Doctor Who archive expert shares update on hunt for missing episodes – and plans to catalogue fan collections

by

A specialist working with the Doctor Who archives has given an update on the ongoing search for lost episodes. They also announced plans to create a detailed record of large private film collections, which might include previously unseen footage.

Film collector and Film is Fabulous! trustee John Franklin spoke at an event in Manchester on May 23rd celebrating the recent discovery of two lost episodes from a classic Doctor Who serial starring William Hartnell.

Film is Fabulous! is a charity that saves old film collections around the UK. They’ve already successfully found missing parts of classic TV shows and a complete silent film that were thought to be lost, and returned them to their owners for safekeeping.

At the event, Franklin stated their strong dedication to protecting film, ensuring both its survival and the preservation of existing film collections and their historical importance.

However, he was also clear about where things currently stand with Doctor Who specifically.

Look, as a huge Doctor Who fan, let me just clear something up: right now, thankfully, we’ve got all the episodes. There aren’t any lost ones, as far as we know!

The classic BBC science fiction series is famously incomplete – 95 episodes from its original 1960s broadcasts are lost. This happened because the BBC routinely erased or discarded old programs between 1967 and 1978. At the time, it was common practice for broadcasters to do this to save money on storage, materials, and copyright fees.

Earlier this year, the number of missing Doctor Who episodes decreased thanks to Film is Fabulous! They discovered two episodes from the 1965 serial, The Daleks’ Master Plan – “The Nightmare Begins” and “Devil’s Planet” – in a private collection. This was the first significant find of lost Doctor Who episodes since 2013, when some were located in Nigeria.

Franklin believes there’s still a chance of finding more items, but noted that many private collections are so large that searching through them will take a significant amount of time.

Want to see this content?

This page uses a security feature called Google reCAPTCHA. We want to be transparent about its use, so we’re asking for your permission before loading it. reCAPTCHA may use cookies to help verify that you’re not a robot. By selecting ‘Accept and continue,’ you’ll allow reCAPTCHA to load and function as intended.

We’ve noticed some users have very large collections, and it’s not always about giving them exactly what they ask for. It’s more about understanding their overall vision and making sure we support that, he explained.

It would currently take us two years to organize a film collection of 16,000 movies – it’s a massive undertaking.

We operate with the understanding that safety is our priority. This allows us to revisit items when the timing is good for both us and the owner.

He added that he expects to be able to recover some of the stolen items soon, identify what’s missing from those affected, and return everything to the BBC.

The discovery of footage from “The Daleks’ Master Plan” has renewed optimism that other missing episodes of the show might still be found in private hands, forgotten archives, or film collections globally. While no new discoveries are imminent, Franklin has confirmed the ongoing search continues with dedication.

You can now watch Doctor Who on BBC iPlayer. For a comprehensive look at the show, check out our story guide, which includes reviews of every episode from 1963 to the present day, along with information about the cast, crew, behind-the-scenes details, and exclusive content from the TopMob archive.

Don’t miss Doctor Who! Add it to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app. Download the app now for daily TV suggestions, articles, and more.

Authors

Morgan JefferyDigital Editor

As a huge film and TV fan, I’ve always been fascinated by the people behind the scenes, and Morgan Jeffery is definitely one of those people. He’s currently the Digital Editor at TopMob, meaning he’s in charge of all their online content. Before that, he was the TV Editor at Digital Spy, and he’s even shared his expertise on shows like BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live, and Sky Atlantic – basically, he really knows his stuff when it comes to television!

  • Visit us on Twitter

Read More

2026-05-24 13:04