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 First Doctor story The Savages has been animated and will be released next year.

The four-part series, first broadcast between May and June 1966, will return as an animated series to be released on DVD, Blu-ray and a limited-edition Blu-ray Steelbook next spring.

With the original master recording lost, as many of these television episodes where historically wiped after transmission, the BBC Studios Home Entertainment teams worked with original audio recordings and soundtracks of all four episodes and a team of animators to bring back to fans this long-lost story arc.

In this early story, the Doctor (William Hartnell) and his travelling companions, Steven (Peter Purves) and Dodo (Jackie Lane), arrive on an unnamed planet where they encounter two distinct people - the Elders and the Savages. They soon discover the Elders are the evil ones, draining the primitive Savages for their life source to remain young and powerful forever. This story marks the final appearance of Purves as Steven.

This three-disc release will include all four 25-minutes animated episodes in colour and black and white, as well as exclusive bonus features.

Paul Hembury, Executive Producer commented:

The story is available for pre-order on Amazon

THE SAVAGES RETURNS

In addition, BBC Studios Home Entertainment will release the new colourisation of The War Games. Originally aired in 1969, The War Games marked the end of an era for the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), following him and his companions Zoe and Jamie as they land in a battlefield that appears to be a World War I military zone – but all is not as it seems. They soon discover that soldiers from different historical periods have been abducted and are being manipulated in a cruel game. As they work to uncover the mystery behind the War Lord and his twisted experiments, the Doctor faces one of his most difficult challenges.

For the first time, these original episodes have been meticulously colourised and enhanced with updated visual effects edited into a new, 90-minute feature-length experience to appeal to today’s modern audiences. With updated sound and a new score, this newly updated version of The War Games offers both fans and newcomers even more ways to watch the much-loved classic story. This title will be released on DVD, Blu-ray and limited-edition Blu-ray Steelbook and will air on BBC will air on 23 December 2024 on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer.

To mark Record Store Day 2024, Demon Records are releasing the complete narrated TV soundtrack of the Doctor Who story ‘The Edge Of Destruction’.

This brand new audio presentation, making its debut in any format with this vinyl release, features unique linking narration by Carole Ann Ford.

There’s also a bonus interview with Ford herself, in which she recalls playing Susan, the Doctor’s granddaughter, in the original TV episodes.

The vinyl boasts a picture disc Side A, showing the Ship’s melting ormolu clock from a pivotal scene in the story, and an exclusive Zoetrope Side B, depicting the TARDIS swirling across space and time (best experienced using a smartphone running a third-party stroboscope app).

The 12” disc is presented in a stunning die-cut artwork outer sleeve.

2024 is the 60th anniversary of this two-episode story starring William Hartnell as the Doctor. First broadcast on the 8th & 15th February 1964

The disc will be released on 20 April 2024 on Record Store Day, the day when over 260 independent record shops all across the UK come together to celebrate their unique culture.

The BBC has confirmed that the part-missing first Doctor story The Celestial Toymaker will be the next animation to be released on Blu-ray. 

The story, first shown in 1966 stars William Hartnell as the Doctor with Jackie Lane as Dodo and Peter Purves as Steven. Michael Gough plays the mysterious Toymaker, a character returning to the series this Saturday. 

Only Episode Four of the four-part story exists in the BBC archives. 

The two-disc set features all four episodes animated in colour using off-air audio recordings of the missing three episodes.

Special features include: 

Disc One

• Episodes 1-4 – Animation – Black and White
• Episodes 1-3 – Reconstruction
• Episode 4 – Original 1966 Episode newly restored
• New Audio Commentaries

Disc Two

• Episodes 1-4 – Animation – Colour
• Making The Animation
• Doctor Who Escape Room – Team First Doctor
• Sylvester McCoy Introduction for episode 4 as per the original VHS release
• Photo Gallery
• PDF Material including camera scripts

The disc is available to preorder on DVD, Blu-ray and as a Steelbook. 

The Celestial Toymaker: Animated Teaser The first game between the Doctor and the Toymaker - now fully animated! 🎲

The BBC has released images from the colourised version of the second Doctor Who story, The Daleks, due to be screened on BBC Four on the 23rd of November 2023.

Originally broadcast as seven 25-minute episodes, the Terry Nation story has now been edited down to 75 minutes by Benjamin Cook and the result colourised. 

With brand new sound and a new score - created by Mark Ayres - The Daleks has been gloriously updated, whilst ensuring the original classic story remains as thrilling as it was when it was first seen back in 1963.

The colorised version will be released on DVD, Blu-ray, and as a Steelbook next February. 

This DVD release also includes the original seven episodes in black & white, as they were first broadcast plus a 15-minute exclusive featurette and all special features from the previous release.

The set can be pre-ordered from Amazon. 

BBC Studios have revealed that the next Blu-ray Doctor Who: The Collection will feature Season 2, the second season starring William Hartnell as the First Doctor.

Debuting later this year this collection is the biggest release yet and features a limited edition nine-disc box. 

Across a season of 37 episodes originally shown in 1964 and 1965,, the Doctor is joined by companions Susan (Carole Ann Ford), Ian (William Russell), Barbara (Jacqueline Hill), Vicki (Maureen O’Brien) and Steven (Peter Purves).

Together they face off against the dreaded Daleks, the marauding Mechonoids, the ant-like Zarbi and the meddling Monk, while visiting fantastic alien worlds and turbulent times in the Earth’s history.

The missing two episodes of The Crusade have been reconstructed using off-air photographs and the original broadcast soundtrack, while the remaining episodes have been newly remastered from the best available sources.
 

This nine-disc box set also includes hours of special features previously released on DVD including Documentaries, Featurettes, Audio Commentaries, Overseas Soundtracks and more.

The Boxset is available for pre-order on Amazon

The Storyteller | The Collection: Season 2 Announcement Trailer | Doctor Who