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March 13th, 2026 11 comments

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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.


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11 comments

  • Andy R

    March 13th, 2026 - 9:28am

    Awesome news and amazing work. Nice they premiered them to Peter Purves too.

    Reply
  • Scott

    March 13th, 2026 - 9:28am

    This I brilliant news, hope they find more episodes soon, in the not too distant future.

    Reply
  • James

    March 13th, 2026 - 8:59am

    Someone asked Ian for comment? Lol
    So we’re now half way to a complete version of DMP now. With 2,5,10 already archived, the prequel (Mission to the Unknown) remade by UNClan, and now 1+3 only leaves 7 eps to be sorted out. Maybe FiF may stumble upon a few more episodes. Hopefully a Box set maybe late 2028.
    What a suprise to wake up to this morning.

    Reply
  • RPG74

    March 13th, 2026 - 8:58am

    Fantastic. Lets hope animating the rest is a priority. I’ll happily accept black and white animations, and only those for the missing episodes would be fine! I suspect others feel the same.
    What a find!

    Reply
  • Troughton’s Trousers

    March 13th, 2026 - 8:36am

    Splendid news! Looking forward to watching them. Wonder what other episodes may have been found in the collectors’ treasure troves…

    Reply
  • Auton

    March 13th, 2026 - 8:32am

    Amazing news. Can’t wait to watch them

    Reply
  • TimelordTim

    March 13th, 2026 - 8:15am

    Excellent news, looking forward to seeing them.

    Reply
  • Prof Horner

    March 13th, 2026 - 8:12am

    What fantastic news to wake up to. Best of all it’s on iPlayer from next month.

    Reply
    • The ergon

      March 13th, 2026 - 8:38am

      Found out via Gordon about 4pm this morning. I couldnt sleep and just checked my phone. I Couldnt believe it.

    • The ergon

      March 13th, 2026 - 8:39am

      Thats 4am.

  • The ergon

    March 13th, 2026 - 8:07am

    Available to view on iplayer the 4th April.
    Toby hadoke discussed the findings on breakfast tv.

    Reply

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