Talk about regeneration. One of Doctor Who’s least-seen adventures is getting new life 50 years after its only British broadcast.
When the animated “Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks” premieres Nov. 19 on BBC America, fans once again will witness William Hartnell’s first Doctor become Patrick Troughton’s second Time Lord.
“The Power of the Daleks” hasn’t been seen in full since 1966. No complete film recordings of the episode survive after the master negatives were destroyed in a BBC archive purge in 1974.
So BBC America and BBC Worldwide commissioned comic book artists Martin Geraghty and Adrian Salmon to create an animated version of the episode. The character designs for the six-part adventure are based on original audio recordings, surviving photographs and film clips. Photos from the animation—along with photos of the original episode—appear with this story.
“Charles and his team are remarkably talented and passionate about ‘Doctor Who,’ ” Paul Hembury, executive producer of BBC Worldwide, said in a release. “We are thrilled that fans will soon be able to enjoy this rather sinister but wonderful, classic story.”
The animation features the regeneration, or as it was then called “renewal,” of Hartnell’s doctor into Troughton’s. The Time Lord and his companions Polly (Anneke Wills) and Ben (Michael Craze) also battle the Daleks on the planet Vulcan.
Charles Norton is producing and directing “Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks.” It premieres at 8:25/7:25c Nov. 19 on BBC America and will be available the following day to stream on the BBC America app and BBCAmerica.com.
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