I thought I would give a quick update on my latest missing episode ponderings as I have been silent for quite a while – to be fair, partially because there has not been anything by way of news upon which to comment! I have been mulling over a number of posts which are geared up and almost ready to go … but I am pressing pause for now.
The main reason for this is that episode hunter extraordinaire Phil Morris (of Web/Enemy recovery fame) is due to appear at the Starburst Film Festival, taking place in two weeks over the bank holiday weekend. Also appearing at the festival will be Dick Fiddy from the BFI, a man well versed in recovering lost television in general. Both will be appearing in a Q&A session, and it seems likely that they will be asked about Doctor Who recoveries. Whether they are in the position to answer the questions is of course another matter!
(You can find out more information on the event at the following link: http://www.starburstfilmfest.co.uk/festival-guests/philip-morris)
In any event, while I am not expecting Phil to announce that he has tracked down the low-life who appropriated episode 3 of the Web of Fear (still massively annoyed about that!) I expect he has something new to say. Were I in his boots, I would expect eager Doctor Who fans to grill me any time I set foot in public. As the late Nigel Hawthorne phrased it when playing Sir Humphrey Appleby in Yes Minister “One never steps into the lion’s den having taken away the lion’s dinner!”
With the likelihood strong that there will be new information, though sadly probably not new recoveries, I’m pressing pause on my missing episode thoughts and speculations. After all, for the sake of two weeks I will hopefully avoid my theorising going instantly out of date!
In the meantime, it’s worth highlighting that the BBC are releasing their second classic Doctor Who adventure on BluRay HD – the 1996 TV Movie:
Aside of the stunning artwork by Lee Binding (another reason to want more adventures recovered – more opportunities for Lee to create beautiful artwork for Doctor Who DVDs) the main point of interest is that it is the first classic Doctor Who DVD release since The Underwater Menace was released. Is this what was meant when the BBC said “We are hoping to release more classic Doctor Who?” It would seem a little strange if so – not least in that the secrecy seems disproportionate to the project. Having just watched the Spearhead from Space BluRay I’m in two minds whether or not I’ll invest in the Movie BluRay. It does make me wonder if the BBC’s idea is to upscale other classic adventures … which I confess would be a massively disappointing cop out if so! We can but wait and see.
In the meantime, while we await whatever revelations Phil has to bring, or indeed the release of Dave Hoskins’ book on the omnirumour, one of the things readers will get to look forward to will be a series of ‘if only’ reviews covering ways in which you can enjoy missing episodes in lieu of the actual episodes. Coming up will be:
- A review of the animation of The Moonbase
- A review of the novelisation of The Abominable Snowmen
- A review of the Loose Cannon reconstruction of Power of the Daleks
- A review of the audio reconstruction of The Macra Terror
Meantime – keep hoping readers!
Dan Talks Doctor Who 