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As we gnaw our knuckles waiting to discover which missing episodes of Doctor Who have been unearthed, here are the SFX team's choices for the adventures we'd most love to see rescued from the BBC's skip of doom...
Keeping my expectations low, I’m desperately crossing all my body parts for the following:
Episode one of “The Power Of The Daleks”. Not only is it a great story, in which the Daleks are particularly cunning (“Victory Of The Daleks" paid homage to it), but it’s the first run-out for Troughton’s Doctor.
I’d also really love to see anything from “Fury From The Deep”, a 1968 six-parter featuring sinister seaweed, which holds a special fascination for me because the ‘80s novelisation was unusually good. A short clip exists of this featuring Mr Quill and Mr Oak, a duo who knock people out by breathing out toxic gas, and it’s powerfully uncanny.
And if we get all five missing episodes of “The Web Of Fear” – the story which saw the first appearance of Brigadier (then Colonel) Lethbridge-Stewart, there’s a very real danger I will wet myself.
DAVE GOLDER, SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR
1) Any episodes of “The Power Of The Daleks” – being a huge fan of Troughton’s Doctor, I love the thought I might finally get to see him in his debut.
2) Some Macra action from “The Macra Terror” – I know they’ll look crap but I still have a ghoulish fascination to see them.
3) Any episodes of “Fury From The Deep” – because those two guys with the screaming maws we’ve seen in the clips are so damned freaky I NEED to see more.
RUSSELL LEWIN, PRODUCTION EDITOR
Well, I suppose the easy answer to what I most want is: all 106 episodes! Because wouldn't that be a 50th anniversary present come early? But I'm extremely excited about this, even though I struggle watching a lot of old Doctor Who ! I recently suffered through "The Tenth Planet" and my iPhone must have got fed up at being fiddled with during it.
But if I could choose a few stories, what would I like to see most? Well, "The Daleks' Master Plan" in all its insane, Dalek-y glory; "The Celestial Toymaker" because that story has always fascinated me - so different! - and I love Michael Gough; "The Faceless Ones" because it's contemporary '60s London and Gatwick Airport, both of which I love; "The Abominable Snowmen" because I remember reading the Target novelisation as a kid visiting a snowy London; and "The Web Of Fear" because I love the Tube (I seem to have a thing about transport...).
Least like to see? The episodes they've animated from "The Reign Of Terror", "The Invasion" and "The Ice Warriors", I guess!
Oh, and I wonder if the DVD release of "The Moonbase" was put back not because the animation was lagging behind but because they've found the missing episodes and are cleaning them up...?
JORDAN FARLEY, STAFF WRITER
"The Macra Terror". It's about time those horrifying crustaceans had their moment in the sun. Scourge of a certain galaxy they may be, but they'll probably be good for a laugh too.
NICK SETCHFIELD, FEATURES EDITOR
It feels like Christmas Eve and I’m squeezing the presents beneath the tree. Here, have a feel… is that squishy enough to be a Yeti?
“The Web Of Fear” is probably my dream choice – I’ve always favoured grounded, Earth based Who over the interplanetary stuff and this Troughton tale smashes the uncanny up against the everyday in so many wonderful ways. Just the thought of seeing those dark Tube tunnels pulsing with giant, unearthly webs makes me tingle. Pure magic. Plus: the brilliant Brig! The beginning of a beautiful friendship…
I’d also kill to see standalone episode “Mission To The Unknown”, just because I’m intrigued to see how a Doctor Who story stripped of the Doctor, the companions and the TARDIS actually works: somehow I’ve always imagined it as the pilot episode for the Dalek spin-off show that Terry Nation never got to make. "Marco Polo" sounds like a grand old tale, with one of the best set of leads in the show’s history, and of course it would be fascinating to see Patrick Troughton piece together his take on the Doctor in “The Power Of The Daleks” (that mad hat!).
But you know what I’m most curious to see? “The Smugglers”, a story that feels like a missing file in my mental index of Doctor Who . Never read the book, never looked at the telesnaps, never listened to the audio: it remains the closest thing to a brand new William Hartnell story I’ll ever experience. Maybe one day soon...
