Doctor Who’s Whoniverse Is Losing Episodes - Here’s Why

[@Arctic-void-z7f]

Just another reason why we can’t let physical media die

[@snugglyshadow2049]

No complacency. I have VCR tapes and no VCR to play them. With everything becoming streaming, dvd players may stop being made

[@felixcuthbert2719]

So much for the advances of Online viewing. This is why I favour the tangible option.

[@DuncanEvans-t7q]

​@@snugglyshadow2049I still have my recording of Battlefield from the 30th Anniversary repeat on VHS.

[@miklosernoehazy8678]

...some wheres, 26 minutes into the future.... ...the following verbal exchange happened... (Blank Reg, handing a binded object to a young man): 'Here, read this"... ...the young man, looking confused, asks: "What's this?... ...Blank Reg: "that's a book.... ... it's a non-volatile form of communication... ...you should try it some time"...

[@DuncanEvans-t7q]

@@miklosernoehazy8678 I'm surprised kids these days don't ask what that rectangular thing showing moving pictures like on their phone is in the corner of the room is.

[@1987TimeLord]

This is why physical media is so important. If you own the dvds or blu-rays then you are not beholden to the whims of streaming services playing "pass the parcel" with the show, or any film or TV series for that matter.

[@AndrewLakeUK]

Physical media degrades. Yesterday I opened steam and on a whim played the original Half-Life. I bought it on physical media, but the cd started flaking over a decade ago. Before streaming I bought 3 copies of New Order's Substance, one had a scratch on the second CD, one I lost, and one I now never play. Now I can play games, listen to music and watch things wherever I am. Sometimes rights issues bugger things up, but that is far rarer than the degradation, loss, and breakage that happens with physical media. Both have problems, neither is close to being better for everyone. If you only listen to a few things, watch only a handful of shows, or only play a couple of games physical media is better, for everyone else it demonstrably isn't.

[@charg1nmalaz0r51]

pluss the editing they do

[@elizawulf8180]

Home physical media generally lasts 20-40 years...unless it's the real old stuff that lasts 50-80 years. Digital media can last a year, or a century...depending on contracts, businesses, governments, etc.

[@ShanghaiRooster]

As important is by owning physical media you're not subject to future censoring of older films by people pandering to current year fads. The international market also means a buyer in the UK faced with availability only of a version with cuts imposed by the BBFC can get a copy from America, where such censorship is far less likely. Some UK based companies have already released discs in the United States only because they decline to release a cut version in the home market.

[@ColouredColor]

i own series 1,2,3,4 of 2005 as there my childhood ones, and have them backed up to three drives... i don't even trust my physical media 😂 let alone netflix,bbc etc

[@Faction.Paradox]

The Great Intelligence is still tampering with The Doctor's time stream, erasing their adventures

[@jamessmithson-br7rm]

Always love an in lore explanation 😂 👏 👏 👏

[@stinchjack]

The Toymaker made a jigsaw of The Doctor's history ... do you like it?

[@Saint_Dan132]

thought so

[@davidaston5773]

Calling Michael Grade someone with 'intelligence' is being over generous....

[@skullzyy6633]

If only it was half as interesting as that😢

[@MistakenWhatnot]

If it helps, iPlayer frequently “times out” its content while agreements are renewed. Recently, Red Dwarf had all BBC & Dave episodes on iPlayer. In August, every ep post series 8 disappeared. They all reappeared last week. Lawyers gonna lawyer.

[@FOJO27]

Ohhh, didn't know this. Thanks for explaining!

[@neilgodwin6531]

Phew, that's a relief, thanks 😊

[@MichaelJohnson-kq7qg]

And allowing content to 'time out' removes a lot of the leverage that might be applied with sharerd IP products.

[@DuncanEvans-t7q]

I actually thought for a bit that the Red Dwarf issue was with new episodes being recorded, since Dave didn't seem to have them either. But that was just my theory

[@jorjlim]

Thanks for this - was hoping to rewatch Dwarf recently, and I cant stand ‘UKTV’ online

[@lancer1993]

I agree, owning the physical media is a must for any show or movie (and music) you want to see/hear any time in the future!

[@ramonaflowers5052]

As Olivia Newton-John sang, "Oh, let's get physical, physical. I wanna get physical. Let's get into physical."

