In my review of the recently released The Ice Warriors DVD on 3 September I posited that there may be a relationship between the resurrection of seemingly deceased Doctor Who monsters and the sale of Classic Series DVDs. Only four months prior to The Ice Warrior’s DVD release an Ice Warrior emerged for the first time in 39 years in The Cold War. Similarly, the last Fourth Doctor DVD to be issued, The Terror of the Zygons, coincidently found its way onto retailers’ shelves but a mere six weeks prior to the Zygons much anticipated reprise in the 50th Anniversary Special, The Day of the Doctor. Should we anticipate the return of the Fish People soon given the impending release of The Underwater Menace, I asked.
In retrospect, the recovery of The Web of Fear is now obvious considering the story arc which commenced with the 2012 Christmas Special, The Snowmen. At the time the return of the Great Intelligence, a formless mass first encountered in The Abominable Snowmen and last seen in The Web of Fear 44 years earlier, was a incredibly bizarre decision by Doctor Who show runner Steven Moffat. Of all villains to resurrect, why choose one who only appeared in two missing serials over 40 years previously? Not that this was the first time that a monster seemingly lost for all time had been reimaged. The Macra reappeared in the 2007 Series 3 episode Gridlock having last been seen in 1967’s The Macra Terror.
A snowman from 2012’s The Snowmen
The Great Intelligence’s revival was not limited to a single episode, however. It went on to appear in two further Series 7 episodes, The Bells of Saint John and The Name of the Doctor and was the series’ major protagonist. Which leads us to further coincidences. Were the Snowmen who accompanied the Great Intelligence in The Snowmen a substitute for the Intelligence’s first tools, the Yeti? Should we anticipate the recovery and issue of The Abominable Snowmen sometime soon? Moreover, is this image taken from the 50th Anniversary trailer perhaps a hint that The Abominable Snowmen has indeed been returned. The snow capped mountains in the background clearly represent Tibet and the stone block building could readily be a monastery. Is the Second Doctor playing his recorder as if to summon the missing episodes home? Only time will tell, however one thing is certain. Henceforth the revival of any monsters and villains from lost 1960’s episodes will be scrutinized and speculated upon by fans as evidence of recoveries. Let’s see what the 50th Anniversary and Christmas Specials, together with Series 8, brings forth!
A screen capture from the BBC trailer for the 50th Anniversary Special, The Day of the Doctor
Tomorrow The Doctor Who Mind Robber will examine the 5 Greatest Monsters of the Sixties. Today, however, we look at the 10 Greatest Humanoid Villains. By humanoid we refer to any villainous character that looks human, whether they derive from Earth or some other planet. In our humble opinion 1960s Doctor Who was rather more successful in creating villains of human appearance than “monsters” in the traditional sense. Perhaps the costumes and special effects that made the “monsters” were a substitute for good script writing, or alternatively, distracted viewers from the actual performances of the actors. In any event, we hope you enjoy our list and acknowledge now that Mavic Chen’s allegedly blue skin may have made him look somewhat less than human!
Eric Klieg and his associate Kaftan were members of the Brotherhood of Logicians. The Brotherhood was a group of highly intelligent individuals who believed in pure logic. The Doctor’s next companion, Zoe, would undoubtedly have qualified for membership of the Brotherhood. Klieg and Kaftan financed Professor Parry’s expedition to Telos and accompanied the party of archaeologists. Also present was Kaftan’s manservant Toberman. Seeking to obtain absolute power, Klieg revived the Cybermen from their tombs in the mistaken belief that they would logically support his quest for domination. Both Klieg and Kaftan were killed at the hands of the Cybermen.
Klieg and Kaftan were members of the Brotherhood of Logicians who funded Professor Parry’s expedition to Telos in The Tomb of the Cybermen
Professor Zaroff was a brilliant scientist renowned the world over for experiments involving the creation of inexpensive food from the sea. Having suddenly disappeared he was presumed dead, however the Doctor and his companions met Zaroff when they visited the lost city of Atlantis.
Zaroff was mentally unhinged and absurdly sought to destroy the world just because he could. That he would die in the process was irrelevant as his aim to be the greatest scientist in the world would nonetheless be achieved. His plan for the earth’s destruction involved draining the oceans into the Earth’s molten core, thereby causing the planet’s explosion from overheated steam. Before Zaroff could commence draining the oceans the Doctor flooded Atlantis and the professor was drowned in his laboratory. Zaroff is perhaps best known for his manic cry of “Nothing in ze world can stop me now!”
