Lost 'Doctor Who' episodes to be animated for DVD release

It is well known to many fans of the iconic science fiction series "Doctor Who" that some of the series' earliest episodes were erased by the BBC. In all, 27 of William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton's serials are incomplete with nearly half of the episodes from the series' first six years lost or destroyed.

However, upcoming DVD releases of these classic stories will allow viewers to enjoy the lost episodes in animated form. While video footage is likely gone forever, the audio of several episodes lives on thanks to fans' home recordings. hot on the heels of the return of the Ice Warriors in current series March 30th return, the serial that introduced the Martian villains will be animated by Qurios Entertainment.

Two episodes missing from the six episode serial will be filled in by the animation studio for its upcoming DVD release. Dan Hall, producer of BBC Worldwide’s classic Doctor Who range, explained, "We’ve been discussing the various ways Qurios could reconstruct these episodes for over three years. So it’s really, really satisfying to finally see them animated. Qurios have a great track record in excellent and innovative animations."

Additionally, "The Tenth Planet," featuring the First Doctor's final adventure, will see its missing fourth episode animated by Planet Studio 55.

"Doctor Who has had many different visual styles thanks to changing directors, designers and production methods. We wanted to mirror this in our choice of animation partners," Hall said of the decision to use different animation studios for the different releases.

Check out a preview clip from "The Ice Warriors" below -- what do you think of the decision to animate these lost episodes?