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Talks to Luke Sims-Jenkins about his choice of Earthshock (4/4) Joe, David, Gareth and Dan all meet up in London for the day and of course had to do a bookclub recording - so we add to our original top and bottom tens with four more books we love and hate! Due to recording outside, a nearby crowd can be heard joining in the fun!

Talks to Luke Sims-Jenkins about his choice of Earthshock (4/4)

Season 13: The Collection At long last the Trap One team take a look at the Season 13 Collection boxset from 2025. From Scotland to Antarctica, join UK Jason, US Jason, Denise, Mark Dodyk and Si for a trip from Hinchcliffe Horror and the many and varied special features.

Season 13: The Collection

Video of the Day – Radio Times, 2026 A Doctor Who fan from the tender age of nine, my first Doctor was Tom Baker (and I have the long scarf to prove it!) I like New Who and the classics as well as classic cars and classic rock. Geek by profession and by choice, happily married and never ready for Winter.

Video of the Day – Radio Times, 2026

Doctor Song (Actually, Doctor Singing): A Review of Peter Capaldi, Live in Concert! Peter Capaldi and his Adidas-clad band live at the 100 Club, London, 9 March 2026, with support from the brilliant Zoe Graham. Doctors past (and present if Billie Piper is indeed the incumbent Time Lord) have a long history of dalliance with popular – sometimes unpopular – music. Moving on from Billie’s music career in the late ’90s/early 2000s (‘Because we want to’), there’s also The McGanns. Alongside Eighth Doctor, Paul, this four-piece pop/soul band from Liverpool featured his famous brothers, Joe, Mark, and the other one (Ringo?). We all know Peter Davison penned the theme tune to Button Moon, but he also wrote a song (Officer McKirk) for Dave Clark (of Dave Clark Five fame) for Dave’s 1972 comeback album, Dave Clark and Friends. In his AllMusic review of the album, Richie Unterberger describes Davison’s ditty as ‘a little reminiscent of Mungo Jerry’. Faint praise indeed. And who could forget Jon Pertwee’s seminal album of comedy seafaring songs, Songs For Vulgar Boatmen. Not anyone unfortunate enough to have listened to it, sadly…. But Peter Capaldi’s musical pedigree is on a different level. When he was an art student in Glasgow, Capaldi was the lead singer and guitarist in a punk rock band called The Dreamboys, whose drummer was future comedian Craig Ferguson. At the same time, Capaldi and Ferguson performed a cabaret act together as ‘Bing & Dean Hitler’, with Capaldi performing as Bing Hitler. Ferguson later adopted that moniker for his early comedy stand-up alter-ego. I suspect Capaldi doesn’t put ‘Bing Hitler’ on his CV any more. From his time as a student until the early 1980s, Capaldi juggled two careers, one as an actor and the other as a singer and guitarist. All that changed when he was cast as Danny Oldsen in the hugely successful film, Local Hero in 1983. His charismatic performance led to more and more acting roles (including something called Dr Who?), and Capaldi was no longer able to give his musical ambitions his full attention. All that changed when Capaldi released his debut album (aged 63), St Christopher in 2021. It was well-received, and the quality of the songwriting proved this was far from a vanity project. He followed it up with a further release, Sweet Illusions, last year, which was garnered even more praise than the first. He’d already performed a few showcase gigs to launch the albums, but demand to see him perform live led to him booking a short tour this year, with stops in Newcastle, Manchester, Edinburgh, Leeds, Nottingham, Cardiff, Brighton, and finally, London. “Recording, with all the advantages of the digital age is one thing,” Capaldi said when he announced the dates, “playing live is another, but I wanted to see if I could go out after all of these years and play live in front of an audience.” Well, I was about to find out… The first night at the prestigious 100 Club in Oxford Street quickly sold out, but I was lucky to secure two tickets to the added final night of the tour. Disaster struck when I was asked to go on an overseas trip for work during the concert date. But, all praise to Logar, that got cancelled and I was able to go! With only a 350 capacity, the 100 Club is an intimate and very cool venue. The club is famous for hosting pivotal moments in music history, including 1960s blues/mod, the 1976 punk explosion, and 1990s Britpop. Iconic performances include the Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Who, Oasis, The Rolling Stones, and Metallica. So no pressure, Peter. To get a good view at this standing venue, the audience arrived early and snaked through Oxford Street. It was a, maybe surprisingly, young crowd. I’d say it was mostly people (more men than women) in their 20s or 30s. Which makes sense, as I suspect his fanbase is largely made up of Whovians who were teens during his tenure as the Time Lord. Reports from other performances on the tour told of fans wielding sonic screwdrivers (I hope they got the right model) like lighters during the songs. But the London crowd were too cool for that; not a screwdriver in sight… The crowd was a friendly bunch. Most, I assume, were just a bit stunned that they were about to see a real live Doctor perform a concert. That didn’t stop them enthusing over the (relatively unknown) support act, Zoe Graham. Her between-song banter and ’80s-tinged indie pop went down a storm. Particularly memorable was a song (Evilin), a homage to the late TV cook, the ever passive-aggressive and terrifying Fanny Cradock. It’s clear Zoe had a great time on the tour; hopefully, every crowd was as welcoming to the support act as they were that night. I’m presuming Capaldi cherry-picked Zoe himself, which shows he not only has great taste but also wants to support upcoming artists. Good man. After a short break, the main band (Andrew Cowan, guitar, Charlotte Peters, bass, Craig-y, keys and Chris Dickie, drums) took to the stage, all uniformed in shiny black Adidas tracksuits and white trainers. Ever the showman, Capaldi took to the stage a little while later to (unsurprisingly) thunderous applause before he’d even played or sung a note. Capaldi, the singer and guitarist, is a dynamic performer, racing across the stage, posing and pointing. At one stage, donning (not sonic) sunglasses, ironically noting that he was indoors at a dark venue. But he owned those shades. His between-song banter was hilarious, self-deprecating, and occasionally poignant, particularly one of his best songs, Bin Night, about caring for his grandson. Songs were predominantly taken from his second album, alongside a spattering from the first. The music was varied, but best described as noirish post-punk, with shades of Berlin Trilogy/Scary Monsters Bowie, The Psychedelic Furs, and Iggy Pop. His confessional and intricate lyrics often probe the mundanities of modern life. These are not songs about being a TV and movie star, but about his student days in Glasgow, family life, and fears. Stand-out tracks included the raucous opener, Is It Today, the aforementioned Bin Night, and Beautiful And Weird; sample lyrics: It’s the flicker of the street lamp that’s running out of time It’s the clicking of the rails on the forgotten railway line It’s the echo of the sirens around the tenements and lots It’s the prayer of the mother whispering at her cot Before performing Not Going Anywhere, he told the crowd that it was originally intended to be a happy song, but it ended up being ‘miserable’, joking that this was a perfect reflection of his music career. But his performance was enthrallingly upbeat throughout, and the band were a tight unit, often augmented by Capaldi on blistering lead guitar. It’s hard to believe these are their very first live dates. At one point Capaldi joked that this may be his farewell tour, as he’s “67 with a heart condition”. But then noted this is the last night and he’d survived life on the road. So maybe we can expect some more dates? Please? I’d recommend you get a ticket if they do tour again. Capaldi clearly knew he was in a hall of mostly Whovians, but only made a nod to his tenure as a Time Lord, noting that he can “travel in time”. And, guess what, he can! Taking us back in history to his proto-punk roots in 1970s Glasgow for one more (hopefully not last) hurrah. Setlist: Is It Today Sweet Illusions It’s Not Over Until It’s Over Bin Night Beautiful and Weird Something to Behold A Little Bit of Class Not Going Anywhere The Great Magnificence In Person Hollywood or Bust Through the Cracks All the Young Dudes/Don’t Look Back in Anger (David Bowie/Oasis cover) Encore: Friday I’m in Love (The Cure cover) No One in the World Like this: Like Loading...

Doctor Song (Actually, Doctor Singing): A Review of Peter Capaldi, Live in Concert!

