BroaDWcast - Recent changes [en]

Mormon Mystery

Jon Preddle — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 21:06:55 GMT

File:2025-04-19 TV & Satellite Week.jpg

John Lavalie — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 20:42:56 GMT

John Lavalie deleted page File:2025-04-19 TV & Satellite Week.jpg

File:2025-04-19 TV & Satellite Week.jpg

John Lavalie — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 20:39:23 GMT

John Lavalie uploaded File:2025-04-19 TV & Satellite Week.jpg

New page

South Africa

Jon Preddle — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 04:00:54 GMT

Main Page

John Lavalie — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:18 GMT

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton

John Lavalie — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 23:59:02 GMT

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 [[File:DWB2.jpg|right|thumb|150px|DWB #2]]
 [[File:DE&FEreports.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Fantasy Empire #7, and Data Extract #23]]
 :'''TWO EPISODES RECOVERED'''
@@ Line 34: / Line 36: @@
 ----
 :'''DALEK EPISODES FOUND'''
@@ Line 50: / Line 53: @@
 ----
 :'''BUNDLES FROM BRITAIN'''
@@ Line 60: / Line 64: @@
 ----
 :'''2 EPISODES FOUND'''
@@ Line 72: / Line 77: @@
 ----
 [[File:DWM82.jpg|right|thumb|450px|DWM #82]]
 :'''EPIC COME BACK'''
@@ Line 127: / Line 134: @@
 ----
 [[File:25GYears.jpg|right|frameless|150px]]
 :Surely the most unexpected find of all, though, had to be parts five and ten of 'The Daleks' Master Plan', which turned up in summer 1983. Sitting at his desk at the BBC one morning, Steve Bryant took a phone call from his secretary asking if he would like to speak to representatives of the Mormon Unification Church of Great Britain. Wary of being sold a subscription for a series of religious publications, Bryant took the call. To his amazement he found himself speaking to one of the Church leaders who was phoning from their newest temple in Clapham, south London. Apparently, having just acquired this previously long-derelict church, the Mormon disciples were busy cleaning out the basement when they came across an old crate in one corner marked 'BBC Property'. Opening it, they discovered inside a dozen or so cans of 16mm film, again emblazoned with the BBC logo. Did the BBC want them back? His curiosity aroused, Bryant went to visit the Mormon temple, and was staggered to find the two missing episodes of ''Doctor Who'' in the crate, nestling alongside an early edition of the drama series ''Warship'', among others. All the episodes were safely restored to the Library, but to this day no one is any the nearer solving the mystery of just how the crate came to be in that church basement.
@@ Line 135: / Line 143: @@
 ----
 :The next episodes to turn up did so in the most unusual of circumstances, when ''The Dalek Master Plan'' 5 and 10 (''Counterplot'' and ''Escape Switch'') were recovered from the cellar of a Mormon church in London by Steve Bryant shortly after his appointment as Sue Malden's successor in July 1983. We don't know how they got there but he was very excited about making such a find so quickly.
@@ Line 141: / Line 150: @@
 ----
 :''The Daleks' Master Plan'' 5 & 10: found in (of all places) a church basement in London in October 1983.
@@ Line 149: / Line 159: @@
 ----
 :A church in London (the name of which varies depending on whom you talk to) was having its basement cleared when half-a-dozen film cans with BBC stickers on them were discovered. The films were offered back to the BBC, where two of them turned out to be the fifth and tenth episodes of ''The Daleks' Master Plan'', ''Counter Plot'' and ''Escape Switch''.
@@ Line 155: / Line 166: @@
 ----
 :In October 1983, 16mm films of ''Counter Plot'' and ''Escape Switch'' were located in the basement of a Wandsworth church.
@@ Line 163: / Line 175: @@
 ----
 :For many years, the entire story was thought lost until two episodes were recovered in 1984 by the Mormon Unification Church of Great Britain during a clean up of a London church.
@@ Line 171: / Line 184: @@
 ----
 :Episodes 5 ("Counter Plot") and 10 ("Escape Switch") were returned in 1983 after being discovered in a trunk inside a LDS Church in Clapham, South London.
