There could be a glimmer of hope for “Doctor Who” fans hoping for a complete run of the first six seasosn of the show. Well, at least that’s what the UK’s The Sun says.
The Sun reports that there is a slim possibility Zimbabwe could have copies of the missing serials from the first several season of “Doctor Who.” The African nation purchased episodes from the first three seasons of the show when the Doctor was portrayed by William Hartnell. Its believed the nation ran the episodes during that time but whether or not the episodes were returned to the BBC isn’t known.
“We have looked all over the world for missing ‘Doctor Who’ episodes but there are still some broadcasters we have not spoken to,” revealed an unnamed BBC source. “Zimbabwe could prove a problem as there is so much red tape.”
President Robert Mugabe has banned BBC personnel from entering the country, which has reportedly led the corporation to fear that they might never retrieve the missing serials.
This run could include the long-lost and much-desired fourth episode of William Hartnell’s final serial, “The Tenth Planet.” The episode is on a list of the BBC’s ten most wanted lost episodes from the era. A clip of the original re-generation sequences from Hartnell to Troughton still exists and has been released commercially on several occasions. (The latest is part of “The Lost Years” box set from BBC Video).
The BBC orginally destroyed much of the original run of “Doctor Who” in the 70’s to make storage space for newer programming. Some episodes and stories were retained for their historical value and as examples of the periods, while others were purchased by collectors. A search in the 80’s turned up a good number of the stories and some orphaned episodes (stories that were incomplete). During the last several decades, several clips and episodes have been found, the last complete one being a new segment from “The Dalek Masterplan” that was found a few years ago and released on DVD.
The last complete “Who” story found from the era was in the early 90s when a copy of “The Tomb of the Cybermen” was found. However, it’s been a few years since any episodes have been found, leading some fans to speculate that all that’s out there to be found has been returned to the BBC. Now come this new report that could raise hopes for some “Who” fans, though it may be years, if ever before we find out if its true.
grapher says
Oh, please, please, PLEASE let this be true! I would love to see the original six seasons complete (and maybe even digitally restored?) As a child I had to settle for the wonderful target books to fill in the missing Who gaps.
Robin says
If this is true, and the Beeb can negotiate the return of Zimbabwe’s copies, that would be amazing. Until a few years ago, I had no idea that so much of Who‘s early run had been destroyed. I can’t believe that so much of a series I grew up watching is stories I haven’t even seen. They definitely showed what was available of Hartnell and Troughton on my local PBS station, so I remember them, but it would be great to fill in the gaps that I didn’t know existed.
::fingers crossed::
Michael in Nashville says
Even if this pans out , it wouldn’t complete the 60s material. It would only complete the William Harntell era since records indicate that Zimbabwe only showed his era. But there are some gaps in there that would be filled if the stories are there–including what many regard as one of the true greats of early “Who” in Marco Polo.
And, of course, it’d be nice to have some of the later Hartnell stories that are missing as well….
Alas, it looks like we wouldn’t find much more from the Troughton era. 🙁
Daniel Hall says
I hope that the Doctor Who episodes are there but the most IMPORTANT lost episodes for me are The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker, A Stripe for Frazer Lost and Under Fire of Dads Army.
Mark Duncan says
Limited numbers of Dr. Who film prints sent overseas were transferred between countries until eventually ‘lost’ or ‘destroyed’. Fortunately this is not always true. For example, Australia bought “The Keys of Marinus” in 1965 and transferred it to New Zealand – but there are no records at the BBC to show they received it. This is because the films were mistakenly sent directly to Singapore; since Asia was the next terrirory in the chain of transfers. Similarly the “Evil of the Daleks” prints were recorded as destroyed in NZ in 1970…yet they were shown in Singapore that year. Therefore (in order) Asia, Africa and the Middle East are the best overseas sources for black-and-white Dr. Who.
paul hepworth says
if zimbabwe does have them and their being held for ransom the obvious problem is that whoever buys them is supporting Mugabe’s regime – while the BBC might not want to do anything so associate themselves with this – a private buyer might
Mark Duncan says
In response to Paul Hepworth post (17.12.09) – I, for one, would support a private buyer investigation and purchase of any existing ‘Who’ material in Zimbabwe (if this is the only remaining means of recovery). What does everyone else think?
WOOF says
We have to find these…by any means necessary.
Tom MacNeill says
I am hoping more episodes from the Pat Troughton era would be found. It seems there are more destroyed recordings than there are of William Hartnell.
Mark Duncan says
You got your wish, Tom – this week saw the return of Troughton and Hartnell. Whilst “Galaxy 4” and “The Underwater Menace” aren’t classic tales, I’m sure vintage TV fans and ‘Who’ enthusiasts will agree, ANY returns are welcome. With two years until the show’s 50th anniversary in November 2013, prepare yourself for one or two more interesting returns…