Doctor Who icon Peter Purves reveals frustration and relief as lost episodes found: My flabber has never been so gasted Doctor Who legend Peter Purves has reacted to the incredible recovery of two of his long-missing episodes after more than 60 years. Ad The rediscovered episodes, which were found in a "ramshackle collection" of vintage films donated by a collector, both star William Hartnell, the first incarnation of the Doctor, and Purves, and are the first and third episodes from the third season of Doctor Who. The first episode, titled The Nightmare Begins, aired back in November 1965, while the third episode, Devil’s Planet, aired two weeks later. They were part of a “dark and gritty” 12-episode arc called The Daleks’ Master Plan, written by Terry Nation – the creator of the Daleks. This follows the discovery of the second episode, Day of Armageddon, by a BBC engineer back in 2004 – meaning the opening three episodes of the arc have finally been recovered. The BBC has since confirmed that restored versions of the episodes will be released on BBC iPlayer this Easter. Alongside Hartnell, the episodes also star Purves as the Doctor's companion Steven Taylor, Nicholas Courtney as Bret Vyon, Adrienne Hill as Katarina, and Kevin Stoney as Mavic Chen. To mark the occasion, the Phoenix Cinema in Leicester invited Purves to view the recovered two episodes – originally under false pretences. Purves commented on the surprise reveal: "My flabber has never been so gasted." BBC Purves added after the screening: "I'm speechless, knocked out. I'm not sure I even saw those programmes go out originally – I remember the stories, but having seen them, the pictures are unfamiliar to me. "I didn't remember the first one when I was still almost comatose following the injury I received fighting in Troy in the wonderful Mythmakers – which of course is missing." The former companion has previously spoken to Doctor Who Magazine about how he "gave up long ago" on the hope that missing episodes would ever be found. This reveal is therefore a particularly heartwarming moment for the actor. William Hartnell as the First Doctor in Doctor Who wearing a suit in a black and white shot Don Smith, Nov 1965 at BBC TV Centre, TC3. Copyright Radio Times Archive As of writing, a total of 95 episodes from the show's first six years are still missing, after the BBC notoriously erased or reused tapes between the 1960s and 1970s in an attempt to save on storage space and costs. Purves and Doctor Who historian Toby Hadoke – who originally lured the star to Leicester for the event – both noted that the rediscovery of these classic episodes will undoubtedly reignite fans’ interest in the earlier seasons of the iconic British sci-fi show. "It was the fourth appearance of the Daleks and it'll be exciting to fans for a lot of reasons," Purves explained. "The fans of Doctor Who are legion, and they seriously love the classic times. "I'm astonished these two wonderful episodes have finally turned up. So many of my episodes are missing – it's heartbreaking to me.” Add Radio Times as a Preferred Source on Google Keep up to date on what’s worth watching with your favourite entertainment news from Radio Times – see more of our exclusive news and interviews featured prominently in Top Stories when using Google. Keep up to date on what’s worth watching with your favourite entertainment news fromsee more of our exclusive news and interviews featured prominently in Top Stories when using Google. The recovery is thanks to Film is Fabulous! (FIF), a charitable trust that preserves private historic film collections in the UK. This discovery marks the first missing episodes of Doctor Who to be announced since 2013. "These are gems in what was an eclectic and ramshackle collection, a lot of which hadn't been looked after as well as the Doctor Who had,” professor of cinema and television history at Leicester's De Montfort University, Justin Smith – chair of trustees at FIF – told the BBC. "The collector did recognise what he had, but how he acquired them has been lost to time. A lot of the films had suffered water damage and the cans had corroded.” These two historical episodes are particularly notable as the arc The Daleks’ Master Plan was not sold by the BBC to overseas broadcasters, as censors deemed it too violent. As a result, it was only originally broadcast in the UK. The two restored Doctor Who episodes will be screened at a special event organised by the FIF team on Saturday 4 April, with Purves as guest of honour. Fittingly, it will take place on the same day as the restored episodes become available to watch in full on BBC iPlayer. Doctor Who will return at Christmas and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Ad Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Doctor Who icon Peter Purves reveals frustration and relief as lost episodes found: My flabber has never been so gasted

Inside the incredible recovery of two missing Doctor Who episodes – archive expert optimistic more will be found After more than 60 years, two missing Doctor Who episodes have officially been recovered and will soon be made public. Ad It's an announcement that Doctor Who fans worldwide have been awaiting – but not many have been waiting longer than Sue Malden, who was the BBC's first archive selector, and has been working on the recovery of missing Doctor Who episodes and other vintage television for decades. Now, Malden works with Film is Fabulous, a charitable trust run by film collectors, cinema lovers and vintage television enthusiasts which is dedicated to preserving vulnerable film collections across the UK, helping collectors, and educating about film as a medium. This week, Film is Fabulous announced that it had recovered two previously missing episodes of the Doctor Who story The Daleks' Master Plan – The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet – which will both be made available on BBC iPlayer in April. The two episodes were discovered in a private collection after the death of its owner, who will remain anonymous. Incredibly, it's the first discovery of missing Doctor Who episodes since 2013. Speaking exclusively to Radio Times after the news, Malden said: "Oh, it's so exciting. I've spoken so many times about Doctor Who and people always ask, 'Do you think there are any more to be found?' "You go from saying, 'I don't know, I think this is the last,' to, 'Well, they were all recorded, so actually they've got to be somewhere,' and then these pop up. "Actually, it was six [episodes] that were found, but four of them are already in the BBC archive – but it's possible that they're better quality than the ones at the BBC. They're going to go back to the BBC anyway and be checked for that. But there's two of them that definitely are not there, which is incredible." The other four episodes that were found, which already exist in the BBC archive, are: The Survivors (episode 2 of The Daleks), The Escape (episode 3 of The Daleks), The Web Planet (episode 1 of The Web Planet), and The Executioners (episode 1 of The Chase). They will be returned to the BBC archive in the coming weeks. Now, a total of 95 of 253 episodes from the show's first six years are missing, leaving 26 stories incomplete, because the BBC erased or reused tapes in the 1960s and 1970s to save storage space and costs, before archiving policies were in place. So, how did these two episodes survive? "Basically, we found out that these are what were called cutting copies," Malden explained. "They were struck from the original negative to view the technical quality and see if anything could be improved, and to check and see if there's anything in them that might have caused offence to another broadcaster. "BBC Enterprises, as it was at the time, now BBC Studios, were always hoping to sell programmes, but they didn't want to cause offence. In particular, a lot of BBC material was sold in Australia, but stuff would be censored. And when these two cutting copies were viewed, the perception was that the Australians would find it too frightening. It's amazing to think that now!" The Daleks' Master Plan billings 1-4 in Radio Times magazine. Malden adds that the worry was that too many cuts would be made in the episodes, so the BBC did not attempt to sell them in Australia. "So these cutting copies were just, presumably, put aside, and who knows what happened to them then?" she adds. "They probably were part of the holdings of the team who worked in Villiers House for the BBC, whether they put them in a skip, left them in a cupboard, gave them to someone to take, who knows? How they got from there to this old collector, we don't know how he acquired them, but we know they're probably last seen in about 1965 in Villiers House." In an amazing full-circle moment, Peter Purves, who stars as Steven Taylor in the two episodes alongside William Hartnell's First Doctor, was invited to view them this week, initially under false pretences. It was only when he arrived that he discovered the news, and he later told the BBC: "My flabber has never been so gasted." Malden said: "Someone from Film is Fabulous rang me yesterday to say what a fabulous time it was. It was so emotional. Apparently, Peter was quite overwhelmed. He must have been absolutely stunned, suddenly to find why he'd been lured there. But the memories it must have brought back for him would have been fantastic." Purves has been open about his frustration with the BBC for erasing the episodes – and it's a feeling that Malden understands and shares. Radio Times coverage of The Daleks' Master Plan in 1965. Radio Times "[It's] incredibly frustrating, not just about Doctor Who but about many of the productions that the BBC put out, particularly in the '50s, '60s, even in the '70s, things that weren't saved," she explained. "But through other work with the International Federation of Television archives, I've realised the BBC wasn't alone. Every broadcaster was faced with the same issues and problems, that the videotape could be recorded over. It would save money if you did that." She adds: "You can understand why they made those sort of decisions back then... It doesn't make it any better that these programmes haven't survived, but at least we know why, and can understand what the processes were in the past, and hopefully we've all learned now. "And, with so many channels and opportunities to re-show programmes, the whole scenario has changed now. So I think most programmes in television archives are going to be kept, but it's so sad that some weren't." For Malden and the rest of the Film is Fabulous! team, it's crucial that the episodes are going to be made publicly available on BBC iPlayer. "To us, it's really important, because we know people have collected things, and if they do hand them over, there's a huge frustration that there isn't an opportunity to see them and again for the fans," she points out. Add Radio Times as a Preferred Source on Google Keep up to date on what’s worth watching with your favourite entertainment news from Radio Times – see more of our exclusive news and interviews featured prominently in Top Stories when using Google. Keep up to date on what’s worth watching with your favourite entertainment news fromsee more of our exclusive news and interviews featured prominently in Top Stories when using Google. "So that's quite an important part of Film is Fabulous's philosophy, that if things are found, we try and do as much as we can to make sure they're seen. So we do put on events where found programmes are shown. This is the first time that something that's been found is being shown on iPlayer and that's absolutely brilliant. "It's really quite an achievement to be able to publicise that these have been found, to whet people's appetite, and then they can see them [in April], which I think is brilliant." And, while there are still 95 episodes missing, Malden is holding out hope that all of them could one day be recovered. "I'd like to hope that," she said. "I'm sure they were all recorded at some time, so there's a strong chance that they're about the place somewhere, and the sooner we can find them, the better." As for how that could happen? Malden is hoping that the news of this recovery will encourage collectors to look closely at what they have in their collections. "Obviously, collectors are human beings with all their different foibles or whatever, but certainly from talking with collectors and using this as an example, quite often people don't really know what they've got in the collection," she points out. "This is where John [Franklin, of Film is Fabulous!] and I started from in the first place – that collectors were not making lists of what they'd got. "So if they became ill, their family had nothing to go on. All they could see were piles of cans and would be tempted to throw them away. So I suspect there could well be people with stuff in their collection that they don't know what it is. "And the other thing, which is incredibly frustrating, is sometimes people just re-can things, so the label on the can might not actually be what is in the can. So for Film is Fabulous, we have to spend a lot of time double checking what the film is." She adds: "So I think it is quite likely that they could be in collections everywhere, and people not know what they've got. And with all this excitement, maybe it'll get collectors scurrying off making lists of what they hold, which is what the whole objective of Film is Fabulous was at the start. "Television people used to use film laboratories a lot for processing content, printing and developing negatives. It's possible there's piles of stuff in some old film laboratory somewhere. Who knows?" Looking to the future, Malden went on to say of this discovery: "It fills me with optimism that there is the possibility now of finding more, maybe not just Doctor Who, but other great television programmes that are missing." Doctor Who's recovered episodes, The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet, will be made available on BBC iPlayer in April. Doctor Who will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas. Add Doctor Who to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Ad Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Inside the incredible recovery of two missing Doctor Who episodes – archive expert optimistic more will be found

