March 23rd, 2021
97 comments
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So we have all heard the rumours – and in many cases they turn out to be just that, and we generally don’t post about such things, but issue 193 of The Doctor Who Figurine Collection being delivered today seems to confirm that animations of Evil of The Daleks and The Abominable Snowmen are on the way!
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WhovianLife
July 1st, 2021 - 3:56pmWell.. Evil is on it’s way now, so hopefully The Abominable Snowmen is next!
Andy Karakanna
September 24th, 2021 - 9:02pmGalaxy 4 is coming in November, so hopefully Abominable will follow that.
Anonymous
June 29th, 2021 - 11:53pmApparently it’s *rumoured* that the two Hartnell episodes located in a private collection are Galaxy 4 Episode 4 and The Celestial Toymaker Episode 3.
The upcoming Galaxy 4 animation might provide the answer. In fact, it may indicate that Celestial Toymaker could be the next Hartnell release.
*If* the last episode of Galaxy 4 has been found, it’s really important because the last scene is from the opening of Mission to the Unknown, which currently has no surviving footage whatsoever. Also, we would finally be able to see what the characters’ costumes looked like, as no photos were taken of the humanoid cast.
That would leave us with only Marco Polo and The Massacre not having a single frame of surviving footage.
Auton
June 30th, 2021 - 6:55amWhere did you hear that it’s galaxy 4 episode 4 and celestial toy maker episode 3?
Prof Horner
June 30th, 2021 - 10:18amWell if this is true ,I think it is pity that they couldn’t be the two missing episodes of The Crusader thus making season 2 complete and making it the only sixties season to be so. But we have had so many such stories down the years , until someone confirms it we will take it with a pinch of salt.
Anonymous
May 6th, 2021 - 9:42pmNicola Methven, the same Mirror reporter who originally covered Evil and Abominable, has just released an article stating that Galaxy 4’s being animated
Jamiouse
May 7th, 2021 - 12:17pmThey are eventually going to have to make a start on the Hartnell stories, Galaxy 4 is an odd choice though. I still think they should animate Master Plan but release it in two volumes – Mission to the Unknown, MP 1-5 Volume 2 MP 6-12
We are now in early May and there is still no release date for Web, no confirmation of Evil or Snowmen. I know the pandemic is causing issues but a Coming Soon might generate a bit of buzz.
Anonymous
May 7th, 2021 - 1:19pmGalaxy 4 isn’t an odd choice at all – no costume changes, only four main humanoid characters, minimal sets, CGI can be used for the Chumbleys and the Rills and the same basic design can be repeated for each of the Dravhins
It could lead to audiences giving the story a reappraisal, people generally enjoyed Air Lock when they were finally able to watch it.
The choices for the stories shouldn’t automatically be based on “Is it popular?” because that’s not a good strategy to try and get everything released.
People made the same complaint about Season 24 being the next Collection box set, but if they release all the popular ones first just to appeal to those specific fans, then what would happen to seasons like 24?
If they do Mission to the Unknown, I hope it gets it’s own DVD case. I don’t want a permanent gap on the shelf between Galaxy 4 and Myth Makers just because some people think its direct tie to Master Plan means it should just be relegated as a special feature on that story even though it’s a story in its own right. They should put it in a card slipcase with a Master Plan DVD
I’ve seen some gossip that the Web of Fear animation project’s been cancelled because they’ve got the actual episode back (which technically isn’t really missing to begin with) and that Galaxy 4 is a replacement project, which is why its leaked so early. Of course, that would be a dream come true. We’re still in a worldwide crisis and the wait since 2013 for another recovery has actually been the longest of any. Philip Morris really should’ve taken the animation announcement as a wake up call, it’s been almost 8 years now and people are tired of him saying “the wind’s blowing in the right direction” and then no word.
I’m begging for another episode to come back. The animations are good substitutes but in the long run, they’ll never really be the actual thing. The less missing episodes of Doctor Who there are, the better.
TheWHOlegacy
May 7th, 2021 - 4:54pmalso galaxy 4 isn’t odd as we know the two missing stories preceeding it (marco, crusade) won’t be done yet, so doing the season 3 premiere story makes sense. They can make their way through the season just like they did with troughton and starting with power.