@@ Line 179: / Line 193: @@
 ----
 :Episodes 5 and 10 came from an ex-BBC property which had been purchased by an LDS Church group in the early 1980s, who had come across the films when tidying the basement and subsequently offered them back to the Corporation.
@@ Line 187: / Line 202: @@
 ----
 Many other books and magazines have briefly covered the recovery of the two episodes; all pretty much repeat and echo the same "facts" outlined above.
@@ Line 275: / Line 291: @@
 ===Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan (2 episodes)===
 [[File:CounterSwitch.jpg|right|200px|frameless]]
-Other than the BBC stickers displaying at least the titles "Dr Who Series V Episode Five Counter Plot" and "Dr Who Series V Episode Ten Escape Switch", there were apparently no other identification markings on any of the cans or reels. Which is a great pity. But the fact that there were no other markings in itself might actually be a clue.
+Other than the BBC stickers displaying at least the titles "Dr Who Series V Prog 5" and "Dr Who Series V Prog 9" (as it had been renumbered), there were apparently no other identification markings on any of the cans or reels. Which is a great pity. But the fact that there were no other markings in itself might actually be a clue.
-The serial was offered to the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) in '''March 1966'''. As we've already summarised [[The Daleks' Master Plan|HERE]], the serial was withdrawn from offer in '''March 1967''' following disputes between the BBC and the Australian film censorship board.  Since the ABC never purchased the films, they remained the property of the BBC. And there's the biggest clue. The films that the BBC supplied to the ABC would have had BBC labels on them. After purchasing a series, the ABC '''always''' affixed its own labelling to film cans, and it is on these stickers that the ABC notated its cataloguing codes, etc. But since the Master Plan films were never purchased or catalogued, the labels were never changed by the ABC.
+The serial was offered to the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) in '''March 1966'''. As we've already summarised [[The Daleks' Master Plan|HERE]], the serial was withdrawn from offer in '''March 1967''' following disputes between the BBC and the Australian film censorship board.  Since the ABC never purchased the films, they remained the property of the BBC. And there's the biggest clue. The films that the BBC supplied to the ABC would have had BBC Enterprises labels on them. After purchasing a series, the ABC '''always''' affixed its own labelling to film cans, and it is on these stickers that the ABC notated its cataloguing codes, etc. But since the Master Plan films were never purchased or catalogued, the labels were never changed by the ABC.
 Again, as outlined [[The Daleks' Master Plan|HERE]], it's doubtful that the BBC would have had a second set of prints "on the shelf", therefore it's unlikely that the three prints of Master Plan that have since turned up are from another set.
@@ Line 283: / Line 299: @@
 On the assumption (!) that the BBC's Sydney office returned the unsold films to London bearing only the original BBC stickers, that would account for why there were no other tell-tale stickers on the cans found in the church.  To put it another way, if these films had distinctive ABC stickers on them, surely Steve Bryant would have mentioned that back in 1983?
 {{clear}}
 ----
 ===Adventure World (1 episode)===
@@ Line 342: / Line 359: @@
 :We feel sure that the unwanted 16mm print would have been returned to the BBC in London, and it is therefore indeed a '''''VERY good chance''''' that that same 16mm print was the one that ended up in the basement of that Mormon Church…
 {{clear}}
 ----
 ====What does any of this mean?====
 What was found in 1983 were potentially two episodes of a '''Doctor Who''' serial that was offered to the ABC in '''1966''', one from an on-going series that aired there in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, and one that was offered in '''1974''' on film, but which didn't go to air until colour transmissions began two years later.