Tim's Take On: Episode 849(Doctor Who Flux: The Vanquishers mini review)

Anarchist in the UK

Two long-lost Doctor Who episodes rediscovered after going missing for more than 60 years Doctor Who is returning this spring in an unconventional way (Picture: Sunday Mirror/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images) Doctor Who fans will be treated to two rarely-seen-before episodes in April to fill the Tardis-shaped hole in your heart. The BBC sci-fi series first arrived on screens almost 63 years ago, spanning around 900 episodes, 41 seasons, 15 (main) Doctors, and a 2005 reboot. With such a wealth of content, there have been several early stories from the Classic Who era (1963-1989) which have been lost to time and wiped from the records. In fact, over 90 episodes from the 253 which aired in the first six years are unaccounted for. But, in the first major recovery in over a decade, two more long-lost episodes have been found, and the vast majority of Whovians will be able to watch them for the first time this spring. Get personalised updates on Doctor Who Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. The two episodes in question – season three episode one, The Nightmare Begins, and episode three, Devil’s Planet – aired in November 1965, to launch William Hartnell’s third season with companion Steven Taylor (Peter Purves). Nearly all of this William Hartnell adventure had been lost to time (Picture: BBC) This story centred around the Doctor’s arch-nemesis – The Daleks (Picture: BBC) The intervening second episode, Day of Armageddon, was also recovered in 2004 by a former BBC engineer. All in all, the revived trio are part of a 12-part ‘dark and gritty’ Dalek storyline written by Terry Nation, with nine segments still wiped from history. As for where these gold-dust episodes were found, they were sitting in a cardboard box filled with a ‘ramshackle’ collection of vintage films discovered by charitable trust Film is Fabulous! (FIF), according to the BBC. The episodes were only ever aired in the UK in the 60s, making them a true rare find and exciting addition to the Whoniverse. Purves, 87, was invited to the Phoenix Cinema in Leicester, where the joyous finds were revealed, leading him to declare: ‘My flabber has never been so gasted.’ Purves, now 87, was surprised with the findings BBC Archives are working to restore the original 16mm telerecordings ‘ensuring fans can enjoy a little extra treat with their Easter Eggs this April,’ Director of BBC Archives, Noreen Adams, shared in a statement. Explaining the recovery process, FIF trustee chair Professor Justin Smith, explained: ‘We travel all over the country to recover film collections from private hands. ‘A lot of the films had suffered water damage and the cans had corroded. These are gems in what was an eclectic and ramshackle collection, a lot of which hadn’t been looked after as well as the Doctor Who had. ‘The collector did recognise what he had, but how he acquired them has been lost to time.’ Meanwhile, discussing his memories of the lost episodes, Purves added: ‘I’m not sure I even saw those programmes go out originally – I remember the stories, but having seen them, the pictures are unfamiliar to me. There are still over 90 lost episodes (Picture: BBC) This is the biggest discovery in over a decade (Picture: BBC) ‘I didn’t remember the first one when I was still almost comatose following the injury I received fighting in Troy in the wonderful Mythmakers – which of course is missing.’ The last time Doctor Who episodes were recovered was in 2013, through a Nigerian TV station housing nine missing instalments from two Patrick Troughton stories, The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear. The BBC has been maintaining the legacy of Classic Who on iPlayer in recent years, with the vast corpus available on iPlayer. It has even launched a colourisation project with the iconic 1963 tale, The Daleks, being released with colour just a few years ago. This was followed by Patrick Troughton’s The War Games. The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet will land on BBC iPlayer on April 4, 2026. Got a story? If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

Two long-lost Doctor Who episodes rediscovered after going missing for more than 60 years

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Classic Doctor Who lost episodes found at last after 60 years - and they will be available to watch in mere weeks In major news for Doctor Who fans, two of the sci-fi show's long missing episodes have just been uncovered, found in a deceased enthusiast's private collection. Ad The episodes, both of which star William Hartnell as the First Doctor, were recovered by Film is Fabulous!, a charitable trust run by film collectors, cinema lovers, and vintage television enthusiasts. The primary objective of Film is Fabulous! is to ensure that vulnerable film collections held in the UK are preserved, when private film collectors and former industry professionals pass away, and since 2023, the team have preserved many private film collections. The two episodes which have been newly found are The Nightmare Begins, which was broadcast on 13 November 1965, and Devil’s Planet, which was broadcast on 27 November 1965. The estate of the deceased owner wishes that he remains anonymous. Want to see this content? This page contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Twitter may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Twitter and its required purposes. Accept and continue Both of these episodes were from the season 3 serial The Daleks’ Master Plan, written by Terry Nation, which also starred Peter Purves as Steven Taylor, Nicholas Courtney as Bret Vyon, Adrienne Hill as Katarina and Kevin Stoney as Mavic Chen. The recovery of these episodes reduces the number of missing instalments to 95, and means that the first three instalments of a once totally missing 12-part story now exist. The two episodes will be screened at an upcoming special event, taking place on Saturday 4 April, with full details to be published shortly. Meanwhile, Film is Fabulous! have collaborated with BBC Archives to ensure that the original 16mm telerecordings are restored, meaning viewers will be able to watch them in the best possible condition on BBC iPlayer soon. Want to see this content? This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes. Accept and continue The synopsis for The Nightmare Begins says: "The TARDIS lands on the planet Kembel and the Doctor goes to find help for his injured companion, Steven. He discovers that the Daleks are on Kembel and, together with the Guardian of the Solar System, Mavic Chen, are planning to conquer Earth." Meanwhile, the synopsis for Devil's Planet reads: "Having stolen the vital taranium core from the Daleks, the Doctor and his companions have escaped the planet Kembel in Mavic Chen’s spaceship. However, the Daleks immediately pursue them to Desperus, the penal planet, where mortal danger abounds." Doctor Who will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas. Add Doctor Who to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Ad Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Classic Doctor Who lost episodes found at last after 60 years - and they will be available to watch in mere weeks

