We Need To Find Missing Episodes!

doctorwhofancaldoctorwhofancal Posts: 24,123
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All Whovians know how important it is to find the missing episodes of doctor who! One silver round tray with a disc inside could lead to happiness. We need to do something about it!

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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 70
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    All Whovians know how important it is to find the missing episodes of doctor who! One silver round tray with a disc inside could lead to happiness. We need to do something about it!

    This is an ongoing concern I'm afraid. The people can't really do anything about it other than patiently wait and hope than anyone sitting on a lost episode finds it in their hearts to let the BBC know. Unfortunately, nobody can make that happen :(

    Occasionally an episode or two turns up, but it's always randomly as the result of people going through their old tapes and such that are tucked away in the attic. These sorts of things can't be specifically "looked for". We're now at the stage where the only real hope left is with members of the public that haven't even considered the possibility that they may own some television gold.

    Who knows if there even are any more surviving episodes out there? We might now have a copy of everything that's left.
  • Dave-HDave-H Posts: 9,924
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    Indeed. I'm afraid that with the best will in the world we do have to accept that there are some episodes of Doctor Who that just don't exist any more, at least not the pictures.
    :(
    IIRC sound recordings exist of all transmitted Doctor Who episodes.
    :)
  • doctorwhofancaldoctorwhofancal Posts: 24,123
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    Its just such a shame with it being the 50th anniversary next year
  • grazey1985grazey1985 Posts: 1,480
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    There is people that is their job to search and track down missing episodes. There is really very little we can do apart from keeping our eyes peeled at boot sales attics etc and not get taken in by hoaxes
  • AbominationAbomination Posts: 6,483
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    I was thinking about this the other day, as my Nan said to me that she used to have loads of old tapes of Doctor Who. Apparently my Granddad got rid of a lot during the 80's when they got married, as neither of them were a fan of the show, but she has since had a spark of interest in it (i.e. David Tennant :rolleyes: ).
    She's currently looking through the loft as she said she might still have some of The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve. I'm doubting it, but I'll be sure to alert the world if we stumble across something :D
  • callum111callum111 Posts: 545
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    Would she like some help looking in her treasure hunt?
    .... Taps fingers impatiently ;)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 70
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    grazey1985 wrote: »
    There is people that is their job to search and track down missing episodes. There is really very little we can do apart from keeping our eyes peeled at boot sales attics etc and not get taken in by hoaxes

    When someone finds a copy of a lost episode, what they're supposed to so is inform the BBC and hand it in. Usually this happens, and isn't a problem.

    Thing is, the fact that Doctor Who episodes are lost is well known, and sometimes people believe they've found a lost episode and decide to take a different route. By advertising the fact on private forums, message boards and the like, it's been occasionally known for people to charge an arm and a leg offering their 'duplication services' to people for missing episodes which only they have.

    Of course, the duplicated copies end up being even lower quality than the original, and sometimes the BBC gets sent copies of these duplicates, which are stored in the archives until such a time as a better quality version emerges.

    All these 'employed people' can really do is keep an eye open for any sign of this type of activity, and immediately swoop in when they believe someone's trying to illegally profit from this sort of thing. People with rare episodes and know about it rarely keep it to themselves after all :)
  • grazey1985grazey1985 Posts: 1,480
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    When someone finds a copy of a lost episode, what they're supposed to so is inform the BBC and hand it in. Usually this happens, and isn't a problem.

    Thing is, the fact that Doctor Who episodes are lost is well known, and sometimes people believe they've found a lost episode and decide to take a different route. By advertising the fact on private forums, message boards and the like, it's been occasionally known for people to charge an arm and a leg offering their 'duplication services' to people for missing episodes which only they have.

    Of course, the duplicated copies end up being even lower quality than the original, and sometimes the BBC gets sent copies of these duplicates, which are stored in the archives until such a time as a better quality version emerges.

    All these 'employed people' can really do is keep an eye open for any sign of this type of activity, and immediately swoop in when they believe someone's trying to illegally profit from this sort of thing. People with rare episodes and know about it rarely keep it to themselves after all :)
    I dont really know much about 16 mm duplications but i dont think that would be an issue if the bbc got a duplicate of (for example) marco polo the picture quality would still be good enough. And there are a couple of eps that have been released on dvd that came from duplicates
    I would take any body claiming to find a missing episode on youtube or on forums as a pinch of salt until they prove they actually have the canister. I lost count on the amount of times in the past couple weeks of the amount of people claiming to have missing episodes and they always seem to have near enough same ones (10th planet ep 4, masterplan, web of fear,wheel in space) . The added fact no missing episodes has been found through the forums and youtube is a telling sign
  • bennythedipbennythedip Posts: 2,343
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    its all very well finding missing episodes but 2 were found last year and for some reason not being made available for the general public to view.not much point in finding missing episodes if they are not being released is there?
  • callum111callum111 Posts: 545
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    It costs money to restore and release missing episodes - any not released yet will no doubt be available in good time.
  • Dave-HDave-H Posts: 9,924
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    There's no point in releasing isolated episodes by themselves either. They will get released when there's a package that they can be included in.
    :)
  • bennythedipbennythedip Posts: 2,343
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    what are they going to do then when everything has been released and say evil of the daleks episode 7 turns up?will this episode never see the light of day? would have thought the 2 missing episodes would have been released by now on their own disc with a documentary and other features.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 12
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    I had mentioned this on FB a while back.