Gordon
May 8th, 2021 - 10:30pmHaving thought on it I think galaxy 4 could be a good home for mission to the unknown. Same production block, director and producer. The last 30 seconds of galaxy 4 is the start of mission to the unknown too so there is a connnection there. Even though it’s obviously linked and connected to masterplan you could watch masterplan without having mission to the unknown. Mission to the unknown in my opinion is unlikely to have a stand alone release due to how short it is so pairing it with galaxy 4 would make sense. Galaxy 4 is also a pretty cheap story to animate compared with others so perhaps the budget is there to animate both. It would also put a bit less strain on masterplan budget wise putting it here. Even if it’s not possible to animate mission as well it would be a good place to put the uclan remake
Anonymous
May 9th, 2021 - 2:59amI think it would make a lot of sense to produce Mission to the Unknown alongside Galaxy 4, as the ending of Galaxy 4 would be jarring if the cliffhanger was cut and after the reaction to Macra Terror, I think they should avoid cutting as much as possible. Mission was also made in the same production block, it has less cast (I think) than Galaxy 4, no costume changes, the same costume designs can be copied over for the three main cast members, 3D can be used for the Dalek and Varga plants and assets can be reused on a future Master Plan project, which will most likely have the same animators, saving a little bit of time and money on that. It would get two Season 3 stories quickly out of the way at once, which would leave 5 stories to release, The Myth Makers, The Daleks’ Master Plan, The Massacre, The Celestial Toymaker and The Savages. It could also finally clear up the “are they going to release the UCLAN version on DVD?” matter by including that and possibly colour versions of both and would probably help sales for Galaxy 4 by being included with it.
I don’t want a gap on the shelf between Galaxy 4 and Myth Makers, but hell, including it as an “Episode 5” of Galaxy 4 makes a lot more sense than relegating it as some special feature on a Master Plan DVD, which could take absolutely ages to wait for, and kinda uses the “individual titles” thing to it’s advantage.
I’m not sure if they would do it, but surely it’d be feasible to produce a card slipcase to house two DVDs, Galaxy 4 and Mission to the Unknown? Like the DVD box set double bills from around 10 years ago. To satisfy those who believe Mission should be treated as it’s own story, as really it should be.
Gordon
May 9th, 2021 - 2:14pmThere is no guarantee that it will be the same animation team that would tackle a potential masterplan project. We don’t know who is tackling galaxy 4. Could be the bbc studios or big finish creative or another animation team we don’t yet know about.
As for mission getting its own box it really will depend on what else the disc holds. If it’s a special feature along with other galaxy 4 extras it probably won’t get its own box. If it’s own disc with other special features related to mission it could well get its own box. Could all depend on if they decide to give the galaxy 4 recon it’s own disc or not. It’s already going to be a 2 disc set with each disc getting an animation. 3 if they give the recon a disc and I doubt it would be a 4 disc set. There are fan covers out there though so there is also that option
Anonymous
May 11th, 2021 - 2:52pmThere isn’t any guarantee it’ll be the same team, no, but it’s entirely possible. If it’s a third animation team, that would be great. More releases to look forward to.
The idea of Mission being a special feature just doesn’t sit right with me. The fact of the matter is, it is an individual Doctor Who story that has a narrative link with another one. Nothing will change that. It’s not actually an episode of Daleks’ Master Plan. It’s an episode of Mission to the Unknown.
There isn’t enough content to advertise Mission as it’s own release, but there’s still far too much potential extra content for the story to just be a special feature on another story. Pairing a Mission DVD with a Galaxy 4 one makes perfect sense. Like when they paired K-9 and Company with Invisible Enemy in 2008.
Jem cole
April 16th, 2021 - 7:36amHas anyone seen the leaked test animation for evil of the daleks its on YouTube i think its time to announce it the cat is well and truly out of the bag I mean come on now
booboo
April 16th, 2021 - 8:42amyes link below, but BBC decide when to announce things when the time is right so its all coordinated properly with retailers news sites etc
booboo
April 16th, 2021 - 8:43amits now gone private
Gordon
April 16th, 2021 - 9:15amIt also could depend on what else they got coming out. Announcing the evil of the daleks the same week as big finish puts out a big tenth doctor dalek box set might cancel each other out
JL
April 16th, 2021 - 10:38amThey could announce it on Monday as that counts as a separate week but they may pay tribute to Elisabeth Sladen on Monday instead as it will be 10 years since she passed, they may wait a bit to announce it then
Gordon
April 16th, 2021 - 11:17amI wouldn’t be so sure that they will just announce it immediately or soon as. Test footage of power got leaked in July and wasn’t confirmed till September.
Gordon
April 16th, 2021 - 7:20amhttps://youtu.be/m6OoZ438JK4
More evidence evil of the daleks is being animated.
This is from one of the animators YouTube page
Gordon
April 16th, 2021 - 7:39amOr rather storyboard artist
GL
March 31st, 2021 - 3:32amLots of talk about a remake with David Bradley as the Doctor not going to happen because of the expense and that it wouldnt be commercially un-viable. We are talking the BBC here. Publicly funded. They spent £87 million on a set for Eastenders that an internal enquiry said in the long term wasn’t good value for money (and would never haul it back) that ultimately went £27 million over budget. For a show that now averages 4.5 million viewers. So it’s all about priorities. The BBC remade episodes of classic sitcoms a few years back, Are You Being Served notably. A commissiom for a remake should be made on it’s cultural merits at the BBC and could be made on a modest budget. A one off for its 60th Anniversary perhaps? Could that justify a commission. One thing is for sure, if they did make it, it would sell on DVD and Bluray way more than any episode of Eastenders would. Yes it’s niche, but Who fans have been starved of decent Who since Chibnal took over, so a remake, I think would do very well, if it were the right story too.