Doctor Who writer explains how new revamp of unloved Peter Davison story will address failings of original version Pitting the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) against the united force of the Silurians and the Sea Devils onboard an undersea military base, against the backdrop of a looming nuclear war... it sounds like perfect fodder for a classic Doctor Who adventure, but 1984's Warriors of the Deep has long been considered one of the weaker entries in the show's long history. Ad It's possible that could be about to change, though – with a new special edition of the story available on the Doctor Who: The Collection: Season 21 Blu-ray set looking to repair its reputation by retroactively addressing some of the issues which impacted its production 42 years ago. Speaking at a BFI Southbank screening, Pete McTighe – writer on Doctor Who and spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea, who also oversaw the revamp of this story – called Warriors of the Deep "quite an unloved story", adding that it was "was kind of crying out [to be revisited], purely because I actually felt there's a really, really good story buried in [...] the original version." McTighe explained: "We know from the history books that they were so challenged in terms of time in the studio. Pennant Roberts, the director, didn't have enough time to get all the coverage he wanted, so the battle scenes were just locked-off wide shots. They didn't have time to get the lighting right, so there's lots of issues… "In my opinion, a lot of the failings of it happened because they were so under pressure in the studio to to actually just finish the thing." The original plan for the special edition was simply to use modern visual effects to replace the Myrka – one of Doctor Who's less-convincing monsters – but this soon expanded to encompass a more thorough reworking, including shooting new footage. The Myrka in Doctor Who: Warriors of the Deep BBC "Looking at the story, I felt there was so much more we could do with it," said McTighe. "It could be re-edited to be tighter. A lot of the battle sequences in Warriors of the Deep, they weren't able to get the coverage – so we decided that we would go back and reshoot bits… “There's a lot of really subtle fixes in there. There's a lot of shots in [the original] Part Four where Sea Devil heads are literally falling off in the background... they didn't have time to go and quickly straighten them, they had to keep shooting. So we've done things like cut around those, and replace heads where we needed to… there's a lot of shots in there that are kind of invisible as well as the obvious. “So it was a three-fold thing: replacing the Myrka, editing to just make the whole thing tighter, and then just spicing up the action sequences. So obviously the original is still there on the disc, because we all love the original, but there's an alternative viewing experience for you now, which is something quite different." McTighe also revealed that he and VFX supervisor Chris Thompson "spent a lot of time going back and forth" about the new version of the Myrka, for a surprising reason... "Chris's initial effects were actually a bit too good!" McTighe said. "I didn't want it to be a Jurassic Park monster suddenly turning up in Doctor Who, I wanted it to be something that felt like it could have actually been on the studio floor." The upcoming Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 21 Blu-ray includes a wealth of new bonus material, with several stories featuring updated special effects, including The Awakening, Frontios, Resurrection of the Daleks and The Caves of Androzani. Additional features include behind-the-scenes documentaries on Resurrection of the Daleks and The Twin Dilemma, a new audio commentary for The Awakening, and an In Conversation special with Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson and Matthew Waterhouse, hosted by Matthew Sweet. Fan favourites return too, including Behind the Sofa and a new instalment of The Doctor Who Escape Room. Other highlights include Look Who’s Boating with Peter Davison and Janet Fielding, 48 Hours with Fielding, Tales of the TARDIS (a 2023 re-edit of Earthshock), The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot with new commentary, plus HD galleries, info text, PDF archives and selected archive DVD extras. Want to see this content? This page contains content provided by YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as YouTube may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow YouTube and its required purposes. Accept and continue Doctor Who: The Collection: Season 21 set is currently scheduled for release on 16 March, 2026 and is available for pre-order now. Add Doctor Who to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Ad Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Doctor Who writer explains how new revamp of unloved Peter Davison story will address failings of original version

Daleks’ Master Plan 1 & 3 FOUND! Doctor Who fans are in for a treat this Easter, as two ‘missing’ episodes from the 1960’s will be made available for viewers on BBC iPlayer. The episodes, thought to be lost forever, were found by Film is Fabulous! – a charitable trust run by film collectors, cinema lovers and vintage television enthusiasts. They approached BBC Archives after finding them in a private collection. BBC Archives has worked to restore the original 16mm telerecordings – meaning viewers will be able to watch them in the best possible condition on BBC iPlayer. The two episodes; The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet were from the third series entitled The Daleks’ Master Plan. Written by Terry Nation, the series starred William Hartnell as the Doctor and Peter Purves as Steven Taylor. It also featured Nicholas Courtney as Bret Vyon, Adrienne Hill as Katarina, and Kevin Stoney as Mavic Chen. Noreen Adams, Director of BBC Archives says: “We’re thrilled to have worked with the team at Film is Fabulous! to bring these lost Doctor Who episodes to viewers on BBC iPlayer this Easter. BBC Archives has been working to restore the original recordings and update these to broadcast quality, ensuring fans can enjoy a little extra treat with their Easter Eggs this April.” Peter Purves, who played the Doctor’s assistant Steven Taylor, was invited to the Phoenix Cinema in Leicester on Wednesday under false pretences to view the two episodes, and he said: “My flabber has never been so gasted.” So how did they become the first lost Doctor Who episodes to be announced to the world since 2013? The work of Leicester charitable trust Film is Fabulous! (FIF) is behind what had become the longest gap between lost episodes being uncovered coming to an end. Many previous lost episodes had been found in archives of TV stations overseas, including the last episodes found, which had been recovered from a Nigerian TV station. But with The Daleks’ Master Plan, the story was not sold overseas. Censors in Australia and New Zealand deemed it too violent, and without their buy-in, selling to other markets was not profitable. Combined with the move towards colour, the black and white story was thought to have little future value and consigned to the bin. But copies of some episodes were still made by technicians to check for problems which might need to be fixed ahead of pitching the episodes to other markets. It was these versions that made their way to an amateur collection. Professor of cinema and television history at Leicester’s De Montfort University, Justin Smith – chair of trustees at FIF – said: “a debt of gratitude” was owed to the anonymous late collector, whose films – largely focused on his love of trains and canals, including hundreds of home videos – were donated to FIF after he died. He said: “We travel all over the country to recover film collections from private hands. “A lot of the films had suffered water damage and the cans had corroded. “These are gems in what was an eclectic and ramshackle collection, a lot of which hadn’t been looked after as well as the Doctor Who had. “The collector did recognise what he had, but how he acquired them has been lost to time.” News of the discovery left actor Purves, 87, tearing up after travelling to Leicester on Wednesday to attend what he believed were going to be interviews with the media about television in the 1960s. Learning the real reason he had been lured to the venue with “a perfect lie”, he said: “I’m speechless, knocked out.” And after viewing the two episodes, he said, “my flabber has never been so gasted”, although he quipped: “I’ve never forgiven the BBC for losing those episodes, it would be really nice to get a few royalties.” Purves added: “I’m not sure I even saw those programmes go out originally – I remember the stories, but having seen them, the pictures are unfamiliar to me. “I didn’t remember the first one when I was still almost comatose following the injury I received fighting in Troy in the wonderful Mythmakers – which of course is missing.” Recalling the industry in the pioneering days of TV sci-fi, Purves said: “It was just a job. It sounds silly but we did an episode of the programme each week, in the year I did 46 episodes. “It was great fun and was great to be doing a series that was hugely popular. “But it was a difficult time, I won’t pretend it was easy, the cast kept changing and it seemed a bit of a time of flux. “In the two episodes we’ve seen there was a great performance by Nick Courtney playing Bret Vyon. “I was concerned very much that he was there as a replacement for me. “As it happens, he got killed in episode four or five.” Purves expects the lost episodes being rediscovered will reignite interest in the early seasons of the show. “It was the fourth appearance of the Daleks and it’ll be exciting to fans for a lot of reasons,” he said. “The fans of Doctor Who are legion, and they seriously love the classic times. “I’m astonished these two wonderful episodes have finally turned up – so many of my episodes are missing – it’s heartbreaking to me. “I’m absolutely thrilled and maybe I’ll [get] quite a few invites to conventions and various things.” Doctor Who historian Toby Hadoke, who “lured” Purves to Leicester for the event, expects the Doctor Who fanbase will be “thrilled” by the news of the episodes surviving through the decades. He said: “It was really touching, and what a privilege. “We never thought we’d see these episodes again. It was a real factory process, no time for post-production or anything like that, never repeated, never sold abroad. “People will be thrilled. The thing about Doctor Who is it’s a connection to your childhood. “I’m a grown man and I’ve been wishing I could see The Nightmare Begins since I saw the name on a list of missing episodes of Doctor Who 30 years ago. “Forget Glastonbury, I think if you put on a screening of these tomorrow it would sell out in seconds. “They really are the holy grail.” A special screening of the two episodes organised by FIF, with Purves as guest of honour, is being held in London on 4 April. Details of the event are yet to be announced, but it will take place on the same day the two restored episodes are made available in full on BBC iPlayer. Episode one sees the Tardis landing on the planet Kembel in search of help for the Doctor’s injured companion, only to learn the Daleks are planning with Guardian of the Solar System Mavic Chen to conquer the Earth. By episode three, the Doctor has stolen a vital component needed for the conquest, but after leaving Kembel they are forced to land on penal planet Desperus – pursued by the Daleks. Noreen Adams, director of BBC Archives, said she was “thrilled” the episodes would be released on BBC iPlayer. She said: “BBC Archives has been working to restore the original recordings and update these to broadcast quality, ensuring fans can enjoy a little extra treat with their Easter Eggs this April.” These two episodes add to a raft of Doctor Who programming which forms The Whoniverse on BBC iPlayer.

