2021 - 2022

2021

January 2021

4 - On Twitter, Philip Morris replies to an accusation that he still has episode 3 of The Web of Fear, stating that it's "bullshit" and it was stolen by one of "the Fitzroy crowd". On GB, member grazey1 states the Fitzroy Crowd consists of a high level group of Who fans including Steven Moffatt, Chris Chibnall, Robert Shearman, Paul Cornell and others. However other Tweeters dispute whether Chibnall was an attendee at all.

Meanwhile on PMF, Ian Levine's name is bandied about but member DouglasWulf states he heard "another name" - but as he can't substantiate the claim, he won't reveal their identity.

14 - Richard Molesworth is interviewed on YouTube, and at around the 41:00 mark he weighs in on the debate over episode 3 of The Web of Fear. He contradicts Phil's account, posted on Facebook in 2015 (See 2015, October 11) that "no attention" was drawn to the film cans, but the station manager picked it up, curious as to why Morris was interested in it. In this, he concurs with Paul Vanezis's view, but he goes further and says he believes it has been destroyed.

23 - On PMF, member and moderator Black Orchid quotes a post from Richard Molesworth from 2016:

Just found this:

Richard Molesworth wrote 9/4/16:

These prints of 'Enemy' and 'Web' were sent to Nigeria in 1974 by TVS in Sigapore. TVS Singapore were sent the prints by RTV in Hong Kong in 1970. RTV in Hong Kong were sent the prints by BBC Enterprises in 1969.

I've gone over all 11 of the returned cans and spools with a fine tooth-comb. They contain notations and markings which are consistant with them being the tx prints for Hong Kong, Singapore and BPTV.

Member DouglasWulf then adds an excerpt of a conversation between Victoria actress Deborah Watling and Philip Morris, taken from a WhoTalk commentary for episode 6 of The Web of Fear:

Watling: They were in terrible condition, weren’t they?

Morris: To be honest with you, Debbie, they weren’t bad. You’ve got to realize that this is a set of films that been Hong Kong, Singapore, Gibraltar...

Watling: Yeah.

Morris: … and then, Zambia, and then Nigeria. So, everyone had played them.

And in a further post, Doug clarifies that the Enemy and Web prints that Morris found in Nigeria were in fact originally from Hong Kong. They were then 'bicycled' on to Singapore, to Gibraltar, to Zambia and then to Nigeria.

Doug also makes the point that in his excellent missing episodes documentary series, YouTuber and videographer Josh Snares shows how the fate of almost all prints sent to Singapore is unknown. 

30 - On PMF, member Mobius posts to call attention to a tweet by Matthew Purchase, who says that the DVD and Blu-Ray releases for The Web of Fear have been taken down from pre-order on Zoom. Only the steel book remains available for purchase.

When Twitter user Anthony Carroll joins the thread and questions whether this could be in relation to the return of Web 3, Philip Morris also joins in, dropping a series of cryptic hints.

This discussion is later taken up on MEF by member issacc. 

Speculation ensues as to whether the steel book will feature the missing episode 3.

February 2021

4 - Fantom Films host a Zoom event featuring Paul Vanezis and Peter Crocker. On PMF, Robert Mammone states that at the very end, Paul Vanezis says there are "definitely" episodes in the hands of private collectors.

5 - On GB, poster KyleRickards alludes to posts discussing the event apparently having been excised from the ME Megathread.

7 - Member Sarah Hadley states that the event featured Paul Vanezis and Peter Crocker, who in part discussed missing episodes:

• PV repeated his belief that episodes exist in private collections
• PV believes that of the 1960s era, seasons 1, 2 and 6 are the most likely to be added to the collection of season blu-ray boxsets 
• PC mentioned he is attempting additional restoration work on The Crusade episode 1, 'The Lion' - not because it is a planned release, but he is doing it on his own time because he knows it will be released "eventually". 
• PV put out a call for anyone who owns original film trims from the classic series to contact the Restoration Team: in particular, the fight scene from The Curse of Peladon.

Member RareWolf replies to say he already put the owner of the film trims in touch with PV before the Zoom session was over. RareWolf also said that the RT knows who now has the original film print of 'The Lion', but damage to the print means a rescan might not be worthwhile.

