DOCTOR WHO: LOST STORIES TO BE 'ANIMATED AND COLOURISED' FOR 60th ANNIVERSARY

An exclusive report from The Mirror tonight (Monday 2nd January 2023) reveals plans to animate and colourise more lost Doctor Who stories.

The Mirror reports that two Doctor Who stories from the 1960s are to "brought back to life using cartoon and colour" to mark Doctor Who's 60th Anniversary in November.

The two stories, which will be released on Blu-ray and DVD, are The Smugglers (1st Doctor, William Hartnell), and The Underwater Menace (2nd Doctor, Patrick Troughton). Both stories were lost after the films were sold overseas, and original tapes destroyed.

An insider told The Mirror: "Fans have been delighted as the show’s fourth season has been slowly restored through animated episodes. Only 10 of the 43 broadcast episodes still exist, so we’re getting to see the missing classics."

Last year, the BBC announced the end of animated Doctor Who after BBC America withdrew funding. The Mirror reports that new funding has been found. It is not connected to the recently announced deal with Disney+.

The Mirror also reports that "BBC bosses plan to colourise certain stories from the Hartnell and Troughton eras (1963-69), for broadcast next year. This is likely to include the very first story, An Unearthly Child."

The animation deal is not connected to the show’s tie-up with Disney+. The Mirror's original report can be found here.