Following the welcome news that two missing Doctor Who episodes from the story The Daleks’ Master Plan have been recovered, Film is Fabulous! have issued further information about the find, and tickets for a special screening on Saturday 4th April will go on sale to the public today, Tuesday 17th March.
Check the Film is Fabulous! Facebook Page for information
Hopefully, further details of the find will scotch some of the ridiculously stupid conspiracy theories and other nonsense circulating online, the idiocy exacerbated by social media algorithms and not helped by a small group of so called fans determined to dampen more general enthusiasm and excitement about the find, for reasons inexplicable.
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 UK are preserved when private film collectors, and former industry professionals, pass away. Since 2023, the team have preserved many private film collections.
Last week, Film is Fabulous! announced the recovery of two missing episodes of Doctor Who, both from the twelve-episode story, The Daleks’ Master Plan. They are “The Nightmare Begins”, first broadcast on Saturday 13th November 1965, and “Devil’s Planet”, first broadcast 27th November 1965.
The team have collaborated with BBC Archives to enable these programmes to be returned. 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, the episodes joining the service with other surviving episodes at Easter, from Saturday 4th April.
The Daleks’ Master Plan was the fourth serial of the third season of Doctor Who. There was also a one episode prequel episode, “Mission to the Unknown”, unusual in that the Doctor does not feature.
Several episodes of the story, and “Mission to the Unknown”are missing from the BBC archives, the history of this well documented. As with other early Doctor Who stories, and other series made by the BBC, such as Z Cars, the serial’s videotapes were wiped by the BBC. BBC Enterprises junked all 11 telerecording master negatives sold overseas at some point between 1972 and 1974.
The Story
“We at this table pledge our allegiance to the Dalek cause. Our armies will reduce the galaxies to ashes, their people to dust. And Earth we will conquer first!’
Written by Terry Nation and Dennis Spooner and directed by Douglas Camfield, The Daleks’ Master Plan was first broadcast on BBC1 in twelve weekly parts from 13th November 1965 to 29th January 1966. It was the show’s longest serial until 1986, and remains the longest with a single director.
Peter Purves, who played the Doctor’s companion, Steven, at the time, has likened making it to performing weekly repertory theatre – but on television.
In the twelve-part story, in their quest to gain control of the Solar System, the Daleks have taken possession of the Time Destructor, a weapon which threatens the safety of all who stand in their way. As they head up an alliance of alien races bent on destroying the human race, in their midst is none other than the treacherous Guardian of the Solar System, Mavic Chen.
A dangerous chase ensues across volcanoes, jungles, deserts and futuristic cities, as the Doctor and his companions struggle to prevent the Daleks’ plans coming to fruition. The stakes are high, and for the first time in the programme’s history the lives of two TARDIS travellers are lost…
This story marks the first appearance, here playing space agent Bret Vyon, of Nicholas Courtney, who would later create the recurring role of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Jean Marsh and Adrienne Hill also star as companions Sara Kingdom and Katarina.
Missing Episodes: The Recovery
The recovered episodes represent the first missing Doctor Who material to be announced since 2013. They were found in the collection of a deceased film enthusiast, and preserved by members of the Film is Fabulous! team.
The recovery means that the first three instalments of a once totally missing twelve-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, Film is Fabulous! will not enter into any discussion on the collector’s identity. All they’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 screening event, at which the two missing episodes of Doctor Who will be shown. This celebration of vintage television will take place on Saturday 4th April. The two episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer this Easter.
Peter Purves Celebrates Episode Return
On Wednesday, 11th March 2026, former Doctor Who companion Peter Purves walked into Leicester’s Phoenix Arts Cinema and Art Centre, invited under false pretext. What happened next took the great man’s breath away.
“I was greeted by my friend Toby Hadoke, who brought me in and immediately,” Peter explains, “and said, ‘Peter, I’ve been lying to you. You’re going to see something today, which you didn’t expect…’ “What was on offer was the very first episode of The Daleks’ Master Plan. My flabber was gasted, and I was a little bit speechless for probably half an hour.
