Regenerated! Seven missing Doctor Who episodes restored thanks to a fan who recorded them off the television in the 60s

One diehard fan used cine camera to record the episodes in 1964

They starred William Hartnell in the series called Marco Polo



BBC Worldwide has restored the films and will air them next month



Sixties: William Hartnell as Dr Who in 1963. A fan taped seven episodes from the Marco Polo series in 1964 and they are now due to be aired by the BBC

The BBC is preparing to air seven lost Dr Who episodes after a fan revealed he recorded them in 1964.



The series was thought to have been lost forever until a cine camera-owning fan came forward saying he had captured them when they were first aired in the 1960s.

Although the camera didn't record the sound, staff at BBC Worldwide have been painstakingly restoring the footage and adding the audio so they can be shown next month.

An insider told the Mirror: 'This is a big deal for "Whovians". The series was hugely popular when it was first shown and is set to be a hit again.'

The source added: 'They are silent but the fan did it in a very professional way. Audio was kept so the Beeb had to match it all up. It's been painstaking.'



In the rediscovered series, called Marco Polo, William Hartnell plays the Doctor.



The Time Lord is based in China in 1289 and stars alongside Mark Eden, 85, who played Coronation Street villain Alan Bradley.



Nine missing episodes from the same decade were found in Nigeria last month.



Dr Who is as popular as ever with a three-day event at London's ExCel centre this weekend.



Anniversary: The seven lost episodes have been found and restored just in time for the show's 50th anniversary which was celebrated this week. Star Matt Smith will be leaving Dr Who at the end of this year

Fans will relive 50 years of Doctor Who adventures in space and time as well as behind-the-scenes demonstrations and workshops, stunts, explosions, monsters, props & costumes, official merchandise and memorabilia.

It is just one of a number of celebrations going on to mark the 50 year anniversary show, which airs on BBC One on Saturday night.



The Day of the Doctor is the 50th Anniversary episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1 at 19.50 on Saturday night.



Dr Who: The lost episodes were restored by BBC Worldwide and are being prepared for broadcast. An insider said the audio had been preserved and was painstakingly being added to the fan's TV cine footage