[@AndrewLakeUK]

I can watch/listen to her on a streaming platform. Her physical presence is a bit lacking. My copy of that single I bought broke decades ago, but I can stream it whenever I feel like it. She was wrong.

[@samspeed6271]

This is why physical media like DVDs and VHS are important. They can't take away our DVDs and tapes.

[@MrRosebeing]

No, but the passage of time can.

[@adrianbruce2963]

And time can break the players...

[@mkno2799]

​@@MrRosebeinghence keep good care of everything.

[@julianaylor4351]

Pays to buy physical copies if you want certain things. That noted, some printed Dr Who material is now out of print. Basically copyright sucks. As someone who is over sixty, I have seen a lot of lost media, for example the Beatles on Juke Box Jury. Streaming is definitely not all it's made out to be. Give me the physical media any day.

[@SwiftFoxProductions]

Absolutely. I mean, streaming is great. Especially for rentals and discovering films/TV shows you haven't seen. But, in the long term, physical media is so important to preserve the shows/movies that you love and I'm kinda glad that more people are starting to realize this.

[@AndrewLakeUK]

@@SwiftFoxProductions Unless you're a professional archivist, you own a copy you don't preserve anything, you're aggrandizing consumption.

[@Diogo85]

It does but distribution and licensing rights don't last forever.

[@ClockworkAvatar]

@@AndrewLakeUK and how many times have pieces of lost media gone for decades been discovered in a private collection. it doesn't matter if your a professional or not.

[@theremoteanater]

🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

[@doctordeufall5937]

The episodes disappearing?...The episodes disappearing?... The episodes disa-PEARING!!! ☝️

[@jorjlim]

The lost episodes of POOOSH!

[@doctordeufall5937]

@@jorjlim But they DIED! The episodes... They all DIED!

[@deanpierce9048]

😂😂 love this

[@jakesinclair69420]

iPlayer has a countdown for everything, but don't worry, that will be fine. They just need to remove the need to re-upload them.

[@Problembeing]

Not in this instance. This is a rights issue that needs to be renegotiated. The BBC don’t own everything from Classic Who.

[@geolawie]

The Radio Times has an article about these that specifically mentions licencing issues too.

[@jonfr]

Buy physical media where you can.

[@jeanettecarnell8933]

Still need Capaldi! Small town,probably need to order online...

[@ThatLegoGuy-10140]

Same bro,Capaldis my fav and I NEED his seasons on Blu ray

[@Devlinator61116]

I have every episode from 2005 to 2022 on DVD.

[@coreypatton6290]

I mean I've got modern series 1 through 10 on DVD. Wait, this is mostly Classic series stuff... curse you BBC.

[@Nikioko]

I am buying the Collection box sets as soon as they are released.

[@retnavybrat]

In the mid to late 1980s, I videotaped just about every _Doctor Who_ story that my local PBS stations aired, then transferred them to DVD about 10 years ago. So between those and whatever DVDs I purchased to fill in the blanks, I'm all set with Classic Who.

[@popcornfilms1]

Make sure to publicly upload it before you kick the bucket lad

[@DuncanEvans-t7q]

An ironic thing about the physical media releases is that you get a lot of interesting stuff that will never appear on iPlayer. A great example is the newly released Season 25 Blu-ray boxset, which apart from new interviews, extended cuts and new SFX also includes some interesting curiosities from the archives. I never expected to see a Breakfast Time interview with Sylvester McCoy by Jeremy Paxman.

[@DarthStarkilla_jr]

Being from New Zealand and a massive fan of who. There's only two places where you can watch it. Amazon prime. Has the moffat era which is awesome with series 8 thru 10 being my favorite. And ofcourse Disney plus but we can't watch anything outside of the 60th and the nu stuff. Seriously would love to watch all of it!

[@DrWhoFanJ]

You’ve missed a third place: physical media.

[@LesPaulDavis]

There is an oft forgotten alternative to DVDs too…hard disc recorders (only applies to recording linear TV of course but you get the point). Just as practical as streaming but don’t require an internet connection and usually have more user friendly, less glitzy UIs too. That said, I agree - support physical media!

[@JRig2Stx]

Why No IPLAYER in the USA....