Daleks’ Master Plan 1 & 3 FOUND!

HT&P BONUS - The Nightmare Begins REDUX This is an old episode of Happy Times and Places with a new introduction (and maybe some post credits secret joy) which might, hopefully, help to pass the time between now and the newly recovered episodes appearing on iPlayer. I hope they whet the appetite. But to emphasise - the main body of this is a repeat, pure and simple, from the time that the late Ian K McLachlan chose his favorite things about The (then lost) Nightmare Begins. So there will be all sorts of speculation herein that, no doubt, turns out to be utter nonsense. So enjoy - an episode from the past resurfacing to help to celebrate the resurfacing of an episode from the past Please support these podcasts on Patreon, where you will get advance releases, exclusive content (including a patron-only podcast - Far Too Much Information), regular AMAs and more. Tiers start from as little as £3 per month: patreon.com/tobyhadoke Or there is Ko-fi for the occasional donation with no commitments: ko-fi.com/tobyhadoke Follow Toby on Twitter: @tobyhadoke And these podcasts: @HadokePodcasts And his comedy club: @xsmalarkey www.tobyhadoke.com for news, blog, mailing list and more.

HT&P BONUS - The Nightmare Begins REDUX

Beware Water

Official: Two Missing Doctor Who Episodes Recovered, Coming to iPlayer This Easter The BBC have confirmed two long-missing episodes of classic Doctor Who have been rediscovered in a private film collection, marking the first recovery of lost episodes since 2013! The episodes, The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet, originally aired in November 1965 as part of the epic 12-part serial The Daleks’ Master Plan. The story stars the First Doctor, played by William Hartnell, alongside companion Steven Taylor, portrayed by Peter Purves. The reels were uncovered inside a cardboard box within an amateur collector’s “ramshackle” archive of vintage films. The collection, which also included hundreds of home movies, was donated after the collector’s death to the Leicester-based charity Film is Fabulous!, whose volunteers discovered the rare material while cataloguing the archive. The find is especially significant because The Daleks’ Master Plan was never sold overseas, meaning the episodes were long assumed to be completely lost. More than half of the serial is still missing, although episode three, Day of Armageddon, resurfaced in 2004. Written by Dalek creator Terry Nation, the serial also featured early appearances from Nicholas Courtney as Bret Vyon, who later became famous as the Brigadier. The newly restored Doctor Who episodes will be released on BBC iPlayer at Easter, with a special screening planned in London on 4 April.  Full story at the BBC.

Official: Two Missing Doctor Who Episodes Recovered, Coming to iPlayer This Easter

Two Missing Episodes from The Daleks’ Master Plan Found Two Missing Episodes from The Daleks’ Master Plan Found From the BBC Press Office Doctor Who fans are in for a treat this Easter, as two ‘missing’ episodes from the 1960’s will be made available for viewers on BBC iPlayer. The episodes, thought to be lost forever, were found by Film is Fabulous! – a charitable trust run by film collectors, cinema lovers and vintage television enthusiasts. They approached BBC Archives after finding them in a private collection. BBC Archives has worked to restore the original 16mm telerecordings – meaning viewers will be able to watch them in the best possible condition on BBC iPlayer. The two episodes; The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet were from the third series entitled The Daleks’ Master Plan. Written by Terry Nation, the series starred William Hartnell as the Doctor and Peter Purves as Steven Taylor. It also featured Nicholas Courtney as Bret Vyon, Adrienne Hill as Katarina, and Kevin Stoney as Mavic Chen. Noreen Adams, Director of BBC Archives says: “We’re thrilled to have worked with the team at Film is Fabulous! to bring these lost Doctor Who episodes to viewers on BBC iPlayer this Easter. BBC Archives has been working to restore the original recordings and update these to broadcast quality, ensuring fans can enjoy a little extra treat with their Easter Eggs this April.” These two episodes add to a raft of Doctor Who programming which forms The Whoniverse on BBC iPlayer. Categorised under: News, Retail

Two Missing Episodes from The Daleks’ Master Plan Found

DOCTOR WHO: TWO Missing Episodes FOUND! TWO missing episodes of Doctor Who have been found! It has been officially announced that thanks to the work of Film is Fabulous! two episodes of Doctor Who: The Daleks’ Master Plan have been rediscovered. Film is Fabulous! released the following press release: Film is Fabulous! have recovered two missing episodes of Doctor Who, which feature William Hartnell in the title role. These are the first missing episodes of Doctor Who to be announced since 2013. The recovery reduces the number of missing episodes to 95. Film is Fabulous! is a charitable trust run by film collectors, cinema lovers, and vintage television enthusiasts. Its primary objective is to ensure that vulnerable film collections held in the U.K. are preserved when private film collectors, and former industry professionals, pass away. Since 2023, the team have preserved many private film collections. Film is Fabulous! is not a treasure hunt. However, it’s inevitable that missing and rare items, which have been presumed lost for decades, will be found in private collections. Numerous vintage television shows have been recovered. Two recent finds are missing episodes of Doctor Who, which were discovered in a deceased enthusiast’s private collection: • The Nightmare Begins (Broadcast: 13th November 1965) • Devil’s Planet (Broadcast: 27th November 1965) The episodes are from the serial, entitled ‘The Daleks’ Master Plan’. Written by Terry Nation, they were broadcast during the third season of Doctor Who. The serial starred William Hartnell as the Doctor, and Peter Purves as Steven Taylor. It also featured Nicholas Courtney as Bret Vyon, Adrienne Hill as Katarina, and Kevin Stoney as Mavic Chen. The recovery means that the first three instalments of a once totally missing 12-part story now exist. They provide a dark and gritty outing for the Daleks, who were being groomed by their creator, Terry Nation, for their own series, and life outside of Doctor Who. Indeed, ‘The Daleks’ Master Plan’ was not sold by the BBC to overseas broadcasters. The estate of the deceased owner, in whose collection the film prints were found, wishes that he remains anonymous. Consequently, we will not enter into any discussion on the collector’s identity. All we’re able to say is he cherished the films for many years, and we owe him a huge debt of gratitude for preserving these episodes of Doctor Who. In addition to the recovery, the Film is Fabulous! team have organised a special event, at which the two restored episodes of Doctor Who will be screened. This celebration of vintage television will take place on Saturday 4th April, and will coincide with the release of the two episodes on BBC iPlayer. Full details will be published shortly. Film is Fabulous! have collaborated with BBC Archives to enable these programmes to be returned to the BBC. BBC Archives has ensured that the original 16mm telerecordings are restored – meaning viewers will be able to watch them in the best possible condition on BBC iPlayer. To view the full press release, with some tantalising stills from the episodes, to donate, and for more information about the Film is Fabulous! initiative visit filmisfabulous.org.uk/missing-doctor-who-recovered On behalf of BlogtorWho and all Doctor Who fans; THANK YOU FILM IS FABULOUS! Like this: Like Loading...

DOCTOR WHO: TWO Missing Episodes FOUND!

