Amidst some confusion over the DVD releases of the recovered The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear, BBC Worldwide have confirmed that these will be single disc releases as described by online shopping sites and not two discs as the covers released earlier today indicated.

The BBFC have now classified The Enemy of the World, confirming the running time for the episodes:

Episodes One-Three:
00:23:45:01 DOCTOR WHO - THE ENEMY OF THE WORLD - EPISODE 1
00:23:50:17 DOCTOR WHO - THE ENEMY OF THE WORLD - EPISODE 2
00:23:07:09 DOCTOR WHO - THE ENEMY OF THE WORLD - EPISODE 3

Episodes Four-Six:
00:23:46:11 DOCTOR WHO - THE ENEMY OF THE WORLD - EPISODE 4
00:24:22:05 DOCTOR WHO - THE ENEMY OF THE WORLD - EPISODE 5
00:21:38:11 DOCTOR WHO - THE ENEMY OF THE WORLD - EPISODE 6

No other features have been announced for either this or The Web of Fear at present.


Amazon UK have both The Enemy of the World (25 Nov 2013) and The Web of Fear (24 Feb 2014) available for pre-order; BBC Worldwide have advised that the latter's general release date is currently provisional and may well change.

The BBC Shop is offering the DVDs with exclusive slipcases, and will also be selling a special celebratory t-shirt (artwork to be confirmed).

Nine episodes from the fifth season of Doctor Who and starring Patrick Troughton as the Doctor have been recovered from Nigeria, having been feared gone forever, 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 Philip 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 available to buy on DVD from Friday 22nd November at the Doctor Who Celebration. It will then go on sale to the general public on Monday 25th November, 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: 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: 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." He also told Doctor Who News: A statement from Morris was then read out by Roy Robinson, archive co-ordinator at TIEA, part of which was as follows: 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: 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: But when it was finally confirmed: Hines added: 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:

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The twenty-third in our series of features telling the story of the creation of Doctor Who, and the people who made it happen.

Production on the new series was continuing, but the process was not without problems. A version of episode one had been recorded,  but was deemed unsuitable for broadcast by the senior managers in the drama department. Changes would have to be made, but the team would be given a second chance.

Any science-fiction series relies heavily on the production's ability to create realistic special effects. A series such as that envisaged by the creators of Doctor Who would need to be able to convince the audience that a whole new universe exists. A universe full of petrified forests and starliners, seas of acid and advanced robots, and all traversed by advanced space-and-time machines. The past would need to be re-created, such as the temples of Tenochtitlan and the prisons of La Conciergerie, as well as a world inhabited by miniature characters.

It would be a tricky task to pull off, even with the might of the BBC operation behind the series. But the feeling in the Doctor Who production office was that various departments were not giving the series the attention it demanded and deserved. One problem had been the work on the TARDIS set, built by Shawcraft rather than the internal BBC Scenic Department. The doors were very unreliable, causing major problems in the recording session the previous week.

The series had still not been commissioned beyond the first four episodes. This was making future planning very difficult, as it was entirely possible that the series would not continue beyond the first story, and so no long-term commitments could be made.

On Thursday 10th October - exactly 50 years ago today - the Head of the Serials Department, Donald Wilson, decided enough was enough. His production team needed some support and the BBC needed to show some confidence in its new sci-fi drama. With this in mind, he sent a lengthy memo to some of the most senior members of BBC management. Included were Controller of Programmes Donald Baverstock, Programme Planner Joanna Spicer, Head of Drama Sydney Newman, and Head of Design Richard Levin.

Wilson made a plea for some confirmation that the series would be allowed to continue beyond the initial four episodes, pointing out that if arrangements were not put in order for future stories then the team would be left with four actors on contract and nothing ready for them to perform.

While discussions were going on at the highest levels about the very future of Doctor Who following its first story, production was continuing on that first story, with three days of filming taking place at Ealing. Supervised by production assistant Douglas Camfield, sets had been rigged on the Tuesday, rather later than planned because of transportation difficulties from Television Centre.

Filming took place from Wednesday to Friday to prepare all the insets that would be needed for the final three episodes of The Tribe of Gum. Sequences involving the paoelthic landscape and the fight in episode four were recorded in this session.

BBC America inadvertently revealed a potential time of broadcast for the 50th Anniversary Special, The Day of the Doctor, when they updated their advance schedules for November online. The (provisional) details indicated that after a week-long celebration of the series, it would premiere on 23rd November at 2:45pm Eastern time, meaning a UK broadcast of the 75-minute special would occupy a prime-time slot at 7:45pm (possibly after Strictly Come Dancing in such a scenario).