“My bewildering day continued when I was invited into a private showing of ‘The Nightmare Begins’, projected onto a proper cinema screen. As I watched, I gradually grew in confidence as it went on, and I stopped being speechless and feeling stunned by it all. I then just felt very happy to see this rather good episode for the first time ever. It was excellent.”
As we’ve outlined, Film is Fabulous! had, in fact, recovered two missing episodes of The Daleks’ Master Plan. After the credits of “The Nightmare Begins” had rolled and the BBC news team got Purves’ initial reaction to the episode, Toby Hadoke, whom Peter had invited to sit beside him to share this impossibly rare viewing experience, apologised as he revealed he’d lied again. Toby explained that Film is Fabulous! hadn’t just found the first episode of The Daleks’ Master Plan… “They’ve also found Episode 3.”
An astonished Purves bolted upright in his cinema seat. “You’re kidding!” Asked if he would like an interval before the screening continued, the jubilant star couldn’t contain his excitement and enthusiastically requested that the episode be played without delay.
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.
At the end of his very special visit to Leicester, it was a chauffeur-driven car, rather than a spaceship, that arrived safely in orbit, ready to take the actor home. Standing tall, Peter personally thanked each of the assembled team for playing their part. Having recently battled illness, an emotional Purves explained that the experience had rejuvenated him.
“Today has given my recovery such a boost, I cannot tell you. It’s been an honour and an absolute joy for me to meet you all, and to be amongst people who actually care about preserving the work we did, and who have said very nice things about my part in it. It’s been a very happy experience for me.”
The Discovery: The Facts
Following Film is Fabulous! announcement of the recovery of two missing episodes on Friday, 13th March 2026, the team has issued an additional statement to provide further clarity, greater detail, and a simpler explanation, to ensure a better understanding of the situation.
This further statement comes after totally unfounded rumours began to circulate online of further finds.
Film is Fabulous! do not have any other missing episodes of Doctor Who. They are not holding any missing episodes back to announce at the special screening on Saturday, 4th April 2026.
Film is Fabulous! do not discuss the details of elderly private collectors, or the films in their collections, with third parties. John Franklin and Professor Justin Smith are the only members of the team who know the facts, and they will not disclose this information during interviews.
Film is Fabulous is not an archive, nor is it run to provide research material for those interested in missing episodes of television. Please contact the British Film Institute (BFI) if you are looking for information on lost feature films and missing episodes of television.
Film is Fabulous! are not ‘searching’ for missing episodes of Doctor Who. The primary function of the team is to preserve vulnerable film collections held privately in Britain. These include the film collections of collectors such as Tim Beddows, Terry Burnett, Maurice Haynes, Joseph Infanti, Eric Mival, David Moore, Max Robertson, John Ryan and Michael Wilson. (Visit the Film is Fabulous! website for more information).
In October 2025, John Franklin of Film is Fabulous! appeared on the Doctor Who Missing Episodes Podcast with Tim Burrows, and gave a detailed explanation of the circumstances surrounding a film collector, who had sadly died, and the films within the gentleman’s collection. The two missing episodes of Doctor Who announced on Friday, 13th March 2026, were recovered from that collection.
The deceased collector curated his films with great care, but did not necessarily appreciate the importance of each print, or their archival status. Indeed, he had no knowledge of, or interest in, Doctor Who. The original 16mm prints of the recovered episodes, with the restored digital scans, will be returned to the BBC Archives.
The deceased enthusiast’s private collection contained a total of six episodes of Doctor Who. In addition to the two missing episodes listed above, the following episodes were also recovered: “The Survivors” (Broadcast: 28th December 1963); “The Escape” (Broadcast: 4th January 1964); “The Web Planet” (Broadcast: 13th February 1965); and “The Executioners” (Broadcast: 22nd May 1965).