James
March 31st, 2021 - 9:08amAgree with you. Finally someone who agrees. Obviously it could never replace an original but nothing could. Again the animations are fine but having a real person to see be even better. And the way Adventure was made, no one complained. Plus 3 episodes of Dads Army were remade due to the same reason some Doctor Who episodes have gone. So it can be done.
Anonymous
March 31st, 2021 - 9:47amJust because they over spend on eastenders doesn’t mean a remake is commercially viable!
Auton
March 31st, 2021 - 9:48amBut there is no need to remake them with a different cast, doctor who is lucky that many tele-snaps and photos exist and all the stories exist in off air recordings so it’s much more easier and authentic to use these to make animations which is what they have been doing and what their going to continue doing. Then there is of course the fact that it is way to expensive and time consuming making remade recast episodes as everything has to be the same and however hard they try, no one will be as good as the original actors so what’s the point in doing recast remakes then. It would be a waste of money so they should continue as they are doing making and perfecting the animations
Gordon
March 31st, 2021 - 10:36am@GL Even though I agree £87 million for the eastenders set is a ridiculous amount they are hardly comparable. The eastenders set will be used 4 shows a week for 30 plus years. Most of the sets for a potential masterplan remake would only be used once (with the exception of the tardis set and prop which they already have). There is nothing modest about the budget for a masterplan remake. You are talking about a 3-4 month shoot minimum. Even if you keep production costs down to an extremely very low (by bbc standards) 10k a day thats 600k minimum after it’s all said and done which is a lot to spend on a remake and I’m fairly certain costs won’t be anywhere near that cheap. There is nothing to even suggest that the bbc would even show it. They didn’t broadcast the mission remake. I doubt they would broadcast 12 4:3 black and white episodes these days regardless of the cultural merit. Even if it was broadcast where would they show it? . Bbc 4 would have been their best bet but seeing as they aren’t going to be broadcasting new content anymore I can’t seeing it going on there. A remake of a 50 year plus show doesn’t really fit Bbc 3’s remit of new programming aimed at an 16-34 year olds. Looking at bbc 1’s current schedule I can’t see where a 25 minute sci fi show for 12 weeks would fit and Bbc 2 doesn’t seem to show much if any sci fi these days. If it was a direct to dvd and blu ray production like the animations it would be a bbc studios production which is part of the business arm of the bbc and as such would need to be a viable project to be given the green light.
@james the difference between adventure and this is in adventures they are portraying the actors . This would be recreating the performances. I’m not against the idea but I’m struggling to see how something of the scale of masterplan is viable when you take into account the costs of a modern production. Dads army was done very well but It was made with modern cameras in 16:9 colour. Can’t see the fans going for it if it was like that. Dads army was also on a far smaller scale than what would be done on the likes of doctor who. They only needed 3 filming dates and filmed as live plus their cast isn’t anywhere near the size of masterplan and also they don’t really have any effects. That could be done far cheaper than who would be. It also didn’t use any of the licence fee money as it was produced by bbc studios. That also got broadcast on Uktv gold a channel which had ads which would help pay for the production.
Anonymous
March 31st, 2021 - 2:01pmI love the animations, but I also hope they’re not the final thing. Some of the 97 might be gone forever.
GL
April 1st, 2021 - 2:30am@Gordon my point about Eastenders is the BBC will spend money on things which don’t add up as good value for money. Which is what the enquiry into the Eastenders overspend concluded. Even though it is used weekly for numerous episodes of Eastenders per week, for years to come, the £87million spend still didn’t justify the cost to license fee payers. I think my point is, if the BBC wants to, they will always find the money. If some bright spark thinks its a good idea to remake a missing Dr Who story from the 60s they will find the budget. Yes, TV drama is expensive but the Tardis set is already built. If the BBC used similar production techniques to making the drama as they did in the 60s, which were designed to be made on a tight budget then it is possible. Multiple camera studio based and green screen can keep costs down. I work in the business and the BBC spend hundreds of thousands on unseen pilots. That’s no exaggeration. So cash isn’t a factor here. It’s down to what the current batch of commissioners thinks is a “good idea”. But Doctor Who has fallen out of favour with audiences. The show is receiving its lowest ever audience figures in tercentenary years because of poor writing, and a miscast central lead who has failed to capture the nations imagination. So there is a reluctance to spend on a show that isn’t as.popular as it was. That said, a remake I reckon could help bring back fans alienated by the current (mis)management of the show. Who, knows.