The Drahvins were a race of attractive blonde women whose beauty disguised their malignant intentions. Stranded on an unnamed planet when their space ship crash landed, the Drahvins were intent on destroying the Rill, another race of creatures also stranded on the planet. Although there were male Drahvins very few were allowed to live as they “consume valuable food and fulfil no particular function”. The female Drahvins are of two castes – those with intelligence and free will who were conceived naturally, and those who are soldier drones and created in test tubes. The latter are bred purely to fight and kill. An extensive examination of the Drahvins appears in my review of Galaxy 4.
The external beauty of the Drahvins masked their evil intentions in Galaxy 4
7. Smythe – The War Games
Smythe was a War Lord, a humanoid race who endeavoured to conquer the galaxy in The War Games. Akin to the Time Lords, the War Lords possessed time machines named SIDRATs (TARDIS backwards). The SIDRAT’s technology was not as advanced as the TARDIS’s and had been imparted to the War Lords by a renegade Time Lord, the War Chief. Smythe assumed the identity of a British Army General in the simulated World War 1 zone of the War Games. The intention of the War Lords was to select the best soldiers for use in their quest for domination. Twice he attempted to have the Doctor executed by firing squad after conducting a kangaroo court and convicting him of treason. By putting on his spectacles and staring into his subordinates eyes, Smythe was able to successfully control their minds. He was eventually shot dead by a member of the resistance.
The War Lord Smythe wearing his magical spectacles in The War Games
Messrs Oak and Quill were engineers at the Euro Sea Gas rig that the Second Doctor and his companions found themselves on in The Fury From the Deep. Dressed in maintenance garb, the pair looked like Laurel and Hardy and were possessed by the Weed Creature. Only Mr Oak spoke. The pair gained entry to Mrs Harris’s home on the pretext of repairing a stove. They rendered Mrs Harris unconscious in perhaps the most terrifying minute of Doctor Who ever by opening their charcoal lined mouths and breathing toxic gas.
Mr Quill and Mr Oak were the Laurel and Hardy of Villains in The Fury From the Deep
Once of the most iconic images from the Second Doctor’s lost adventure Fury from the Deep. Almost one minute of this clip survives thanks to the Australian Film Censorship Board
Performed by Australian actor Ray Barrett, Bennett was one of only two long-term survivors of a crashed space ship on the planet Dido. Prior to the crash he had murdered one of the crew members however the subsequent fate of the craft meant that he was not brought to justice. The only member of the crew who was unaware of the killing was a young girl named Vicki. In an attempt to ensure that he was never put on trial, Bennett killed all the other passengers, together with a number of natives of Dido, when they met for a meet-and-greet. Vicki was sick with a fever and didn’t attend the function. As such she was blissfully unaware of Bennett’s crimes.
Vicki and Bennett are the sole survivors of a spaceship crash on the planet Dido
Bennett subsequently enslaved Vicki in domestic servitude and psychologically terrorised her by masquerading as a Dodo native, the horrendous Koquillion. When the Doctor finally unmasked him Bennett was approached by two hitherto unknown humanoid survivors of Dodo. Whilst backing away from them Bennett fell to his death down a rock face.
Bennett masqueraded as the horrendous Koquillion in The Rescue
The Celestial Toymaker was an immortal being with the capacity to travel through time and space. He took the physical form of a Caucasian male dressed in the garb of a Mandarin. The Toymaker used the immense power that he wielded to control a world of children’s games in which he rigged the rules. The games played were a matter of life and death. In order to retrieve the TARDIS Steven and Dodo were ensnared in a series of puerile games with clowns, playing cards, ballerinas, a cook, a sergeant, and a bratty school boy. The Doctor, in the interim, was engaged in a game of trilogic with Toymaker in which he was required to move and restack 10 pieces in the exact correct 1023 moves. Annoyed by the Doctor’s banter, the Toymaker first made him invisible, save for right hand, and then totally mute. Through bluff and cunning the Doctor eventually beat the Toymaker, retrieving the TARDIS and decamping with his companions.
