snorkackcatcher | Great News for Doctor Who Fans!

As I work for a company in the media business, I occasionally get an advance heads-up on interesting stories such as the one below which broke today and which I've only just had the chance to report on. Now it's out there I'm expecting this to be all over the Net soon, but for the moment few sites have picked it up (I've gathered all the links I can find below the cut, and will update as necessary).

BBC To Remake "Missing" Doctor Who Stories?

In the 1960s and 1970s, large quantities of material stored in the BBC's videotape and film libraries was destroyed or wiped to make way for newer programmes, including high-profile series such as Dad's Army, Z-Cars, and The Wednesday Play. Many episodes of Doctor Who from the William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton eras were among the lost footage, and although some have been recovered from other sources, about 40% remain missing, with little prospect of further discoveries.

However, complete soundtracks from all episodes exist from fan recordings, and these have been used to produce a variety of reconstructions, ranging from amateur video using surviving off-air still photographs, to complete animations of two missing episodes of the 1968 serial The Invasion commissioned by the BBC for its DVD release.

But it is widely held within the Corporation that neither of these approaches quite capture the flavour of live-action drama, and hence we understand that a decision has been made to reshoot the episodes in question to match their original appearance as exactly as possible, with location filming done wherever feasible in the same quarries.

'After the harsh reception given to Outcasts we had a rethink of our whole approach to science-fiction,' said a BBC insider, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'Why spend millions filming clunky new serials that nobody wants to watch, when for far less money we could redo clunky old serials that people are begging us for? We won't need a lot of expensive CGI, because let's face it, in those days they had a special effects budget of about seven and sixpence an episode and the sets were made out of toilet roll holders and sticky backed plastic. And it's actually supposed to be on grainy black and white film, so we can get some use out of all that old equipment gathering dust in Maida Vale. Management won't let us throw it away in case it gives the Murdoch press an excuse to rant about the BBC wasting licence payers money.'

A major stumbling block to exact reproductions was that it was not possible to cast the actors who took the roles in the original episodes over forty years ago. Regardless of how grainy the film was none could convincingly pass for their younger selves, even the ones who are still alive.

However, an innovative solution to this dilemma has been found. The remakes will use the original soundtracks, with all parts played onscreen by mime artists wearing Hollywood face masks, which have proven so effective in fooling law enforcement officials equipped with CCTV footage of higher quality than 1960s television ever managed. 'I am honoured to be part of the history of an iconic British production,' said Mathieu Maréchal-Ferrant, who will take on the role of the Doctor himself as leader of a team of specially trained professionals from the École Dramatique Marcel Marceau, made available to the BBC as part of a European Broadcasting Union initiative.

Production will commence at the earliest opportunity, and it is hoped to have the first DVD boxed sets and official face mask and cardboard sonic screwdriver merchandise available by this date next year.