Anonymous
April 1st, 2021 - 9:21amThe audience figure argument is nonsense. Every single programme is down in audience figures. Doctor who still achieves top, ten watched programme for its day. Eastenders and coronation street regularly now only get between 4 and 5 million viewers. Most successful major dramas only achieved 3-4 million. The viewing figures are meaningless in the ever changing modern world. You can’t even compare 2021 to 2019 let along 2010, 2007 or 1965. Who is still very popular and is successful despite your opinion
James
March 27th, 2021 - 10:10pmI’ve already mentioned this on another post. But why don’t they plug some of the missing episodes by refilming them with the David Bradley and Co team for Hartnell episodes. The Uni team did this to make Mission to the Unknown look the same as the original (filming, costumes, camera, etc).
Anonymous
March 28th, 2021 - 9:37amBecause it would be a, massively expensive and b, not the original episodes at all. The animated episodes are the original soundtracks remakes… no thanks
Gordon
March 28th, 2021 - 10:16amThat was an independently produced production that the bbc and the nation estate endorsed. The second it becomes an official bbc project the costs skyrocket. Every one involved would need to get paid their going rate and you are talking about a 20 plus cast and that doesn’t include those working behind the scenes on cameras, lighting, make up effects the director and any other jobs that are required. The likes of David Bradley alone wouldn’t be cheap I’d imagine especially when it’s a 2-3 month minimum investment. Also you have the headache of casting the guest cast and in a story like Marco Polo you got such great performances from the likes of Mark Eden, Darren Nesbitt, Zienia Merton and Martin Miller that would need suitable replacements. You also got to take into account the regulars may have aged visually since 2013.
Anonymous
March 28th, 2021 - 11:40amYou have to take the costs into account. Today making a single episode of an old story would be more expensive than the whole original story. Then as gordon says it’s recasting every single role. Actors need to be paid. Production personnel need to be paid. In the case of some stories there are virtually no images so full design would have to done. If designs are copied the original designer would have to paid. Permission would have to sought from the original writers estates to remake the stories. Its a lot more complicated and expensive if its an official remake.
James
March 28th, 2021 - 1:12pmJust be nice to see an actual live episode instead of an animation of one. Don’t get me wrong the animations are great so far, just be nice to see an actual person acting on screen Even if it was just one story. Something like Masterplan would take ages to animate as it’s 12 eps. This would take a large chunk out of season 3 to be filled, giving the team time to work on the remaining 5 stories to animate as they could use the Uni teams remake of Unknown to plug that gap.
Saying this you never know they do say there are private collectors holding on to story’s and not sharing so maybe more out there then we are actually aware of. (Fingers tightly crossed)
All this is just my opinion
Anonymous
March 28th, 2021 - 1:21pmThe cost of remaking masterplan would be commercially unviable. And in the animated stories you are “seeing” the original actors and hearing their performances.
RPG74
March 28th, 2021 - 7:48pmGiven the animation budgets it’s unlikely we’ll see a 12 episode animated version of Masterplan, so funnily enough a live action version may be the only way to go. Imagine it as a modern remake in abridged form, with new sets and FX to appeal to a wider audience. Expensive yes, but this could be event TV, particularly in a 60th anniversary year.
Ah well, a man can dream.
James
March 28th, 2021 - 11:43pmRPG74: agree with you.
Auton
March 29th, 2021 - 8:26amAnimation is far more easy to make so no they won’t make any David Bradley remakes because they are just not commercially viable. The daleks master plan will be animated in the future once they have released most of the other stories that are easier to animate
Gordon
March 29th, 2021 - 9:42amIt’s going to be ridiculously expensive regardless of it being in animation or live action. It’s a movie sized cast. Nearly 50 credited cast members not including daleks or extras. 30 locations. Going by Charles norton’s recent comments on masterplan over at Robarbs forum If it ever gets animated (and it’s a big if) it would need 2 financial years to animate and a significant 7 figure sum. Never say never but it’s going to be Herculean task
Who is who?
March 30th, 2021 - 10:22pmThey are working on both at the moment, worst kept secret ever!
Anonymous
May 7th, 2021 - 1:37pmI hope the animations aren’t the be all and end all though, because there most definitely will be a point where it’s viable to reconstruct the episodes to look like they were never missing. The animations were a progression from the telesnap recons, which some still prefer. But there really should be a progression from the animations at some point.
Telesnap recons and the animations both have their pros and cons. Telesnap recons look and feel like the actual episodes but don’t move like them. The animations are more watchable but don’t capture the movement and vibe of the existing episodes.
I absolutely love the animation projects, but personally I can’t see them as being good permanent placeholders, even ones like The Tenth Planet or The Moonbase. The animation styles don’t match and there’s very limited movement, angles, depth and lighting. Add to that when some characters are off model, like Ben. If they end up animating every episode, I will be honest, it’ll still feel like there are missing episodes of Doctor Who.
