Doctor Who News

10/06/2026

The BBC has confirmed that the previously announced 2026 Christmas Special of Doctor Who has been cancelled. (from Doctor Who News)

17/05/2026

Fans gather for a screening of the 4K remastered version of Doctor Who The Movie, with special guest Paul McGann

03/04/2026

If you have been able to watch them let us know what you thought of the two returned episodes of The Dalek Master Plan?

The episodes can be viewed on iPlayer in the UK and on YouTube in the US.

01/04/2026

UPDATE: Doctor Who on BBC iPlayer

Film is Fabulous! are delighted to confirm that the two episodes of ‘The Daleks’ Master Plan’, which were recovered by members of the team from a private film collection, will be available on BBC iPlayer from 6am, on Friday 3rd April. This is earlier than previously suggested.

The two episodes will be fully accessible, and will join the other episodes of Doctor Who within The Whoniverse on BBC iPlayer.

Those attending the special Doctor Who screening at Riverside Studios on Saturday, 4th April, will have an extremely difficult decision to make: Do they watch the newly recovered episodes on iPlayer prior to the event, or do they wait, in order to enjoy the moment at the venue?

The event will be hosted by Toby Hadoke, and the first three instalments of ‘The Daleks’ Master Plan’ will be shown consecutively:

*The Nightmare Begins (Broadcast: 13th November 1965)

*Day of Armageddon (Broadcast: 20th November 1965)

*Devil’s Planet (Broadcast: 27th November 1965)

Following the screening of each episode, Toby will interview specially invited guests about the serial. The guests include:

*Peter Purves
*Nicholas Briggs
*Gavin Rymill
*Paul Vanezis
*Sue Malden
*Tim Burrows

The various interviews will be recorded, and made available for everyone to enjoy on the Film is Fabulous! website and YouTube Channel.

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01/04/2026

Laurie Webb 1924-2026:

The oldest living actor who has appeared in Doctor Who, Laurie Webb, has died at the age of 101.

Laurie Webb appeared in the 1972/3 Third Doctor story The Three Doctors where he played Mr Ollis, the game warden of Minsbridge Wildlife Sanctuary.

Webb had a long career in British Television, first appearing in the 1950's. He played many characters in the comedy series Hancock's Half Hour.

Other roles included parts in Paul Temple, The Troubleshooters, Doomwatch, The Goodies and The Brothers.

Born in 1924, he served in the Second World War as a sergeant major with the Royal Corps of Signals, stationed in both France and Germany.

Laurie Webb died peacefully on Sunday, 29th March, just 5 weeks short of his 102nd birthday

Laurie Webb became the oldest surviving member of the Doctor Who cast in December 2024 on the death of Arnold Yarrow. That title is now believed to be held by Peter Cellier, who appeared in the 1982 story Time-flight and who is currently 97. The longest-lived Doctor Who actor remains Arnold Yarrow, who lived to the age of 104. Doctor Who News

The oldest living actor to appear in Doctor Who, Laurie Webb, has died at the age of 101. (from Doctor Who News)

31/03/2026

Lost Doctor Who episodes coming to BBC iPlayer on Good Friday: 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 Doctor Who News

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 ... (from Doctor Who News)

13/03/2026

NEWS: Exclusive Peter Purves Interview

On Wednesday, 11th March 2026, Peter Purves walked into Leicester’s Phoenix Arts Cinema and Art Centre. What happened next took the great man’s breath away. Peter explained:

“I was greeted by my friend Toby Hadoke, who brought me in and immediately said, ‘Peter, I’ve been lying to you. You’re going to see something today, which you didn’t expect…’ “What was on offer was the very first episode of The Daleks’ Master Plan. My flabber was gasted, and I was a little bit speechless for probably half an hour. My bewildering day continued when I was invited into a private showing of The Nightmare Begins, projected onto a proper cinema screen. As I watched, I gradually grew in confidence as it went on, and I stopped being speechless and feeling stunned by it all. I then just felt very happy to see this rather good episode for the first time ever. It was excellent.”

Film is Fabulous! had, in fact, recovered two missing episodes of The Daleks’ Master Plan. After the credits of The Nightmare Begins had rolled and the BBC news team got Purves’ initial reaction to the episode, Toby Hadoke, whom Peter had invited to sit beside him to share this impossibly rare viewing experience, apologised as he revealed he’d lied again. Toby explained that Film is Fabulous! hadn’t just found the first episode of The Daleks’ Master Plan… ‘They’ve also found Episode 3.’ An astonished Purves bolted upright in his cinema seat. “You’re kidding!” Asked if he would like an interval before the screening continued, the jubilant star couldn’t contain his excitement and enthusiastically requested that the episode be played without delay.

The recovery means that the first three instalments of a once totally missing 12-part story now exist. They provide a dark and gritty outing for the Daleks, who were being groomed by their creator, Terry Nation, for their own series, and life outside of Doctor Who.

At the end of his very special visit to Leicester, it was a chauffeur-driven car, rather than a spaceship, that arrived safely in orbit, ready to take the actor home. Standing tall, Peter personally thanked each of the assembled team for playing their part. Having recently battled illness, an emotional Purves explained that the experience had rejuvenated him. “Today has given my recovery such a boost, I cannot tell you. It’s been an honour and an absolute joy for me to meet you all, and to be amongst people who actually care about preserving the work we did, and who have said very nice things about my part in it. It’s been a very happy experience for me.”

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13/03/2026

https://youtube.com/shorts/qtM2L0-ADno?si=qbAGpZ5guQb857JR

Two early episodes of Doctor Who, that were lost and had not been viewed since airing in the 1960s, have been found.Restored versions of the episodes will be...

13/03/2026

The Nightmare returns!: 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!

The two episodes were recovered from the estate of a late collector by , and the restored versions will be released on the BBC iPlayer over Easter.

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. Doctor Who News

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 ... (from Doctor Who News)