@@ Line 140: / Line 140: @@
 *The 1972 serial [[The Mutants]] was a veiled analogy of the racial tensions that were occurring in the country at the time.
 *David Bailie (Taren Capel in [[The Robots of Death]]) was born in South Africa.
 *Writer Malcolm Kohll ([[Delta and the Bannermen]]) was born in South Africa.
 [[Category:Africa]]

@@ Line 75: / Line 75: @@
 And the following are due thanks for providing information after Launch Day:
-Shawn Aiken; Anthony (for the [[Netherlands]] stickers); Sam Alcumbrac; Sophie Aldred; Bill Baggs; Greg Bakun; Keith Barnfather; Mike and Fran Bennett; Ian Beard; Jeff Beuck; Christian Bjørgen; Byron Bonsall; Kevin Bows ([http://www.kevinbows.com/drwhoairdates/airDates.html WGBH/WGBX]); Sean Bradshaw; David Brunt; Graeme Burk; Alan Burns; Sue Butcher; Tim Burrows; Christopher Cebula; Larry Charet; Dave Chasteen; CheyTheHuman; Anthony Clark; Paul Clark; Ed Conroy (@retrontario); Catherine C.; Robert Collins; Dylan Crawfoot; Alan J Creaser; Dave Crichton; Colin Cutler; Kevin Jon Davies; Aurélie Demonchaux; Lea Donovan, Mark Donovan, Travis Doucette (for Canada: YTV and Space clips); Terence Duffy; Matt Dunn; Chris Dvorak; @dwcoverstory; Aaron Evans; Jan Fennick; Richard Flynn; Anthony Forth; Chuck Foster; Daniel Frankham; Alex Frazer-Harrison; David French; Brett Gabbatt; Clément Gascon; Charles Geers; John Geoffrion; David Gibbs; Alan Grace; Earl Green; John Green; Simon Guerrier; Kurt Haack; Toby Hadoke; Lance Hall; John Hallstrom; Peter Harris; John Harwood; Alan Hayes; Paul Hayes; Christopher Hill ([http://thespacemuseum.net/ The Space Museum]); Bill Hinton; Andrew Hodson; Randy Howell; Max Hudelist;  Mbuk J Inwang; Antonio Iona; Mark Janovec; Dallas Jones; Nathan J; Robert Kaufmann; Sean-Paul Kearns; Brian Kimmel; Rich Kirkpatrick; Eric E Klammer; Corey Klemow; Dan Kolb; Dennis Kytasaari; Shannon Laine; Brian Labser; Steve Labun; Sean Landings; Stephen La Rivière; John Leeson; Andy Lehrer; Shaqui Le Vesconte; Russell Lewin; Robert Lia; John Lister; William Lonergan; TJ Lubinsky; Steve Manfred; Aaron Marsh; David McKinlay; Andy McKinney; Michael McNamee; The Millennium Effect; Eddie Montague; Jeff Moody; Geoff Morley; Phil Morris; Tim Morriss, Alan Morton; Paul Neilson; Charles Norton; James O'Donnell; Shawn O'Grady; Mike Olson; Ken Parker; Ken Patterson; Amit Pawar; H M Pearson;  Jean Pellerin; Eduardo Peralta; <!--GP;--> Michael Phillips; Jana Průšková; Lenny Raczka; Daniel Rider; Denis Rigg; John Rigg; Ben Rigsby; Steve Roberts; Daniele Roccati; Mike Rogers; Ina-Cherstin Rönninger; Gav Rymill; Pascal Salzmann; Phil Satterley; Steven Schapansky; Andy Schock; Marty Schultz; Brad Schumann; Michael Seeley; Nick Seidler; Kieran Seymour; Steve Sigel; Grant Sirett; Paul MC Smith; Stacey Smith?; Giles Sparrow; Gill Spaul; David Stead; Joshua Stone; Ed Stradling; Kathryn Sullivan; thiel-a-vision.com; Steven Traves; John Trowbridge; Will Valentino; Frans van Lottum; Andrew Wade; John Wall; Peter Ware; Rob Warnock; Travis S Wheaton; John T Wheeler; Vanni White; Rhys Williams; Ross Williamson; Jonathan Wrigley; Alex Xegas; Colin Young; Gary Zimmer.
