Two previously missing Doctor Who episodes from the 1965 First Doctor adventure, 'The Daleks' Master Plan', have been found!

Episode One (The Nightmare Begins), and Episode Three (Devil's Planet) were discovered in an "eclectic" collection by Film is Fabulous! – a charitable trust run by film collectors, cinema lovers and vintage television enthusiasts. The trust approached BBC Archives after finding them in a private collection.

This brings the total number of discovered episodes from the serial to 5 (Episodes 1, 2, 3, 5 & 10), with the most recent episode from the serial (Episode Two: Day of Armageddon) having been recovered in 2004 from a former Yorkshire Television engineer who rescued it from a junk pile in the 1970s.

Written by Terry Nation, the story featured William Hartnell as the Doctor and Peter Purves as Steven Taylor. It also featured Nicholas Courtney (who would later to go on to play Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart) as Bret Vyon, Adrienne Hill as Katarina, and Kevin Stoney as Mavic Chen.

Peter Purves, was invited to the Phoenix Cinema in Leicester on Wednesday under false pretences to view the two episodes, and said:

"My flabber has never been so gasted. I've never forgiven the BBC for losing those episodes, it would be really nice to get a few royalties. I'm not sure I even saw those programmes go out originally - I remember the stories, but having seen them, the pictures are unfamiliar to me.

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.

It was just a job. It sounds silly but we did an episode of the programme each week, in the year I did 46 episodes. It was great fun and was great to be doing a series that was hugely popular. But it was a difficult time, I won't pretend it was easy, the cast kept changing and it seemed a bit of a time of flux.

In the two episodes we've seen there was a great performance by Nick Courtney playing Bret Vyon. I was concerned very much that he was there as a replacement for me. As it happens, he got killed in episode four or five."

Noreen Adams, Director of BBC Archives said:

“We’re thrilled to have worked with the team at Film is Fabulous! to bring these lost Doctor Who episodes to viewers on BBC iPlayer this Easter. BBC Archives has been working to restore the original recordings and update these to broadcast quality, ensuring fans can enjoy a little extra treat with their Easter Eggs this April.”

BBC Archives has worked to restore the original 16mm telerecordings – meaning viewers will be able to watch them in the best possible condition on BBC iPlayer this April!

A full Press Release can be found on the Film is Fabulous! website.

Following on for the recent colourization of the Second Doctor's swansong aventure; The War Games, the BBC iPlayer has now added it to their library!

Originally aired in 1969, The War Games marked the end of an era for the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), following him and his companions Zoe and Jamie as they land in a battlefield that appears to be a World War I military zone—but all is not as it seems. They soon discover that soldiers from different historical periods have been abducted and are being manipulated in a cruel game. As they work to uncover the mystery behind the War Lord and his twisted experiments, the Doctor faces one of his most difficult challenges.

For the first time, these original episodes have been meticulously colourised and enhanced with updated visual effects edited into a new, 90-minute feature-length experience to appeal to today’s modern audiences. With updated sound and a new score, this newly updated version of The War Games offers both fans and newcomers even more ways to watch the much-loved classic story.

In addition, the episode also features the Second Doctor's never-before-seen regeneration into the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee), alongside recovered footage not seen since the original broadcast.

+  WATCH The War Games on the BBC iPlayer, here.

[Source: BBC iPlayer]

The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special, The Day Of The Doctor was the third most-watched programme on BBC iPlayer for 2013, the BBC has confirmed.

The special episode, which saw The 11th Doctor (Matt Smith) team up with The 10th Doctor (David Tennant) and John Hurt's War Doctor, received a total of over 3,144,000 individual requests.

Also making it into the top 20 were The Bells Of Saint John at position 9 with 2,610,000 requests and The Rings Of Akhaten at position 17 with 2,289,000 requests.

Victoria Jaye, Head of TV Content for BBC iPlayer, says:

“2013 has been a fantastic year for iPlayer. We’ve begun the journey to transform iPlayer from a TV catch-up service into an online TV destination in its own right with the introduction of iPlayer exclusive content and programme premiering. We’re delighted by the audience response to both. As we move into 2014, we will originate more exclusive programmes for iPlayer, as well as offer an ambitious range of content to complement our biggest brands and events.”

Dan Taylor, Head of BBC iPlayer for BBC Future Media, says:

“With 3 billion programme requests across over 1,000 devices, 2013 was another record-breaking year for BBC iPlayer. We're delighted that iPlayer is enabling more and more people to enjoy the fantastic shows we create when and where they want.” 

[Source: BBC Media Centre]

The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special; 'The Day Of The Doctor' has set a new record on the BBC iPlayer for the most number of requests in a 24-hour period.

A total of 1.27 million people watched the episode on the iPlayer within the first 24 hours and has beaten the previous record which was held by the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony.

In total, 12.8 million people watched The Day Of The Doctor, making it the most-watched programme of 2013, and was simulcast worldwide in 94 countries.

