Two Missing Episodes of The Daleks’ Master Plan Found!

We love news like this. Yes, we do. Missing episodes once thought to be lost to the abyss of time are now found and restored, ready for our viewing pleasure this April.

Thanks to the fine folks at the charitable trust Film is Fabulous!, these new episodes will once again adorn TV screens around the world. Their passion, commitment and hard work make this kind of thing possible, so please donate if you can.

The Daleks’ Master Plan, that monster twelve-part serial from November 1965, is often mentioned when asked about what missing stories Who fans would like to see found and complete. Marco Polo is up there, along with The Power/Evil of the Daleks, too.

After The Dalek Invasion of Earth, the Daleks were firmly planted in the minds of the British (and soon after, global) public, and so another story was commissioned. From 13 November 1965 to 29 January 1966, millions of fans enjoyed every episode. Literally, millions with the average across the serial ~9 million!

Fast-forward to now, and unfortunately, many stories from the first six seasons of Doctor Who remain lost due to several reasons, this serial being no different. Up until yesterday, only three of the twelve episodes were available. Now, however, we’re up to five!

The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet have been found and restored to broadcast quality, thanks to them being found in a private collection. Quite a few missing episodes have been recovered from overseas collections; however, the censors in Australia and New Zealand deemed this story too dark and violent, and it was not picked up, which also put off other countries.

Enter stage right the wonderful, diligent (and miraculous) work of the technicians working on the show at the time, who made copies of select episodes to ensure they were problem-free when the BBC pitched them to other markets. It was these technical “back-up” copies that found their way into the hands of an anonymous private collector here in the UK. These, along with hundreds of other home videos, were donated to Film is Fabulous! after he died.

Thanks to this collector and Film is Fabulous!, we now have the first three episodes to watch back-to-back. They will be available on BBC iPlayer here in the UK this April.

We’re thrilled to have worked with the team at Film is Fabulous! to bring these lost Doctor Who episodes to viewers on BBC iPlayer this Easter. BBC Archives has been working to restore the original recordings and update these to broadcast quality, ensuring fans can enjoy a little extra treat with their Easter Eggs this April.

Noreen Adams, Director of BBC Archives

The Daleks’ Master Plan starred William Hartnell as the Doctor, Peter Purves as Steven Taylor, Nicholas Courtney as Bret Vyon, Adrienne Hill as Katarina and Kevin Stoney as Mavic Chen. It’s a wonderful chase story across space and time as the Daleks need the taranium core, which the Doctor has stolen, to power their ultimate weapon – the Time Destructor.

Often praised for its direction and script, it also comes under fire, mainly for its length (twelve parts, people!) and its violence, adding credence to other territories not wanting to purchase the story mentioned earlier. It was the first story to feature the deaths of companions, as Katarina is killed off and replaced by Sara, who is then killed as well.

This story also gets some flak in the seventh episode, The Feast of Steven, in which the Doctor breaks the “fourth wall” and addresses the viewer with a Christmas greeting before the credits. Producer John Wiles and script editor Donald Tosh hated it and later claimed it was an unplanned ad-lib by Hartnell. However, its inclusion in Douglas Camfield’s camera script disputes this claim. (Additional info from The Doctor Who Production Diary).

Regardless of our wide and varied views on this story, it’s fantastic news that we get to enjoy more content that was once thought lost. This April, settle down, grab a cuppa, and enjoy the newly found episodes The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet. And who knows what other lost episodes are waiting out there.