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Posted: |
Oct 10, 2013 - 12:21 PM
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By: |
johnjohnson
(Member)
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UPDATE 11: From The Northern Echo:
FOUR decades ago, Dr Who’s encounter with the mythical Yeti left a generation of children terrified and enthralled. The six part serial Web of Fear became one of the best-loved serials of the Patrick Troughton era. Sadly, in the 1970s the well-travelled time lord faced an enemy far deadlier than the Daleks – BBC beancounters.
In an effort to save money, tapes of classic shows were wiped and recorded over. In a matter of months some of the Doctor’s greatest adventures were lost… seemingly forever. The Web of Fear is one of the most missed serials, along with another Troughton era adventure, The Power of the Daleks. But now all six missing episodes have been found – in a dusty storeroom in Nigeria.
The previously lost nine shows were among 11 traced to a television relay station and the find brings back to life an entire six-episode story, while another is almost complete. The newly found programmes – which introduce the character of Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, better known to audiences as The Brigadier – will be available on iTunes from today and will later come out on DVD.
Phillip Morris, the director of Television International Enterprises Archive, unearthed the programmes by looking up the records of overseas shipments of tapes made by the BBC.
The stories, The Enemy Of The World and The Web Of Fear both starring Patrick Troughton as the second Doctor, have now been remastered by BBC Worldwide, the corporation’s commercial arm.
Mr Morris said: ‘‘I remember wiping the dust off the masking tape on the canisters and my heart missed a beat as I saw the words Doctor Who. When I read the story code, I realised I’d found something pretty special.’’
Only one episode of The Enemy Of The World – which featured Deborah Watling as companion Victoria and Frazer Hines, later to find fame in Emmerdale as Jamie – had remained in the archives, so the addition of programmes one, two, four, five and six have completed the story.
Fiona Eastwood, director of consumer products, BBC Worldwide, said: ‘‘We are thrilled with the recent discovery of The Web Of Fear and The Enemy Of The World and we’re very happy to be launching re-mastered versions of these treasured episodes to fans as we celebrate the 50th year of Doctor Who.’’
The BBC still had the first edition in the Web Of Fear story, and the new finds mean only number three is missing. The tale introduced Nicholas Courtney as Lethbridge-Stewart, who began with the rank of Colonel but later became Brigadier.
The missing episode has been recreated using 37 still images which were available and the original audio which survived.
http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/lost-doctor-who-classics-found-53619.htm
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Call me a sceptic, but is it really a coincidence that these episodes are found so shortly before the 50th Anniversary celebration of Doctor Who
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Posted: |
Oct 10, 2013 - 6:58 PM
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By: |
johnjohnson
(Member)
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FOUR decades ago, Dr Who's encounter with the mythical Yeti left a generation of children terrified and enthralled.
The six part serial Web of Fear became one of the best-loved serials of the Patrick Troughton era.
Sadly, in the 1970s the well-travelled time lord faced an enemy far deadlier than the Daleks - BBC beancounters.
In an effort to save money, tapes of classic shows were wiped and recorded over.
In a matter of months some of the Doctor's greatest adventures were lost... seemingly forever.
The Web of Fear is one of the most missed serials, along with another Troughton era adventure, The Power of the Daleks.
But now all six missing episodes have been found - in a dusty storeroom in Nigeria.
The previously lost nine shows were among 11 traced to a television relay station and the find brings back to life an entire six-episode story, while another is almost complete.
The newly found programmes - which introduce the character of Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, better known to audiences as The Brigadier - will be available on iTunes from today and will later come out on DVD.
Phillip Morris, the director of Television International Enterprises Archive, unearthed the programmes by looking up the records of overseas shipments of tapes made by the BBC.
Mr Morris said: ‘‘I remember wiping the dust off the masking tape on the canisters and my heart missed a beat as I saw the words Doctor Who. When I read the story code, I realised I’d found something pretty special.’’ Only one episode of The Enemy Of The World - which featured Deborah Watling as companion Victoria and Frazer Hines, later to find fame in Emmerdale as Jamie - had remained in the archives, so the addition of programmes one, two, four, five and six have completed the story.
Fiona Eastwood, director of consumer products, BBC Worldwide, said: ‘‘We are thrilled with the recent discovery of The Web Of Fear and The Enemy Of The World and we’re very happy to be launching re-mastered versions of these treasured episodes to fans as we celebrate the 50th year of Doctor Who.’’ The BBC still had the first edition in the Web Of Fear story, and the new finds mean only number three is missing. The tale introduced Nicholas Courtney as Lethbridge-Stewart, who began with the rank of Colonel but later became Brigadier.
The missing episode has been recreated using 37 still images which were available and the original audio which survived.
Many programmes from the era, along with many classic shows, disappeared as a result of efforts to save space. There are still 27 Doctor Who stories which have not been recovered or for which episodes are missing.
The show celebrates its half-century on November 23.
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/10732084.Classic_Dr_Who_serials_unearthed/
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Posted: |
Oct 11, 2013 - 5:11 AM
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By: |
johnjohnson
(Member)
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Nine episodes from the fifth season of Doctor Who and starring Patrick Troughton as the Doctor have been recovered from Nigeria, the BBC announced today.