Two ‘missing’ Doctor Who episodes coming to BBC iPlayer this Easter Two ‘missing’ Doctor Who episodes coming to BBC iPlayer this Easter Doctor Who fans are in for a treat this Easter, as two ‘missing’ episodes from the 1960’s will be made available for viewers on BBC iPlayer. The episodes, thought to be lost forever, were found by Film is Fabulous! – a charitable trust run by film collectors, cinema lovers and vintage television enthusiasts. They approached BBC Archives after finding them in a private collection. BBC Archives has worked to restore the original 16mm telerecordings – meaning viewers will be able to watch them in the best possible condition on BBC iPlayer. Written by Terry Nation, the series starred William Hartnell as the Doctor and Peter Purves as Steven Taylor. It also featured Nicholas Courtney as Bret Vyon, Adrienne Hill as Katarina, and Kevin Stoney as Mavic Chen. Noreen Adams, Director of BBC Archives says: “We’re thrilled to have worked with the team at Film is Fabulous! to bring these lost Doctor Who episodes to viewers on BBC iPlayer this Easter. BBC Archives has been working to restore the original recordings and update these to broadcast quality, ensuring fans can enjoy a little extra treat with their Easter Eggs this April.”

Two ‘missing’ Doctor Who episodes coming to BBC iPlayer this Easter

The Nightmare returns! The BBC and Film is Fabulous have announced the recovery of the William Hartnell episodes The Nightmare Begins and The Devil's Planet, two previously missing episodes of the epic twelve part story broadcast over the winter of 1965/66, The Daleks' Master Plan! The two episodes were recovered from the estate of a late collector by , and the restored versions will be released on the BBC iPlayer over Easter. The recoveries bring the current count of missing episodes of Doctor Who down to 95, a number that hasn't reduced since the announcement of the recovery of The Enemy of the World and most of The Web of Fear in 2013. It means the first quarter of the story is now back in the archives, and enables us to now see more of Adrienne Hill's portrayal of short-lived companion Katarina, and of Nicholas Courtney's first role in the series as Bret Vyon, long before he became regular character Brrigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.

The Nightmare returns!

Radio Free Skaro #1058/A – News Bulletin! Two Missing Doctor Who Episodes Returned! Radio Free Skaro #1058/A – News Bulletin! Two Missing Doctor Who Episodes Returned! Download MP3 BREAKING NEWS! Two previously missing episodes of Doctor Who have been returned to the BBC Archives! Episodes One and Three of The Daleks’ Master Plan were found in a film collection obtained by Film is Fabulous, and will be streamed on BBC iPlayer at Easter. Full coverage of the recovery will be on the next episode of Radio Free Skaro! Links:

Radio Free Skaro #1058/A – News Bulletin! Two Missing Doctor Who Episodes Returned!

TDP 1456: REVIEW Vol 2. Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel: The Dimensions of Time https://m.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?sid=tindogpodcast&_pgn=1&isRefine=true&_trksid=p4429486.m3561.l49496 This title was released in February 2026. It will be exclusively available to buy from the Big Finish website until 31 March 2026, and on general sale after this date. Captain Lewis Haworth, young hacker MB, dark web operative Cole Smith and marine biologist Clare MacGregor found themselves in a changed world, controlled by the sinister Rakervia. In a secret military base in Arizona, they reactivated the Time Tunnel and set out across history, on a mission to track down the lost scientists Tony Newman and Doug Phillips, and restore the world as it should be. 2.1 Families and Lies - June 28 1969, by Mark B Oliver Cole arrives, alone, in Greenwich Village, Manhattan on Saturday, 28th June 1969, the day before the Stonewall uprising. With Lewis and MB nowhere to be found, he forges new friendships, but they have their own troubles. Inside the Project Tic-Toc Control Room, Clare must persuade Elenya that reuniting her friends is in all their interests. 2.2 Divine Intervention - April 1429, by Lisa McMullin MB and Cole find themselves in 15th Century France, towards the end of the Hundred Years War. It's France versus England but MB and Cole will be lining up on the side of France - alongside the Maid of Orleans herself - Joan of Arc. Is she a witch, a heretic or a feminist revolutionary? 2.3 Rendezvous with Tomorrow - April 15th 1912, by Gary Hopkins MB and Cole follow in the footsteps of Doctors Newman and Phillips aboard the doomed passenger ship Titanic in the year 1912. It seems that, after all, history can be re-written. Clara MacGregor, meanwhile, discovers that the past can be read in different ways. Is it possible that the journey's end is in sight? **Please note: the collector's edition CD box set is strictly limited to 1,000 copies and will not be repressed** Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel TM & © 2026 Legendary. All rights reserved. Used under license. Based on the original television series "The Time Tunnel" © Legendary and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Recorded on: 17-19 July and 14-16 August 2024 Recorded at: The Soundhouse Producer, director and script editor Gary Russell said: "The Time Tunnel is one of those great Sixties science-fiction shows that ended too soon and without resolution. Ever since I was six years old, I used to think, what happened to poor Doug and Tony? To finally have the opportunity to restart Project Tic-Toc's computer spools, flashing lights and boot up the Tunnel again - and along the way maybe finally get an answer to Doug and Tony's fate - was simply too good an opportunity to pass up on. "We've had so much support and encouragement too from Legendary and Synthesis - who look after the Irwin Allen properties with so much love and respect - and for that I'm really grateful. They gave us the chance to bring The Time Tunnel into the twenty-first century with a bang." On making her Big Finish debut, Sandra Dickinson said: "It’s a part to die for! The woman I'm playing has a rich history of being a very good human being, a loving, caring person, and is a tough cookie, so it was really fun to play, and to use the New York accent, which has been in my mind for a long time. "The 1960s was an amazing time. It's so apt at the moment to be talking about the LGBTQ rights movement. It's really nice to hear how it all started off in New York. And my dear son-in-law, David Tennant, has been standing up for them, bless him! So it's a great one to have done." The first episode’s writer Mark B Oliver said: "I did a lot of research into the Stonewall Uprising, and what I found most fascinating were the oral histories that people have recorded over the years. These are people that were there and experienced what exactly happened. And the common thread is that they agreed to disagree about the exact details!" The second episode is scripted by Lisa McMullin, who said: "I’ve had a real hankering for quite a while to tell a pure historical story, so this was such a treat. It was really enjoyable telling the story of Joan of Arc. I had loads of interest in her before, and I'm always fascinated by how religion can be a real comforter to people but is also used to justify so much horror." And, finale writer Gary Hopkins said: "At the time we were discussing what we might want to do with this episode, I was reading a fantastic book called The Darks and Bounds of a Failing World, all about the tragedy of the Titanic and the Edwardian era. So it all fell into place at just the right time. I'd grown up watching various representations of the Titanic through film and television, but I always wanted to go back to the factual origin."

TDP 1456: REVIEW Vol 2. Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel: The Dimensions of Time

Video of the Day – Half the Picture, 2026 A Doctor Who fan from the tender age of nine, my first Doctor was Tom Baker (and I have the long scarf to prove it!) I like New Who and the classics as well as classic cars and classic rock. Geek by profession and by choice, happily married and never ready for Winter.

Video of the Day – Half the Picture, 2026

Doctor Who Missing Episodes: Two Lost Episodes of The Daleks’ Master Plan Found! The BBC has revealed that two episodes of First Doctor classic, The Daleks’ Master Plan, have been found in a collector’s “ramshackle” bunch of vintage film reels! A cardboard box contained two episodes of a missing Doctor Who story. Yes, The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet have been recovered! These are, respectively, the first and third episodes of 1965 epic, The Daleks’ Master Plan. The third episode, Day of Armageddon, was found in 2004. Restored versions of the episodes will be released on BBC iPlayer this Easter. Peter Purves, who played the First Doctor’s companion, Steven Taylor, was invited to the Phoenix Cinema in Leicester on Wednesday under false pretenses to view the two episodes, and he said: “My flabber has never been so gasted.” The episodes were uncovered by Film is Fabulous!, to whom we all owe a massive “thank you!” Censors in Australia and New Zealand thought The Daleks’ Master Plan too violent to air, so the story wasn’t sold abroad. Nonetheless, copies of some episodes were still made by technicians to check for problems which might need to be fixed ahead of pitching the episodes to other markets. These versions made their way to an amateur collection, largely otherwise comprised of home videos of trains and canals. After his passing, his collection was donated to Film is Fabulous!. Justin Smith, chair of trustees at FIF, said: “We travel all over the country to recover film collections from private hands. “A lot of the films had suffered water damage and the cans had corroded. “These are gems in what was an eclectic and ramshackle collection, a lot of which hadn’t been looked after as well as the Doctor Who had. “The collector did recognise what he had, but how he acquired them has been lost to time.” A special screening of the two episodes organised by FIF, with Purves as guest of honour, is being held in London on 4th April 2026. Like this: Like Loading...

