By Owen Quinn author
It was rumoured for a while but today, it has been confirmed that two lost episodes from the sixties era of Doctor Who have been recovered. And they are two of the most hoped for.
Two episodes of the Dalek’ Masterplan have been found in a collection quite by chance. Peter Purves who played companion Steven in the show and was part of that massive 12 part story was invited to a screening of them.
The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet have been recovered. These are, respectively, the first and third episodes of 1965 epic, which now gives fans the first three episodes of this story. The significance of this find means that hope is once again revived for the rest of the missing episodes. In the sixties, once an episode of anything was aired, the BBC junked it. The William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton eras were victims of this but a lot has been recovered from foreign TV stations and private film collections. I heard years ago at a convention in Liverpool that a collector had Marco Polo but was scared of prosecution if he admitted to it. I think it is safe to say, he’d be hailed a hero for saving a beautiful historical story.
Fans can now look forward to these being released on Blu ray in some format for all to enjoy sixty years after they aired. Hope, right now, is burning bright again.
You can read the full story here: Lost Doctor Who and the Daleks episodes discovered in ‘ramshackle’ collection – BBC News
The Time Warriors and Beyond 