LONDON (AP) — Throughout more than 60 years of “Doctor Who,” the time-traveling protagonist has battled countless foes including mechanical monsters, fierce Yeti creatures — and surprisingly, the BBC itself, which destroyed numerous early episodes of what would become a legendary science fiction series.
A film preservation organization revealed Friday that it discovered two missing episodes from the 1960s within the estate of a collector who had passed away. BBC restoration specialists have refurbished the episodes, making them available next month through the network’s digital streaming platform.
This find reduces the number of missing episodes to 95 from the space-and-time traveling alien’s adventures that first premiered in 1963.
“Doctor Who” — where the “who” serves as a philosophical inquiry rather than the character’s actual name — has evolved into a broadcasting phenomenon with devoted followers worldwide. However, the BBC’s early treatment of the program was negligent. Numerous episodes disappeared because the network erased the recordings to reuse the tapes.
“The attitudes to archiving back in the 60s in television was really very different from today, and lots of material was junked,” said Justin Smith, a cinema professor at England’s De Montfort University and chair of trustees of Film is Fabulous!, which works to preserve cinema and television history.
Smith informed the BBC that the organization discovered film containers holding the two recovered black-and-white episodes, “The Nightmare Begins” and “Devil’s Planet,” within the collection of a deceased film enthusiast. The collector’s family prefers to maintain their privacy.
These episodes originally broadcast during the program’s third season in 1965 and showcase William Hartnell, the initial actor among more than twelve performers to portray the Doctor, in an adventure featuring the notorious Daleks — salt-shaker-shaped metallic enemies whose signature phrase is “Exterminate!”
This marks the first such discovery since 2013, when nine missing episodes were located in storage at a television transmission facility in Nigeria.
The recovered episodes star Peter Purves, who portrayed the Doctor’s companion Steven Taylor across 46 episodes of the series.
“Twenty-seven of mine still are missing, but I’m delighted that two have been found,” 87-year-old Purves told the BBC. “It’s rather sad, but it’s great when some turn up.”
“Doctor Who” aired from 1963 through 1989 before returning in 2005. The show’s endurance stems partially from its adaptable concept. The Doctor, a Time Lord from Gallifrey, can journey to any location in space or time and can transform into new forms, enabling the character to survive beyond any single performer.
The latest season, featuring Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, aired in 2025. The series is scheduled to continue with a yet-to-be-announced actor taking over the role.
