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Abandoned 1979 Doctor Who episode to have cinema release

Tom Baker adds his voice to animated scenes used to complete "Shada" episode.

An incomplete 1979 Doctor Who episode, starring Tom Baker returns as the Fourth Doctor, is about to have a cinema release -with animated additions.

Doctor Who: Shada, written by Douglas Adams, never completed filming due to a strike at the BBC. The story became legendary among fans.

Now, thirty-eight years on, Shada has finally been completed, combining the original, remastered footage, with brand new colour animation to complete the story. The animation will feature the newly-recorded voices of the original cast, including Tom Baker as the Doctor and Lalla Ward as Romana, performing the original script.

Tom Baker says, “Shada was one of my favourite Doctor Who stories. I have many fond memories of shooting the location scenes in Cambridge, and it was disappointing not to finish the story in studio. I’m so glad that BBC Worldwide have found a way to bring fans a complete visual version.”

Paul Hembury, Executive Producer, BBC Worldwide says, “Fans loved The Power of the Daleks, so we’re delighted to be able to complete and bring them another lost Doctor Who classic.”

The new feature-length production incorporates all of the live-action scenes from 1979, together with new animated material. Shada finds the Doctor in Cambridge working alongside companion Romana and retired Time Lord, Professor Chronotis, to defeat the evil alien Skagra who is attempting to steal the secrets to the prison planet, Shada.

Doctor Who: Shada is being produced by the team behind the highly successful and critically acclaimed animation of lost Doctor Who episode, The Power of the Daleks and lost Dad’s Army episode A Stripe For Frazer . The team have had access to nearly seven hours of raw footage from the original 1979 Shada shoot from which they are editing the new production from scratch, with all the original film negatives re-scanned in full HD and digitally remastered.

Information on participating cinemas and purchasing tickets for Doctor Who: Shada can be found at www.sharmillfilms.com.au 

5 Responses

  1. So, what’s this – the 6th or 7th outing for it? The VHS version with Tom Baker linkage, the Big Finish audio play/webcast, the unauthorised Levine version, the BBC novelisation, the Lalla Ward audiobook reading, and the recycling of a majority of it (with a chunk of ‘City of Death’) in Adams’ first ‘Dirk Gently’ book.

    Strike me down as a heretic, but all of Douglas Adams scripts were pretty weak…

  2. Nice timing as that’s the one where the Doctor said to Romana that she should meet up with the Corsair sometime, referring to the Corsair as both male and female when he did so. Was also an audio play with animation in 2003 with Paul McGann as the Doctor and Lalla Ward as Romana, but I digress nice timing just out from this years Christmas special.

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