I suppose this has been checked, but......

[Alistair Gordon]

I have read this forum with interest but notice that all posts refer to finding either Doctor Who or titles of adventures (eg Marco Polo), but what if they have simply been misfiled under the episode title (eg The Roof Of the World)? Is it not possible that they could be just lying in an archive unnoticed or am i being naive?

[Nigel Lamb]

Or indeed in the foreign language they might have been dubbed into. The episode titles or series name would be possibly quite different. Archives may have been checked in the foreign languages but I wonder how many e-bay searches hve been searched in foreign language for example?

[John Wall]

You search using terms like "Hartnell".

[Mark Vanderlinde-Abernathy]

Providing that they've hired accurate and detailed-orientated archivists for the last 50 years who knew how to spell. Yes, misfiling happens ... but archives are routinely cycled through and checked for such inaccuracies during weeding or inventory checks.

At my state's historical society we've been in the process of updating our files from on ancient electronic system to another. And we're putting them in one by one. It's resulted in us having to go through our vaults to make sure the bar codes are still correct.

[Jaspal Cheema]

In about 1982/83 I remember writing a letter to the BBC asking the exact same thing about possible mis-filing of Dr Who film prints.I put it in an envelope with the address on and stamp but it ended up on the top of my wardrobe somewhere.I felt too foolish to send it....and this was in the early 80s!

[dennywilson]

Sept 23, 2012 12:33:33 GMT Alistair Gordon said:

I have read this forum with interest but notice that all posts refer to finding either Doctor Who or titles of adventures (eg Marco Polo), but what if they have simply been misfiled under the episode title (eg The Roof Of the World)? Is it not possible that they could be just lying in an archive unnoticed or am i being naive?

The episodes would not have had an overall title on the cans,leader, just the actual episode title and story code.

[Jon Preddle]

Sept 23, 2012 12:52:55 GMT Nigel Lamb said:

Or indeed in the foreign language they might have been dubbed into. The episode titles or series name would be possibly quite different. Archives may have been checked in the foreign languages but I wonder how many e-bay searches hve been searched in foreign language for example?

Of the black and white material, only the first two Hartnell seasons were ever dubbed. (No Troughtons ever were.) But even in Spanish, Arabic and Farsi, the series was still known as Doctor Who. (In some Spanish countries it was also known as Dr Misterio.)

But as it happens, none of the now missing episodes/stories was ever sold to any of the countries that used the dubbed versions.

[Jon Preddle]

Sept 23, 2012 16:48:25 GMT Mark Vanderlinde-Abernathy said:

Providing that they've hired accurate and detailed-orientated archivists for the last 50 years who knew how to spell.

Which is why most archives and film stores use a numerical filing system!

[John Wall]

Who needs to know how to spell ?

You look at the film and copy down the details.