Two 1965 Doctor Who Episodes Restored, Set To Stream In April
Two lost 1965 episodes, The Nightmare Begins and Devil's Planet, were recovered from a deceased collector, restored by BBC archivists, and will stream in April.
CNETTwo Lost 'Doctor Who' Episodes Found Intact in Waterlogged Collection
Boston GlobeTwo long-lost episodes of 'Doctor Who' have been found
PBS NewsHourTwo episodes of 'Doctor Who' were just rediscovered, a 'holy grail' of long-lost classic TV
ABC NewsTwo long-lost 'Doctor Who' episodes have been found. Fans will be able to watch them
Associated PressTwo long-lost episodes of 'Doctor Who' have been found. Fans will soon be able to watch them
Overview
Two long‑lost 1965 episodes, The Nightmare Begins and Devil's Planet, have been recovered, restored by BBC archivists, and will be available on the broadcaster's streaming service in April, showrunner Russell T Davies said.
Film Is Fabulous found the film cans wrapped in plastic bags among a deceased collector's possessions and the collector's estate donated the films to the charity.
Justin Smith, a cinema professor and chair of trustees of Film Is Fabulous, called finding missing 'Doctor Whos' the 'holy grail' of classic TV discoveries.
The recovered episodes aired in the show's third series in 1965, feature William Hartnell and Peter Purves, and are part of a 12‑part storyline while 95 episodes remain missing.
Justin Smith said he believes other episodes exist but that no one knows where they are or who holds them, leaving open when and where further finds might appear.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present this entertainment item largely without editorial framing, sticking to factual details (episode titles, donation, recovery process) and clearly attributing enthusiasm to named sources (showrunner Instagram, recovery lead). Playful ledes and brief BBC-history context read as source content or neutral background rather than sustained evaluative framing.
FAQ
The BBC destroyed many videotapes of early Doctor Who episodes in the 1960s and 1970s due to archival policies and storage constraints, making the recovery of episodes like *The Nightmare Begins* and *Devil's Planet* exceptionally rare.[1] Of the original 253 episodes from the classic series, 95 remain missing, highlighting how widespread the loss of early television material was across the broadcasting industry.[3]
The episodes were discovered as 16mm telerecordings in a private collection and were worked on by BBC Archives, who restored the original recordings to broadcast quality.[1] The recovered film cans were found wrapped in plastic bags among a deceased collector's possessions that were subsequently donated to Film Is Fabulous, the charitable trust responsible for locating them.[3]
The restored episodes will be available in full on BBC iPlayer on Easter weekend in April 2026.[1] The BBC will release specific screening details at a later date.
Yes, these episodes represent the first missing *Doctor Who* material to be announced since 2013.[1] The recovery of *The Nightmare Begins* and *Devil's Planet* marks a significant rediscovery after more than 60 years.
Three of the 12 episodes from *The Daleks' Master Plan* have been recovered. The newly found episodes *The Nightmare Begins* and *Devil's Planet* join *Day of Armageddon*, which was discovered in 2004 by a former BBC engineer, meaning the first three instalments of the serial are now available.[1]