LISTEN | Exclusive interview with Justin Smith from Film is Fabulous! :
For many years, a number of early Doctor Who episodes were thought to be lost forever until a recent discovery revealed two of them in the possessions of a deceased collector.
The charity Film is Fabulous! (FIF), dedicated to preserving cinema and television history, disclosed that it located two episodes of the renowned sci-fi TV series, The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet, in impeccable condition among a water-damaged assortment of films.
These black-and-white episodes, featuring the original Doctor portrayed by William Hartnell, had not been seen since their original airing during the show’s third season in 1965.
The BBC has now restored these two episodes, set to be accessible next month on its streaming platform, reducing the count of missing episodes to 95 lost due to BBC’s disposal of film recordings or reuse of videotapes.
FIF managed to surprise Peter Purves, who played Steven Taylor, the Doctor’s companion, by inviting him to a local theater in Leicester, U.K., under false pretenses to reveal the recovered episodes.
Justin Smith, a cinema professor at De Montfort University in England and FIF’s chair, discussed with As It Happens host Nil Köksal the process behind the surprise and the significance of this finding for “Whovians” worldwide.
Here is an excerpt from the conversation:
Can you describe your reaction upon discovering these episodes in the plastic bags and cylinders?
It was truly astonishing to stumble upon these missing Doctor Who episodes among a collection that had suffered significant water damage. Despite the poor condition of most films in the collection, these two films were well-preserved, neatly wrapped in bags with clear, readable labels when the cans were opened.
What details were revealed on the labels?
The labels contained essential information about the episodes, specifically part of The Daleks’ Master Plan series. The first episode, titled The Nightmare Begins, was part of this 12-part story that commenced in November 1965, providing clear identification on the 16-millimeter black-and-white film cans.
How did Peter Purves react when you screened the episodes for him?
After meticulously cleaning and scanning the 16-millimeter films, we organized a viewing at the Phoenix Independent cinema in Leicester,