Doctor Who Is Updating a Classic Episode to Include a Missing Regeneration

A popular story in the Doctor Who franchise is being updated for a newer audience. Doctor Who has provided fans with several memorable storylines and events over the years, but one that has stuck with fans is The War Games. Featuring Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor, The War Games marked the end of his time playing the character as the Second Doctor and his companions (Zoe and Jamie) as their travels took them to a World War I battlefield to stop the evil War Lord. The War Games is getting a makeover to add new colors and visual effects, along with the never-before-seen regeneration from the Second to Third Doctor.

The War Games episodes of Doctor Who from 1969 are going to be turned into a 90-minute event with enhanced colors, visual effects, sound, and score. If that wasn’t enough, Doctor Who fans can also see the Second Doctor’s (Patrick Troughton) regeneration into the Third Doctor, played by Jon Pertwee. This regeneration never made it into the original episodes, but modern and old school fans alike can now experience it for the first time. There’s also recovered footage that never made it into the original broadcast.

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“From the day I arrived back on Doctor Who, this was the plan,” showrunner Russell T Davies said. “To colourise old stories and bring them back to life. And on Doctor Who Day itself, it’s great to announce this, celebrating the show’s wonderful heritage with an all-time-classic. It looks so vivid and new – and for fans of black-and-white, the story in its original form will stay on BBC iPlayer, so everyone wins!”

He added, “I actually watched this transmit in 1969, at 6 years old, terrified of the Roman soldiers, fascinated by villains with glinting spectacles, and in awe of the Doctor’s brand new origin. Now fans old and new can enjoy it all over again.”

A description of The War Games reads, “The TARDIS has materialised in a world of trench warfare, barbed wire and poison gas: the Western front, 1917. In the chaos and paranoia of the First World War, the Doctor and his companions are separated from their ship, captured and court-martialled, the death sentence swiftly pronounced. But all is not as it seems. As the Doctor finds himself increasingly out of his depth and facing impossible odds, the only solution is the truly unthinkable. He must seek help from those he most fears — his own people, the Time Lords…”