I’d love to see refilmed versions of the episodes, but I’d ultimately prefer, and it’d be more viable too, for them to refilm the episodes using technology to replace their faces be it deepfake or something even better. The Tweeting Cosplayer on Twitter tweeted about a project by the University of Nottingham to recreate the missing episodes of Wheel in Space using the original soundtrack and deepfake technology. If this is true, this will be a major step forward.
TimelordTim
March 27th, 2021 - 8:40amI’ve read a lot of comments here explaining why Hartnell episodes are very likely more expensive, or to the casual buyer, less popular, to animate than Troughton episodes and that is why the focus is on the latter. That all makes sense.
But I don’t know much about the process so genuine query, would it be less cost to animate Hartnell episodes in black and white only? Maybe that’s a route they could go if so?
Kingdiamond887
March 27th, 2021 - 10:11amNo that would lose the money because bbc America Wanted colour version they offer more money which is why we get them animation
Gordon
March 27th, 2021 - 10:37amIt costs the same to animate in black in white as it does in colour
TimelordTim
March 27th, 2021 - 10:44amFair enough, thanks for the info. It’ll be interesting to see how the animations progress over the next few years, always appreciate any release of missing episodes.
Anonymous
March 27th, 2021 - 12:15pmPersonally i feel that we should be happy for what we have had animated and any more that get animated rather than focusing on what might not be animated. If we don’t get everything animated it’s not the end of the world. Just think of all the stories we can now watch and be grateful for that.
Mr Martin Snowden
March 27th, 2021 - 2:30pmI know it was stated before that the Animated Reconstructions are separate from the Collection Range, but I would think that the success of those could give an opportunity for the two teams to work together on re-animating the missing Hartnell Episodes as there isn’t a lot in the way of new features they could include for Seasons 1-3.
Gordon
March 28th, 2021 - 3:34am@ anonymous I’m pretty happy with what they have put out. Admittedly Some haven’t been my first choice (macra and faceless) but I’m still happy to own them. I’d love them to do them all but I’m happy to have more stories than I ever thought we would get.
@ mr Martin snowden the budget for the special features for the collection sets are a fraction of what the animations are and wouldn’t be anywhere near the cost of even 1 episode of animation. You also got to take into account they are larger seasons so more money will need to be spent on restorations. There is plenty potentially that can be done extras wise for those early seasons. Tributes to the likes of William Hartnell, Sydney Newman, David Whittaker, terry nation, John wills, Donald tosh and Adrienne Hill to name but a few. Biography pieces on the likes William Russell, carol Ann Ford, Maureen o Brien, Peter Purves, warris Husain, Richard Martin and Jackie lane (if they can get her). There is a couple of stories that could get making of as well. The likes of Marco Polo, the crusade, galaxy 4, masterplan come to mind (there is a quite a bit of archive interviews available on these stories) with also time meddler and the savages depending on who is available. For season 1 7 out of the first 13 episodes don’t have commentaries so that is a gap that will need filling as does the info text for the 2 animated reign episodes. There is also the in conversations. Carol Maureen and Peter seems like the obvious choices for seasons 1-3. Your 5.1 mixes as well (unearthly child and sensorites for season 1. Dalek invasion and web planet for season 2. The ark and the gunfighters for season 3. Those would be my choices). Not forgetting the alternative effects (keys, the chase and the ark would be my picks). There is a lot that could be done for those seasons.
Auton
March 28th, 2021 - 9:45amIt would be amazing if they can get Jackie lane to do an interview. I read somewhere that Maureen O’Brien now lives in France or did live in France so if she is still living in France that might cause a problem for anything new to record with her. I think we should still wait until more animations are released but the collection team should definitely start to record special features now to store them up ready for the release of seasons 1-6. I also think that the main and most interesting special features for the early 60s boxsets would be the tributes to many of the people you mentioned Gordon as I’m sure there is much more to learn about them. For Season 4 they should definitely do a Michael Craze tribute and perhaps some documentary about Innes Lloyd or Kit Pedler. They can also do a Patrick Troughton tribute for season 6. Do you think they will do a Ian Marter tribute on season 13? So even though the 60s suffers from many missing episodes, it still has just as much possibilities for new special features
Gordon
March 28th, 2021 - 12:33pmThe likes of Michael craze and innes loyd and Gerry Davies and maybe kit peddler are all pretty much blank canvases for the range. Especially Michael as I feel there hasn’t really had a ton of coverage on him or his life on the dvd releases so far. A biographical piece on Troughton would be a must. He has such a complex life and doctor who was only 1 thing in a long and storied career. Ian did have a documentary on his target books but a piece more focused on his life would be great.
