Classic Doctor Who’s discovered missing episodes get release date on BBC confirmed

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The BBC has announced that the newly found episodes of Doctor Who will be available on iPlayer shortly.

The episodes “The Nightmare Begins” and “Devil’s Planet,” which are part of the classic Doctor Who serial “The Daleks’ Master Plan,” will become available to stream at 6:00 AM on April 3, 2026.

Terry Nation wrote this story, which featured William Hartnell as the Doctor and Peter Purves as Steven Taylor. Nicholas Courtney played Bret Vyon, Adrienne Hill was Katarina, and Kevin Stoney appeared as Mavic Chen.

The charity Film is Fabulous found two previously lost episodes of Doctor Who in a private collection following the owner’s passing, who has requested to remain unnamed. This is the first time lost episodes have been discovered since 2013.

Sue Malden, who used to choose programs for the BBC archives, told TopMob she’s thrilled about recent discoveries. She says people often ask her if there are still lost episodes of Doctor Who waiting to be found.

It’s a shift from initially believing something was the only copy – like saying ‘I don’t know, I think this is the last one’ – to realizing there are more copies somewhere, like ‘Well, they were all recorded, so they must exist somewhere,’ and then suddenly, they appear.

She also stressed the importance of the episodes being made freely available on BBC iPlayer.

She emphasized how important this is, explaining that people often collect items and become very upset if they donate them without ever getting a chance to see them displayed, especially for other fans.

A key principle at Film is Fabulous is to showcase anything interesting we discover, ensuring it gets the attention it deserves.

We host events to showcase rediscovered programs. This is the first time a rediscovered program has been available on iPlayer, which is fantastic.

It’s great that we can announce these discoveries, build excitement about them, and then let people experience them firsthand.

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Actor Peter Purves, who appeared in the rediscovered episodes, was among the first to view them. He recently shared with TopMob that he was amazed by both installments, impressed not only by their rediscovery but also by the quality of the directing.

“Douglas Camfield was one of the finest BBC directors. His camerawork was superb.

It was also lovely to watch some of my own acting and see friends like Brian Cant perform.

Doctor Who will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas.

Don’t miss Doctor Who! Add it to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app. Download the app today for daily TV recommendations and exclusive content.

Authors

Louise GriffinSci-Fi and Fantasy Editor

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 joining TopMob, she was a Senior Entertainment Reporter at Metro and holds a degree in English Literature.

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2026-03-31 14:40