Lost Doctor Who adventure with William Hartnell and classic villain finally added to BBC iPlayer

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The long-lost Doctor Who adventure, The Celestial Toymaker, starring William Hartnell and a memorable villain, is now streaming on BBC iPlayer. After being available only on DVD and Blu-ray since its 2023 release, you can now watch it for free in the UK.

This story centers on the First Doctor, played by William Hartnell, and his friends Steven Taylor and Dodo Chaplet as they battle the evil Toymaker, portrayed by Michael Gough.

When the Doctor and his friends arrive in the bizarre world of the Celestial Toymaker, they become trapped and compelled to compete in dangerous games.

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Before it was recovered through animation, The Celestial Toymaker was a missing Doctor Who story. Only the fourth episode existed in the BBC archives after the original tapes from 1966 were erased.

So, the game’s split into four parts, or episodes, and they’re called ‘The Celestial Toyroom,’ ‘The Hall of Dolls,’ ‘The Dancing Floor,’ and finally, ‘The Final Test.’ It’s kinda like each one is a different level, taking you further into the story.

UK viewers can now watch all four episodes of season 3 of the classic sci-fi series Doctor Who (1963-1996) on BBC iPlayer.

Unlike earlier missing episodes that were animated using traditional cartoon techniques, the restoration of The Celestial Toymaker employed motion capture technology, and the visuals were created by Shapeshifter Studios.

So, I was reading about the new look and feel of the game, and the audio engineer, Mark Ayres, described it as a bit of an experiment. He basically said they were trying out some new things with how everything is animated – a real departure from the usual, it sounds like!

He explained (according to Radio Times) that the entire process relies on motion capture technology, using actors to perform all the roles in sync with the music.

Everything is timed to match the music and voices. Occasionally, the syncing is off, so I have to adjust the audio to make sure the lip movements and sound match up. This is a new process using motion capture technology, and it allows the characters to move much more naturally and smoothly.

He expressed pride in the project and the dedication of the Australian animators, noting that a great deal of effort went into its creation.

The Celestial Toymaker is available to stream via BBC iPlayer.

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2025-12-09 14:51