The Toymaker finds the Doctor’s presence intolerable in The Celestial Toymaker
Peter Butterworth’s character, the Monk, has the distinction of being the first, and only, humanoid villain revived during Sixties Doctor Who. Certainly The Abominable Snowmen’s Travis was pretty nasty to start with, however he warmed to the Doctor and his companions during the course of that story and was undoubtedly an old friend by the time they met again 40 years later in The Web of Fear.
Unlike the other villains in this list the Monk was actually quite a pleasant chap. Sure he played havoc with the Doctor and his friends, but always did so in a cheery manner. Like the Doctor he also had a TARDIS, however the Monk’s actually functioned properly. Not only was he able to programme it to materialize at the desired time and location, but its chameleon circuit was also fully functioning – at least until the Doctor sabotaged it on several occasions. In The Time Meddler the Doctor removed the dimensional control (the chameleon circuit) from the Monk’s TARDIS which shrunk it to a minute size. The Monk was left stranded in 1066 England. In The Daleks’ Master Plan the Doctor briefly reprogrammed the Monk’s chameleon circuit and his TARDIS variously became a motorbike, a western type covered wagon and a World War II tank. The Doctor eventually stole the Monk’s directional unit and his TARDIS ended up as a block of ice stranded on an icy planet.
Peter Butterworth portrayed the Monk in The Time Meddlerand The Daleks’ Master Plan
Although not identified as a Time Lord or from Gallifrey, the Monk was certainly the first of the Doctor’s people to meet with him in Doctor Who. It’s hardly any surprise that the Monk’s race and home were not revealed in The Time Meddler and The Daleks Master Plan. The show’s writers did not invent Gallifrey or the Time Lords until the Season 6 finale, The War Games. It is only with the benefit of hindsight that fans have been able to place the Monk into Doctor Who’s continuity. The Monk is top of my list of Sixties humanoid villains that I’d most like to see revived.
Tobias Vaughn is the second of two great Doctor Who villains portrayed by Kevin Stoney. The head of International Electromatics, the largest electronics manufacturer in the world, Vaughn foolishly believed himself to be capable of both using and outwitting the Cybermen in his own plans for world domination. He imprisoned Professor Watkins, an old friend of Professor Travis, and had him invent a device which created emotions so strong that it would destroy the Cybermen. After entering into an alliance with the Cybermen and assisting in their planned invasion of Earth, Vaughn was betrayed by them and entered into an alliance with the Doctor. Vaughn and the Doctor used the machine invented by Watkins to defeat the Cybermen, but not before Vaughn met his death at the hands of a Cyberman atop a building.
Kevin Stoney played the role of Tobias Vaughn in The Invasion
The first of Kevin Stoney’s brilliantly portrayed villains, Mavic Chen was the Guardian of the Solar System who formed an alliance with the Daleks in The Daleks Master Plan. A traitor to fellow humanoids, Chen sought to obtain universal domination by ultimately betraying the Daleks. Chen’s thirst for power gradually consumed him to such an extent that he became mentally unbalanced. Chen conscripted Space Security Service agent Sara Kingdom to assassinate her own brother, Bret Vyon, although she eventually switched allegiance to the Doctor. Having assisted in the retrieval of the taranium core required to fuel the Dalek’s Time Destructor, Chen’s usefulness came to an end and he was exterminated by the Daleks.
Kevin Stoney portrayed Mavic Chen in The Daleks’ Master Plan
A trailer for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special, The Day of the Doctor, was screened on BBC One this evening. The press release issued earlier today stated the following:
A specially created trailer celebrating the last 50 years of Doctor Who will air tonight on BBC One, as an exclusive image is revealed today featuring the 11 Doctors.
Travelling through time fans will be taken on a journey from the very beginning using state of the art technology. The special trailer is set to show all of the Doctors as they first appeared on screen, including William Hartnell in high res colour for the very first time, as celebrations ramp up to the 23 November.
A huge moment for the BBC, the 50th celebrations will culminate with the special episode, ‘The Day of the Doctor’, starring Matt Smith, David Tennant and Jenna Coleman with Billie Piper and John Hurt. A whole range of shows have also been commissioned across TV and radio to mark the anniversary.
The minute long trailer will air after Strictly Come Dancing tonight on BBC One and will be also be available on http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho
On Day 41 of our 50th Anniversary Countdown The Doctor Who Mind Robber examines some 1960’s companions that could or should have been. The would-be companions are listed in broadcast order only.