Anonymous
March 28th, 2021 - 11:21pmI mean, I would like every Classic story to be released on DVD. The range has been going for over 20 years and it would be very disappointing if it ended incomplete.
Anonymous
March 28th, 2021 - 11:32pmA common thing I’ve heard about including the black and white and colour versions on the same disc as a “switch on/off” feature is issues with grading. What was different about Invasion of the Dinosaurs Part One on the 2012 DVD?
Gordon
March 29th, 2021 - 8:56amIt effectively works the same way as invasion of the dinosaurs. Faceless ones had the option to watch the black and white version or the animated black and white version of episodes 1 and 3 on disc 1. I’m sure you could fit both black and colour versions of 4 parters with extras on the same disc. When it gets to 6 parters you might get both versions but you would likely need a 2nd disc anyway for the extras as you probably wouldn’t be able to fit extras as well as the episodes without causing some compression issues
Bill brand
March 26th, 2021 - 1:52pmWhy can’t the BBC just confirm it
booboo
March 26th, 2021 - 1:59pmbecause everything has to be right and in place before they do as multiple agencies and retailers involved
Gordon
March 27th, 2021 - 12:03amThey also have legal clearances to go through as well with various estates
Anonymous
March 28th, 2021 - 11:05pmIs there a chance that they’re deciding to wait until an animation is finished, or almost finished, before announcing it? I just find it strange that the animations are announced so early in the animation process
Anonymous
March 26th, 2021 - 12:18pmI hope this is true!
D84
March 26th, 2021 - 11:52amIf this is true, then theoretically next year we could get Wheel and Space Pirates and then Highlanders and Menace in 2023.
I never thought I would be able to say this, but it looks like we might have the complete Troughton years on the DVD shelves by the 60th anniversary…
We’ve come so far from the DMW Winter Special ‘81 with that original list of missing episodes!
Kingdiamond887
March 26th, 2021 - 1:27pmI think underwater menaces will be next year cus it only need two episodes to animated like web of fear only need one to animated I think wheel in space and highland will be next cus they doing season 4 and 5 and space pirate is not exactly the best story as I heard
Anonymous
March 26th, 2021 - 5:28pmRegardless of quality of the plot The Space Pirates is still a lot easier to produce than The Highlanders would be.
Pete X
March 26th, 2021 - 6:07pmIf I remember correctly, there are two companys who have animated the recent Troughton stories.
Assuming that carries on and two animations are released each year, the release schedule would likely be one of Highlanders or Underwater Menace and one of Wheel in Space or The Space Pirates in 2022, the other two in 2023.
One company will do both H and UM, the other WiS and SP because of the shared character assets between the pairs of stories (Ben and Polly, Zoe respectively) and suggests that the company animating H and UM will also animate the Smugglers.
I reckon, like the Faceless Ones, UM will be completely animated.
Anonymous
March 26th, 2021 - 7:02pmSorry but as I have said on another comment chain, that logic does not work out. You’re talking about one or two characters out of 14-17 cast members for each of these stories, it isn’t going to make much of a difference (even more so if you have to remake the costumes each time), and if it was a problem the styles are so similar the assets can be shared between studios.
Just look at the stories we are talking about in the article itself, if this was a big problem we wouldn’t be getting four stories with Victoria back to back, also the team that seem most eager to do The Highlanders aren’t the ones that have done the existing Ben and Polly stories.
Gordon
March 27th, 2021 - 11:31amThink how underwater menace will be animated will be down to whether or not bbc America will want to fund it or not. If they do it will be the full thing in colour. They will want to broadcast on bbc America and going by the fury broadcast it will be in an omnibus format so it makes sense for them to want the whole thing for consistency. If they aren’t funding it will be like web and just the 2 episodes will get animated
Anonymous
March 28th, 2021 - 11:47pmIs the context exactly the same as in 2013 for how many episodes would get animated without extra funding? Y’know, 2 at most. I would rather they got Mission to the Unknown out of the way. It’s connected to The Daleks’ Master Plan, but it’s a separate story. It’s only one episode long, and would just give the animators one less thing to do if it comes to Daleks’ Master Plan in the future, especially with this rule about animating the existing episodes as well as the missing ones.
It’s only one episode, but could justify it’s own DVD release with:
– B/W and colour versions of the animation
– B/W and colour versions of the UCLAN recreation (colour version wasn’t released on YouTube)
– “telesnap” (there weren’t any at this point) recon, with optional narration and subtitles
– Commentary (maybe two? One with original cast and crew, one with animators? To justify an individual DVD release)
– Production note subtitles
– Photo/animation gallery
– Documentary (again, maybe two to justify an individual DVD release)
– Clean stock music
– UCLAN recreation introduction by Edward de Souza
– UCLAN recreation Josh Snares documentary
– UCLAN recreation trailer
– UCLAN recreation news coverage
Don’t know if you can tell, but I’m desperate for Mission to the Unknown to be given the recognition it deserves as an individual story and not just included as some special feature. Chances are, though, that we’ll end up with a permanent gap between Galaxy 4 and The Myth Makers on the shelf 🙁
Philip Shaw
March 29th, 2021 - 9:30amThere are 2 companies animating missing stories currently with one doing a 6 partner, the other a 4 part or a 6 part. Join forces and that years combined story could be ‘The Daleks Masterplan.
