadcasters.

The estate of the deceased owner, in whose collection the film prints were found, wishes that he remains anonymous. Consequently, we will not enter into any discussion on the collector’s identity. All we’re able to say is he cherished the films for many years, and we owe him a huge debt of gratitude for preserving these episodes of Doctor Who.

In addition to the recovery, the Film is Fabulous! team have organised a special event, at which the two restored episodes of Doctor Who will be screened. This celebration of vintage television will take place on Saturday 4th April, and will coincide with the release of the two episodes on BBC iPlayer. Full details will be published shortly.

Photos from the two episodes can be found on the Press Release, accessible from their website here

Doctor Who historian and chronicler Toby Hadoke told the BBC news website, “I’m a grown man and I’ve been wishing I could see The Nightmare Begins since I saw the name on a list of missing episodes of Doctor Who 30 years ago.” Click here to read his full comments as well as those of Peter Purves to seeing the episode.