The New York Times reports the previously lost six-episode ‘The Power of the Daleks’ story arc of Doctor Who will return to television in animated form this fall. The news comes amid word the series recently filmed part of its upcoming season (or potentially the 2016 Christmas Special) in a manor house near Bristol.
‘The Power of the Daleks’ debuted in 1966, and was among numerous early installments of the beloved sci-fi series erased from the BBC archives, due to the broadcaster’s practice of recording over or otherwise discarding old footage. The primary negatives of the original shows were destroyed in 1974. The original ‘Power of the Daleks’ episodes are among the dozens of now-lost Doctor Who episodes, primarily from the 1960s.
The new, animated version of ‘The Power of the Daleks’ draws from surviving clips, photographs and audio recordings from the episodes, which featured Patrick Troughton as the Doctor. You can check out a preview for the animated story arc, rendered in stylish monochrome, below:
The episodes introduce Troughton as the second Doctor, launching the series’ motif of its protagonist occasionally regenerating with new characteristics (and casting a new lead actor). The animated adaptation “is the most ambitious Doctor Who archive restoration ever attempted,” said Charles Norton, the producer and director of the new series, in a statement.
The new episodes will be available for streaming in the U.K. on Nov. 5 — exactly five decades (to the day) after the original version debuted. They will premiere on BBC America on Nov. 12 and be available the next day for streaming via BBC America’s digital platforms.