Doctor Who Missing Episodes: Two Lost Episodes of The Daleks’ Master Plan Found!

Spoilers, sweetie! Why Doctor Who fans need to learn the joy of waiting Add Doctor Who to your watchlist Ad It’s the early hours of Christmas Day 2007 and I’m woken by the sound of paper being torn in my son’s bedroom. Stumbling half-dazed to where he ought to have been sleeping, I’m met instead by the sight of discarded wrapping and an action figure of David Tennant clutched triumphantly in my young child’s hand. So excited was he by the prospect of Doctor Who toys arriving that he couldn’t wait until morning. But he was of primary-school age, so that anticipatory thrill was understandable – if slightly taxing for his dad, who’d been wrestling with Sellotape and gift tags until close to midnight. At the time, I did, admittedly, feel robbed of precious sleep. But looking back, I should have been grateful that the youngest Doctor Who fan in our house had at least managed to contain his excitement until the clock ticked over to the 25th of December. Because in 2026, Doctor Who fandom is in danger of hyping itself into a state of insensibility a full nine months before Christmas. Granted, the most recent episode of the BBC sci-fi series – which saw Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor regenerate into Billie Piper – left audiences with several questions. Chief among them: whether Piper, who was once companion Rose Tyler, is really playing the Doctor at all. Answers will no doubt arrive in December. But already, a faint air of online panic hangs over claims that the script for the upcoming Christmas special exists in several different versions. Theories about surprise regenerations fill speculative “news” articles, while a supposed casting delay is seized upon as proof that the show must somehow be in disarray. Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor in Doctor Who. BBC Studios/Bad Wolf It has become a depressingly familiar pattern. The moment there is a gap in information, the vacuum fills with confident declarations that Doctor Who has entered the disaster zone – a conclusion eagerly amplified by sections of the press whose broader mission is to do down the BBC. But dare we consider the possibility that the production team may simply want to keep hold of its secrets, especially with such a long stretch between this year’s festive special being crafted and broadcast? These days, though, patience from the public feels about as likely as the Doctor landing the TARDIS exactly where he intended. We expect entertainment instantly. Entire seasons arrive in a single streaming drop. Autoplay hustles us into the next episode before the credits have barely got going. And the words “Coming soon”, which once carried a delicious sense of anticipation, now sound intolerably vague. Uncertainty used to feel like part of the production process. Now it’s treated as a system failure. Casting needs to be confirmed immediately. The moment an episode begins shooting, plot details are expected to enter the public domain. And if a Christmas special is still months away, the alien threat and the emotional pay-off ought to be announced in a press release before a director has even yelled, “Action”. Yet it wasn’t always like this. The gap between initial announcement and broadcast used to be where the pleasure lived. Before an episode aired, it existed in a state of pure possibility. But we seem to have forgotten how to relish a plotline that might still fizz off in any number of directions. Maybe Piper really is playing the Doctor and not Rose. Or perhaps Rose and the Doctor somehow changed places when he regenerated. The current instinct, though, is not to enjoy this imaginative liminal zone but to exterminate it – like a Dalek on a rampage. The sooner a mystery is solved, the better. Which is slightly counterproductive when you consider that stories are built around the thrill of not knowing. And look, I get it. Doctor Who has always been an immersive jigsaw and its fans have grown used to piecing together its long history in fragments. Coupled with lingering uncertainty about the show’s next phase following the end of the BBC’s production deal with Disney, it’s understandable that dedicated viewers are now leaning into the future, impatient for the next milestone to arrive. But suspense isn’t a problem that needs fixing with the wave of a sonic screwdriver. Stories – like life – are destined to unfold in time (and space). And the hush that surrounds a Christmas special isn’t a frustrating broken link. It’s the moment when anticipation grows and imaginations spark. People are forever wishing their lives forward. Children want to be older; adults can’t wait for the weekend. But perhaps we should heed the warning of River Song, whose catchphrase of “Spoilers!” is a rebuke to the Doctor whenever he gets too curious about his own future. Instead of demanding answers, we might try revelling in this brief stretch where we all become co-writers of the Time Lord’s next adventure. Because once the Christmas special airs, that creative space collapses. A thousand possibilities streamline into a single version of events. Speculation gives way to the dreaded star rating. What worked? What didn’t? And then comes the familiar, slightly hollow realisation: now we have to wait all over again. The finished episode can only unfold in one way. What we have now is the unwatched version – the one that still contains every permutation our minds can conjure. Ad And perhaps that’s the real gift. Back in 2007, my son couldn’t bear to leave his Doctor Who presents untouched until dawn. The excitement of what might be inside proved too much to resist. But sometimes the unopened package is where the magic lives. And maybe – just maybe – the rest of us should learn to leave the wrapping paper intact for a little longer.

Spoilers, sweetie! Why Doctor Who fans need to learn the joy of waiting

Will there be A Woman of Substance season 2? *Warning: This article contains full spoilers for A Woman of Substance.* Ad Well, that was quite the cliffhanger that things left on for A Woman of Substance, wasn't it? If you're reading this, you're likely also wondering what the future looks like for the new period drama, which left viewers with more questions than answers by the end of its finale. In both timelines, Jessica Reynolds and Brenda Blethyn delivered triumphant speeches, with war-time Emma confronting the Fairley's and '70s Emma squaring up to her traitorous children. But it was in the show's final moments that it was revealed that all the hard work that Emma had put into making sure the Fairley's would never again take control over Fairley Hall was undone as Jim (Tony Regbo) made another unwelcome appearance. But will there be a second season of A Woman of Substance? Read on for everything we know so far. Will there be A Woman of Substance season 2? Brenda Blethyn as Emma Harte in A Woman of Substance. Channel 4 As of now, there's been no word on whether or not A Woman of Substance will be returning for a second season. With the show having just premiered on Channel 4, we'd imagine it might be some time before the broadcaster assesses its viewing figures and makes a decision accordingly. At a screening for the series, series co-writer Roanne Bardsley had revealed that they'd not even adapted the whole book for the show yet. That means that with some of the book still left unaccounted for and season 1 ending on a cliffhanger, it very well could be the case that we could be getting more but no official announcements have been made yet. When could a potential A Woman of Substance season 2 be released? Seeing as casting was announced in early 2025 and the series was then released in early 2026, there was quite the quick turnaround for the series to hit our screens. Of course, if A Woman of Substance were to be greenlit for another season, it would be dependent on cast schedules but if it were to be renewed fairly soon, we could imagine that we'd see a potential second season on our screens sometime in 2027. Who could star in a potential A Woman of Substance season 2? Jessica Reynolds as Emma Harte and Ewan Horrocks as Edwin Fairley in A Woman of Substance. Channel 4 If a potential season 2 of A Woman of Substance were to go ahead, it's all down to what direction they'll take in the storytelling that obviously has a knock-on effect as to who we'll see in the show. If the series continues the dual timeline then we'd certainly hope for a return of our co-leads, Jessica Reynolds and Brenda Blethyn. It's a given that both Paula (Mara Huf) and Jim (Tony Regbo) would be returning, seeing as they're about to embark on a major new chapter. Seeing as we didn't actually see much of Emma's children or know much about them (and who their fathers are), we'd hope to see more of them, especially as Jo Joyner and Rosie Cavaliero are just two of the Harte's. So, with not many scenes of them at all, we'd hope to see a lot more about their own stories. If the timelines were to be kept, we'd also expect to see the Fairley family story continuing, meaning we'd be seeing more of Edwin and Priya as they navigate parenthood. Some people who we definitely wouldn't be seeing in a potential season 2 (unless in further flashbacks) would be Leanne Best's Adele Fairley, Will Mellor's Jack Harte and Sophie Bould's Elizabeth Harte, all of whom died in season 1. What could happen in a potential A Woman of Substance season 2? Mara Huf as Paula in A Woman of Substance. Channel 4 In the '70s timeline, Emma confronted her lying family and bought them out with individual cheques but also revealed to her daughter Edwina (Rosie Cavaliero) that her real father was Edwin Fairley. She seemed quite overjoyed at that news so it's likely that she'd endeavour to find him and may form an allegiance there with the family. Emma signed over her businesses to granddaughter Paula (Mara Huf), thinking she was the only one to be trusted but actually, she revealed she'd married Jim Fairley and was pregnant with his child. That means that despite her best efforts, Emma's plans of keeping Fairley Hall seem quashed now that he's an official part of the family and entitled to Paula's inheritance. Of course, it could be the case that Paula was smart enough to ensure that wouldn't be the case or that Emma has some kind of way of rescinding the contract but something tells us it'll be complicated. As for young Emma, we saw that she confronted all of the Fairley's about the pain they've caused her and she bought Fairley Hall after securing the major army uniform contract. Edwin vowed to get his revenge on her so we'd assume that if a second season were to go ahead, we'd have those years in the middle filled in a little more. How do the Fairley's survive this catastrophe and with no money to their name, how do they cope? With Priya (Hiftu Quasem) having a baby on the way and Edwin taking control over the family's business, we can assume that all the stress is put on his shoulders. We do know that Jim does end up working for a magazine that needs help, something that Emma initially says she'll see to after he lets her know about her children's coup of the business. So, does that mean that the Fairley's end up building their own media company perhaps? We also know that Mac ends up closer than ever to Emma, but does that mean that the pair develop a romantic connection and he's actually the father of her other children? Of course, A Woman of Substance is just the first book in Barbara Taylor Bradford's novel series, with the sequel, Hold the Dream, all about Paula's taking over of the company. If the show were to go in that direction, then it's certainly been set up aptly but as for whether it'll continue to include the past timeline of Emma's and the Fairley's, that remains to be seen. Want to see this content? This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes. Accept and continue A Woman of Substance will premiere on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 March at 9pm on Channel 4. 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Will there be A Woman of Substance season 2?

