The latest instalment in the Black Archive series from Obverse Books looks at the 2013 docu-drama based on the creation of Doctor Who, An Adventure in Space and Time

In 1966, William Hartnell is about to record his final scenes as Doctor Who. Having helped establish the series as a smash hit for the BBC, he is not keen to go, but ill health means he simply can't continue.

Tracing the story of the series creation from Sydney Newman's first suggestion of a new science fiction series to Hartnell leaving the role behind, An Adventure in Time and Space is more than just a biopic of William Hartnell; it's the story of the creation of a television legend. 

David Rolinson is a lecturer at the University of Stirling. He teaches and writes on a wide range of topics but specialises in docudrama and terrorism. He wrote a guide to Alan Clarke and co-edited The Art of Invective, a collection of Dennis Potter’s non-fiction writing.

AN ADVENTURE IN SPACE AND TIME is available now in paperback and electronic formats, direct from Obverse Books and from selected online retailers.

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 629 is out today with special in-depth coverage of the two previously lost episodes of Doctor Who, The Daleks' Master Plan

Including

• PETER PURVES – alias First Doctor companion and space pilot Steven Taylor – shares his delight on seeing episodes he recorded over 60 years ago!

• Meet the people behind FILM IS FABULOUS! Hear the story behind this remarkable find – and what hope there is for further discoveries…

• TOBY HADOKE on the enduring fascination of Doctor Who’s missing episodes.

• Find out what Doctor Who celebrities and experts made of the episodes now they can finally see them. Among those sharing their reactions are: RUSSELL T DAVIES, KATY MANNING, MATTHEW WATERHOUSE, BEN AARONOVITCH, ROB SHEARMAN, PETE McTIGHE, NICHOLAS PEGG and MATTHEW SWEET…

Plus

• Rutans vs Sontarans! Check out exactly how a Big Finish audio drama is recorded, with contributions from PAUL McGANN, COLIN BAKER and NICOLA BRYANT.

• We take a deep dive into the mysteries of Twelfth Doctor episode The Pyramid at the End of the World.

• Back to 1987… and the discovery of two missing episodes of Doctor Who…

• How does poll-topping fan favourite The Caves of Androzani compare to modern TV drama?

• The Fifteenth Doctor and Mel battle the Daleks in the comic strip…

Regular features

• GALLIFREY GUARDIAN: our monthly round-up of news from across the Whoniverse.

• Reviews – including GARY GILLATT on The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet.

• Other Worlds – the essential guide to new stories in Doctor Who’s expanded universe – including the latest Eighth Doctor audio box set, the 100th monthly Torchwood release and an interview with SIOBHAN REDMOND about playing the Rani.

• Prizes to be won! Including the Steelbook edition of the TV movie.

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 629 is on sale Thursday 30 April 2026  from panini.co.uk and TG Jones priced £8.99 (UK). 

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £7.99.

The latest release in the Black Archive series from Obverse Books looks at the first Doctor story The Daleks. 

The book is available from the Obverse Books website 

A 10% discount is available until the end of April using the code tenyearanniversary

The two long‑missing, newly rediscovered Doctor Who episodes are now available for fans in the United States, who can watch them on the Doctor Who Classic YouTube channel.

The BBC has confirmed that the two recovered episodes of Doctor Who from the 1960’s will be made available for viewers in the UK on BBC iPlayer on Good Friday.

The two episodes; The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet were from the third series entitled The Daleks’ Master Plan.

Written by Terry Nation, the series starred William Hartnell as the Doctor and Peter Purves as Steven Taylor. It also featured Nicholas Courtney as Bret Vyon, Adrienne Hill as Katarina, and Kevin Stoney as Mavic Chen.

The episodes were found by Film is Fabulous! – a charitable trust run by film collectors, cinema lovers and vintage television enthusiasts. They approached BBC Archives after finding them in a private collection, which worked to restore the original 16mm telerecordings.

Viewers will be able to watch the two episodes on BBC iPlayer in the UK from 6am on 3 April 2026 (Good Friday). These episodes add to a raft of Doctor Who programming which forms The Whoniverse on BBC iPlayer

The BBC and Film is Fabulous! have announced the recovery of the William Hartnell episodes The Nightmare Begins and The Devil's Planet, two previously missing episodes of the epic twelve part story broadcast over the winter of 1965/66, The Daleks' Master Plan!

From the BBC press release:

The recoveries bring the current count of missing episodes of Doctor Who down to 95, a number that hasn't reduced since the announcement of the recovery of The Enemy of the World and most of The Web of Fear in 2013. It means the first quarter of the story is now back in the archives, and enables us to now see more of Adrienne Hill's portrayal of short-lived companion Katarina, and of Nicholas Courtney's first role in the series as Bret Vyon, long before he became regular character Brrigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.

BBC: exclusive first look

The BBC has announced that a brand-new 4K restoration of Doctor Who: The Movie is coming, rebuilt from the original film reels of Paul McGann’s debut as the Eighth Doctor. 

In 1996, Paul McGann debuted as the Eighth Doctor in Doctor Who, a feature-length co-production between the BBC and the American Fox network, more commonly known as The TV Movie.

This 90-minute feature was shot on film, and now, for the first time, all 219 reels of original film (totalling almost 200,000 feet!) have been pulled from deep storage in the US and meticulously scanned over 21 days, then restored by Paul Vanezis to provide a definitive 4K experience.

The restoration has a 24-frame transfer to match the original film rushes, and immersive surround sound, rebuilt from the original raw sound elements.

Also starring Sylvester McCoy (the Seventh Doctor), Daphne Ashbrook (Grace), Eric Roberts (The Master) and Yee Jee Tso (Chang Lee),

The TV Movie sees the Doctor’s regeneration triggered on an operating table, with surgeon Grace Holloway accompanying the new Doctor on an epic adventure to prevent The Master from stealing the Doctor’s future lives.