The previously missing, presumed destroyed episodes hail from The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear, with episodes 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 of Enemy completing that particular story and the return of episodes 2, 4, 5, and 6 of Web meaning only episode 3 of the Yeti sequel is still missing. Episode 3 of Enemy and episode 1 of Web were also returned, but were already held in the archive.
The recovery now brings the total number of missing episodes down to 97 and is the biggest single find in decades.
They - and the relevant stories' already-surviving episodes - had originally gone to Hong Kong but had been "bicycled" on and were discovered at a TV relay station in the city of Jos by Phillip Morris, executive director of Television International Enterprises Archives (TIEA), who tracked records of overseas shipments made by the BBC containing tapes for transmission.
All the episodes - including a reconstructed episode 3 of Web - have been remastered and are available to buy via download as of now from iTunes by people in the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, France, and Germany. The third episode of Web has been reconstructed by the BBC Doctor Who Restoration Team, using a selection of the 37 images that were available from the episode, along with the original audio, which has been restored.
In addition, The Enemy of the World will be released on DVD on Friday 22nd November ahead of Doctor Who's 50th anniversary, with The Web of Fear to follow in early 2014.
It is unknown exactly when the episodes were found, but in a BBC press release statement, Morris said:
The tapes had been gathering dust in a store room at a television relay in Nigeria. I remember wiping the dust off the masking tape on the canisters and my heart missed a beat as I saw the words "Doctor Who". When I read the story code, I realised I'd found something pretty special.
Doctor Who News was at the press conference held yesterday in central London to announce the finds, where Deborah Watling, Frazer Hines, and Mark Gatiss were the special guests and screenings of episode 1 of Enemy and episode 2 of Web took place to rapturous applause.
Speaking about the recoveries, Hines told Doctor Who News:
For me, it's so exciting. We had Underwater Menace part two but the finds were in dribs and drabs. I'm so chuffed that we've got practically two complete stories. And I haven't seen these since they went out!
At the press conference, Dan Phelan, head of communication for BBC Worldwide, commented on the recent rife speculation, calling it "some 'almost' well-informed, some very wide of the mark." A statement from Morris was then read out by Roy Robinson, archive co-ordinator at TIEA, part of which was as follows:
I would like to thank everybody at BBC Worldwide and BBC Television for their mammoth support during this project. It is my greatest pleasure in the 50th anniversary year of Doctor Who, in a joint project between my company TIEA and BBC Worldwide, to unveil two classic adventures.
Sadly, due to other archive commitments overseas, I am unable to be with you today. My work is endless and, as you know, the search must continue.
I would like to dedicate these episodes to everyone who has ever worked on the show and to all Doctor Who fans around the world. I have the Doctor Who fans' best interests at heart. On behalf of myself and everyone at TIEA, thank you for your continued interest, and I hope our paths will soon cross again.
A filmed interview with Morris was also shown, in which he said they had been very lucky because the episodes had been kept in optimum condition. He also praised the restoration, recovery, and archive work done by the BBC.
The screening of the second episode of The Web of Fear was introduced by Gatiss, who said:
As long as I've been a Doctor Who fan - and that's a very long time - there's been one story that I hoped, prayed, begged would one day turn up from the 106 episodes that are tragically missing from the archives.
Now, thanks to the astonishing endeavour of Phillip Morris and TIEA, hunting Indiana Jones-like through dusty archives around the world and risking his neck, I'm over the moon to annnounce that not only is the number of missing episodes down to 97 but also amongst them is The Web of Fear - I'm going to say that again: The Web of Fear! Yeti! On the London Underground! Patrick Troughton! This is perhaps the quintessential Doctor Who story. A fantastic monster, a claustrophobic, iconic setting and, best of all, one of the very greatest Doctors at the height of his powers.
Watling's father, Jack, played Professor Travers in both Yeti stories, and during the question-and-answer panel, she commented on seeing her father again on the screen by simply saying: "That's brilliant!" She also added how Troughton had been like another father and another uncle to her.
Hines praised "the set boys" on The Web of Fear, saying they deserved a BAFTA and commenting that it was so realistic he thought the train lines would be live. He also recalled how Watling teased Troughton as he attempted a South American accent for Salamander in The Enemy of the World, saying that it sounded Welsh, which caused Troughton to slink away somewhat deflated!
Watling said about the episode discoveries:
When I first heard it, I couldn't quite believe it. I just thought it was another hoax and it won't be me.
But when it was finally confirmed:
I thought 'My God! I'll be back on the screen again. I'm thrilled!
Hines added:
This now gives me hope more stories of Pat's will come out of the woodwork.
Stories Hines said he would most like to see returned were The Evil of the Daleks and The Space Pirates (because of the model work), while Watling cited Fury From The Deep, and Gatiss named The Power of the Daleks and The Daleks' Master Plan as his choice candidates for recovery.
