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| Doctor Who: Yeti classic among episodes found in Nigeria | Doctor Who: Yeti classic among episodes found in Nigeria |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Nine missing episodes of 1960s Doctor Who have been found at a TV station in Nigeria, including most of the classic story The Web of Fear. | Nine missing episodes of 1960s Doctor Who have been found at a TV station in Nigeria, including most of the classic story The Web of Fear. |
| The black and white story sees Patrick Troughton's second Doctor battle robot yeti in the London Underground. | The black and white story sees Patrick Troughton's second Doctor battle robot yeti in the London Underground. |
| Also recovered is a complete version of Troughton's six-part story The Enemy of the World. | Also recovered is a complete version of Troughton's six-part story The Enemy of the World. |
| It is thought to be the largest haul of missing episodes recovered in the last three decades. | It is thought to be the largest haul of missing episodes recovered in the last three decades. |
| "It's thrilling," said Mark Gatiss, an actor and writer for the 21st Century incarnation of Doctor Who. | "It's thrilling," said Mark Gatiss, an actor and writer for the 21st Century incarnation of Doctor Who. |
| "Every single avenue seemed to have been exhausted, every now and then something turns up - but to have two virtually complete stories out of the blue is absolutely incredible." | "Every single avenue seemed to have been exhausted, every now and then something turns up - but to have two virtually complete stories out of the blue is absolutely incredible." |
| The BBC destroyed many of the sci-fi drama's original transmission tapes in the 1960s and 1970s. | The BBC destroyed many of the sci-fi drama's original transmission tapes in the 1960s and 1970s. |
| However, many episodes were transferred on to film for sale to foreign broadcasters. It is often these prints found in other countries that are the source of retrieved episodes. | However, many episodes were transferred on to film for sale to foreign broadcasters. It is often these prints found in other countries that are the source of retrieved episodes. |
| In this case, 11 Doctor Who episodes were discovered, nine of which were missing, in the Nigerian city of Jos. | In this case, 11 Doctor Who episodes were discovered, nine of which were missing, in the Nigerian city of Jos. |
| The find was made by Philip Morris, director of a company called Television International Enterprises Archive. | The find was made by Philip Morris, director of a company called Television International Enterprises Archive. |
| Mr Morris said: "The tapes had been left gathering dust in a storeroom at a television relay station in Nigeria. I remember wiping the dust off the masking tape on the canisters and my heart missed a beat as I saw the words, Doctor Who. When I read the story code I realised I'd found something pretty special." | Mr Morris said: "The tapes had been left gathering dust in a storeroom at a television relay station in Nigeria. I remember wiping the dust off the masking tape on the canisters and my heart missed a beat as I saw the words, Doctor Who. When I read the story code I realised I'd found something pretty special." |
| He said it had been a "lucky" find given the high temperatures in the African country. "Fortunately they had been kept in the optimum condition." | He said it had been a "lucky" find given the high temperatures in the African country. "Fortunately they had been kept in the optimum condition." |
| Only episode three of The Enemy of the World already existed in the BBC archive. The Nigerian discovery of episodes one, two, four, five and six complete the story. | Only episode three of The Enemy of the World already existed in the BBC archive. The Nigerian discovery of episodes one, two, four, five and six complete the story. |
| Episode one of fan favourite The Web of Fear existed, with the rest thought lost forever. Now episodes two, four, five and six have been recovered. | Episode one of fan favourite The Web of Fear existed, with the rest thought lost forever. Now episodes two, four, five and six have been recovered. |
| Episode three is still missing, but has been reconstructed from stills to enable restored versions of both stories to be made available for sale via download on Friday. | Episode three is still missing, but has been reconstructed from stills to enable restored versions of both stories to be made available for sale via download on Friday. |
| The latest find means that the number of missing episodes of Doctor Who has dropped from 106 to 97. | The latest find means that the number of missing episodes of Doctor Who has dropped from 106 to 97. |
| 'Quintessential story' | 'Quintessential story' |
| One episode from each story - both last seen in 1968 - were shown at a special event in London on Thursday by BBC Worldwide, the BBC's commercial arm. | One episode from each story - both last seen in 1968 - were shown at a special event in London on Thursday by BBC Worldwide, the BBC's commercial arm. |
| Among the guests were actors Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling, who played Troughton's Tardis companions Jamie McCrimmon and Victoria Waterfield. | Among the guests were actors Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling, who played Troughton's Tardis companions Jamie McCrimmon and Victoria Waterfield. |
| Episode one of The Enemy of the World is a James Bond-style thriller complete with an exploding helicopter, a hovercraft, gun-toting henchmen and a foreign-accented villain, Salamander (also played by Troughton). | Episode one of The Enemy of the World is a James Bond-style thriller complete with an exploding helicopter, a hovercraft, gun-toting henchmen and a foreign-accented villain, Salamander (also played by Troughton). |
| The story opens with the Tardis arriving on an Australian beach where the Doctor strips to his long johns and goes for a dip in the sea. | The story opens with the Tardis arriving on an Australian beach where the Doctor strips to his long johns and goes for a dip in the sea. |
| The Web of Fear is a claustrophobic tale that sees the Doctor battle his old foe, the Great Intelligence, and the yeti in the tunnels of the London tube system. | The Web of Fear is a claustrophobic tale that sees the Doctor battle his old foe, the Great Intelligence, and the yeti in the tunnels of the London tube system. |
| "It's the quintessential Doctor Who story," said Gatiss. "It has the return of the Abominable Snowmen in an iconic location." | "It's the quintessential Doctor Who story," said Gatiss. "It has the return of the Abominable Snowmen in an iconic location." |
| He said it showed Troughton "at the height of his powers". | He said it showed Troughton "at the height of his powers". |
| Frazer Hines recalled that the underground station sets had been so realistic that London Transport accused the BBC of filming at a tube station in secret. | Frazer Hines recalled that the underground station sets had been so realistic that London Transport accused the BBC of filming at a tube station in secret. |
| The story also featured an appearance by Deborah Watling's real-life father Jack, reprising his role as Professor Travers. | The story also featured an appearance by Deborah Watling's real-life father Jack, reprising his role as Professor Travers. |
| Recalling Troughton's "wonderful sense of humour" on set, Watling said: "We all got on so well, we were like a family and Pat was always to me like another dad or an uncle. We had a chemistry and I think it showed." | Recalling Troughton's "wonderful sense of humour" on set, Watling said: "We all got on so well, we were like a family and Pat was always to me like another dad or an uncle. We had a chemistry and I think it showed." |
| How did she feel when she heard about the recovery of the lost episodes? "I couldn't quite believe it. There had been hoaxes before. I thought it was just another hoax." | How did she feel when she heard about the recovery of the lost episodes? "I couldn't quite believe it. There had been hoaxes before. I thought it was just another hoax." |
| Her only other complete story in the archive had been The Tomb of the Cybermen, all four instalments of which were discovered in Hong Kong in 1991. | Her only other complete story in the archive had been The Tomb of the Cybermen, all four instalments of which were discovered in Hong Kong in 1991. |
| Hines said: "This now gives me hope that more stories of Patrick's will come out of the woodwork." | Hines said: "This now gives me hope that more stories of Patrick's will come out of the woodwork." |
| The latest find comes as Doctor Who celebrates its 50th birthday. A special episode featuring the current Doctor, Matt Smith, and his predecessor, David Tennant, will be shown on the programme's anniversary on 23 November. |