1. Bret Vyon – The Daleks’ Master Plan
There are some fans who may posit that Bret Vyon, the Space Security Agent from The Daleks’ Master Plan, has already been accorded companion status. This is somewhat of a minority view, however. Nicholas Courtney’s first Doctor Who role saw his character travel through time and space with the Doctor and his companions but he was somewhat of an interloper. His first meeting with the Doctor involved a threat of violence and he forced his way into the TARDIS uninvited. It took some time for a degree of trust to be established between the parties.
In any event Vyon was killed at the hands of his own sister, Sara Kingdom. Thank goodness he was or we would never have had the iconic Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Well at least not the Brigadier as played by Nicholas Courtney.
Nicholas Courtney played Bret Vyon in The Daleks’ Master Plan
2. Anne Chaplet – The Massacre
Anne Chaplet was a French servant girl who the Doctor and Steven met in Paris during The Massacre. At the time Steven was the First Doctor’s sole companion, with this serial being the only one in the monochrome era of Doctor Who to feature just a single travelling companion. Vicki had left in the final episode of The Myth Makers and had been replaced by Katarina for episodes one to four of The Daleks’ Master Plan. Sara Kingdom then accompanied the Doctor and Steven until her death in episode 12 of that serial. Proceeding directly on from the DMP, The Massacre is one of a long series of sadly missing episodes.
Anne Chaplet – the Huguenot servant girl that the Doctor refused to save in The Massacre
As the Doctor disappeared for the majority of episodes of The Massacre, only to be replaced by his evil double Abbot Amboise, Anne had very little contact with him. Anne’s relationship with Steven, however, was strong and they immediately clicked. He was understandably devastated and angry when the Doctor refused to allow Anne to accompany them in the TARDIS when they left Paris in episode four.
STEVEN: Surely there was something we could have done?
DOCTOR: No, nothing. Nothing. In any case, I cannot change the course of history, you know that. The massacre continued for several days in Paris and then spread itself to other parts of France. Oh, what a senseless waste. What a terrible page of the past.
STEVEN: Did they all die?
DOCTOR: Yes, most of them. About ten thousand in Paris alone.
STEVEN: The Admiral?
DOCTOR: Yes.
STEVEN: Nicholas? You had to leave Anne Chaplet there to die.
DOCTOR: Anne Chaplet?
STEVEN: The girl! The girl who was with me! If you’d brought her with us she needn’t have died. But no, you had to leave her there to be slaughtered.
DOCTOR: Well, it is possible of course she didn’t die, and I was right to leave her.
STEVEN: Possible? Look, how possible? That girl was already hunted by the Catholic guards. If they killed ten thousand how did they spare her? You don’t know do you” You can’t say for certain that you weren’t responsible for that’s girl’s death.
DOCTOR: I was not responsible.
STEVEN: Oh, no. You just sent her back to her aunt’s house where the guards were waiting to catch her. I tell you this much, Doctor, wherever this machine of yours lands next I’ m getting off. If you have so little regard for human life then I want no part of it.
DOCTOR: We’ve landed. Your mind is made up?
STEVEN: Goodbye.
Steven, Anne and Huguenots in The Massacre
No sooner had Steven left the ship than Dodo Chaplet mysteriously entered and Steven returned. Upon learning Dodo’s surname Steven was intrigued. Could she perhaps be a descendant of Anne’s? Logically, however, with would have been highly unlikely in a patriarchal society in which women were routinely given their father’s surnames.
3. Samantha Briggs – The Faceless Ones
Pauline Collins’ first appearance in Doctor Who was in the 1967 serial The Faceless Onesas the Liverpudlian Samantha Briggs. Investigating the disappearance of her brother on a Chameleon Tours flight to Rome, Sam met up with The Doctor and his companions. Although born in Liverpool, Collins’ Liverpudlian accent in the story has been the cause of much mirth over the years. A possible romantic match for Jamie, the relationship between the two characters never progressed beyond a kiss.
As Polly and Ben were leaving Doctor Who at the end of The Faceless Ones Collins was offered the job as a full-time companion. Perhaps wisely, given the lack of success of many companions post Who, Collins declined and went on to obtain an OBE, win a BAFTA for Best Film Actress, and be nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. She is best known for her role in the movie Shirley Valentine. In 2006 Collins appeared in the Doctor Who episode Tooth and Claw as Queen Victoria.
