Noted that it’s 60 years to the day that ‘The Nightmare Begins’ was broadcast. Viewing the surviving clips invariably takes me back to one of my strongest memories of buying DWB (‘Daleks Masterplan 1 - Film Footage Found!’) & their much anticipated inclusion on ‘The Early Years‘ VHS. Happy days.

Noted that it’s 60 years to the day that ‘The Nightmare Begins’ was broadcast. Viewing the surviving clips invariably takes me back to one of my strongest memories of buying DWB (‘Daleks Masterplan 1 - Film Footage Found!’) & their much anticipated inclusion on ‘The Early Years‘ VHS. Happy days.

Now revisiting The Sea Devils, whose mythical status was fuelled when I was a youngster by the likes of this striking image (& others that would grace the books & magazines for years to come). An archetypal image really - a resolute Dr with horror lurking in the shadows - no wonder we were hooked 🙂

OTD 1981. ‘The Five Faces of Dr Who’ season on BBC2 continues with ‘The Krotons’. Apart from a few brief glimpses in the ‘Whose Dr Who?’ documentary, this was my first real exposure to Patrick Troughton’s Doctor. Oh, how I made sure I was home in time to catch these episodes - just captivating. 🙂

On to episode 4 of ‘The Curse of Peladon’. I can easily say that repeated viewings over the years - from ‘Dr Who and the Monsters’, then via VHS, DVD and finally Blu-ray - certainly hasn’t blunted my fondness for this story. Though there was something inevitably magical about those 80s repeats 🙂

Remember, remember, the 5th of November. Well, I certainly recall this date in 1993 - 70s Dr Who in a peak-time viewing slot, due to a welcome repeat run of ‘Planet of the Daleks’. Along with those wonderful featurettes that preceded each episode, the VHS recorder was rarely idle during this time.

OTD 1966. Patrick Troughton’s first appearance as our beloved mercurial time traveller, as the first episode of ‘The Power of the Daleks’ is broadcast. A story that represents the first of twenty-one reasons over three memorable seasons to delight in his extraordinary performance as the Doctor 🙂

OTD 1992 - UK Gold is launched & this devotee of the show, desperate to view archive Doctor Who, begins stocking up on blank VHS tapes. This channel jingle quickly became synonymous with my first viewings of many surviving Hartnell episodes. Such a wonderful time.

OTD 1992 - UK Gold is launched & this devotee of the show, desperate to view archive Doctor Who, begins stocking up on blank VHS tapes. This channel jingle quickly became synonymous with my first viewings of many surviving Hartnell episodes. Such a wonderful time.

NEWS: Toby Hadoke Podcast Toby Hadoke, plus a host of Doctor Who luminaries, have recorded a very special podcast about missing episodes. Fantasy Film Cans (Part One) is, as Toby states: ‘Pure fantasy: a parlour game turned into a podcast.’ But what great fun! x.com/tobyhadoke/s...

Revisiting The Curse of Peladon & I’m reminded just how good a performance Alan Bennion provides as Izlyr. Augmenting Sylvia James‘s superb make-up work, Bennion works wonders with timing, inflection, gesture & posture - and it’s all beautifully sustained throughout each episode. Such a fine actor.

OTD 1966. William Hartnell takes his bow, just eight episodes into Season 4. The change of lead actor would usher in a key component of the show‘s mythology, one that would help to secure it a longevity no one to that point could have foreseen. It is of course far from all over…

Now revisiting ‘The Curse of Peladon’. My earliest memories of watching this in the 70s are now as steeped in flickering darkness as those shadowy castle corridors, but I do vividly recall avidly reading Hayle’s Target novelisation - for who could forget those impactful Alan Willow illustrations? 👇🙂

Remembering Peter Bryant, born OTD 1923. Script Editor, Associate Producer & then full-time Producer for an absolutely extraordinary run of stories in the Patrick Troughton era. Such a superb legacy - can we just have a little bit more of it back please? 🙂

Finished ’Day of the Daleks’ yesterday - a pleasure to revisit after many years. And multiple viewings hasn’t blunted my fondness for Pertwee’s performance here - he’s completely on form throughout, especially the measured intensity with which he delivers these now immortal lines…

OTD 1976. The more I revisit Sarah Jane Smith’s departure, the more I come to appreciate the cleverness of the writing & the subtle staging of those closing scenes. Performances pitched just at the right level, complemented by some very sensitive direction from Lennie Mayne.

It's Episode 17 of The Doctor Who Missing Episodes Podcast - THE HIGHLANDERS With the brilliant Gav Rymill and Rhys Williams. New info and our best to date! All shares much appreciated. Links below 👇

With Season 13 gracing the shelves, I recalled one of the many things that makes ‘Terror of the Zygons‘ such a joy to watch - quite simply, it’s that beautifully staged cut to a close-up of Baker replying how the sea “may be calm, but its never empty”. Timing, framing, intonation - all perfect 🙂

One of the most enduring aspects of ‘Day of the Daleks’ is the strong acting performances from multiple cast members. A case in point is Aubrey Woods’s compelling performance as the Controller. His character’s moment of redemption is a wonderful touch - subtly realised & finely staged.

Revisiting ‘Day of the Daleks’ & I’d quite forgotten how the first episode hurtles along at a wonderful pace. The cross-fading between the chanting Daleks is one of my earliest memories of the show - as a youngster they were both captivating & absolutely terrifying. No wonder I became hooked. 🙂

Celebrating Timothy Combe, who is 89 today. Superlative work as a director on The Silurians & The Mind of Evil - each & every time I revisit these stories I always find something new to appreciate.

Latest episode! linktr.ee/missingeps_pod

And we’re back. And it’s feels doubly poignant in that Day of the Daleks represents the point where I began watching DW on a regular basis - & therefore the inception of a long term fondness for the show. I can only imagine the effect Bellamy’s cover would have had on me had I seen it at the time! 🙂