Forgotten Doctor Who Episode Finally Restored – Revealing a Companion’s Surprise Departure!
While the episode’s original footage may be lost, the ’60s Doctor Who story “The Savages” is set to be brought back to life as the next classic animated recreation for the sci-fi series. The long-running BBC sci-fi series was first led by William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966, who portrayed the first incarnation of the Time Lord in the first series. A number of its earliest Doctor Who episodes were lost due to past practices, leading to a concerted effort by officials of the organization and fans to reclaim any surviving footage for preservation.
While it’s not the first classic Doctor Who serial to receive a full animated reconstruction, “The Savages” is the first story of Hartnell’s tenure as the First Doctor to be fully revived in animation. Currently, seven stories from Hartnell’s era have yet to receive animated recreations, with six of these adventures being respective episodes missing. As such, with “The Savages” following the recreation of “The Celestial Toymaker,” it is clear that there is a concerted effort to round out the First Doctor’s efforts.
However, it is hard to determine when or what the next recreation will be, or when it will be released. While complete audio recordings of several missing episodes exist, stories such as “The Crusade” and “The Daleks Master Plan” still lack audio from several parts, while animation takes time to produce. As such, while efforts to recover any missing stories are still ongoing, it is likely that either “Marco Polo,” “The Myth Makers,” “The Massacre,” or “The Smugglers” could be the next to get the animation treatment.
Our Thoughts On “The Savage’s” Animated Reconstruction
Purves Made A Return To Doctor Who In 2023
With Purves having recently been reintroduced to audiences through the Tales of the TARDIS spin-off in 2023, it is clear why “The Savages” was selected as the next Doctor Who animated reconstruction. Alongside the surviving audio, many may desire to see just how the universe left the former astronaut once he departed from the TARDIS.
Doctor Who is the longest-running sci-fi series in the world – but why did the BBC destroy recordings of William Hartnell’s regeneration?
Furthermore, animated recreation for “The Savages” will also be appreciated by longtime fans as a vital step in preserving the show’s history. While some stories may never be fully recreated, since recovering long-lost episodes becomes more difficult as time passes, every preserved Doctor Who episode is a welcome addition to all collections.
