Prepare for a classic sci-fi overload, because it sounds like the folks at the BBC might’ve hit the classic Doctor Who jackpot.

Hours upon hours of classic Doctor Who episodes were lost and erased decades ago, before any true archival system was put in place by the BBC. The network, along with ardent fans, has spent the last several years trying to recover the classic Who episodes by tracking down old recordings and foreign broadcast copies. Regardless, there's still a long way to go.

But now a new rumor makes it sound like the BBC has hit the mother lode. Bleeding Cool is reporting that “BBC have secured a large number of presumed-wiped episodes of early Doctor Who.”

The report indicates that entire serials that were presumed lost, including some from the elusive William Hartnell era, have been recovered and could debut later this year on television — just in time for the iconic series’ 50th-anniversary celebration.

If the folks at the BBC have managed to pull this off, it’s one of the biggest finds in TV history. Dozens upon dozens of classic episodes are still missing, and a recovery like this could introduce a whole new generation of Who fans to some episodes that haven’t been seen in almost 50 years.

There’s still no confirmation from the BBC, but we have our fingers crossed.

(Via Bleeding Cool)