HT&P 103.1 - Colony in Space 1 An illustrious occasion - Jon Pertwee's first journey into outer space. So break out the ... beige. And the dungarees. And the moustaches. So many moustaches. TV producer Simon Curtis has chosen this story so what will a genuine industry professional be able to tell us about what makes this un-celebrated serial worth a look. It's always been considered to be closer to the Pertwee era slagheap than its mountaintop, but we're going to see if we can make the flowers grow on this apparently barren landsacpe. #doctorwho #doctorwhoreaction #doctorwhocommentary #doctorwhocomedian #tobyhadoke #doctorwhofacts #positivedoctorwho #classicdoctorwho Please support these podcasts on Patreon, where you will get advance releases, exclusive content (including a patron-only podcast - Far Too Much Information), regular AMAs and more. Tiers start from as little as £3 per month: patreon.com/tobyhadoke Or there is Ko-fi for the occasional donation with no commitments: ko-fi.com/tobyhadoke Follow Toby on Twitter: @tobyhadoke And these podcasts: @HadokePodcasts And his comedy club: @xsmalarkey www.tobyhadoke.com for news, blog, mailing list and more.

HT&P 103.1 - Colony in Space 1

Peter Davison Explains Why He Left Doctor Who After Three Years Fifth Doctor actor, Peter Davison, has explained why he left Doctor Who after playing the lead role for three seasons in the 1980s. He further revealed that he was asked to do a fourth year as the Doctor, but turned it down, seemingly due to typecasting concerns. He said: “I was asked to do a fourth year – and originally I had in my head I’d do three years, and I thought it was time just to burn the bridges and move on. I thought I could get away with it. Three years, you can get away with it, and people will still think of you for other things when you leave. I think if you do more than that, it becomes difficult. People just go, ‘Oh, he’s Doctor Who’ so I just thought, [do] three years and be brave and move on. “I got something quite soon afterwards, which kind of broke the spell of Doctor Who, so a consequence of that was I never needed to move away from Doctor Who. I was always very happy to do anything that was connected with it that came along afterwards.” This reinforces what he’s said previously about being advised to only do three years, lest casting agents think he’s forever associated with the one brand only. Fortunately, Davison has continued to appear in loads of show, perhaps most notably as Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small and the lead role in The Last Detective. And he’s returned to the worlds of Doctor Who for Big Finish audio, in 2007’s Time Crash, and creating the 50th anniversary celebration, The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot — not to mention appearing in Jodie Whittaker’s last episode as the Thirteenth Doctor, The Power of the Doctor! Like this: Like Loading...

Peter Davison Explains Why He Left Doctor Who After Three Years

BBC’s Sue Malden talks lost “Doctor Who” episodes The Film is Fabulous! team has published the first in a series of new articles, written exclusively for them. TV Historian Oliver Crocker has interviewed archive legend Sue Malden, and the result is a lengthy feature entitled “The Past, Present and Future of Doctor Who Missing Episodes“. During the interview, Sue outlined her early work at the BBC, and how she was appointed to the groundbreaking new role of BBC television’s first archive selector; a role specially created following criticism of the corporation’s neglectful approach to retaining programmes. Sue also explains why she chose Doctor Who, a series she’d watched when William Hartnell was in the title role, as the series upon which to discover why there were so many gaps in the BBC archive’s holdings. “It was between Doctor Who, Dixon of Dock Green and Z Cars, all of which had such a long stretch of transmission. I knew that Z Cars was in a bad state; when I worked on 40 Years [a historical compilation of BBC output] there were only three episodes from the first series available as film recordings. That’s why, until Paul Vanezis found all those episodes in Cyprus, you only ever saw the same clip of Brian Blessed and Joseph Brady bouncing up and down in their police car.” Having chosen Doctor Who to be the case study, Sue began the painstaking process of determining how many of the 479 episodes broadcast between 1963 and 1978 had survived. Sadly, the computer printouts revealed that the original master tapes for every 1960s recording of the series had already been wiped. With no videotapes to track down for the Time Lord’s earliest adventures, Sue headed to the BBC film library at Ealing Studios to find out if any stories survived as 16mm telerecordings.

BBC’s Sue Malden talks lost “Doctor Who” episodes

Big Finish The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures Aegis Big Finish The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures Aegis Available to order from www.bigfinish.com Who is the Tourist? The Doctor’s mysterious adversary is revealed in The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures: Aegis, a full-cast audio drama starring Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill, due for release in May 2026. The Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and Yaz (Mandip Gill) have travelled to many places and times across the universe, from Sheffield to space via the court of Henry II. But over their last few stops, one name has followed them around – the Tourist. In the next episode of The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures, Aegis by Noga Flaishon, the time travellers decide to confront this elusive enemy. To do so won’t be easy – they must infiltrate a convention held by an interplanetary defence contractor, the sinister Aegis Protectorate. In this pivotal story, which marks the midpoint of the twelve-episode full-cast audio drama series, the secrets behind the Tourist will be revealed. The Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz’s adventures have been building up to Aegis… Doctor Who – The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures: Aegis is now available to pre-order for just £9.99 (as a digital download to own) or £13.99 (download to own + collector’s edition CD), exclusively from www.bigfinish.com. Please note: the collector’s edition CD is strictly limited to 1,500 copies and will not be re-pressed. The Doctor and Yaz must infiltrate the Aegis Protectorate interplanetary defence expo in search of someone who has been dogging their travels. As the Doctor digs into the company’s main export, the sinister Trojan Program, Yaz faces a battle of her own. Will they finally uncover the truth about the Tourist? The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures: Aegis guest stars Juliet Aubrey (Middlemarch, Primeval) as Aegis COO Athena Nikos, as well as Maddison Bulleyment as the Tourist and Shogo Miyakita as Aegis’s deadly mech soldiers. And, Jason Forbes returns as Prospero, the cerebral organoid from previous adventure Ride or Die. Writer and producer Noga Flaishon said: “Having read everyone else’s scripts as the producer of this line gave me the chance to build on the work of the other writers and pay off some of the seeds we’ve been planting. I think of Aegis as a ‘mid-season finale’. It’s an action-packed sci-fi story which I hope will leave everyone excited for the second half of the series.” Aegis is the sixth of twelve full-cast audio drama adventures for the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz, released bimonthly. Big Finish listeners can save money by pre-ordering all twelve releases in a multibuy bundle for just £102 (digital download to own), exclusively from the Big Finish website. Additional three-release multibuy bundles are available for £27 (download to own) and £33 (download to own + collector’s edition CD). Categorised under: Big Finish, CD, Special Releases

Big Finish The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures Aegis