2026
April 2026
2 - On their X, FIF post a short clip of Nicholas Briggs - voice of the Daleks in the modern series - speaking about his reaction to hearing the episodes had been found. At the end of the clip he makes the somewhat cryptic remark: "Let's see the episodes, and see what happens next"!
3 - At 6am UK time on Good Friday, the two recovered episodes of The Daleks' Master Plan go live on the BBC's iPlayer service.
On the official Doctor Who X account, they confirm that US viewers can access the episodes on the official Classic Doctor Who YouTube channel.
4 - The screening of the first three episodes of The Daleks' Master Plan together with panel discussions takes place at Riverside Studios in London. In attendance is Peter Purves who starred in the episodes.
On GB, member ElectroBoy, who attended the event, states that Joggs Camfield, Jessica Carney and members of the late Adrienne Hill's family were also present.
ElectroBoy also states that Paul Vanezis believes that episodes 5 and 10 (returned in the mid 1980s) are likely to be returned Australian audition prints, judging by the cans. Previously, these were believed to still be held in the infamous Australian "bonded warehouse" - it now appears that Master Plan's audition prints somehow made their way back to the UK!
On Roobarbs, member DoctorWhoDVDs adds to this: Paul discovered that one of the cans has an original 1960s label hidden beneath a later, 1980s one. The newly-discovered label bore a handwritten date which matches with the dates on which the episodes were being reviewed and rejected by the Australian censors.
Furthermore, episode 2 (recovered in 2004) may also be an Australian ex-audition print, but as yet there is no conclusive evidence.
10 - The quotes from Paul Vanezis above can now be heard on the FIF YouTube release of the second discussion panel on the screening day. Paul also delves into more details about what a cutting copy is.
13 - On their website, FIF announce that the two recovered episodes (together with "Day of Armageddon") will be screened at HOME Manchester on 23 May 2026.
24 - On their website, the BBC announce the recovery of a missing (albeit black and white) 1968 Morecambe & Wise by FIF. Like the episodes of The Daleks' Master Plan, the episode was also found in the collection of a deceased industry professional, but it's not clear if the M&W was found in the same collection.
On their FB, in response to such enquiries, FIF state that details of the find will be announced next week. (However - they later state that this is NOT from the same collection.)
Replying to a comment, FIF also state that they are currently working on FIVE film collections - and have a number of recoveries to announce in the weeks ahead!
25 - On the DWMEPC X account, Tim Burrows reveals that the found M&W episode was also a cutting copy.
30 - On their FB, FIF state that the estate of the late collector in whose collection the episode of M&W was found wishes him to remain anonymous. They confirm however that this was another cutting copy.
May 2026
3 - On their FB, FIF reveal they currently have 70 items of film that are being returned to BBC Archives - including negatives - and that many of these are "cutting copies", some of which have had editorial cuts made to them.
In a reply, FIF confirm that they hold a mix of missing, rare and better quality episodes together with "clips, scenes, etc" and they will publish a list shortly.
However they then DO provide something of a list - the "seventy" include missing comedy shows and clips, drama, horror, and a large number of regional features of 8-12 mins from programmes like London This Week (1960s and 70s). (Ed: - so potentially, "drama" could include Doctor Who.)
They also confirm they will be holding "another event later in the year" - presumably to show some of this material.
4 - In a further reply to their FB post, FIF confirm that all the missing material including full episodes have been returned to the BBC archives.
On the Sense Sphere podcast, Brendan says one of his contacts "thinks they may be onto something Doctor Who related" in a film collection (2:45).
Then at 19:36, Brendan says he "received an email live" from an individual with "some positive news"! Brendan needs to talk to this person first and then may release another update.
In a reply to a comment from @watcherviewer-o4i, Brendan insists this is "not a hoax", and replying to a comment by @mb19821, Brendan says "it's 100% good news".
7 - On their X, FIF announce the first item to come from the "seventy" - a short film from the BBC's internal director's course, "Tell Mummy" (c. 1964) directed by Tina Wakerell.
(Ed:- this short was already announced and screened by FIF in November 2025; presumably this latest announcement is because the item has now been officially returned to the BBC.)
8 - On GB, member Aggedor_09 quotes an article from the latest issue of the Radio Times, in which John Franklin of FIF is interviewed. Apparently John promises "further announcements from [FIF] in the months ahead. So stay tuned...]
Meanwhile on their X, FIF reveal a second found item: a short silent movie entitled "The Actress" (1913). The film was found in "a dank haven" in the north of England. More details are given in a FB post.
14 - In an article by the Telegraph, it's mentioned that the M&W episode was found "in the attic of a former television executive".
June 2026
2 - FIF report that at the British Film Collectors’ Convention, held in Surrey on 30 May 2026, a 35mm negative of the debut Top of the Pops appearance of The Beatles was handed over. This was one of several items from the estate of a deceased film collector.
The appearance is from 19 March 1964. The segment previously existed, but the donated film is of higher quality (it was still in the original BBC film can).
In addition to The Beatles negative, other items, including four recordings of BBC Radio show ‘Hancock’s Half Hour’, on reel-to-reel tape, were also donated by the family of the deceased collector. Full details will be provided in due course.
8 - The DWMEPC releases a fascinating and in-depth interview with Neil Lambess, co-finder of missing episode "The Lion" (episode one of The Crusade). As well as giving more detail about finding the episode, Neil reveals that the school screening of two episodes of The Macra Terror is now supported by anecdotal and documentary evidence.
Neil also states that two episodes of Marco Polo, plus one of The Highlanders, are known to have existed in the archives of TVNZ at one point. Investigations into missing episodes in NZ are ongoing.
As an aside, Tim mentions that as at the time of the interview (approx. 6 months prior to publication), FIF are still engaged in cataloguing the collection of the late film collector, Terry Burnett.
Meanwhile on FB, FIF post that they will present at Utopia 2026 - the annual Fantom Events for Doctor Who fandom - on 13 June. John Franklin will give an update on the latest recoveries including The Daleks' Master Plan.
Also appearing at the event will be Carole Ann Ford, Peter Purves, Wendy Padbury, and Paul Vanezis.
13 - On GB, member Flashpoint reports a few snippets from the FIF panel at Utopia 2026: John Franklin says that prospects for dealing with collectors are positive, with logistics being the main roadblock.
In October 2025, when John made his comments about the collection having gone to probate, the episode known to be in the collection was "Devil's Planet" (episode 3, The Daleks' Master Plan).
And when Peter Purves stated he believes more will come back but not in his lifetime, John apparently made a face - "a knowing smirk" - giving the impression that Peter may well be incorrect.
15 - On GB, when asked whether the three Doctor Who prints mentioned in the Neil Lambess podcast could have survived, Tim B replies that they may have been junked, but there is enough anecdotal evidence to be "hopeful" that they could have escaped.