Anonymous
March 29th, 2021 - 1:34pmIt feels like there are different contexts with the BBC Studios team and the Big Finish Creative team. While BBC Studios have said they won’t do The Crusade or The Highlanders, Gary Russell said they wouldn’t be a problem. I think it’s more likely we’ll see Big Finish Creative do The Highlanders for that reason. Especially if they stick with the 3D animation (they really should), then “we won’t be able to animate the kilts” won’t be an issue. Simple patterns on 3D models.
People are claiming “sharing assets” is a key factor in which group does an animation, but the character assets for the Doctor and co in the animations are completely different. They certainly can’t share assets across groups because they both animate them in completely different styles with different software.
Neil
March 26th, 2021 - 10:35amWhile this is amazing news, if true, really hoping for some Hartnell animations soon, particularly ‘Marco Polo’, ‘The Daleks Masterplan’ and ‘The Celestial Toymaker’. Would also like a revamped ‘Underwater Menace’ to animate the missing episodes rather than the awful photo reconstructions.
Coleman
March 26th, 2021 - 12:18pmYes Neil agree. Wonder if Gordon could Answer this.
What’s the story with only animating Troughton episodes and seeming to have no interest in the Hartnell stories what soever
I suppose there completing all the 2nd Doctor episodes before going onto the 1st Doctor episodes, but why?
Anonymous
March 26th, 2021 - 1:01pmThe hartnell era has multiple characters sets and costume changes compared to troughton. Not every story of course but marco polo for instance features a big cast, multiple locations and multiple costume changes making it very expensive to animate. Masterplan is the same. Very expensive to make. I would some hartnell stories but there is also the issue of the commercial viability of historical hartnell stories. Die hard fans will want them but casual buyers? I believe that norton already has said not all stories will be animated.
Anonymous
March 26th, 2021 - 3:05pmI was under the impression that a key reason for the focus on Troughton stories was because the character design models were already done for the recurring cast, so only story-specific designs need creating.
Anonymous
March 26th, 2021 - 5:32pmA couple of character models is a drop in the ocean compared to the rest of the potential costs.
The Troughton era stories are just a lot easier to handle, smaller casts, less elaborate sets and vastly better audio quality for the animators to work with (there are exceptions for that of course).
Gordon
March 26th, 2021 - 11:58pmI wouldn’t say they are ignoring the hartnell era it’s more that the Troughton era is simply easier to animate and focus on first.
With the exception of highlanders the missing Troughton episodes is pretty much all base under siege with basic and easier sets and costumes and a smaller number of cast to work with the budget they have.
Historicals are also said to be a tougher sell for bbc America who majority fund them and hartnell has Marco Polo, crusade, myth makers, massacre and smugglers.
A fair chunk of the hartnell era doesn’t have as good a soundtrack to work off. A lot of those stories soundtracks aren’t in great condition
Also the Troughton era has more marketable stories to the more casual fans. With the exception of underwater menace and space pirates all the missing Troughton stories have some hook that the casual audience would identify with. Power (post regeneration and daleks), highlanders (Jamie debut), moonbase (cybermen) macra (the crabs from gridlock), faceless ones (Ben and polly leaves) evil (daleks and Victoria’s debut), abominable/web (yeti and the great intelligence from season 7), ice warriors (ice warriors), fury (Victoria leaves) wheel (cybermen and Zoe debut).
The hartnell era in comparison doesn’t really have much stories that has hooks for casual fans and most of the ones that do are going to be hard to get done.
Masterplan is the story with the biggest marketing hook of the Hartnell era but also the most expensive story to animate by quite some considerable margin. Myth makers has vikki’s departure but it’s historical with no telesnaps and poor audio which would make it harder for the animators. Massacre has dodo’s debut at the end but like myth makers is a historical with no telesnaps and poor audio. Marco Polo is a name that casual fans will have heard but it’s a 7 part historical with tons of cast members and loads of locations. The savages is probably probably the easiest of the hartnell hooks as it’s a futuristic based story with a similar sized cast to previously animated stories with a lot of telesnaps and they also have good audio to work with.
Even though a story doesn’t have a hook for casual fans it doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t be animated. Galaxy 4 for example is basic enough that it stands a great chance of being animated. Small supporting cast (some of them are clones which would also be a benefit) and very basic sets.
