Missing Episode Found!

 Earlier this week, the BBC had a exciting announcement. Read on...

Missing Dr Who found William Hartnell: The first Doctor is the star of The Lion Doctor Who fans will soon have another episode to add to their collection - a long-lost instalment of the science fiction show has been discovered in New Zealand. The black-and-white 16mm film is the first to be found for seven years. It is the opening episode of a series of four called The Crusade, and features the first Doctor, William Hartnell. The film surfaced last week after the president of the New Zealand Dr Who Fan Club, Paul Scoones, and fellow fan Neil Lambess were told of its possible existence. Mr Scoones said it was "the ultimate dream of any Dr Who fan. It's been like having a book with missing chapters". 'Could be more in New Zealand' The episode, The Lion, had been sent to the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation in 1967, but its whereabouts since then had been a mystery. The Day of The Daleks: Many earlier episodes remain missing "It means there could be more in New Zealand and people are completely unaware of what they have," said Scoones. It was bought by collector Bruce Grenville at a collectors' fair during the summer, who then started showing it as part of his mobile movie-screening business. The film is now with the BBC in London, which will restore the episode and release it on video. But Mr Grenville will be able to keep the original print. Many tapes still missing But the search for missing episodes is by no means over - 109 out of a total 470 Dr Who programmes have vanished. In the 1960s broadcasters did not realise the potential value of vintage television, and the BBC and other broadcasters frequently wiped tapes containing what would now be considered priceless programming. In September the British Film Institute asked television buffs to check their attics for tapes of old TV shows. The discovery of The Lion does not even complete the whole story of The Crusade - the second and fourth episodes of the tale are still missing. Steve Cole, of the corporation's commercial arm BBC Worldwide, said: "The search for old episodes has been going on for some time now. "Tapes that were sent out to foreign broadcasters were often dumped when it was considered they weren't commercially viable. With the introduction of colour, it was thought nobody would want to watch black and white programmes. "We will now be viewing the programme and deciding in what form we will be releasing it on video."

See also: 14 Sep 98 | Entertainment Are the Beatles hiding in your attic? 21 Nov 98 | Entertainment Dr Who back on the BBC 15 Jan 99 | Entertainment Will the Daleks win? Internet links: Doctor Who: Official BBC site The Doctor Who News Page British Film Institute Doctor Who Appreciation Society

Daleks VS stamps:BBC Online Article

 Will the Daleks win?

A vision of things to come?

The Daleks are battling it out with Coronation Street's Ena Sharples over who is to appear on a special selection of stamps to mark the coming of the millennium.

Dr Who's deadly enemies may have the edge over the former soap opera character in popularity - but objections have been raised over the stamp's design - so it is literally back to the Dalek drawing board for the Royal Mail.

John Pertwee as Dr Who in The Day of the Daleks

Altogether there are 12 categories of stamps, one for each month, all celebrating famous or historical figures from the past 1,000 years.

Ena and the Daleks are vying for the fourth and final position in the entertainment category which will be released in June.

Designs for both images are by artist Justin Mortimer, who produced a controversial portrait of the Queen last year.

Charlie Chaplin, who was born in London in 1889, will feature on a stamp

The only living people who can appear on stamps are members of the royal family. Violet Carson, who played the character of Ena Sharples, died in 1983, aged 85. She was a cult figure on the Granada TV's long-running soap and the TV company are said to be happy with her as a choice.

So far only one image in the entertainment category has been definitely confirmed - the silent movie star Charlie Chaplin.

Freddie Mercury is in the running for a place on a Royal Mail stamp

Another stamp will feature someone from the world of football, although exactly which famous figure has not yet been decided. One of the favourites is Bobby Moore, Captain of England's 1966 World Cup winning team.

The remaining stamp will celebrate Live Aid, the landmark charity event of the 1980s. It is likely to feature the face of Freddie Mercury, the former lead singer of the band Queen.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said that the final decision will be made in the next couple of months.