These four episodes of Doctor Who are already held by the BBC Archives. However, the original 16mm prints recovered by Film is Fabulous! will be returned to the BBC, as they might provide a superior source for future restorations. Neither the original 16mm prints, nor the cans with labels, are for sale to private individuals.
Film is Fabulous! are unable to provide images from the two recovered episodes, as they are not the copyright holder. Special dispensation was granted to Film is Fabulous! by the BBC, so that images from the recovered episodes could be included in their Press Release, and on the relevant pages of the Film is Fabulous! website. (If you require images for media purposes, please contact the BBC Press Office).
Film is Fabulous! have organised a special screening of the discovered episodes and tickets will go on sale today to the public, Tuesday, 17th March 2026. The venue is handling the sale of the tickets, together with the staging of the event. Check the Film is Fabulous! Facebook Page for information
Film is Fabulous! requested that the two recovered episodes be placed on BBC iPlayer, for a wide audience to enjoy.
“We are extremely grateful to the BBC Archives, who have facilitated this request,” say the team. “The two restored episodes of Doctor Who will be delivered to BBC iPlayer team during the week of the 16th to 20th March. The episodes will be published on iPlayer at Easter. The target date is Saturday, 4th April 2026.
“Film is Fabulous! are delighted to have recovered the two missing episodes of Doctor Who. The positive response, donations, and heartfelt comments about Peter Purves, are most pleasing.
“The team hopes that the above statement clarifies, contextualises, and provides sufficient information to fans of Doctor Who, to ensure falsehoods are minimised, and not perpetuated.”
The Daleks’ Master Plan: Enjoy What Remains
Leaving aside how did the episodes went “missing” in the first place, and why, here’s a quick guide to what we know exists of The Daleks’ Master Plan, including what has been released officially so far – and what known other assets are “out there”, documenting this early adventure, starring William Hartnell.
Although some of the original episodes are still lost, fortunately off air audio recordings exist for all episodes do exist. Screencaps, photographs taken of the broadcast episode, exist for “The Nightmare Begins” (taken by John Cura) and “The Feast of Steven” (a small number, taken by actor Robert Jewell).
The story was novelised in two volumes by John Peel, the first editions featuring covers by Alister Pearson: Mission to the Unknown and The Mutation of Time.
Other commercial releases of the story include the soundtracks to this story and its prequel, “Mission to the Unknown”, released on CD as Doctor Who: The Daleks’ Master Plan by BBC Audio, with linking narration by Peter Purves, in 2001.
Both stories’ soundtracks were later re-released, also with the Peter Purves narration, as part of the box set The Lost TV Episodes – Collection Two, in 2011.
To date, “Day of Armageddon” (Episode Two), “Counter Plot” (Episode Five) and “Escape Switch” (Episode Ten), the only episodes of this serial to exist within the BBC Archives before 2026, were released as part of the Lost in Time DVD box set in 2004, alongside a selection of surviving clips from Episode One, Three and Four, with Episode Two featuring an optional commentary track from Peter Purves, Kevin Stoney, who played the story’s human villain, Mavic Chen, and one of the story’s two designers, Raymond Cusick.
Enjoy The Story, Today
All reconstruction links are those created by the fan group, Loose Cannon. We are aware there have been other reconstructions. We cannot in all good conscience support the reconstructions using AI, no matter the genuine intent of those involved.
