For devoted fans of classic Doctor Who, the announcement of animated reconstructions of lost episodes is always met with elation. After years of hoping, two more cherished missing stories, The Smugglers and The Underwater Menace, are being animated, much to the delight of the fanbase eagerly anticipating more Animated Doctor adventures. This exciting news arrives just in time to celebrate Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary, adding to the ongoing efforts to preserve and revitalize the show’s rich history.
While some may jokingly suggest these animations are simply to complete Season 4 for future Blu-ray releases, the truth is, these projects offer a fantastic opportunity to experience stories that would otherwise remain lost to time. The Smugglers, in particular, has been a relatively obscure story, making its animation feel like the unveiling of a brand new Doctor Who narrative. The recovery of The Enemy of the World serves as a powerful precedent. Despite initial low expectations, it proved to be a genuinely compelling story, exceeding anticipations and delivering a delightful surprise. There’s a similar hope that The Smugglers will offer a comparable hidden gem, provided the audio quality can be enhanced and the animation style avoids the pitfalls of less successful attempts, aiming instead for the consistent quality seen in The Abominable Snowman.
The Underwater Menace, with its memorable, albeit over-the-top villain Zarkoff, is another welcome addition to the animated Doctor Who canon. The contrast between Zarkoff’s theatrical villainy and Patrick Troughton’s masterful Doctor is a key part of its charm. It remains to be seen whether the animation will encompass just the missing two episodes or all four parts for the sake of completeness, but anticipation is high regardless. Official confirmation is eagerly awaited, but this development naturally leads to pondering the possibility of animating the remaining missing episodes.
Animated Macra Terror Doctor Who
Season 4: A Triumph of Animation
The BBC’s decision to focus on Season 4 animation is remarkable. To date, Season 4 has seen or will soon see animation for a significant number of episodes, including:
- The Smugglers – all 4 parts.
- The Tenth Planet – 1 part (completing the existing 3).
- The Power of the Daleks – all 6 parts, available in both colour and black and white.
- The Underwater Menace – 2 parts (adding to the 2 existing).
- The Moonbase – 2 parts (complementing the 2 existing).
- The Macra Terror – all 4 parts.
- The Faceless Ones – all 6 parts, also in colour and black and white despite 3 surviving episodes.
- The Evil of the Daleks – all 7 parts, again in both colour and black and white, despite one existing episode.
This impressive list totals 32 animated Doctor Who episodes out of a possible 36 missing from Season 4. Effectively, an entire season of 1960s Doctor Who has been resurrected through animation. Only 4 episodes of The Highlanders remain un-animated within this season. The reason for The Highlanders omission is unclear, but perhaps the complexities of animating tartan and action sequences proved too costly.
Season 2: A Stark Contrast
Contrasting Season 4’s animation success with Season 2 highlights a puzzling disparity. Season 2 received no animation despite having 2 missing episodes in The Crusade. While animating complex stories undoubtedly presents challenges, the complete absence of animation for Season 2 is perplexing, especially considering the extensive work dedicated to Season 4. The decision to animate so much of Season 4 while overlooking Season 2 raises questions about the BBC’s overall strategy.
The Uneven Landscape of Missing Episode Animation
This pattern of leaving one missing story per season un-animated appears to extend to other seasons as well.
Season 5’s The Wheel in Space is another example. Of its 6 episodes, 3 are missing, and while half of part 1 was previously animated, there are no current plans to complete the remaining 2.5 episodes. While Cyberman fans have seen Fury From the Deep, The Abominable Snowman, missing parts of The Ice Warriors, and even the notoriously animated episode of The Web of Fear brought to life through animation, The Wheel in Space remains incomplete.
Season 6 presents The Space Pirates. Despite its quirky soundtrack and potential for a visually inventive animated Doctor Who treatment, there seems to be little demand or plan for its animation. The Space Pirates risks becoming an unloved and forgotten story in the missing episode saga.
Season 3 fares even worse. With a significant number of missing episodes from The Myth Makers, The Daleks’ Master Plan, The Massacre, The Savages, and The Celestial Toymaker, only 21 out of 44 episodes are currently available through various means (video, animation, or the Mission to the Unknown school project). The animation of Galaxy 4 is appreciated, but Season 3 represents a massive gap in the Doctor Who archives, making it a likely candidate to be the last season released as a complete Blu-ray set.
Season 1 holds arguably the most painful omission: Marco Polo. For this story to be the sole missing piece in an otherwise complete first season feels particularly unfortunate. The complexity of animating the numerous characters may be a contributing factor, but the absence of Marco Polo is keenly felt by fans.
Animated Doctor Who Marco Polo
Hope for the Future of Animated Doctor Who
Imagining a scenario where original director Waris Hussein could contribute to an animated Doctor Who version of Marco Polo is a tantalizing prospect. Freed from the budgetary constraints of 1960s television, animation could allow for creative camera angles and a visually stunning reimagining of this lost classic. It’s ironic that budget limitations hindered Marco Polo in its original production, and seemingly continue to do so even in the age of animation.
Currently, Seasons 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 are each missing just one story from being fully complete through a combination of live-action and animation. This leaves room for speculation and hope. Behind-the-scenes factors, BBC internal politics, and the potential existence of privately held missing episodes likely play a role in these decisions.
The involvement of Russell T Davies in the revived Doctor Who era opens up new possibilities. As a dedicated fan and with the backing of Bad Wolf, Sony, and Disney, funding for future animated Doctor projects could become more readily available. However, new agreements would be necessary, as the future of Doctor Who animation currently remains with the BBC and their allocated budget.
Despite the gaps and unanswered questions, the progress made in recovering and animating missing Doctor Who episodes is commendable. The dedication of animation teams working with limited resources deserves immense gratitude. Fans are fortunate to have recovered episodes, remastered footage, surviving audio, and the ongoing animation efforts that bring these lost stories back to life. However, the lingering thought remains: if only the BBC hadn’t wiped the original tapes in the first place.
