Marc Cory has one job – to warn the universe about the Daleks…

This really is something special – a project by the University of Central Lancashire recreating a lost episode of Doctor Who. Of course, we’ve had “lost” stories reconstructed in various ways almost ever since there was organised Doctor Who fandom, and in recent times we’ve had new animations that have used the soundtracks. (There’s even been an animated Mission to the Unknown, courtesy of uber-fan Ian Levine which is worth a look if you’re ever given the opportunity.) For the production of Twice Upon A Time, certain scenes from The Tenth Planet were remounted with David Bradley playing William Hartnell’s Doctor – but this is certainly the first time a full episode has been recast and remade per the original broadcast, using the techniques of the day.

It’s the first ever Doctor-lite episode, with Hartnell getting an onscreen credit but otherwise not appearing. The onus falls on Marco Simioni as Marc Cory, whose desperation to succeed is palpable, despite both Jacob Marisson’s Jeff Garvey and Dan Gilligan’s Gordon Lowery getting in his way; meanwhile elsewhere on the planet, Paul Stenton’s Malpha and his allies are plotting with the Daleks (voiced by Nick Briggs) to conquer the universe… starting with Earth.

Andrew Ireland’s direction is precise and the production does its level best to recreate everything (I did wonder if one of the Daleks was a non-moving variant but then it got itself in gear for the later scenes). The students involved on both sides of the camera have clearly thrown themselves into the project and deserve huge praise for the end result.

The final caption promises The Daleks Will Return… Could we finally see a visual version of Terry Nation’s Dalek pilot, I wonder?

Verdict: A highly praiseworthy endeavour. 9/10

Paul Simpson