This new release is available on 4K in a limited edition steelbook with exclusive artwork, as well as standard Blu-ray, and includes a host of special features including:

• The ‘uncensored’ UK version.
• The USA broadcast version.
• Soundtrack in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 and stereo.
• In Conversation with director Geoffrey Sax.
• Sylvester McCoy and Janet Fielding featurette.
• 3 New Featurettes with Daphne Ashbrook, Eric Roberts and Yee Jee Tso. 
• Two audio commentaries.
• Isolated music score.
• Production info text.
• The Seven Year Hitch making-of documentary.
• Paul McGann’s audition tape.
• Alternate takes.
• Electronic press kit and behind the scenes footage.
• TARDIS tour.
• BBC Trails.

And much more.

Doctor Who The TV Movie in 4K!

Doctor Who – The Movie. The ultimate new restoration is available is available to pre-order ahead of its release on 25th May 2026 in the UK.

UltraHD   Blu-ray  Steelbook

The latest issue in this series of 116-page bookazines examines Season 21 and the world of Doctor Who during Peter Davison’s final year in the leading role. 

Chronicles 1984 is packed full of new and rare content, which has been compiled in co-operation with some of the biggest names from the show. 

Editor Marcus Hearn explained

Highlights of the new bookazine include:

• In an exclusive interview, Peter Davison recalls his final season as the Doctor and his decision to leave the series.

• Janet Fielding discusses her relationship with 1980s producer John Nathan-Turner and returning to the role of Tegan.

• In another exclusive, director Graeme Harper offers a behind-the-scenes insight into the key moments of his classic story The Caves of Androzani.

• In his first Doctor Who Magazine interview, Oscar-winning visual effects artist Dimitri Delacovias describes working on Season 21 and shares previously unseen concept designs.

• A preview of the Warriors of the Deep Special Edition, with contributions from director Pete McTighe, visual effects designer Chris Thompson and others.

• An archive interview with Warriors of the Deep writer Johnny Byrne, unseen since December 1983.

• The life and career of Eric Pringle, writer of The Awakening.

• The strange story of how The Five Doctors’ writer Terrance Dicks fell out with John Nathan-Turner.

• Novelist Jenny Colgan describes spending a day at Television Centre on the set of Frontios.

• A look at the new merchandise available on both sides of the Atlantic in 1984.

PLUS

    Guides to every story in Season 21, Target books, the Doctor Who Annual, comic strips and much more!

Doctor Who: Chronicles 1984 is on sale 12 February, price £12.99 from panini.co.uk and selected news retailers while stocks last. Also available digitally from pocketmags.com price £11.99.

Issue 626 of Doctor Who Magazine is out today and features the Daleks.  

In this issue

• Join THE FIFTEENTH DOCTOR as he finally confronts his arch-enemies, the Daleks, in our comic strip adventure Corruption of the Daleks!

• An exclusive look at the content of the forthcoming Blu-ray release of Season 21 – PETER DAVISON’s final season as the Doctor, that also introduced Sixth Doctor COLIN BAKER.

• Writer and exec producer PETE McTIGHE continues his Production Diary giving us a day-to-day look at the production of The War Between the Land and the Sea.

• DYLAN HOLMES WILLIAMS, director of The War Between, shares his techniques!

• Scientific advisor DAVE HONE on giving the Sea Devils a ‘proper’ name.

• Can on-screen clues reveal exactly where and when the Doctor’s latest adventures take place?

• This month in 1980… A look at COLIN BAKER’s other big sci-fi role…

• UNA McCORMACK considers how important Liverpool has been in the fortunes of Doctor Who.

• Decipher the secrets of the Long Song in our Fact of Fiction feature on The Rings of Akhaten.

Regular features

• GALLIFREY GUARDIAN: including the latest news about this spring’s Target Books releases.

• Reviews – including a look at the DVD and Blu-ray of The War Between the Land and the Sea.

• Other Worlds – the essential guide to new stories in Doctor Who’s expanded universe.

• Prizes to be won – including Blu-rays, audio dramas, action figures and theatre tickets! 

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 626 is on sale Thursday 5 February 2026  from panini.co.uk and TG Jones priced £7.99 (UK). 

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £6.99.

The latest Special Edition from Doctor Who Magazine looks back at last year's season of Doctor Who

In this issue

• A look back at Ncuti Gatwa’s second – and final – season as the Doctor, including:The design of The Robot Revolution.The animation in Lux.Stunt work on The Well.A study of the Shreek from Lucky Day.Interviews with the Barber and Abena from The Story & the Engine.Staging The Interstellar Song Contest.The costumes of Wish World and The Reality War.

• Plus – we check in with Who fan Lizzie Abel since she became part of the Whoniverse!

• Meet the Who Kids of The Lamplighter School in Dallas, Texas…

• Memories of 2025’s Gallifrey One convention.

• How monster actor Mickey Lewis took the Cybermen home with him…

• Location Manager Iwan Roberts on finding alien worlds…

• Fans reflect on the importance of disability representation in the latest series.

• Pete McTighe and Chris Chapman assess their work on the Blu-ray range.

• A big year for Big Finish – we talk to the producers about new innovations on audio…

• Writer and designer Paul Lang on his work on the Doctor Who Annual 2026.

• Join Brand Manager James Page as he welcomes fans to Stonehenge for Doctor Who Day.

• Join DWM at the table read for The War Between the Land and the Sea.

• In Memoriam… Paying tribute to Doctor Who contributors who we’ve lost in the past year.

Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition – The 2026 Yearbook is on sale Thursday 29 January 2026  from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £9.99 (UK). 

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £8.99.