Jamie gets a kiss from Samantha in The Faceless Ones
4. Thonmi – The Abominable Snowmen
A young monk at the Det-Sen Monastery during the Doctor and his companions’ jaunt to Tibet in 1935 (The Abominable Snowmen), Thonmi would have been an intriguing companion. Having quickly established a rapport with Victoria, this young man could have brought an element of spirituality to the Second Doctor’s tenure. I couldn’t help but wonder what Thonmi’s reaction would have been to the Doctor’s trance like communication with the Time Lords in The WarGames. Although the producers of Doctor Who experienced difficulties with Katarina during her mere 4 episode companionship, the subsequent success of both Jamie and Victoria as historical companions showed that the juxtaposition of time could work very well.
The Doctor and the young monk, Thonmi in The Abominable Snowmen
5. Astrid – The Enemy of the World
Sassy, sexy and a product of James Bond obsessed 1960’s Britain, Astrid would have made a perfect companion for the Doctor. Capable and organized, Astrid had the capacity to provide a strong female lead character to Doctor Who. At the time that Mary Peach filmed her role in The Enemy of the Worldshe was also auditioning for Diana Rigg’s replacement in The Avengers. Although unsuccessful in obtaining The Avengers’ role, you could readily see her playing another Mrs Emma Peel. How wonderful that the recovery and release of The Enemy of the World has allowed us to see another five episodes of Ms Peach’s work!
Mary Peach as Astrid in The Enemy of the World
6. Anne Travers – The Web of Fear
Anne Travers was another product of the Second Wave of Feminism. Intelligent and university educated, Anne was the daughter of Professor Travers whom the Doctor first met in Tibet during The Abominable Snowmen tale. So successful was Ms Traver’s career in science that she was working in the United States when called upon to provide assistance to her father.
Ms Traver’s was a scientific equal to the Doctor and ably worked alongside him during the 20 minute countdown thrust upon them by the Great Intelligence in The Web of Fear. Like Isobel, she brilliantly turned the tables on any male who sought to denigrate her. Her comeback to Knight in Episode 1 was just brilliant:
KNIGHT: What’s a girl like you doing in a job like this?
ANNE: Well, when I was a little girl I thought I’d like to be a scientist, so I became a scientist.
KNIGHT: Just like that?
ANNE: Just like that.
That Isobel and Anne shared a feminist outlook is not surprising given that Isobel was originally intended to be the reprisal of Anne in The Invasion. Circumstances meant that neither Professor Travers nor his daughter was reprised in The Invasion but in their places were substituted Professor Watkins and his niece Isobel. The Travers were nonetheless mentioned in The Invasion.
7. Isobel – The Invasion
I waxed lyrical about Isobel in my review of The Invasionnotwithstanding Rob Shearman’s rather scathing critique of her in Running Through Corridors. A forthright young woman, not dissimilar to the former companion Polly, Isobel was intelligent, capable and a great friend to Zoe. The girls’ glee at Zoe blowing up the International Electromatics automated answering machine was infectious. Just imagine the other hijinks they could have got up to. Isobel represented the growing second wave of feminism and did not retreat from her criticisms of patriarchy. She successfully imparted a glint of this onto Zoe.
The Time Lords are an immensely civilised race. We can control our own environment – we can live forever, barring accidents, and we have the secret of space/time travel.
It was not until the Second Doctor’s final story that we learnt that he was a Time Lord
There are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things. Things which act against everything we believe in. They must be fought!
Victoria: You probably can’t remember your family.
The Doctor: Oh yes, I can when I want to. And that’s the point, really. I have to really want to, to bring them back in front of my eyes. The rest of the time they… they sleep in my mind and I forget. And so will you. Oh yes, you will. You’ll find there’s so much else to think about. To remember. Our lives are different to anybody else’s. That’s the exciting thing, that nobody in the universe can do what we’re doing.
The Doctor had a tender conversation with Victoria about his family in The Tomb of the Cybermen
With the momentous missing episodes recovery news of last week The Doctor Who Mind Robber can now celebrate the return of nine episodes. The six part The Enemy of the World is now complete with the recovery of episodes 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6. Episode 3 was already in the care of the BBC and was released on the triple DVD set Lost in Time. The Web of Fear, also six episodes long, is now only missing episode 3. Episode 1 had previously been released on Lost in Time and episodes 2, 4, 5 and 6 have been recovered.
In no particular order we now reflect on 5 Reasons to Celebrate the Return of Enemy and Web.
