TV SCI-FIC

Thanks to the unerring wisdom of BBC archivists, countless pieces of classic TV were junked in the early 70s to make room for a new coffee machine. Early instalments of Dr Who suffered badly in the cull, particularly those featuring the second Dr Patrick Troughton. But now thanks to animators Cosgrove/Hall (Danger Mouse, Count Duckula) two AWOL episodes have been reinstalled to the 1968 eight-part Cyberman classic The Invasion. Episodes one and four have been recreated using the existent soundtrack together with some evocative black and white animation. It’s a successful experiment, the hope being that further lost classics will be revived in the same way. The story itself sags in the middle, but has some wonderful moments, including iconic scenes of Cybermen bursting from the sewers and descending St Paul’s steps. Extras include features on the restoration and a lovely 50 minute documentary on the making of the original.