Over 100 Missing Episodes of Doctor Who Located 158
MajikJon writes "The BBC junking policies of the '60s and '70s resulted in the loss of hundreds of episodes of the classic series in its earliest years. Through the work of ardent fans over the succeeding decades, dozens of these lost episodes have been painstaking recovered and added back into the BBC archives. Now, it seems, the searchers have struck the mother lode. According to the Wikipedia, there are currently 106 missing episodes of the serial. If reports are correct, we may finally get to see all the episodes."
This is still not actually confirmed (Score:5, Informative)
The BBC have not confirmed this and it has been rumoured already for months now, hardly an exclusive by the Sunday People as the article claims, but maybe there is a chance the BBC will say something about these rumoured negoiations this time.
3 month old rumour (Score:3, Informative)
I don't think so somehow, is this what passes for news on
Re:Interesting. (Score:3, Informative)
I have to wonder exactly how many episodes of, say, daytime soap operas are lost. Many? Most? The airing schedule on some of the longest-running is so frequent that catching up from a series from beginning to end (if it were possible) would take 6 or so years if you tried to plow through at 40 hours a week.
Generally, when you skip a year or so, the same conversation is still ongoing. So watching an episode per season is enough
I don't believe it (Score:5, Informative)
At any rate, if Ethiopia has got anything, they never bought the broadcast rights to the Troughton era, so all we'd have to recover at best would be a handful of Hartnells, but still better than nothing.
BUT just suppose the rumour is true, could the BBC have kept it quote for all these months? Ostensibly yes. The two episodes found in 2011 were "found" in the summer but this was a well kept secret until "Missing Believed Wiped" at the British Film Institute in December. Even the programme said they would be showing "1960s BBC Science Fiction" with no mention as to what it was. No one had a clue until much closer to the event. And when "Tomb of the Cybermen" was found in 1991, the BBC put out a cover story that it was simply four episodes of an already existing story. The secret was apparently kept hidden for at least a few weeks; all other missing episode "finds" have been quite quickly reported.
Lastly, a little plug for my own website [paullee.com] about the missing episodes of Dr.Who.
Re:Interesting. (Score:5, Informative)
I also wonder what condition the reels will be in.
Someone on another thread discussing old Doctor Who episodes pointed out that early tape stock was an absolute nightmare to keep in decent condition, and the expense was sufficient enough that the BBC decided it was too expensive.
It wasn't that they just carelessly throwed their archives away.
Re:Interesting. (Score:5, Informative)
But these would be (if they existed, which they probably don't) distribution copies for foreign broadcasters, not the original tapes.
These distribution prints - which were 16mm film, not tape - were passed from country to country, usually ending up in the tail ends of the empire in Africa & Asia. They were supposed to have been returned or destroyed at the end of their tours, but it wasn't unusual for them to be put into storage, grabbed by local staff for their own archives, or sold on the sly to broadcasters in neighbouring countries.
What a damp blanket you must be: (Score:5, Informative)
"Who really cares? Some old grainy black and white kinescopes? BFD. The artistic merit compared to the childish cult-like following is nil. Dr. Who is for adolescents who never grew up. It is like cabbage patch dolls or beanie babies."
Dear heavens, isn't it horrible that someone might get enjoyment out of something you don't particularly like.
Do you also blow out candles on adult's birthday cakes and then sternly lecture them about how "That's just for kids"?
Re:Interesting. (Score:5, Informative)
It's unlikely that somebody'll sue them for reporting incorrectly that episodes of Dr. Who have been recovered
Hence the increased possibility that if they had to make something up to fill space they decided to go for this instead of something involving Harry Styles, Hazell Dean, a lorryload of quaaludes and a goat.
The proof is in the pudding
No, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating".
Re:Interesting. (Score:4, Informative)
The first episodes of Monty Python weren't received that well when first aired either, if things had gone differently those could also have been lost.
Apparently the BBC *did* consider erasing the Monty Python master tapes [chicagotribune.com].
Re:Interesting. (Score:5, Informative)
More news (Score:5, Informative)