Doctor Who – The Reign of Terror to be released on DVD

The incomplete William Hartnell story The Reign of Terror is to be released on DVD next year it has been revealed. It will be the second incomplete Doctor Who story to be released on DVD.

The Doctor Who Newspage are reporting that 2 Entertain have confirmed the incomplete William Hartnell story The Reign of Terror is to be released on DVD next year. The 1964 story features the original cast (William Hartnell, William Russell, Jacqueline Hill and Carol Ann Ford) and is set during the French Revolution. Because of the BBC’s wiping policy of the 1970s the story, like other Doctor Who stories (and other television programmes of the time on BBC and ITV) is incomplete in the archives. The Reign of Terror is missing two episodes; four and five.

It will be only the second time that an incomplete Doctor Who story will have been released on DVD. In 2006 the Patrick Troughton story The Invasion was released with its missing episodes re-created in animation form with the original soundtracks from the absent episodes. The release of The Invasion proved popular with fans, especially the animated episodes, and raised hopes that other incomplete serials would be released in the same format. However, five years on and no further stories have been given the same treatment perhaps owing to the costs involved.

It is unclear whether or not The Reign of Terror will be given the same treatment as The Invasion or whether it will be released with just the four remaining episodes.