Classic 'Doctor Who' "The War Games" to Get Colorized Rerelease for Christmas

As a franchise, Doctor Who is well into elder statesman territory now, boasting over sixty years of history, fifteen actors in the role of the Doctor, and dozens of companions and notable guest stars. But, that extended history comes with more than a few gaps. 

Much of the series' earliest history has been lost, thanks to a BBC policy back in the mid-1960s and early '70s that required archival program material to be deleted as a space-saving method. As a result, many episodes from the early William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton eras are missing or incomplete, and 17 stories remain completely lost. 

Luckily, the series' steadily increasing global popularity since its return in 2005 means that plenty of folks have suddenly become much more interested in finding ways to make this content more accessible to fans. Still-existing audio recordings mean that some of the missing episodes have been recreated in an animated format, footage previously believed to be lost has been discovered, and the BBC has launched Tales of the TARDIS, a spin-off exploring some of the franchise's most famous classic episodes. As part of the series' 60th anniversary celebrations, Doctor Who also released a brand-new colorized version of the First Doctor story "The Daleks," the inaugural adventure featuring the Time Lord's most famous enemy. The seven-episode serial was reduced to a 75-minute feature and given some updated visual effects. For its 61st, it's now set to do the same with the Second Doctor saga "The War Games". 

The final adventure for Patrick Troughton's Doctor, "The War Games" sees the Time Lord and his companions Zoe (Wendy Padbury) and Jamie (Frazer Hines) land amidst what appears to be a World War I military zone. But on this battlefield, nothing is as it seems. Soldiers from many different historical areas, who have been abducted from their own times, are being manipulated in a cruel game by a being known only as the War Lord. 

The original "War Games" was comprised of ten episodes that each ran about 25 minutes. This reimagined version has been colorized, enhanced with updated visual effects, given a new score, and edited into a 90-minute feature. The episode will also feature the Second Doctor's never-before-seen regeneration into the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee), alongside recovered footage not seen since the original broadcast.

“From the day I arrived back on Doctor Who, this was the plan," current showrunner Russell T. Davies said in a statement. "To colorize old stories and bring them back to life. It looks so vivid and new - and for fans of black-and-white, the story in its original form will stay on BBC iPlayer, so everyone wins! I actually watched this transmit in 1969, at 6 years old, terrified of the Roman soldiers, fascinated by villains with glinting spectacles, and in awe of the Doctor’s brand new origin. Now fans old and new can enjoy it all over again."

"The War Games colorization is produced by Bad Wolf and BBC Studios, with Davies, Jane Tranter, Julie Gardner, Phil Collinson, and Joel Collins serving as executive producers. The Lead Colorization Artist is Richard Tipple and Benjamin Cook is Editor.

"The War Games" will air on December 23 on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. No word yet on how American fans might be able to see this, but we'll keep you posted.