Two lost episodes of the classic science fiction show Doctor Who have been found after being missing for over 60 years and will be released to the public soon.
Doctor Who fans around the world have been eagerly anticipating this news, but no one has been waiting as long as Sue Malden. As the BBC’s original archive selector, she’s spent decades dedicated to finding lost episodes of Doctor Who and preserving classic television programs.
Currently, Malden collaborates with Film is Fabulous, a charity made up of film collectors, cinema fans, and vintage TV buffs. They work to protect at-risk film collections throughout the UK, support collectors, and teach people about the art of filmmaking.
Film is Fabulous revealed this week that they’ve found two lost episodes from the Doctor Who story, The Daleks’ Master Plan: “The Nightmare Begins” and “Devil’s Planet.” Both episodes will be streaming on BBC iPlayer in April.
Two previously lost episodes of Doctor Who were recently found in a private collection following the owner’s passing, who wishes to remain unnamed. This is the first time missing episodes have been discovered since 2013.
Malden shared his excitement with TopMob after the announcement, saying he’s often talked about Doctor Who and gets frequently asked if there are any more untold stories to discover.
It’s a shift from initially believing something was the only copy – like saying ‘I don’t know if this is the last one’ – to realizing there are likely more copies somewhere, and then suddenly, those extra copies appear.
We actually discovered six episodes, though four of them are already with the BBC. Interestingly, these newly found versions might be of higher quality, so we’re sending everything to the BBC to compare. The really exciting part is that we found two episodes the BBC didn’t have at all.
Four previously discovered episodes – “The Survivors,” “The Escape,” “The Web Planet,” and “The Executioners” – have been located in the BBC archive. These episodes, part of classic Doctor Who serials, will be returned to the BBC’s collection soon.
Over half of the original episodes from the first six years of the show – a total of 95 out of 253 – are lost. This means 26 stories are now incomplete. The BBC wiped or recorded over these tapes in the 1960s and 70s to cut down on storage costs, before proper archiving practices were established.
So, how did these two episodes survive?
“Basically, we found out that these are what were called cutting copies,” Malden explained.
The footage was initially reviewed directly from the original source to assess its technical quality and identify any potential issues. They also checked to ensure the content wouldn’t be considered offensive by other networks.
Back when it was known as BBC Enterprises – now BBC Studios – the organization always aimed to sell its programs internationally, but they were careful not to create any controversy. Australia was a big market for BBC content, but programs often had to be edited for content. When two versions of a particular show were reviewed, the concern was that Australian audiences would find them too scary. It’s surprising to think about that now!
Malden explains the BBC didn’t try to sell the episodes in Australia because they were concerned about having to cut too much content.
She wonders if the extra copies were simply stored away and what might have become of them after that.
It’s likely these items belonged to the BBC team working at Villiers House. We’re not sure what happened to them after that – they could have been thrown away, stored, or given to someone. We don’t know how the current collector got them, but records show they were last known to be at Villiers House around 1965.
Peter Purves, who played Steven Taylor alongside William Hartnell’s First Doctor in two classic episodes, recently got to watch them again after being invited under the guise of something else. He was surprised to learn the real reason for the viewing and jokingly told the BBC he was utterly astonished.
Malden told me someone from Film is Fabulous called yesterday, raving about how great the event was. It was a really moving experience, and apparently Peter was deeply affected. He was completely surprised to learn the reason he’d been invited, but it must have triggered some wonderful memories for him.
Purves has publicly expressed his disappointment with the BBC’s decision to remove the episodes, and actor David Malden feels the same way.
She expressed her frustration, not only with Doctor Who but with many older BBC productions from the 1950s, 60s, and even 70s, that haven’t survived the test of time. It’s upsetting that so much of that work wasn’t preserved, she explained.
Through my work with the International Federation of Television Archives, I discovered the BBC’s challenges with videotape weren’t unique. All broadcasters faced the same problem: videotapes could be reused, which was a cost-saving measure.
You know, thinking about it, it’s actually understandable why they made those choices at the time. It’s still sad that those old shows didn’t last, but at least we get a glimpse into how things worked back then. Hopefully, we’ve all learned from it and are doing things differently now. It’s good to understand the past, even if it wasn’t perfect.
The television landscape has changed a lot with so many channels and ways to replay old shows. Because of this, I expect most programs from TV archives will be saved, though it’s a shame that wasn’t the case for everything.
It’s very important to Malden and the entire Film is Fabulous! team that the episodes are released on BBC iPlayer for everyone to watch.
We understand how important these collections are to people, and it’s really disappointing for fans when they donate items but don’t get a chance to see them displayed or appreciated.
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A key part of what we believe at Film is Fabulous is that when we discover lost or forgotten films and TV programmes, we make every effort to share them with an audience. We regularly host events to showcase these rediscovered gems, and we’re thrilled that this is the first time a found programme is being featured on iPlayer.
It’s fantastic that we’re able to announce these discoveries and build excitement, allowing people to experience them firsthand in April. I think that’s a wonderful approach.
Despite 95 episodes still being lost, Malden remains optimistic that they might be found someday.
She said she hoped the recordings existed. She believed they must have been made at some point, meaning they were likely stored somewhere, and she urged a quick search to find them.
Malden believes this discovery will inspire collectors to re-examine their own collections, potentially uncovering more lost treasures.
As a film buff myself, I’ve noticed something really interesting when talking to collectors. It seems like a lot of people, even those with amazing collections, aren’t always fully aware of what they actually have. They might own something incredibly rare or significant and not even realize it! It’s just a common thing I’ve picked up from chatting with them.
John [Franklin, from Film is Fabulous!] and I realized early on that collectors weren’t keeping track of their collections.
If someone got sick, their family wouldn’t know what medications they had on hand. They’d likely just see a collection of cans and consider throwing everything out. It’s possible many people have useful items stored away that they’ve forgotten about or don’t recognize.
It’s really annoying when products are repackaged, meaning the label on the can doesn’t match the contents. For example, with ‘Film is Fabulous,’ we have to carefully verify what film we’re actually receiving.
She believes these items are probably scattered in collections all over, with many owners unaware of their value. Hopefully, the current buzz will inspire collectors to inventory their holdings, which was the original goal of the ‘Film is Fabulous’ project.
Traditionally, TV shows relied heavily on film labs to process footage, make prints, and develop film. It’s likely that a lot of old materials are still stored in those labs somewhere, though it’s hard to say for sure.
Malden expressed hope that this discovery opens the door to finding other lost television shows, perhaps even more episodes of Doctor Who. He believes it’s a sign that more missing programs could still be located.
Two lost episodes of the classic science fiction series Doctor Who, titled The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet, will be released on BBC iPlayer in April.
Doctor Who will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas.
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Authors
Louise Griffin edits the Sci-Fi & Fantasy section at TopMob, writing about popular franchises like Doctor Who, Star Wars, Marvel, House of the Dragon, and Good Omens. Before TopMob, she was a Senior Entertainment Reporter at Metro and holds a degree in English Literature.
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2026-03-13 18:06