Professor Travis is confronted by Yeti in The Web of Fear
5. THERE ARE NOW ONLY 97 MISSING EPISODES
Since the recovery of Airlock (episode three of Galaxy 4) and episode two of The Underwater Menace there have been 106 missing Doctor Who episodes. The return of the aforementioned episodes in December 2011 were the first recoveries since episode two of The Daleks’ Master Plan (Day of Armageddon) in January 2004. With only three episodes returned in the 21st Century prior to 2013, the haul of nine recently recovered episodes brings to a dozen the episodes found this century.
For the first time the number of missing episodes is in double figures. How long will it be until there are less than 97 missing episodes?
Although Nicholas Courtney appeared as Bret Vyon in The Daleks’ Master Plan, it is in The Web of Fear that his iconic character of Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart made its Doctor Who debut. The Doctor Who Mind Robber has waxed lyrical about the promoted Brigadier here and here. Unfortunately, however, it is the very episode in which Lethbridge- Stewart appears for the first time that is missing from The Web of Fear. Episode three is yet to be recovered however it has been very ably reconstructed by the BBC and has been released with the serial’s other five episodes on iTunes.
The then-Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart is first introduced to Doctor Who in The Web of Fear
3. THE ENEMY OF THE WORLD IS THE FIRST COMPLETE SERIAL RECOVERED SINCE 1992
For the first time since the recovery of all four episodes of The Tomb of the Cybermen in 1992 a complete serial, The Enemy of the World, has been returned to the BBC Archives. Long-term fans still recount stories of the joy experienced when Tomb resurfaced in Hong Kong. There’s little doubt that the recent finds will become part of the mythology of Doctor Who.
The Cybermen emerge from their icy tombs in this iconic image from The Tomb of the Cybermen
2. THE YETI
The Yeti have obtained mythical status in the world of Doctor Who despite having appeared in only two serials, The Abominable Snowmen and the Web of Fear. Until the recovery of four of Web’s six episodes only one was held in the BBC Archives. A single episode is all that remains of The Abominable Snowmen. With a reconstruction of the missing third episode of Web and the release of all six episodes on iTunes, fans can experience one of the greatest monsters in 1960s Doctor Who for the first time in 45 years. Now Jon Pertwee’s oft quoted phrase “Yeti on the Loo” may begin to make sense to current era Doctor Who fans.
The Yeti invade the London Underground in The Web of Fear
1. DOCTOR WHO’S FIRST HELICOPTER AND HOVERCRAFT SCENES
Synonymous with the tenure of the Third Doctor, Jon Pertwee, chase scenes were unheard of during the first two incarnations of the Doctor. Except, of course, for The Enemy of the World. It is in episode one of this story that the first helicopter is seen, together with a hovercraft. A helicopter subsequently made an appearance in the still lost Fury From the Deep, the companion Victoria’s last story. The Enemy of the World was incidentally the first time that the legendary Barry Letts worked on Doctor Who. Letts was the producer of Who during the Third Doctor’s tenure.
The first hovercraft to appear in Doctor Who was in The Enemy of the World
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
MARY PEACH IS ASTRID
Mary Peach as Astrid in The Enemy of the World
SALAMANDER SWEPT INTO THE VORTEX
The Doctor’s evil doppelgänger, Salamander. is swept out into the vortex soon after his face-to-face confrontation with the Doctor in The Enemy of the World
DEBORAH AND JACK WATLING APPEARING TOGETHER
The father and daughter team of Jack and Deborah Watling first appeared together on screen in The Abominable Snowmen. Watling Snr reprised his role of Travers in The Web of Fear
TINA PARKER IS ANNE TRAVERS
Tina Parker played the role of Anne Travers, the daughter of Professor Travers in The Web of Fear. She almost reprised her role in The Invasion
The Doctor Who Mind Robberregrets to advise that the recent news of the recovery of 9 missing episodes has thwarted our attempts to provide a daily article celebrating the countdown to Doctor Who’s50th Anniversary. Far too much time has been spent speculating about, celebrating and watching The Enemy of the Worldand The Web of Fearto write the daily post. Now that the hysteria is being to subside we will recommence our countdown at Day 44 tomorrow. Hopefully several posts per day will quickly allow us to catch up. Today is 41 days until the 50th.
Please stay tuned as we continue our countdown to this incredible milestone. In the meantime feel free to read our previous 50th countdown posts.