+Shawn Aiken; Anthony (for the [[Netherlands]] stickers); Sam Alcumbrac; Sophie Aldred; Bill Baggs; Greg Bakun; Keith Barnfather; Mike and Fran Bennett; Ian Beard; Jeff Beuck; Christian Bjørgen; Byron Bonsall; Kevin Bows ([http://www.kevinbows.com/drwhoairdates/airDates.html WGBH/WGBX]); Sean Bradshaw; David Brunt; Graeme Burk; Alan Burns; Sue Butcher; Tim Burrows; Christopher Cebula; Larry Charet; Dave Chasteen; CheyTheHuman; Anthony Clark; Paul Clark; Ed Conroy (@retrontario); Catherine C.; Robert Collins; Dylan Crawfoot; Alan J Creaser; Dave Crichton; Colin Cutler; Kevin Jon Davies; Aurélie Demonchaux; Lea Donovan, Mark Donovan, Travis Doucette (for Canada: YTV and Space clips); Terence Duffy; Matt Dunn; Chris Dvorak; @dwcoverstory; Aaron Evans; Jan Fennick; Richard Flynn; Anthony Forth; Chuck Foster; Daniel Frankham; Alex Frazer-Harrison; David French; Brett Gabbatt; Clément Gascon; Charles Geers; John Geoffrion; David Gibbs; Alan Grace; Earl Green; John Green; Simon Guerrier; Kurt Haack; Toby Hadoke; Lance Hall; John Hallstrom; Peter Harris; John Harwood; Alan Hayes; Paul Hayes; Christopher Hill ([http://thespacemuseum.net/ The Space Museum]); Bill Hinton; Andrew Hodson; Randy Howell; Max Hudelist;  Mbuk J Inwang; Antonio Iona; Mark Janovec; Dallas Jones; Nathan J; Robert Kaufmann; Sean-Paul Kearns; Brian Kimmel; Rich Kirkpatrick; Eric E Klammer; Corey Klemow; Dan Kolb; Dennis Kytasaari; Shannon Laine; Brian Labser; Steve Labun; Sean Landings; Stephen La Rivière; John Leeson; Andy Lehrer; Shaqui Le Vesconte; Russell Lewin; Robert Lia; John Lister; William Lonergan; TJ Lubinsky; Steve Manfred; Aaron Marsh; David McKinlay; Andy McKinney; Michael McNamee; The Millennium Effect; Eddie Montague; Jeff Moody; Geoff Morley; Phil Morris; Tim Morriss, Alan Morton; Paul Neilson; Charles Norton; James O'Donnell; Shawn O'Grady; Mike Olson; Ken Parker; Ken Patterson; Amit Pawar; H M Pearson;  Jean Pellerin; Eduardo Peralta; <!--GP;--> Michael Phillips; Jana Průšková; Lenny Raczka; Daniel Rider; Denis Rigg; John Rigg; Ben Rigsby; Steve Roberts; Daniele Roccati; Mike Rogers; Ina-Cherstin Rönninger; Gav Rymill; Pascal Salzmann; Phil Satterley; Steven Schapansky; Andy Schock; Marty Schultz; Brad Schumann; Michael Seeley; Nick Seidler; Kieran Seymour; Steve Sigel; Grant Sirett; Paul MC Smith; Stacey Smith?; Giles Sparrow; Gill Spaul; David Stead; Joshua Stone; Ed Stradling; Rodney Strickler; Kathryn Sullivan; thiel-a-vision.com; Steven Traves; John Trowbridge; Will Valentino; Frans van Lottum; Andrew Wade; John Wall; Peter Ware; Rob Warnock; Travis S Wheaton; John T Wheeler; Vanni White; Rhys Williams; Ross Williamson; Jonathan Wrigley; Alex Xegas; Colin Young; Gary Zimmer.
 ==Links==

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 *'''11 September 1978''': The series returns, with the [[Tom Baker stories]].
 *'''23 March 1983''': [[Once Upon a Time Lord]] airs.
 *'''8 March 1986''': [[Doctor Who's Who's Who]] airs.
 *'''1984/85''': The [[Peter Davison stories]] air. (Episodes play five days per week, at 7:00 and/or 7:30.)