    I would honestly consider the ... 108? episodes lost and then move on. Move on how, you ask, well it's 2012 now. You have several options:

    All of it would equate in "new television". I figure instead of commissioning new television shows, you do one of what I suggest:

    A: You animate all the episodes. I know that some episodes of Patrick Troughton was animated, but I mean - really go all out, Pixar/Disney whatever. Do say 2-3 serials a year. so we can "see it" (as we've got the telesnaps) and hear it without just hearing the audio. By having it animated we'll have the "real" Doctors of Hartnel and Troughton and company and it could be very life like, especially in the advances of animation now.

    B: re-inactments. I honestly feel that there are a lot of whovians out there who just wants to "see" the action unfold and will accept this option. (I know I would). just give them the scripts (which they've got in hand!) and go with it!

    B.2: looking total lookalikes. (Hey, they found someone who looked a LOT like Hartnel in the past :D) and doing option B.

    But I think at this case, those are the only things we can do as we're racing against time. It's not so much the ones that got saved, but the ones that are saved - but stored improperly. I've studied records management, and I'm telling you for tape? You need to be so careful and a lot of these ones weren't even considered worth saving. :( So i doubt they took the time to save them properly.
  • Tom TitTom Tit Posts: 2,554
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    B.2: looking total lookalikes. (Hey, they found someone who looked a LOT like Hartnel in the past :D)


    Who? I hope you don't mean Richard Hurndall.

    As much as i'm sure he gave it his best he acted even less like Hartnell than he looked like him.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 12
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    I haven't seen it (but this is what I was told) that's who I meant though. But. yeah. That's why I think option A would best.
  • grazey1985grazey1985 Posts: 1,480
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    With the amount of time they spend working on the dvds i knew as soon as the find was announced we would have to wait at least a year and we would not get it this year.

    Animations are definitly the way forward. We know bbc worldwide are planning on releasing reign of terror with the episodes animated and strong rumours are that 10th planet and ice warriors(and quite possibly underwater menace) will be the same so there is some plan regarding animating missing episodes. It will be really interesting to see how far they are willing to go with the animation. I supose that could all depend on how much budget the higher ups alocate and how much the sales are for reign etc. I think what happens to galaxy 4 ep 3 could be a telling sign. If they arent willing animate galaxy 4 (ie a story that has 3 episodes missing and has an sales advantage that the surving episode has just recently been found) we can forget about animation for any story that has 3 or more eps missing
  • col bcol b Posts: 138
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    Havent posted for a while but i just had a thought about last year when those 2 missing episodes did surface,there was a real buzz of excitement about the possibility of a bigger find that the bbc may be holding back for a 50th birthday surprise.I have not heard it mentioned again since but there was a bit of hush hush about it with new leads and all.
  • grazey1985grazey1985 Posts: 1,480
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    col b wrote: »
    Havent posted for a while but i just had a thought about last year when those 2 missing episodes did surface,there was a real buzz of excitement about the possibility of a bigger find that the bbc may be holding back for a 50th birthday surprise.I have not heard it mentioned again since but there was a bit of hush hush about it with new leads and all.

    I do remember some quote about it being the tip of the iceberg but i believe paul Vanezis or somebody involved with tracking missing episodes more less debunked the quote
  • TelevisionUserTelevisionUser Posts: 41,396
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    There was a recent appeal in the Radio Times for people to look out for any missing, and irreplaceable, Dr Who episodes.

    The list of missing episodes can be found here http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/missingepisodes.shtml and if anyone finds any of these episodes then they can let the BBC Heritage department know: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/treasurehunt/help/index.shtml
  • shortcrustshortcrust Posts: 1,546
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    what are they going to do then when everything has been released and say evil of the daleks episode 7 turns up?will this episode never see the light of day? would have thought the 2 missing episodes would have been released by now on their own disc with a documentary and other features.

    Wow! Talk about the glass being half empty.
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