The remaining Doctor Who animated specials, which have been restoring lost episodes for a new generation, have reportedly been scrapped by the BBC.
The latest entries in the series of releases include last year’s The Evil of the Daleks and Galaxy 4, following Patrick Troughton’s Second Doctor and William Hartnell’s First Doctor respectively.
The collaborative project between BBC Studios and BBC America had made much progress towards giving die-hard Whovians a complete library of stories, but that looks as if it might now be cut short.
The Mirror reports that BBC America has pulled its funding from the project, meaning only the one story already in development will be released this year: The Abominable Snowmen (which recently dropped a teaser trailer).
BBC Studios declined to comment on the story when approached by RadioTimes.com.
If the report proves to be true, no doubt it will provoke an outcry from Doctor Who fans, for whom the missing episodes are a long-standing frustration.
Certain Doctor Who serials have been left incomplete due to the archiving practices of the ’60s and ’70s, which saw numerous programmes deleted for logistical reasons.
Fortunately, audio of all the missing episodes remains thanks to the diligence of the show’s fans, a number of whom have donated their recordings to the restoration effort.
If BBC America has withdrawn its support of the Doctor Who animated specials, it’s possible that another funder could step in to save the project.
Among the candidates is streaming service BritBox, which has become a haven for Doctor Who fans with its vast library of classic episodes, as well as the animated specials released thus far.
The strongest way to make a case for future entries in the series would be to throw support behind upcoming edition The Abominable Snowmen, which is currently scheduled for release on DVD, Blu-ray and Steelbook this year.
Doctor Who animated specials are available to stream on BritBox. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.