• Mission to the Unknown | First Broadcast 9th October 1965
Official Remake | Loose Cannon Reconstruction
Watch the full recreation of the missing 1965 episode “Mission to the Unknown” by the University of Central Lancashire
• The Nightmare Begins | First Broadcast 12th November 1965
• Due to be available on BBC iPlayer Easter 2026 | Loose Cannon Reconstruction
Day of Armageddon | First Broadcast 20th November 1965
Episode available on BBC iPlayer
Devil’s Planet| First Broadcast 27th November 1965
• Due to be available on BBC iPlayer Easter 2026 |- Loose Cannon Reconstruction
The Traitors | First Broadcast 4th December 1965
Counter Plot | First Broadcast 11th December 1965
Coronas of the Sun | First Broadcast 18th December 1965
The Feast of Steven | First Broadcast 25th December 1965
The Missing Episodes Blog notes “The Feast of Steven”, a Christmas-themed episode, and was never telerecorded, because it wasn’t intended for overseas sale. The writers took the opportunity to have an ‘intermission’ from the main Dalek storyline, and produced a whimsical adventure which wouldn’t affect viewers should they miss it. The episode concluded with the infamous scene where the Doctor turns to the camera and wishes viewers at home a happy Christmas.
Due to the comical nature of the episode, it was deemed unnecessary for it to be telerecorded onto 16mm film, as it wouldn’t be sold overseas (when The Dalek Master Plan was offered for overseas sales, it was classed as an 11-episode story). As such, the episode only existed as a 2″ 405-Line Quad tape, before being wiped by the Engineering Department on August 17th, 1967, along with several other episodes of the story. As surviving paperwork indicates that no other copy was made, this episode is now considered gone for good.
The complete audio soundtrack of this episode was recorded off-air by fan Graham Strong, which allowed the episode to live on, albeit in audio only. Of the visual representation however, 20 images were taken by actor Robert Jewell, whose main association with Doctor Who was as a Dalek Operator. In this story though, Jewell was able to get out of the Dalek casing and play the role of Bing Crosby (the man in the checked shirt).
Volcano | First Broadcast 1st January 1966
Golden Death | First Broadcast 8th January 1966
Escape Switch | First Broadcast 15th January 1966
The Abandoned Planet | First Broadcast 22nd January 1966
The Destruction of Time | First Broadcast 29th January 1966
Head downthetubes for…
• Film is Fabulous! Official Site: filmisfabulous.org.uk Facebook
• BBC The Daleks’ Master Plan Archive Page
Includes clips, photonovel and original paperwork, no longer being uploaded
This website is dedicated to the ongoing mission by Doctor Who fans and BBC staff alike who have searched and continue to seek out the missing episodes.
• Wikipedia: The Daleks’ Master Plan
• BroaDWcast: The Daleks’ Master Plan
Part of a site offering a comprehensive online guide to the foreign airdates and worldwide transmissions of classic era Doctor Who
• Doctor Who – Lost in Time (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
Official DVD release of all ‘orphaned’ 1960s episodes, including the remaining episodes of The Daleks’ Master Plan
• Lost TV Episodes – Collection Two (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
Four more thrilling soundtrack adventures from the early days of Doctor Who, featuring serials lost from the TV archive.
The pictures may be lost, but each of these stories survives as a soundtrack recording. Remastered, and with additional linking narration, they can be enjoyed once more.
In The Daleks’ Master Plan, the Daleks have stolen the Time Destructor, and are threatening to destroy the fabric of time itself. Pursued across time and space, the TARDIS crew are in grave danger…
• The TARDIS Builders: The Daleks’ Master Plan
• Doctor Who Ratings Guide: Fan Reviews of The Daleks’ Master Plan
Doctor Who: The Missing Episodes
Interesting Media includes an excellent article, “Lost in space and time: the story of Doctor Who’s missing episodes” by Paul Kirkley, that offers a readable background guide to the loss of many BBC recordings.
Just A List? In 1981, Doctor Who Magazine published the first comprehensive inventory of the BBC’s archive, listing Doctor Who episodes both existing and missing. 41 episodes have been returned since. Here’s a recreation of that list and how it stands in 2026, via designer Matthew Purchase.
Do note that it has been pointed out there were two errors in the original printed list that cancelled out in terms of numbers missing: The Wheel In Space Episode 6 was listed as missing but was actually held. The Invasion Episode 4 was listed as existing but was, and sadly still is, missing.
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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