The Doctor Who missing episodes are the many instalments of the long-running British science fiction television programme Doctor Who that are missing, with no known film or videotape copies existing. They were wiped by the BBC during the 1960s and 1970s for a variety of economic and space-saving reasons. In all, there are 27 serials that do not exist in complete form in the BBC's archives, because 108 of 253 episodes produced during the first six years of the programme are missing. Many more were thought to have been so in the past before episodes were recovered from a variety of sources, most notably overseas broadcasters. Doctor Who is not unique in this respect, as thousands of hours of programming from across all genres were destroyed up until 1978, when the BBC's archiving policies were changed. Unlike other series, Doctor Who is unique in having all of its missing episodes surviving in audio form, recorded off-air by fans at home. Additionally, every 1970s episode exists in some form, which is not the case for several other series. Efforts to locate missing episodes continue, both by the BBC and by fans of the series. Extensive restoration has been carried out on many surviving and recovered 1960s and 1970s episodes for release on VHS and more recently on DVD. (more...)

From Wikipedia's newest articles:

• ... that French explorer Robert de LaSalle (pictured) was murdered by a member of his own expedition while trying to locate the Mississippi River in 1687?
• ... that Indigenous Australian actor Brandon Walters had never heard of Nicole Kidman or Hugh Jackman when he signed on to co-star with them in Australia?
• ... that the park Ravnedalen in Kristiansand, Norway, was constructed by Colonel Joseph Frantz Oscar Wergeland and his soldiers?
• ... that painter T. E. Breitenbach's work Proverbidioms appeared on the TV show Beverly Hills, 90210?
• ... that the Minatogawa Man is among the oldest complete skeletons of modern humans recovered in East Asia?
• ... that Les West's cycle racing career spanned 47 years from 1960 to 2006, and included two victories in the Tour of Britain?
• ... that the book The Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives explores U.S. military expenditures on items including Southern catfish restaurants and Dunkin' Donuts?
  
  Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

• The United Nations Security Council votes unanimously to reinforce MONUC, the largest peacekeeping force in the world, stationed in Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (internally displaced persons pictured).
• The first successful tracheal transplantation using a tissue-engineered organ created from the patient's own stem cells is performed in Spain.
• New Zealand and Australian researchers identify a new species of penguin, the Waitaha penguin, which lived in New Zealand until its extinction 500 years ago.
• Somali pirates capture the oil tanker MV Sirius Star, the largest vessel to date to be hijacked, off the coast of the Horn of Africa.
• G-20 leaders meet at a summit in Washington, D.C. to discuss the current financial crisis.
• The Moon Impact Probe, released by Indian spacecraft Chandrayaan-1, is successfully crashed into the lunar south pole.
  Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...

November 23: Labour Thanksgiving Day in Japan; St George's Day in Georgia

• 1867 – The Manchester Martyrs were hanged in Manchester, England for their rescue of two Irish nationalists, who played important roles in the failed Fenian Rising, from jail.
• 1890 – William III of the Netherlands died without a living male heir, allowing his ten-year-old daughter Wilhelmina to succeed him to the Dutch throne.
• 1971 – The People's Republic of China was given China's permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
• 1985 – Omar Rezaq and two others from the Abu Nidal terrorist group hijacked EgyptAir Flight 648 over the Mediterranean Sea.
• 2003 – Rose Revolution: Eduard Shevardnadze (pictured) resigned as President of Georgia following weeks of mass protests over disputed election results.

• More events: November 22 – November 23 – November 24

  Archive – By email – More anniversaries...
  It is now 11:18, November 23, 2008 (UTC) – Refresh this page