Commenting on the ratings success, Ben Stephenson (controller of BBC drama commissioning) had the following to say:

"The Doctor Who 50th was a hugely ambitious event on the BBC and it's only fitting that it has taken the top spot as the highest-rating drama across all channels this year.

It's a fantastic tribute to both Steven Moffat and the creativity of all those involved in the show throughout its history.

Next stop the regeneration at Christmas!"

+  The Time Of The Doctor airs on Christmas Day at 7:30pm on BBC One.

[Source: BBC News]

The finalised viewing figures are in for The Day Of The Doctor.

The episode achieved a final figure of 12.8m viewers - a 2.6m shift from the overnights. 2.7m views were on the BBC iPlayer.

It was the most-watched programme for the week and is currently the second most-watched programme for the year (after I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here).

The Day Of The Doctor is now rated the 16th highest in Doctor Who's 50-year history.

Final BARB ratings will be available within the next 10 days.

Series 7 - Final BARB Ratings roundup:

7.1: Asylum Of The Daleks = 8.3m
7.2: Dinosaurs On A Spaceship = 7.57m
7.3: A Town Called Mercy = 8.42m
7.4: The Power Of Three = 7.67m
7.5: The Angels Take Manhattan = 7.82m
7.6X: The Snowmen = 9.87m
7.6: The Bells Of Saint John = 8.44m
7.7: The Rings Of Akhaten = 7.45m
7.8: Cold War = 7.37m 
7.9: Hide = 6.61m
7.10: Journey To The Centre Of The TARDIS = 6.50m
7.11: The Crimson Horror = 6.47m
7.12: Nightmare In Silver = 6.64m
7.13: The Name Of The Doctor = 7.45m
7.14: The Day Of The Doctor = 12.8m

+  What did you think of the episode? Rate / Discuss in the DWO Forums!

[Source: DWO]

BBC Children's TV presenters, Dick & Dom, have been in touch with DWO to let us know about a Doctor Who related episode of their 'Absolute Genius' series, which features Composer, Delia Derbyshire.

Dick and Dom reveal the genius of Delia Derbyshire, a pioneer of modern-day music who helped create the Doctor Who theme tune. Inspired by Derbyshire, they come up with their own genius idea when they record their own version of the Doctor Who theme tune with a twist.

Watch the episode on BBC iPlayer below (UK Only):

+  Follow @DickNDom on Twitter.

+  Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter.

[Source: Dick & Dom]

Doctor Who took the top slot as well as 4 other entires in the BBC iPlayer Top 20 requests for September 2011.

Torchwood: Miracle Day aslo faired favourably with three placements in the Top 20 figures.

BBC iPlayer Top 20 requests - September 2011:

1 Doctor Who Series 6 Episode 10 - 1,156,000

2 Doctor Who Series 6 Episode 9 - 1,105,000

3 Outnumbered Series 4 Episode 1 - 1,039,000

4 Doctor Who Series 6 Episode 11 - 1,011,000

5 Doctor Who Series 6 Episode 12 - 965,000

6 Outnumbered Series 4 Episode 2 - 806,000

7 Waterloo Road Series 7 Episode 11 - 711,000

8 Outnumbered Series 4 Episode 3 - 686,000

9 Outnumbered Series 4 Episode 4 - 622,000

10 Torchwood Miracle Day Episode 8 - 612,000

11 Planet Dinosaur Lost World Episode 1 - 604,000

12 Torchwood Miracle Day Episode 9 - 590,000

13 Spooks Series 10 Episode 1 - 583,000

14 Waterloo Road Series 7 Episode 12 - 573,000

15 Torchwood Miracle Day Episode 10 - 566,000

16 Doctor Who Series 6 Episode 8 - 545,000

17 EastEnders 16/09/11 - 526,000

18 Mock the Week Series 10 Episode 8 - 518,000

19 Mock the Week Series 10 Episode 9 - 502,000

20 EastEnders 13/09/11 - 491,000

[Source: BBC Press Office]

The BBC have released details on the BBC iPlayer performance for December 2010.

The Doctor Who Christmas special (A Christmas Carol) faired particularly well, landing in 8th place with over 700,000+ downloads.

1) Top Gear USA Road Trip – 1,294,000

2) Top Gear Middle East Special – 1,260,000

3) The Apprentice Series 6 Episode 12 – 892,000

4) The Apprentice Series 6 Episode 9 – 849,000

5) Come Fly With Me Episode 1 – 783,000

6) The Apprentice Series 6 Episode 10 – 718,000

7) The Apprentice Series 6 Episode 11 – 718,000

8) Doctor Who A Christmas Carol 25/12/2010 – 716,000

9) The Apprentice Series 6 The Final Episode 14 – 624,000

10) EastEnders 25/12/10 – 610,000

In total the service saw over 145 Million requests for TV and Radio programming during December 2010.

[Source: BBC Press Office]