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

Doctor Who Magazine, issue 627 is released today

In this issue

• Brave heart! An in-depth chat with JANET FIELDING who played the irrepressible Tegan opposite the Fourth and Fifth Doctors.

• ALEX KINGSTON talks about playing River Song alongside the Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors, as well as her on-going audio adventures with Big Finish, and her new book Stormcage.

• Meet MILES TAYLOR, who is assuming the role of the Eleventh Doctor in a new range of audio dramas!

• Monster actor RICHARD PRICE shares his memories of playing Cybermen, a Sea Devil and a Scaly Man!

• 40 Years of Fundraising! Looking back at the incredible artistry and charitable work of the Hyde fundraisers – including their contribution to last year’s season finale.

• We examine the forbidden text of the Veritas, in our FACT OF FICTION feature on the mind-bending Twelfth Doctor episode Extremis.

• Top Trumps! A stat-busting guide to Doctor Who editions of the popular card game.

• Back to 1985… Blake’s 7’s Paul Darrow joins the cast of Doctor Who…

• We assess the battle plans of the various factions in Remembrance of the Daleks.

• The inner workings of the Dalek City on Skaro explored!

• The Fifteenth Doctor and Mel learn more about the Daleks’ plans, in the latest instalment of Corruption of the Daleks…

Regular features

• GALLIFREY GUARDIAN: the latest news including the 4K Ultra HD release of the Paul McGann TV movie.

• Reviews – including the latest audio releases, books and action figures.

• Other Worlds – the essential guide to new stories in Doctor Who’s expanded universe – featuring a chat with ANNEKE WILLS who played companion Polly.

• Prizes to be won – including the new Season 21 Limited Edition Blu-ray boxset! 

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 627 is on sale Thursday 5 March 2026  from panini.co.uk and TG Jones priced £7.99 (UK). 

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