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After nearly 60 years, two missing episodes from William Hartnell's First Doctor era have been unearthed. Join us as we discuss the incredible story behind the recovery of parts of 'The Daleks' Master Plan,' a serial that never aired outside the UK, making this find exceptionally rare.
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0:00
Hello everybody, Ellie and Sean here for WhoCulture and we have news! There is news in the Who-niverse
0:09
Before I go any further, maybe just put your hopes down or your expectations down just slightly
0:13
I'm not going to tell you that we know when we're going to get season three, who's going to be the next Doctor, who's going to be the next showrunner
0:18
Not quite that big of a news story, but I feel still a very exciting news story
0:25
It is, yeah. In the last 60 plus years, there have been episodes of Doctor Who that got lost in time and rediscovered many years later
0:35
We did not think that at this point in the future, this far in the future, we'd still be finding more episodes, more lost episodes of Doctor Who
0:46
And yet two more episodes have been found. So exciting. Obviously, lots of episodes were lost for various reasons
0:55
mostly because I don't think they thought in 1963, 4, 5, 6, anyway
1:00
that it was going to be quite as big as it is now and that people were going to want to re-watch those episodes
1:09
Damage, loss, someone chucked it in a bin somewhere, you know. They didn't take that much care
1:16
But we have two more instalments from the Daleks Master Plan. Before now, there were three installments of this 12-part serial available that weren't lost
1:30
We had Episode 2, Day of Armageddon, Episode 5, Counterplot, and Episode 10, Escape Switch
1:37
But now we can add Episode 1, The Nightmare Begins, and Episode 3, Devil's Planet, to that list because they've been discovered
1:50
I'm really, really, really happy with this what I'm doing is I will explain what I'm doing on my phone now in a moment
1:56
but there is a reason but this is super, super, super, super cool
2:01
because like for the obvious we now have recovered episodes and we have episodes
2:07
like we were talking about this as well just before we were recording that I kind of thought
2:13
or I think everyone thought we had recovered what we were going to recover
2:16
at this stage You know, it's been 63 years since Doctor Who premiered
2:23
And like that is incredible. Like I've been enjoying over the last while some of the
2:31
we were talking about this before, the audio versions of lost episodes
2:36
like some of a lot of Hartnell and Patrick Troughton's episodes, like the video is lost, but the audio remained archived
2:45
So what I am doing now, that's what I'm just checking to see is if the Daleks Masterplan audio existed like that
2:53
Because, yeah, it is bonkers to think that there are people that in 60 years haven't watched this
3:02
I think the interesting thing here is so the last time old or lost episodes were discovered was in 2013
3:08
and basically what happened was episodes would be sold for distribution in other countries
3:16
and then they might be lost here but then episodes were discovered in a Nigerian TV station in an archive somewhere just somewhere you never expect them to be found What really really fascinating about this particular discovery
3:29
is that the Daleks Master Plan was never aired outside of the UK
3:34
It aired on that one date in November 1965, and that was it
3:39
Or those 12 dates, those 12 episodes aired in November 1965 in the UK
3:44
and that was it. so it's very very very lucky and rare that you would find episodes that have literally been
3:54
nowhere else so there is an organization called film is fabulous and they work on discovering
4:00
archived films and and different lost things film and tv and and the likes of and they were donated
4:07
a collection from a late collector which i think the article described as um it was ramshackles
4:13
it was it was not in a great a great it was ramshackle you know there were things that
4:18
were destroyed things that not weren't really um in a good condition and amongst all of those
4:23
films just so happened to be these two lost episodes of doctor who now quite why this
4:30
anonymous person had these reels nobody knows why he had them but the point is that he did have them
4:39
They've been found, they've been taken, they've been looked after. And now, this Easter, we will be able to watch them on BBC iPlayer
4:50
That is seriously, seriously cool. And they're going to be restored as well, you know, kind of cleaned up as best they possibly can
4:58
Which is, like, from a historian point of view, that's incredible as well
5:05
because actually another thing. So I am still learning things today about Doctor Who
5:11
For example, I didn't know Nicholas Courtney played someone before he played the Brigadier
5:17
You know, and before you come at me, yes, I realised he was promoted to Brigadier
5:21
after he first appeared. I'm saying, you know, Lesbred Stewart. I mean, he played a character before Lesbred Stewart
5:26
Why hire a new actor when you could just get someone you've had before
5:31
The other thing that I find really fun and just heartwarming about this whole thing
5:35
is that Peter Purvis, who played Stephen Taylor in those early episodes of Doctor Who
5:42
he was tricked into attending a screening of these episodes. He was taken under false pretenses to a cinema in Leicester
5:53
and was told, we found these episodes and we're going to watch them
5:58
And I quote this because I think his reaction was the best thing I've ever heard
6:02
He said, my flabber has never been so gasted. Fair play. Never has the kidnap of an elderly person had such a positive outcome
6:14
No, I mean, this is, I think it was a story in Toby Hadouk
6:18
I think was the one who organised the surprise. And I mean, that man is to Doctor Who
6:26
I don't think he has a comparison. Like he's just, yeah, but like this is, this is good
6:31
And also, he's a cheeky chap, is Peter Purvis. He was like, oh, this is brilliant
6:35
Maybe I can start getting some royalties. It's like, yeah, it's actually fair
6:40
Good point. Good point, yeah. I just think it just really exciting I just can get my head around the fact that this far away from when those episodes were released that we can just find them that they weren lost forever it just owes my mind
6:55