PC had already said on Twitter subsequent to the Fantom Zoom, that he wasn't teasing missing episodes and has no insider knowledge. Clarifying his Zoom comments, PC said that if the missing episodes of The Crusade, 2 and 4 were ever to turn up, more than likely it would be the full set with 1 and 3 (already in the archives) accompanying them.

March 2021

1 - On MEF, when asked as to the progress of investigation into a possible screening of The Power of the Daleks at a Singapore school some 45 years ago, member A Barron replies that the lead no longer looks credible but he is still waiting to tie off every aspect of his investigation.

12 - Fantom Films posts an excerpt from the Zoom talk where Paul Vanezis speaks about episodes in the hands of private collectors.

2022

January 2022

27 - The year gets off to a flying start: on GB, Scot Ferre quotes a Facebook post by one Craig Cabell who claims to have been searching for missing episodes in the Middle East. Interested parties can check the full quote for themselves, but to this editor, it reads as absolute horse-shit.

28 - The Plymouth Herald reports on "a fan's" (Craig Cabell's) claim that 17 missing episodes of Doctor Who are being held to ransom "for political reasons" by a country in the Middle East:

"There are claims of a fan tracking down missing episodes in the Middle East for the past two years after finding evidence a country in the region had acquired the episodes from other nations.

They say evidence shows studios in Japan, New Zealand and Australia all had possession of classic era episodes before forwarding the stories on to the Middle East in 1967 and then again in the 1970s.

These episodes are likely to be from the first five seasons of Doctor Who. The fan claims to have confirmation that a broadcasting agency in the region 'accepted' dates of episodes provided to them, and that files exist corresponding with them."

July 2022

2 - In the second part of The Daleks’ Master Plan instalment of the DWMEPC, researcher Jon Preddle expresses the belief that having been rejected by the Australian censors, the film prints of DMP were sent back to the BBC in the UK sometime after March 1967. 

This would seem to contradict rumours that Philip Morris intended to check a "bond store" in Sydney that may have held the prints, once the ABC's Gore Hill facility had been closed down and sold. (Go to 55:00)

23 - On PMF, member GeostarOne almost offhandedly remarks that a "guy who lives outside of Boston" claims on the film and stock forums to be in possession of the missing presumed stolen episode 3 of The Web of Fear. Further, that this person is "the most miserable 60 year old man I have ever met" and he won't return the episode, ever.

When this is queried and evidence requested, GeostartOne adds that this person:

"...has bragged for 30 years on many of the 8mm and 16mm film stock collector's forums that he has the largest collection of BBC film stock outside of the BBC and put up pictures to prove it. Most of it looks like stuff that is already out there but he probably has a good deal that isn't. He was some kind of professor at UMASS or Amherst since retired. When Web 3 went missing he claimed responsibility for bribing the studio guy. I have never actually seen it but I'm sure he isn't lying about it. He loves to brag about the fact that he has all of these things we will never see."

GeostarOne goes on to say that this person has "a near complete run of the first two seasons" (but then to be fair, so do the rest of us! - Ed.).

August 2022

7 - In The Massacre instalment of The DWMEPC, Steven Schapansky of the Radio Free Skaro podcast states his belief that The Feast of Steven (The Daleks' Master Plan episode 7) was more than likely copied onto film in readiness for potential overseas sales. (Go to 1:42:28).

October 2022

4 - Ralph Montagu and the Radio Times launch a new campaign to find lost and missing television and radio. 

12 - As part of the RT's Treasure Hunt, a call is put out to anyone who might have episodes 1-3 of The Celestial Toymaker. Oddly, this is the only Doctor Who story mentioned as part of this campaign.

16 - Aron Challinger, owner of a Melbourne sci fi merchandise retail store, posts on Twitter that he is processing the deceased estate of someone who by all appearances was quite a hoarder - and a Doctor Who fan! - and among the hoarded items is "the biggest collection of domestically recorded video tapes that has ever been found in Australia".

He later states that the collection stretches right back to the mid 1970s and includes the earliest known home video recording of a Star Trek episode in Australia.

The collection includes a massive haul of old VHS, Betamax, Umatic and vintage reel to reel audio tapes. Speculation on forums is whether any missing Who could be present in the haul.

November 2022

18 - Aron appears on the 42 to Doomsday podcast to discuss his progress. Unfortunately, around 27 tonnes of material had already been disposed of before Aron could begin the work.

