DOCTOR WHO: CLASSIC EPISODES REMOVED FROM THE WHONIVERSE ON BBC iPLAYER

The BBC have removed two classic Doctor Who stories from iPlayer, exactly one year after it launched The Whoniverse on BBC iPlayer.

Episodes from Terror Of The Zygons and The Seeds Of Doom, which both starred Tom Baker in the leading role, were removed today (1st November 2024) as the BBC "do not have the rights to make them available."

A BBC iPlayer spokesperson added: "Our programmes are only available for a set amount of time and after this expires, they are removed from iPlayer. How long we can make content available for comes down to the rights agreements, or there could be legal or technical issues that affects it. We aim to make programmes available for as long as we possibly can."

Both Terror Of The Zygons and The Seeds Of Doom are both still available on BritBox and ITVX (via Premium subscription). TV Zone has approached the BBC Media Centre for comment and further clarification.

These two classic adventures join Doctor Who's fist ever serial An Unearthly Child in not being available on iPlayer. An Unearthly Child was subject to a rights dispute. A BBC spokesperson said at the time: "[The Whoniverse is] the biggest ever collection of Doctor Who programming in one place but will not include the first four episodes as we do not have all the rights to those."

Earlier this Summer the BBC removed 2006 episode 'Fear Her', starring David Tennant and Billie Piper, as disgraced former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards, who was charged and pleaded guilty to the "making indecent images of children", featured in a voiceover role.

At the time, a BBC spokesperson told TV Zone: "An episode of Doctor Who has been temporarily removed from BBC iPlayer to be re-dubbed." At time of writing, the BBC have yet to re-upload the episode with the new voiceover.

The upcoming Doctor Who Christmas special, Joy To The World will air on BBC One on Christmas Day and guest stars Nicola Coughlan opposite The Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa. The festive special is written by former showrunner Steven Moffat.

Joining the Christmas special, alongside Couglan and revealed in Doctor Who Magazine, are Peter Benedict and Julia Watson as Basil and Hilda. Niamh Marie Smith will play Sylvia, Phil Baxter is Edmund Hillary, Samuel Sherpa-Moore is Tenzing Norgay, Steph de Whalley is Anita and Jonathan Aris played Melnak the Silurian.

The Whoniverse is available on BBC iPlayer. Doctor Who returns this Christmas.