However, BBC America have confirmed that the schedule for the week leading up to the anniversary has yet to be finalised, and that the broadcast mentioned above is currently only a 'placeholder' until the BBC lock the exact time down - the BBC themselves are unlikely to confirm such a definite time until much closer to the date (which could be a lead time of just ten days before broadcast!)

As well as episodes and documentaries, other programming planned by BBC America over the course of the week includes: the US premiere of An Adventure in Space and Time (provisionally scheduled for Friday 22nd November at 9:00pm, and not expected to be simulcast with BBC2 in the UK!); Explaining Doctor Who, which UK channel Watch have scheduled for 12th October as part of their Doctor Who Revisited launch day; and other 'talking-head' items including Tales from the TARDIS and a special 15-minute Day of the Doctor Pre-Show (the provisional schedule indicated 7:00pm on the Saturday before a prime-time repeat of the episode).

As noted, all schedules are subject to change.

Faber and Faber have announced a book by Neil Perryman, the author of the popular Wife In Space blog, based around his experiences growing up and living as a Doctor Who fan:


I.B.Tauris have also announced four new Doctor Who related books being released over Autumn:


As well as Doctor Who a new book is being released looking into the four series of Torchwood:


Finally, Pageturner Publishing are releasing a collection of reviews of each episode day-by-day by Will Brooks:

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Obverse Books have published an e-collection of short stories in memory of Doctor Who, Iris Wildthyme and Faction Paradox author Matt Kimpton, who died last year of Cystic Fibrosis. Writers include Stuart Douglas, Nick Campbell, Sarah Hadley, Cavan Scott, Simon Bucher-Jones and Jacqueline Rayner, with all proceeds to go to Cystic Fibrosis charities.

More details on the genesis of the book (which isn't itself Doctor Who-related), and the slightly unusual idea behind it, can be found via Cavan Scott's website, and the book itself can be bought from Obverse (initially as an ebook, with a Lulu paperback to follow).

The award-winning Derek Landy has been named today as the author of the tenth and penultimate short story in Puffin Books' e-range celebrating Doctor Who's 50th anniversary.

The Mystery Of The Haunted Cottage, featuring the Tenth Doctor and Martha, will be published globally on Wednesday 23rd October.
An extract can be read via The Guardian's website.

Landy, who has penned the Skulduggery Pleasant series of children's books, commented: Landy's first book, Skulduggery Pleasant, won the Bord Gais Energy Irish Book of the Decade Award as well as the Red House Children's Book Award, while his second, Playing With Fire, won an Irish Book Award for Children's Book of the Year.

The author and title of the series' final instalment, to feature the Eleventh Doctor, will be announced on Tuesday 5th November. It will be published on Thursday 21st November alongside a paperback anthology of all 11 stories - to be called Eleven Doctors, Eleven Stories and which can be pre-ordered here - plus an audio collection.

A Doctor Who-themed trailer promoting the return of comedy panel quiz show Have I Got News For You has been made available to view online by the BBC.

The trailer, which has been airing on TV, shows the TARDIS arriving in front of the Houses of Parliament - and a visibly aged BBC News political editor Nick Robinson! - in the year 2063 and team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton emerging in Fourth Doctor-style garb to glean from a copy of a final print edition of a newspaper what has changed in the world. (Not much, apparently!)


This isn't the first time the show has had such a strong Doctor Who connection - and, indeed, a Fourth Doctor one at that. Tom Baker was the guest presenter on the third edition of the 36th series, which was first broadcast on 31st October 2008. (Staying in the sci-fi world, William Shatner also made a memorable appearance as guest host on the seventh edition of the 43rd series, first broadcast on 25th May 2012.)

Have I Got News For You will start its 46th series on BBC One on Friday 4th October at 9pm, with David Mitchell as the guest presenter and Danny Baker and Cathy Newman as the guest panellists. The series will comprise 11 episodes.

AudioGo's ongoing celebration of 50 Years of Doctor Who reaches its penultimate adventure in October with the Tenth Doctor and Donna embroiled with Death's Deal. Meanwhile the Sixth Doctor's trial continues in the second part of the Target novelisations of The Trial of a Time Lord, whilst Louise Jameson takes listeners on a trip into the BBC Radio Archive to find Lost Treasures.


All eight of the Doctor Who at the BBC series of CDs are also to be released in a boxed set:

BBC America is to mark the era of the Tenth Doctor by showing the episodes The Stolen Earth and Journey's End on Sunday 27th October as part of its celebratory season Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited.

