As doctor who is in an unusually unstable position regarding your futureThe long-running sci-fi show has had some interesting developments come out of the past. Two unpublished episodes since 1965 were recently discovered and later released worldwide—a triumph for a show whose pre-1970s archives have been largely lost to time, thanks to the BBC’s disinterest in archiving TV shows back then. almost 100 doctor who The episodes were among the victims. But with the revival of the first and third episodes of “The Daleks’ Master Plan,” starring William Hartnell, fans now have reason to believe even more could be found.
TO radio times A report on a public screening in London of “The Daleks Master Plan” episodes noted that the circumstances of the recovered episodes suggest that is certainly a possibility. As we now know, the lost material was discovered almost by accident when the preservation group Film is Fabulous! I found it in a treasure trove in the hands of a collector who had recently passed away, apparently unaware of the treasure they kept.
At a panel held during the screening, Radio Times notes: “Television producer and lost episode hunter Paul Vanezis explained that the recovered episodes were found to be ‘cut copies’: prints used for technical review before duplicates were made for overseas distribution. This means that more copies of the episodes were probably made than previously thought.”
This is surprising, as it was thought to be especially difficult to find episodes of “The Daleks Master Plan”, due to the fact that it was never sold for international broadcast, partly because censors in the countries where the BBC attempted to sell the series believed the story was too violent. Internationally distributed film reels have become a common source for past recoveries of lost episodes, while stories that were never sold for distribution are thought to be more difficult to recover, as they were often the first targets of the BBC’s then archival trash policy. Even with this latest find, seven of the 12 total episodes of “The Daleks Master Plan” remain missing.
Having said all that, the “The Movie is Fabulous!” team is clear that they are not episode hunters and have no special interest in doctor who. Its mission is to preserve British film culture. “The discovery of lost episodes is a happy byproduct of their work with the film collecting community.”
Still, the fact that two segments of the 12-part “Master Plan of the Daleks” can now be seen again after 60 years has certainly struck a chord with vintage media enthusiasts. We hope more people will be inspired to take another look at the old prints they’ve been holding on to. Perhaps there is more Time Lord history waiting to be found!
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