In a remarkable discovery, the charity organization Film is Fabulous! (FIF) recently uncovered 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 portrayed by William Hartnell, were found in pristine condition in film cans among a collection of water-damaged films in a garage.
BBC archivists have since restored the episodes, which will soon be accessible on the broadcaster’s streaming platform. This discovery has reduced the tally of missing Doctor Who episodes to 95, lost due to the BBC discarding film recordings or reusing video tapes.
To surprise actor Peter Purves, who played the Doctor’s companion Steven Taylor, FIF invited him to a local theater under false pretenses and revealed the recovered episodes. Justin Smith, a cinema professor at De Montfort University and FIF chair, shared insights with Nil Köksal on the significance of the find for Doctor Who fans worldwide.
The recovered films, stored in plastic bags alongside other damaged items, were well-preserved compared to the rest of the collection. The collector, who possessed these rare episodes, had no direct ties to the film or television industry, indicating a stroke of luck in the retrieval of these valuable pieces.