# Doctor Who - 2 missing episodes found **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 13, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-2-missing-episodes-found/605976 "2011-12-13T02:25:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-2-missing-episodes-found/605976/1 "2011-12-13T02:25:32Z")
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/news/bulletin\_111211\_01/Missing\_Episodes\_Recovered](http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/news/bulletin_111211_01/Missing_Episodes_Recovered) > **[Missing Doctor Who episodes discovered](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16136521)** > > Two missing episodes from the BBC's science fiction series Doctor Who are presented at the British Film Institute in London. For many years 108 episodes of Doctor Who have been missing, presumed wiped and lost forever. Yesterday the BBC have announced the recovery of 2 missing episodes. They are Episode 3 of the William Hartnell adventure “Galaxy 4” and Episode 2 of Patrick Troughton’s “The Underwater Menace” Of particular interest is the episode of Galaxy 4. Previously this had been one of the most mysterious stories of all. No complete episodes were known to survive. A six minute fragment of one episode was all that existed. Unlike most lost stories there were no [telesnaps](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telesnaps)made. And only a handful of on set photos were taken. Only two poor images of the story’s aliens, the Rills, were known. [1](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GfGnvPYBUJY/TZrzUQ7Ic7I/AAAAAAAAASI/XVs3zXKdUvY/s1600/galaxy-4-rills.gif) [2](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xma71vqnYRc/TZrzRKVw01I/AAAAAAAAAR8/myB4ktVEs10/s1600/Rill.jpg) Their appearance was thus a matter of [speculation](http://www.galaxy4.co.uk/product.thtml?id=3123)for fans. The recovered episode contain much clearer images. The episode of Underwater Menace is the earliest surviving Troughton episode. Wow. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-2-missing-episodes-found/605976/2 "2011-12-13T02:59:50Z")
Happy dance!!! :D:):D:)😃🆒 Here’s hoping more are out there and turn up. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-2-missing-episodes-found/605976/3 "2011-12-13T06:50:22Z")
They’ve already posted a couple one minute clips from these episodes. The quality is pretty good. They should restore really well for the dvd’s. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-2-missing-episodes-found/605976/4 "2011-12-13T07:14:18Z")
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**Author:** ![Suil\_Dubh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85f322/32.png) [@Suil\_Dubh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suil_Dubh)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-2-missing-episodes-found/605976/5 "2011-12-13T10:10:09Z")
That is great news, and I’m looking forward to the DVD release mentioned in the linked article. As much as I enjoy “New Who”, I prefer the older series more. ---
**Author:** ![Galanthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Galanthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galanthus)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-2-missing-episodes-found/605976/6 "2011-12-13T13:01:48Z")
Galaxy 4 is interesting 🙂 … the Troughton ep has some of the worst monsters they ever made though. Wish it had been a episode of “Web of Fear” … ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-2-missing-episodes-found/605976/7 "2011-12-13T16:16:24Z")
I’d like to make a plea to all the Dopers out there who are film collectors, to check their collections. If you own any old Doctor Who episodes on 16 mm, please recheck what episodes you own. Do not assume that the BBC still has a copy. The guy who just turned in the 2 episodes had them for 20+ years and he just assumed they weren’t unique. Don’t be “that guy/gal”. There are numerous Doctor Who sites out there itemizing the missing episodes, which you can compare your holdings against. Do it today. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Pantani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/87869e/32.png) [@Pantani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantani)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-2-missing-episodes-found/605976/8 "2011-12-13T20:24:11Z")
Whoot!!! Wasn’t that long ago that peopel were shaking their heads and saying how unlikely it was that any more episodes wpuld be found. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-2-missing-episodes-found/605976/9 "2011-12-14T01:51:49Z")
If only someone with a time machine could go save the films before BBC threw them out. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-2-missing-episodes-found/605976/10 "2011-12-15T09:38:38Z")
> [@Galanthus](#): > > Galaxy 4 is interesting 🙂 … the Troughton ep has some of the worst monsters they ever made though. > > Wish it had been a episode of “Web of Fear” … I know that Web is a lost classic. But at least we have the telesnaps to show us what it was like. With Galaxy 4 we had so little visual material left, it is in many ways a more exciting find. If they find more episodes, I’d hope it comes from The Mythmakers and The Massacre, two others with little visual reference left. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-2-missing-episodes-found/605976/11 "2011-12-15T13:56:35Z")
Wow, awesome! It’s a bit mind boggling, though, how mysterious the Galaxy four episode is. I mean, it’s old, but it’s not THAT old. Surely there’s someone around who remembers making it, or even just watching it, and could fill in the gaps with a detailed plot synopses. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-2-missing-episodes-found/605976/12 "2011-12-15T14:34:19Z")
The detailed plot synopsis and scripts exist. Even the soundtrack for all four episodes exists, because some fan recorded it on cassette when the show was broadcast. What didn’t exist was a large number of photos from the episode. Most of the missing episodes still exist as a series of [still photos](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telesnaps). ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-2-missing-episodes-found/605976/13 "2011-12-15T14:35:34Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > The detailed plot synopsis and scripts exist. Even the soundtrack for all four episodes exists, because some fan recorded it on cassette when the show was broadcast. What didn’t exist was a large number of photos from the episode. Most of the missing episodes still exist as a series of [still photos](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telesnaps). Ah, okay, that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-2-missing-episodes-found/605976/14 "2011-12-15T16:07:50Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > Wow, awesome! It’s a bit mind boggling, though, how mysterious the Galaxy four episode is. I mean, it’s old, but it’s not THAT old. Surely there’s someone around who remembers making it, or even just watching it, and could fill in the gaps with a detailed plot synopses. Well, I remember watching it (the first episode, anyway), but I don’t think I can help you much with plot details. All I can say for sure is that for one Saturday evening when I was very nearly three years old, I _really_ wanted to be a chumbly.