The rediscovered episodes, which were found in a "ramshackle collection" of vintage films donated by a collector, both star William Hartnell, the first incarnation of the Doctor, and Purves, and are the first and third episodes from the third season of Doctor Who.
This follows the discovery of the second episode, Day of Armageddon, by a BBC engineer back in 2004 – meaning the opening three episodes of the arc have finally been recovered. The BBC has since confirmed that restored versions of the episodes will be released on BBC iPlayer this Easter.
To mark the occasion, the Phoenix Cinema in Leicester invited Purves to view the recovered two episodes – originally under false pretences. Purves commented on the surprise reveal: "My flabber has never been so gasted."
"I didn't remember the first one when I was still almost comatose following the injury I received fighting in Troy in the wonderful Mythmakers – which of course is missing."
The former companion has previously spoken to Doctor Who Magazine about how he "gave up long ago" on the hope that missing episodes would ever be found. This reveal is therefore a particularly heartwarming moment for the actor.
Purves and Doctor Who historian Toby Hadoke – who originally lured the star to Leicester for the event – both noted that the rediscovery of these classic episodes will undoubtedly reignite fans’ interest in the earlier seasons of the iconic British sci-fi show.
"I'm astonished these two wonderful episodes have finally turned up. So many of my episodes are missing – it's heartbreaking to me.”
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"These are gems in what was an eclectic and ramshackle collection, a lot of which hadn't been looked after as well as the Doctor Who had,” professor of cinema and television history at Leicester's De Montfort University, Justin Smith – chair of trustees at FIF – told the BBC.
These two historical episodes are particularly notable as the arc The Daleks’ Master Plan was not sold by the BBC to overseas broadcasters, as censors deemed it too violent. As a result, it was only originally broadcast in the UK.
Doctor Who will return at Christmas and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
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