Two long-missing episodes of Doctor Who have been recovered — and they come from one of the most famous lost stories in the programme’s history, The Daleks’ Master Plan.

“The Nightmare Begins” and “Devil’s Planet” have been found, restored, and will be released through BBC iPlayer at Easter.

In this episode, Christian Cawley is joined by fanzine publisher Gareth Kavanagh (Cutaway Comics, Vworp Vworp!), to discuss the discovery of two episodes from the epic 1965 Dalek adventure, a serial that remains one of the most significant gaps in the Doctor Who archive. With around half of the 12-part story still missing, the recovery of any material is a major moment for fans of the series, and anyone interested in lost media.

Christian and Gareth explore how the discovery came about, what we know about the recovered prints, and how they fit into the wider story of the BBC’s missing episodes. They also reflect on why The Daleks’ Master Plan has become such a legendary part of Doctor Who lore — from its scale and ambition to its infamous reputation among fans who have only experienced the story through reconstructions, audio recordings, and novelisations.

Along the way, the conversation touches on the broader history of missing episodes (Gareth previously attended a “missing episodes” event for Kasterborous in 2013), how discoveries like this still happen decades later, and what the find might mean for future archival work.

This is a topic we will definitely be coming back to soon...

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