Just because some of these are deemed problematic now doesn’t mean it will remain problematic in the future. Budgets can increase, animation can get cheaper and new techniques can be developed that can make things easier. None of them are impossible but there is a limit with what they can do with the time and money the animators get allocated
Dalek Eye Stalk
March 27th, 2021 - 8:54am‘The Savages’ would be the best Hartnell story to tackle first. Plus it’s Steven Taylor’s last story.
daz
March 27th, 2021 - 9:28amGreat response Gordon.
I do hope we get The Daleks Masterplan eventually.
Coleman
March 27th, 2021 - 10:36amInteresting read Gordon.
With what you’ve said already, what would the chances be of animating the Celestial toy maker? Really like this episode with what I’ve seen of it on the Lost in Time video.
Only four episodes and with what I can gather a base under siege style episode with smallish cast and basic sets.
Gordon
March 27th, 2021 - 11:10amToymaker stands a good chance getting done with a similar sized cast/sets to other stories that have already been animated. The only real stumbling block is the lack of telesnaps for the animators to reference off for 1-3 especially as it’s a very visual show with the whole games concept. They could always do their own thing of course which might be a benefit to them in this instance especially as there is a dream like quality to the story
James
March 26th, 2021 - 8:42amDid enjoy looking at these in the shops when they came in. Picking certain ones to collect. Shame that these and other partworks have gone online/direct subscription only
Anonymous
March 25th, 2021 - 9:49pmA yeti box set perhaps?
Gordon
March 25th, 2021 - 11:01pmCan’t see it. Would have been announced at the same time.
Anonymous
March 26th, 2021 - 1:01amI suppose as well there would be the usual outcry of i only want one of the stories and the bbc are making me buy two type comments!
Auton
March 25th, 2021 - 9:42pmI looked through the magazine and I missed that. It’s good news, we all knew they were coming next but now it is even more confirmed. 2 less animations after those two and only getting more close to a complete season 4 and 5
Gordon
March 25th, 2021 - 11:00pmSeason 5 only needs wheel in space.
Auton
March 26th, 2021 - 7:36amAnd although wheel in space isn’t a classic it should be quite easy to animate
Dalek Eye Stalk
March 27th, 2021 - 8:59am‘The Wheel in Space’ and ‘The Space Pirates’ should be animated in full next. That then completes Seasons 5 and 6. Plus makes a complete season Blu-ray release of these two seasons highly likely to be the first of the 1960’s.
Sons of Skaro
March 25th, 2021 - 9:35pmDO NOT FIGHT IN HERE!!
Can’t wait to see the animated version of the final end.
Dave
March 25th, 2021 - 8:16pmSlowly building towards full Troughton seasons to release in the blu ray collection sets…
Prof Horner
March 26th, 2021 - 9:48amYes it’s amazing to think there was a time when there was only five Troughton stories . complete. In a couple of years time we will have them all, even if most them won’t be in there original form. Let’s hope next week’s DWM gives us some more positive news.
TimelordTim
March 25th, 2021 - 7:46pmBrilliant! At the very least we now know which ones will be next, whenever they are officially announced and ready for sale. Predictable but very welcome choices.
Anonymous
March 25th, 2021 - 7:44pmIt may not be confirmation exactly but it gives us hope for some positive news soon!
the ergon
March 25th, 2021 - 7:29pmInevitable releases, this is not breaking news. Until there are trailers and covers…
Gordon
March 25th, 2021 - 7:14pmCan’t wait till the bbc officially confirm them. I can’t see any way the bbc would allow an officially licensed doctor who publication mention this unless there was some basis of truth around it.
Doctor Mysterio
March 26th, 2021 - 12:51pmA bit of a scoop for Eaglemoss it seems! And why not.
booboo
March 26th, 2021 - 1:12pmDon’t really know what to make of it, its an official BBC product but not written by them but i thought they still had to approve the contents, or maybe that’s just the cover and / or figure.
Neil Corry
March 27th, 2021 - 10:57amThis is entirely my error. I don’t know the schedules of the animators or what they’re doing. The second half of the paragraph that begins “The animators’ work…” should have been written more speculatively. Sorry to disappoint.
Dalek Eye Stalk
March 27th, 2021 - 7:44pmThese two particular stories have been rumoured for months. I have absolutely no doubt they are in the pipeline (not like the weed in Fury from the Deep) and will be confirmed sooner or later.
Anonymous
March 28th, 2021 - 11:30pmConsidering the ending of the Faceless Ones, it would be weird if the next BBC Studios animation *wasn’t* The Evil of the Daleks
I feel like the Web of Fear Episode 3 animation is confirmation on it’s own that there’s an Abominable Snowmen animation coming up, so even if the information in this magazine isn’t an actual confirmation, there’s no reason why these two wouldn’t be the next animations