In the press statement, Fiona Eastwood, director of consumer products for BBC Worldwide, commented:
We are thrilled with the recent discovery of The Web of Fear and The Enemy of the World and we're very happy to be launching remastered versions of these treasured episodes to fans as we celebrate the 50th year of Doctor Who.
http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2013/10/nine-troughton-episodes-recovered.html
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Posted: |
Oct 11, 2013 - 8:14 AM
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By: |
johnjohnson
(Member)
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Back in mid-June we relayed word about some rumors going around the internet regarding missing episodes of classic Doctor Who being found...supposedly a HUGE cache of some 90 or more episodes (out of 106 total missing from among the adventures of 1st and 2nd Doctors). We later updated that story, and posted a follow-up as well, trying to better set expectations among our readers that the rumors may bear out, or that they may not amount to as much as has been hoped for after all. We basically finished by saying that we would wait until the BBC officially announced something about the matter. Well, this evening we've gotten a press release with today's date on it, so we're passing along the pertinent info from that document. Here's the first important piece of information: how many were found, and where?
"Eleven Doctor Who episodes were discovered (nine of which have not been seen for 46 years) by Philip Morris, director of Television International Enterprises Archive, by tracking records of tape shipments made by the BBC to Africa for transmission. Morris says, "The tapes had been left gathering dust in a store room at a television relay station in Nigeria. I remember wiping the dust off the masking tape on the canisters and my heart missed a beat as I saw the words 'Doctor Who'. When I read the story code I realized I'd found something pretty special." BBC Worldwide has re-mastered these episodes to restore them to the fantastic quality that audiences expect from Doctor Who."
The episodes in question are all from two stories which star Patrick Troughton as the 2nd Doctor: Doctor Who - Story #040: The Enemy of the World, and Doctor Who - Story #041: The Web of Fear. Each is a 6-part story, and until this time each of them had a single episode which had survived (#3 for Enemy; #1 for Web). Both of those surviving episodes have been on DVD since the BBC's 2004 release of The Lost in Time Collection.
The episodes Morris found in Nigeria include those two parts, plus ALL other missing episodes from The Enemy of the World, as well as all the other parts from The Web of Fear EXCEPT for episode #3. Enemy aired in late December 1967 and January 1968, starring Patrick Troughton as both the 2nd Doctor AND as his evil doppleganger, Salamander. It co-stars Frazer Hines as Jamie and Deborah Watling as Victoria (both were reportedly at the BBC press conference for this announcement!). Web was broadcast right afterward, in February and March 1968, and introduced Nicholas Courtney as Colonel Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (when we next saw him in The Invastion, he was Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart of UNIT). Jamie and Victoria are in it as well, plus - as the sequel to story #38 (The Abominable Snowmen) - this story also marks the return of Professor Edward Travers (played by Jack Watling, Deborah's father), the Great Intelligence, and the Yeti.
The BBC press release for America does not mention DVD plans in particular, but an article at the British website CultBox gives information about the United Kingdom DVD plans for these stories: "'The Enemy of the World' will be released on DVD on Monday 22 November**, while 'The Web of Fear' will be released on DVD early next year." In the meantime, these episode will be available to watch via iTunes. The press release we received states this about the missing Web episode, and how that's handled for the streaming service: "With episode 3 still missing, the restoration team has reconstructed this part of the story using a selection of the 37 images that were still available from the episode along with the original audio, which has been restored." MY PERSONAL SPECULATION (and that's all it is, a guess!) is that the reason for holding off on Web for DVD release until 2014, is to allow enough time for an animated episode reconstruction to occur, similar to what we've seen in The Invasion and other classic Doctor Who stories only missing one or two episodes. That may just be wishful thinking on my part, however.
Could there be more found that the BBC isn't telling us about just yet? Maybe, but I personally doubt it. After all, the 50th Anniversary isn't that far away now, and I'm sure they would want to let everybody know about it if there were more on tap. But sure, it could be possible that they're holding back some news until closer to November 23rd. In the meantime, though, it's gratifying to know that these newly-found episodes - 9 that we hadn't had access to since they were originally broadcast! - will bring the "missing" total down from 106 to 97 (with 26 stories in all missing at least one episode). And, once these stories are released on disc, there will be only 10 stories not represented at all on DVD. And, even though there are no stated plans as of this writing for North American DVD releases of these stories, we can all rest assured that the folks at BBC Home Entertainment would never ignore the USA/Canada market. They're coming, and we can't wait to find out when! We'll update you more as further developments occur.
**UPDATE/CORRECTION: Please be aware that CultBox showed an incorrect date of "Monday 22 November" (which is actually a Friday, the day before the Saturday Nov. 23rd anniversary for 50 years of Doctor Who, which sees the worldwide broadcast of the 50th Anniversary special "Day of the Doctor"). However, they apparently have gotten their incorrect date directly from the BBC, which shows "November 22" in reports such as this one (see fifth paragraph). The actual British date , per the U.K. online store for the BBC, is Monday November 25th. The same source shows the U.K. date for Web of Fear as Monday February 24, 2014.
http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Doctor-Enemy-of-the-World-and-Web-of-Fear/19064
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