2026 - July to September
July 2026
13 - On their X, FIF announce that two more film collections have been catalogued. Among the material discovered is a scene from a missing episode of a 1967 Petula Clark broadcast on the BBC, featuring The Dudley Moore Trio.
16 - On YouTube, FIF release a short video featuring Tim Burrows of the DWMEPC speaking on the topic of cutting copies - and how "loads" of copies of Doctor Who episodes could have been made.
17 - On their FB, FIF announce that at the screening of The Daleks' Master Plan at Phoenix Cinema, Leicester on 15 August 2026, two former BBC editors will join a discussion panel to further clarify the BBC's processes around cutting copies.
August 2026
4 - On their FB, FIF announce that at the Leicester screening of DMP 1-3 on 15 August, a discussion panel will feature former BBC editor Robert Maynard as a special guest. Robert will talk among other things about his knowledge of cutting copies, and the panel will be recorded and made available on the FIF Patreon and YouTube.
5 - In a reply to a comment, FIF state on their FB that "there is a chance" more missing Doctor Who will be returned to the BBC in the future.
6 - FIF announce that a second special guest, former BBC editor Simon Chambers, will feature on the discussion panel at Leicester.
7 - In an email to supporters, FIF advise that on 15 July, at BBC Archives, the prints of the following episodes of Doctor Who were handed over:
Doctor Who: The Web Planet
Doctor Who: The Executioners
Doctor Who: The Nightmare Begins
Doctor Who: Devil’s Planet
Although two other episodes of Doctor Who were found at the same time as these, only those listed were of higher quality than what was already held.
Also handed back were the finds of The Beatles at Top of the Pops, the episode of Once More with Felix, an episode of Morecambe & Wise and more.
8 - On PMF, Servorobot speculates on the role of BBC Sydney in producing cutting copies, given that the ABC censors made many cuts to episodes of Doctor Who.
15 - In a post reporting from the screening at HOME in Leicester, GB member steven.walton says FIF have reiterated that they are "aware of more episodes in other collections" - however, these collections are not as vulnerable as others, and FIF will get to them "when they can".
Also, FIF do not have any episodes currently.
17 - On their FB, the Radio Times posts a short piece featuring son of second Doctor, Michael Troughton, expressing his wish to have The Power of the Daleks found and returned.
24 - Peter Purves interviews FIF in the latest episode of his podcast. In it, the team describe the origin of FIF in 2023 and the background of the role of De Montfort University in the team.
John Franklin refers to the two DMP episodes, in that they formed part of an "inherited" collection from a deceased collector when they were obtained by the late gentleman who had them when FIF found them. John says this is common, and often accounts for why collectors don't know what they have.
John also says that many late film collectors' families were often happy to see the collections disposed of (i.e., thrown out), due to concerns over the films' provenance and any possible legal ramifications. John also says the very first collection they removed from a premises held missing episodes of The Likely Lads and Sykes.
Sue Malden talks about the role of Enid Mawson in preserving archive material, that it was a good relationship between the two ladies.
September 2026
4 - On their YT, FIF post a short video on their return of six episodes of Doctor Who to the BBC.
9 - On their YT, FIF post an excerpt from an interview with John Franklin, in which it's revealed that it was John himself who on examining the film collection first discovered the missing episodes of Doctor Who.
11 - On their FB, in a post about the find and return of missing segments from The Frost Report (featuring Ronnie Barker and John Cleese), FIF state that "a host of missing and rare items" will be returned to the BBC "at the end of September".
15 - On their X (Twitter), FIF state that there may be another Beatles film in another private collection - which, intriguingly for Whovians, belongs to a former studio engineer in Lime Grove (Studio E). This collector has approached FIF about the artefact.
17 - On PMF, Servorobot reports that in the latest DWM, Anneke Wills says she has heard "a hot whisper" regarding more returned missing episodes.
19 - The Radio Times publishes an article quoting Anneke Wills' comments from issue 634 of Doctor Who Magazine:
"I'm so excited. There have been whispers. We've had whispers before, so I don't usually take any notice, but recently I've heard a really hot whisper. Wahey! We'll see. I keep saying, 'Do it before I leave my body!
"I know about the complications. But I'm only interested in the stories coming back. I want my stories back. Never mind anyone else's. I want mine."
20 - A commenter on this blog alerted me to an upcoming screening of the two extant episodes of both The Underwater Menace and The Faceless Ones. Hosted by Riverside Studios and presented by Gavin Rymill and James Goss, who will also conduct an information and Q&A session for each episode, the screening takes place on 3 October 2026.
30 - To see out September, FIF post on their X that they will soon take in several collections for cataloguing, belonging to former BBC staff - namely, those of David Jervis (Doctor Who, Red Dwarf), Ken Locke and notably that of the late Keith Wilton, a former BBC film editor said to have one of the largest film collections in the world.
And from their FB, FIF further state that 2 out of the 3 collections are to be catalogued at De Montfort University - the third will be handled by an expert at R3Store Studios in London (Ed:- this seems likely to be the large Wilton collection).
In the comments on FB, FIF confirm this intake represents "thousands of cans". They further state there are "more recoveries to be announced" and that they are beginning the London-based cataloguing "this week".
Furthermore, FIF state that if this London-based enterprise is successful, they will be able to take "several large collections" located in the capital city, in which are "culturally important items".