Following the release of the two newly recovered Doctor Whoserials on iTunes earlier today, The Enemy of the Worldis currently charting at number one in the Australian iTunes Top TV Seasons List. The Web of Fearis holding down the second place in front of three seasons of Breaking Bad.Who’d ever have imagined that 45 year old black and white Doctor Whoserials would be the hottest sellers on iTunes!
To give viewers a taste of what to expect from the two serials the BBC has released a trailer for each, together with five other short clips. Earlier today The Doctor Who Mind Robberposted the trailers and we now provide for your viewing pleasure two of these clips, one each from The Enemy of the Worldand The Web of Fear.
The Doctor Goes for a Swim – The Enemy of the World
The Doctor reactivates a Yeti Sphere – The Web of Fear
Just when Australian fans of Doctor Whothought they’d been forgotten, the newly recovered Second Doctor serials The Enemy of the Worldand The Web of Fearappeared on the iTunes Australia site. Released at midnight London time (9.00 Qld Time) in the UK and the US, it appeared for several hours that Australian fans would miss out.
The complete six part serial The Enemy of the Worldis available to purchase for $14.99, whilst The Web of Fear, which is missing one episode but has a reconstruction of episode three in lieu, is offered at the same price. iTunes is the only platform that these long missing stories are presently being offered for sale on. Both stories will be released on DVD in due course.
Frazer Hines (Jamie) and Deborah Watling (Victoria) at the private screening and press conference for The Web of Fearand The Enemy of the Worldyesterday
Following a private screening of one episode each from The Enemy of the Worldand TheWeb of Fearat a press conference in London yesterday, the BBC has released a press release officially confirming the recovery of nine previously missing episodes.
The six part The Enemy of the World is now complete with the recovery of episodes 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6. Episode 3 was already in the care of the BBC and was released on the triple DVD set Lost in Time. The Web of Fear, also six episodes long, is now only missing episode 3. Episode 1 had previously been released on Lost in Time and episodes 2, 4, 5 and 6 have been recovered.
The BBC’s full press release is as follow:
11 EPISODES FROM THE 1960s, NINE OF WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN SEEN FOR OVER 45 YEARS, WILL LAUNCH EXCLUSIVELY ON ITUNES ON
Friday 11 October
BBC Worldwide is delighted to announce that nine recordings from the 1960s featuring missing episodes of Doctor Who, the world’s longest running sci-fi drama, have been recovered in Nigeria, Africa.
11 Doctor Who episodes were discovered (nine of which were missing) by Phillip Morris, director of Television International Enterprises Archive, by the tracking records of overseas shipments made by the BBC containing tapes for transmission. BBC Worldwide has re-mastered these episodes to restore them to the fantastic quality that audiences expect from Doctor Who.
The stories recovered are The Enemy of the World (1967) and The Web of Fear (1968), both starring Patrick Troughton as the second Doctor.
The Enemy of the World, is the fourth six-part tale of Series 5 which first aired on the BBC in December 1967. Episodes 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 had been missing from the BBC archives.
Alongside Patrick Troughton who plays both the Time Lord and his antagonist (Ramon Salamander) are his companions Frazer Hines (Jamie) and Deborah Watling (Victoria).
Also recovered is the 1968 six-part story, The Web of Fear. Episodes 2 – 6 were feared lost forever but now episodes 2, 4, 5, and 6 have been recovered. Unfortunately, episode three is still missing but a restoration team has reconstructed this part of the story using a selection of the 37 images that were available from the episode along with the original audio which has been restored.
Also starring Patrick Troughton alongside Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling, The Web of Fear introduces Nicholas Courtney for the first time as Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart (who later returns as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart).
All episodes will be available to download exclusively from iTunes on 11 October. The Enemy of the World will also be available to pre-order exclusively on DVD from BBC Shop from 11 October for release on 22 November. The Web of Fear will be available on DVD from early 2014.
Phillip 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 realised I’d found something pretty special.”
Fiona Eastwood, Director of Consumer Products, BBC Worldwide comments: “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.”
On the 23rd November 2013, Doctor Who celebrates 50 years since the very first episode, An Unearthly Child, aired on BBC television. A number of episodes from the first series of Doctor Who were lost as a result of BBC Archive space-saving measures and there are still 27 Doctor Who stories that are missing or have incomplete episodes.
The Doctor Who Mind Robber 