December 2022

20 - Aron's final update for 2022 is that he is checking "thousands" of items including Doctor Who DVDs that the collector burned himself. Aron states downthread that the earliest items appear to date from 1972 and that there is a "slim" chance missing Who could be among the collection.

2019 - 2020

2019

February 2019 

6 - On MEF, in response to a question from Charles Daniels about the possible existence of Marco Polo in Tehran, Paul Vanezis reiterates that "an engineer" personally witnessed Doctor Who film cans on the shelves of the State broadcaster. Paul says that the films "could" be Marco Polo, as the first two episodes were sent there, but the chances of a repatriation are "slim" due to the state of relations with the country.

2020 is mostly taken up with discussion of statements by both Paul Vanezis and Philip Morris that a smattering of episodes (2 according to Paul, 6 according to Phil) still sit with private collectors.

2020

February 2020

14 - On AZ, member Theodore J Flicker alludes to speculation that the two episodes in private collections are Hartnells: Galaxy 4, episode 4, "The Exploding Planet" and The Celestial Toymaker episode 3, "The Dancing Floor".

April 2020

5 - On MEF, member Luke Sherlaw posts that Fantom Films has posted to YouTube a four-hour interview with Philip Morris. 

At 3:11:07, Morris reiterates his claim that in response to Morris' query about the missing Web 3, the NTV station manager at Jos, Nigeria merely replied "I don't know anything about missing episodes" - leading Morris to believe that his recovery efforts had been "infiltrated". Morris further claims to know precisely who has the episode and says he hopes that person will return it. In fact, Morris is emphatic that "every missing episode" will work its way back to the BBC in due course. Hmm.

Furthermore, at 3:14:49, Morris explicitly states that "at least six" missing episodes sit with private collectors. The reason these individuals are hesitant to return the episodes are they are uncertain how they will be treated by the BBC. And Morris thinks there "probably" are episodes in private collections in Australia.

Finally, Morris says he is "not done" on the Doctor Who front - and that he wants any future returns to be "a surprise".

11 - Tim Burrows and Paul Morris kick off The Doctor Who Missing Episodes Podcast, discussing in depth each serial that currently lacks episodes, the production of each, the bicycling chains and the relevant rumours.

18 - Fantom publishes to YouTube a video interview (recorded in 2017) with the members of the Restoration Team, a fascinating and wide-ranging discussion on the process of restoration and the issues the team face.

During the course of the interview, Paul Vanezis states that it took only a week from Galaxy 4: Airlock being returned to film collector Terry Burnett, before he came forward with The Underwater Menace: 2. Paul says that despite Burnett's claim that it was "a fluke" that he'd found it, it seems clear that Burnett already knew he had it in his collection. The implication is that Burnett was waiting to see if the BBC could be trusted in the first place: an interesting insight into the difficulties in establishing trust with collectors and ensuring all such dealings run smoothly.

August 2020

1 - On the The Myth Makers edition of The Doctor Who Missing Episodes Podcast, guest Toby Hadoke relays what Paul Vanezis has recently said about Sierra Leone: that the stories purchased by the country - which are Galaxy 4, The Myth Makers, The Massacre, The Ark, The Celestial Toymaker, The Savages, The War Machines and The Smugglers - were no longer there by the 1980s. The most likely outcome for these stories is that they made their way firstly back to BBC Enterprises and from there into the hands of private collectors.

This comment would now seem to corroborate what Philip Morris - who was there in 2011 - has previously said: that all the episodes held in Sierra Leone were sent back the the UK in 1974. And it would seem to be a backtrack on Paul's previous comments about everything having been destroyed in the civil war.

23 - ABC News publishes an article on their website featuring Darran Jordan, Vice-President of the Doctor Who Club of Australia, and Paul Vanezis. Paul alludes to The Daleks' Master Plan not passing the Australian censors and being stored away in their Gore Hill facility in the late 1960's. This facility was then sold in 2003, and the whereabouts of the film prints are unknown. However Jordan goes on to suggest they may be in the hands of private collectors.

December 2020

24 - The Type 40 Podcast publishes a lengthy interview with Richard Molesworth, author of "Wiped!". The topic of missing episodes is canvassed in a general way, but at 42 minutes Richard states his belief that episode 3 of The Web of Fear was stolen by the Jos station manager and destroyed. Richard also states that he is not sure whether the reports of episodes in private collections are true.