They will be preceded at 8pm ET/PT by the special documentary Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited - The Tenth Doctor, which will feature David Tennant, Freema Agyeman, and current lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat among those discussing how and why the Tenth Doctor became one of the most popular Doctors of all time.

Written by Russell T Davies and directed by Graeme Harper, the episodes - which were originally broadcast in June and July 2008 - comprised the epic finale of Series 4 and saw the Doctor, companions, and friends unite to take on the might of a new Dalek empire and Davros.

UPDATE: The associated DVD, which will be released on Tuesday 3rd December and is available to pre-order, will comprise three discs and will have the Revisited stories shown for the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Doctors, as well as the accompanying documentaries plus special introductions by Steven Moffat to each two-parter. The product description states that the episodes for the Eleventh Doctor's era will be The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon. Their broadcast date is still to be announced.

The twenty-second in our series telling the story of the creation of Doctor Who, from conception to broadcast.

By the end of September 1963, Doctor Who finally existed as a television programme. After months of meetings, format documents, script development and occasional arguments, a production team was in place, the four leads had been cast, and the début serial had been decided upon as Anthony Coburn's four-parter mainly set in the Stone Age. On Friday 27th September, director Waris Hussein had shot the opening instalment of Coburn's serial at Lime Grove Studios – the very first episode of Doctor Who to be made.

However, it was an episode that would not be transmitted on British television for another 28 years. 

It had always been part of the plans for the production of the series that the opening episode could, if necessary, be remounted if it was deemed not sufficiently strong for the launch of the new programme. The costs would be met from the BBC Pilot Fund, and the production team would be given the opportunity to have another attempt.

By Monday 30th September 1963 – exactly 50 years ago today – it was clear that this would indeed have to be the case. The BBC’s Head of Drama Sydney Newman, the man who had driven forward the creation of Doctor Who, had viewed the studio recording from Friday evening, and he was not impressed.

Newman’s thoughts on the pilot episode survive in the BBC Written Archives, scribbled down on the back of two pages of script for An Unearthly Child while he viewed the recording. Newman had concerns or observations about many aspects of the production, such as the music, the camera work and the end credits, but his biggest concern – and the aspect that would perhaps show the strongest change between the pilot and the transmitted version of An Unearthly Child – was with William Hartnell’s characterisation of the Doctor.

“Old man – not funny enough,” reads one of Newman’s notes, jotted while the action unfolded in front of him. And again, later – “Old man ain’t cute enough.” Newman decided that the character of the Doctor needed to be softened and made more sympathetic, along with other changes to the episode, and made the decision that producer Verity Lambert, director Hussein, the cast and crew would simply have to try again. As Newman later told Doctor Who Magazine:


More than 40 years after the pilot recording, in the Doctor Who: Origins documentary released on DVD in 2006, Hussein recalled how the news was broken to him and Lambert.


Ian Chesterton actor William Russell remembered the events of the pilot’s rejection somewhat differently, telling Doctor Who Magazine that the cast and crew had all been gathered together to watch a showing of the recording, along with Newman:


Whatever the exact circumstances, what was clear was that work on Doctor Who's first episode would have to start afresh. Incredibly for a series of which 106 transmitted episodes from the 1960s are currently missing, from an era when even broadcast television programmes of high esteem were regarded as ephemeral and disposable, in the late 1970s a 16mm film recording of the complete studio session for the pilot episode was found to exist in the BBC Film Archive. In the early 1990s this session was edited together into a finished episode for the first time, and finally given a television broadcast on BBC2 on Bank Holiday Monday 26th August 1991, as part of a special day of programming called The Lime Grove Story, marking the closure of the studios.

While the first episode would have to be remade and improved, that didn’t mean that work on subsequent episodes had ceased. On the afternoon of Monday 30th September 1963, Lambert held a meeting in her office to discuss the special effects that would be required for the story that had now been promoted to second in the running order for Doctor Who – the post-apocalyptic science-fiction tale written by Terry Nation.

Nation’s serial would ultimately help to cement Doctor Who’s legacy, and ensure the series would still be around and popular 50 years later. However, at this stage there was still no certainty that it would even make the screen. Despite the ambitious plans for a 52-week run, by the end of September the Controller of Programmes for BBC1, Donald Baverstock (as he now was, with BBC2 having its own separate controller in Michael Peacock, despite being some months away from launching), still hadn't guaranteed Doctor Who a run of any more than four episodes.

Doctor Who was at last under way, but its existence was already hanging by a thread.