and also because we only had those three episodes available before and it was episode two five and
7:01
ten in a 12-part story even though they are on BBC iPlayer and available to watch I can't imagine
7:07
they make much sense next to each other do you know what you're sorry so so I was furiously typing
7:12
there so yes the audio was preserved so that has been available for a while which is great
7:18
because it does feel like you know right we're gonna listen to episode one listen to it and then we're gonna watch this episode and we're gonna go back and listen to this episode so which
7:25
I mean unfortunately is still the case for some of the missing episodes of this serial but still
7:31
I mean this is just this is brilliant in a way that I think here is you know Sean's thinking
7:38
corner so so many people who are coming to Doctor Who now like in the in or even or since Eccleston
7:44
you know who and in fairness both of us kind of fall into that category as well I often joke like
7:53
I was around since Sylvester McCoy but I wasn't watching it and it can be hard then to
8:01
kind of say to people where to start because technically start with the third Doctor because
8:08
that's where you have the complete recordings onwards right but then you're missing the first
8:13
two doctors altogether so you can't really do that go back then and watch um on an earthly child
8:20
if you can um you won't be watching an iPlayer like the more and more of these are recovered like
8:25
it is so important for the history of the show but for people who want to watch where doctor who started
8:34
you know so I'm so happy with this I won't say it was
8:40
the last round of lost episodes it's at least 10 years since the last
8:45
round of missing episodes were found 2013 was the last time it's 50th anniversary
8:51
someone was sitting on that yeah that's a little too perfect yeah
8:57
that's a so then imagine it was the same person going like
9:03
oh funny you found these earlier for the 60th but no like this is this is cool this is brilliant yeah and
9:09
you're right i mean i've made no secret about the fact that i have not watched all of classic who
9:14
in fact i've watched more classic who since starting this job with who culture and kind of
9:19
really engrossing myself and ingraining it in in my mind than i ever did before but there's still
9:24
a ridiculous amount of classic who i have not seen but it just makes me really excited that
9:31
it's available when I can. And this year I have set myself the challenge
9:35
to watch more Classic Who. So the fact that they're finding more episodes of it
9:39
just gives me even more content to watch. It's like, you know, super positive
9:43
This is weird. And then you were just like, you know, there's already enough to get through. Yeah, no, I think it's really, really great
9:50
It's just people now can go back and watch those things. And like I said, I know I've said it about three times already
9:56
but I just can't believe that in 2026 we are still discovering lost episodes
10:01
It's just, it blows my mind. Well, with that mind-blowingness, I can wait to watch them when they released I really excited for it And yeah I mean we all have our favourite Doctors
10:20
Both of our favourite Doctors are slightly more modern, more recent than some of the classic ones
10:25
But I really have enjoyed what I've seen of Hartnell. Like, really, really
10:30
You know, he's the template, isn't he? Well, that's the thing. I mean, people might overlook him, but without him
10:37
we wouldn't be where we are today and i think the thing is as well is now newer viewers
10:41
newer viewers that's fun newer viewers kind of tend to look for at david bradley instead of
10:47
william hartnell we've kind of had a recasting of an actor so now whenever we you know modern
10:52
viewers think about the first doctor you kind of picture david bradley in the role as opposed to
10:57
william hartnell justice for richard herndell in the five doctors uh as well but
11:05
yeah like it's an exciting time so hopefully you know this is March of
11:12
2026 we know we're getting a Christmas special at some point well Christmas I presume what I mean by that is
11:18
that it is happening I presume it's going to be released on December 25th
11:23
but hopefully what I mean is that this is going to be the snowball of a year of
11:28
news that's what I would really love because this is I think this is really really
11:32
really special and whatever else comes this year and I'm sure there'll be up down side to side all
11:37
sorts of news and happenings and shenanigans in Doctor Who but let us never lose sight of the fact
11:43
that this is a 63 year old franchise and it was as valid in 1963 as it is now is the pacing a little
11:55
bit different yeah yeah it is but the stories then were just as much fun even if they were told in a
12:02
slightly different way. So if you haven't so far, I implore everyone
12:07
check out the classic Who if you can. And do check out Hartnell. You know, enjoy it
12:13
Or don't enjoy it, but have fun. And so obviously for this one in particular
12:18
there will be a special screening of these episodes held in London on the 4th of April
12:25
And then following that, they will be released on BBC iPlayer. Just Easter is what we're given
12:30
just around Easter time. which is, you know, around April. So not too long to wait
12:38
I'm saying that because I don't know the exact dates that Easter is this year because it changes every year
12:43
It changes every year, doesn't it? Yeah. It can't be like Christmas. It's just all on the same date every year
12:46
No, they have to change it every year. Sunday, April the 5th
12:51
There you go. So around then. First contact day. There we go
12:55
We just like to cross those franchises, don't we? Yeah, we do. Yeah, but this is very exciting
13:00
we just had to jump on and tell everybody about this fun and exciting development news finally
13:06
and and technically some new episodes of Doctor Who well new slash old episodes of Doctor Who
13:12
in the year 2026 when we thought we would only have one so that's fun and exciting and we will
13:18
probably talk about them a little bit more closer to when they release or after they've released
13:23
so yes if you do watch these episodes when they release let us know what you think how you feel
13:28
about William Hartnell we'd be very intrigued to know and we will do the same because you know
13:31
we will be watching them but in the meantime goodbye sweeties bye