Doctor Who's rich history dates back over six decades, allowing the long-running British sci-fi show to appeal to generations of fans. While this should, of course, be celebrated, there is a certain level of frustration to be accounted for.
For those who want to go back and start the gargantuan task of watching the show in its entirety, this simply isn't possible. While certain measures have been taken to fill in some of the blanks, there are still around 100 classic-era episodes completely missing from the Doctor Who archives. As such, some installments haven't been seen since they were first broadcast.
Some episodes have been rediscovered in recent years, with original prints showing up in personal collections and other unexpected places. That's what's happened with the most recent instance. As reported by the BBC, two episodes starring William Hartnell's First Doctor from November 1965 are now back where they belong.
After they were stumbled across in a cardboard box containing a variety of classic films, the episodes were then screened at the Phoenix Cinema in Leicester, England. Peter Purves, who stars as the Doctor's assistant Steven Taylor in both episodes, was treated to a surprise viewing. "My flabber has never been so gasted," quipped the 87-year-old.
Which two Doctor Who episodes have just been found?
Both episodes belong to Doctor Who season 3. The first is Episode 10, "The Nightmare Begins." This is actually the beginning of a 12-part arc known as "The Daleks' Master Plan." Episode 11, "Day of Armageddon," had already been discovered back in 2004. So, with the recent unearthing of Episode 12, "Devil's Planet," many fans will soon be able to watch the first three episodes of "The Daleks' Master Plan" in succession for the very first time. The only other installments currently available are "Counter Plan" and "Escape Switch," which are parts five and ten, respectively. In total, there are still seven of the twelve episodes that make up "The Daleks' Master Plan" that haven't been found.
As mentioned in the same BBC article, some of the recovered episodes of Doctor Who over the years have been found overseas, in studios that were broadcasting them in other countries. However, "The Daleks' Master" plan never made it out of the UK. For now, it looks like that will continue to be the case. The two recovered installments have been remastered and will soon be available to stream for UK audiences on the BBC iPlayer from Easter onward. It's currently unclear if the episodes will make their way to platforms to stream internationally.
Why are there so many missing episodes of classic-era Doctor Who?
Thankfully, this isn't an issue in the modern era. Since the show's revival, Doctor Who has been available to watch and purchase. In the 1960s, the BBC wasn't quite so meticulous with its archives – at least not with Doctor Who. For various reasons, episodes were dispensed with or lost. Reasons include a lack of space to store the film, wiping film to use it again, and not having full legal permission to retain or rebroadcast episodes. The rights to some installments still belong to the writers who penned the scripts or their descendants.
This wasn't unique to William Hartnell's era, either. Patrick Troughton's run as the Second Doctor is also incomplete at present. Certain gaps have been patched by making animated versions of the stories from the original scripts, but even that hasn't been a perfect solution. At this point, it's unlikely, but not impossible, that every missing episode will be rediscovered and made available to fans. As someone who wants to fully explore Doctor Who's earliest eras, I hope it happens someday.
The recently-rediscovered Doctor Who episodes will be streaming on BBC iPlayer for UK fans this Easter.