Nearly 40 years ago, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe author Douglas Adams wrote an episode of Doctor Who that was meant to serve as the finale of the show’s 17th season, the penultimate season of Tom Baker‘s legendary run as the Fourth Doctor. “Shada,” as the episode was titled, was famously never finished due to a BBC strike. All these years later, however, “Shada” is finally going to be completed by BBC with newly animated scenes. The first teaser trailer for “Shada” dropped last night, and it looks like the lost adventure that we’ve always wanted to see.
Via Doctor Who Online, BBC announced that all of the live-action scenes filmed for “Shada” will be incorporated into the new release, and the animated sequences will fill in the remaining gaps. Baker will reprise his role as the Fourth Doctor with newly recorded lines, and he’s not alone. Lalla Ward is also returning to voice Romana, a Time Lady who was one of the Doctor’s most popular companions.
The story follows the Doctor and Romana traveling to Cambridge and joining forces with Professor Chronotis, a retired Time Lord, as they face Skagra, a malevolent alien who will stop at nothing to discover the secrets of Shada, an infamous prison planet.
Whovians won’t have to wait long to see this completed adventure. “Shada” will be released as a digital download on Friday, November 24th, with a Blu-ray and DVD release to follow on December 4th. “Shada” will also be theatrically screened in the United Kingdom, and we wouldn’t be shocked at all if Fathom Events decides to schedule some American screenings as well.
Are you excited to see this lost chapter of Doctor Who history? Unleash your sonic screwdrivers in the comment section below!
Images: BBC
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