The classic Doctor Who story The War Games, Patrick Troughton’s final regular adventure as the Second Doctor, is to be brought to life in a new colourisation, which will air on BBC Four and iPlayer on Saturday 23rd December 2024. But will the adaptation impact some of the rebel Time Lord’s “Missing Adventures”?
The new adaptation of what was originally a ten-part story will also feature the Second Doctor’s never-before-seen regeneration into the Third Doctor, alongside recovered footage the BBC says has not been seen since the original broadcast.
Originally aired in 1969, The War Games marked the end of an era for the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), following him and his companions Zoe (Wendy Padbury) and Jamie (Frazer Hines) as they land in a battlefield that appears to be a World War One military zone – but all is not as it seems.
They soon discover that soldiers from different historical periods have been abducted and are being manipulated in a cruel game. As they work to uncover the mystery behind the War Lord and his twisted experiments, the Doctor faces one of his most difficult challenges.
The War Games was the seventh and final serial of the sixth season of Doctor Who, which originally aired in ten weekly parts from 19th April to 21st June 1969, written Terrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke, directed by David Maloney, and produced by Derrick Sherwin.
For the first time, elements of the original episodes (the tale rather cruelly described as “six episodes too long” by some fans) have been colourised and enhanced with updated visual effects edited into a new, 90-minute feature-length experience “to appeal to today’s modern audiences”, say the BBC.
“With updated sound and a new score, this newly updated version of The War Games offers both fans and newcomers even more ways to watch the much-loved classic story.”
“It looks so vivid and new…”
In addition, the new take on the adventure will also feature the Second Doctor’s never-before-seen regeneration into the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee), alongside recovered footage not seen since the original broadcast.
Russell T Davies, Doctor Who’s Showrunner says: “From the day I arrived back on Doctor Who, this was the plan. To colourise old stories and bring them back to life.
“It looks so vivid and new,” he continues, “and for fans of black-and-white, the story in its original form will stay on BBC iPlayer, so everyone wins! I actually watched this transmit in 1969, at six years old, terrified of the Roman soldiers, fascinated by villains with glinting spectacles, and in awe of the Doctor’s brand new origin. Now fans old and new can enjoy it all over again.”
This special episode, produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for BBC, is the second time that a classic Doctor Who story has been colourised, following The Daleks in 2023 which was updated to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the franchise.
This special adaptation of The War Games is Executive Produced by Russell T Davies, Jane Tranter, Julie Gardner, Phil Collinson and Joel Collins. Lead Colourisation Artist is Richard Tipple and Edited by Benjamin Cook.
• The War Games will air on Saturday 23rd December 2024 on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. The original episodes are available to watch in The Whoniverse on BBC iPlayer
Beyond The War Games: The Second Doctor’s continuing adventures?
Because the original version of The War Games never featured the Second Doctor’s forced regeneration into the third, the period of the errant Time Lord’s life after his trial in The War Games has long been a rich ground for new adventures. Some fans are wondering if the new version of the adventure will impact this rich area of potential further Second Doctor stories – or confirm their possibility.
The contemporary publication TV Comic, for example, featured several stories set after the TV story. The Doctor was eventually carted off for regeneration by scarecrows dispatched by the Time Lords to enforce a change of face, and his exile, in the story now titled “The Night Walkers“, published in TV Comics Issues 934 – 936.
In 2022, Big Finish released Doctor Who – The Second Doctor Adventures: Beyond War Games, in which the Second Doctor, voiced by Michael Troughton, enters into a dangerous bargain in return for his freedom and sets out on several new adventures.
The post War Games adventures have continued with James Robert McCrimmon, which sees the Doctor reunited with a much older Jamie, many of his memories of his earlier travels with the Time Lord lost to him; and Conspiracy of Raven, released earlier this year. A fourth as yet untitled release arrives next year.
• The War Games will air on Saturday 23rd December 2024 on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. The original episodes are available to watch in The Whoniverse on BBC iPlayer
Further Reading…
• TV Comic: The Night Walkers – Story Guide
“The Night Walkers” was a comic strip published in the weekly TV Comic featuring the Second Doctor. Published in three parts in issues 934 – 934, published in November 1969, the story was the last TV Comic story to feature the Second Doctor, and the very last of his adventures in total, loosely serving as a direct prelude to Spearhead from Space, the debut story of Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor.
• The War Games, written by Malcolm Hulke, novelisation first published by Target Books in September 1979, with cover art by John Geary
A novelisation of the original serial, Doctor Who and the War Games, written by Malcolm Hulke, was first published by Target Books in September 1979. An audiobook of the novelisation read by David Troughton was released in 2011.
Mud, barbed wire, the smell of death… The year is 1917 and the TARDIS has materialised on the Western Front during the First World War. Or has it? For very soon the Doctor finds himself pursued by the soldiers of Ancient Rome; and then he and his companions are reliving the American Civil War of 1863. And is this really Earth, or just a mock-up created by the War Lords? As Doctor Who solves the mystery, he has to admit he is faced with an evil of such magnitude that he cannot combat it on his own…
Cover artist John Geary also provided covers for several Doctor Who Target books, including The Robots of Death and The Image of the Fendahl, as well as re-releases of stories such as The Claws of Axos. Geary was also one of a select number of portrait specialists who occasionally stood in for lead artist Arnaldo Putzu on Look-in covers in the 1970s and early 1980s.
• Big Finish: The Second Doctor Adventures
For a complete listing of all the Big Finish Second Doctor releases, make sure you view The Second Doctor Collection
- About the Author
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “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.
Categories: Books, Doctor Who, downthetubes News, Other Worlds, Science Fiction, Television
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