[@snugglyshadow2049]

Britbox has the Classic Who and Max the Modern version. Disney+ has the current run

[@AndrewLakeUK]

Say that to people who bought Laser Disc copies, or those who had copies they had to disentangle from a VHS player, or anyone who accidentally touched the playing surface of the DVD. Physical copies don't last.

[@millar876]

ive ripped all my physical media to hard drive and use a media server to basically run my own personal streaming service, mainly because im too lazy to look through discs or change them every couple of episodes, and i can keep my physical copies in a safer place away from damp and direct sunlight so they hopefully last longer and if a file becomes corrupt i can re rip them

[@Rossmaclellan101]

(As of November 4th 2024) Fear Her still has not been put back up on the iPlayer redubbed as well. Also with Destination Skaro leaving the BBC iPlayer, the other mini-episodes are up not on it so it's not that much of a problem.

[@derekhart3308]

To be honest it's shit episode and not bothered about it

[@Rocket1377]

It's a crap episode that most people skip anyway, so not that big a deal.

[@manic5378]

I strongly agree with Ellie... SUPPORT Physical Media! You cannot trust a streaming service to have the content you want to watch WHEN you want to watch it, but nobody can do anything to your physical media except yourself.

[@carlj95]

Two things: 1. An Unearthly Child is still on Britbox here in the US 2. I hated how Disney took off the sequel to Willow from Disney+ and there is no way we will ever see it again. Sadly, they never offered physical copies.

[@Rocket1377]

That's a great example. I think Disney is one of the worst offenders for self-censorship. They did something similar with Marvel's Inhumans and basically tried to pretend that it didn't exist.

[@htershane]

I’ve several physical versions of “Unearthly Child” but as of today I didn’t have a problem finding a streaming option🤷‍♂️. Obviously I would advise buying physical media for anything you intend to watch over and over but in the case of “Unearthly Child”, which is effectively being held to ransom by someone trying to make a a quick buck off a dead relative I’m all in favour of looking for whatever alternate sources are available. Fans will always find a way.

[@ShanghaiRooster]

The writer's son appears to have a political beef with the BBC going by what I read after the story broke; even to the extent of saying that if he died he would leave the rights to the story to a person who 'hates the BBC as much as I do". This, sadly, is about far more than grasping hands and as usual the fans are the ones who lose out. Any claims to be doing what he's doing 'for the fans' doesn't wash with me.

[@htershane]

@@ShanghaiRooster within days of the news breaking that that particular story wouldn’t be appearing on iPlayer dvds of it appeared on certain reselling sites at vastly inflated prices, guess who the most expensive copies belonged to, shortly after stirring stories the story would never see the light of day again. “Grasping ” is exactly what it is.

[@ShanghaiRooster]

@@htershane I think that just strengthens my final sentence if I read you correctly.

[@PaulJaYmes]

Much as I have a copy of an unearthly child, I also have a bunch of stuff on 1/4" tape that I have no hope of playing. Physical media has it's place but don't assume it'll be playable forever.

[@theevildalek5425]

I’m hoping that all the things that have been removed & are getting removed will be put back on the IPlayer shortly afterwards. I know other people are mentioning that most IPlayer programs are only available for a certain amount of time & if the BBC still wants it on the IPlayer, they just put it back up almost immediately. However, almost everything on The Whoniverse is listed to be available for “over a year” & have stayed listed like that ever since. The “over a year” listing appears to just be a way for the IPlayer to say ‘this program is here indefinitely for the foreseeable future.’ So I definitely don’t think it’s a case of the availability timer coming to an end. Also, for those who were there when The Whoniverse came to IPlayer, you’ll remember that not everything from the main series was there immediately. I do remember at the time there were some issues with both of the Robert Bank Stewart stories (Terror of the Zygons & The Seeds of Doom) and they might’ve not been available on the IPlayer when the rest of Season 13 was uploaded there. I know for definite that stories like The Reign of Terror from Season 1 were also missing initially (before than, that story was & still is missing from BritBox/ITVX as well). If any other story from the main series gets removed, The Reign of Terror could be one (tho if it did get removed, I’d hope if it gets put back they could swap Ep. 2, 3 & 6 for the restored versions released on DVD (especially Ep. 2 with it’s frankly unacceptable sound distortion issues)). My only theories as to why the more recent stuff is getting removed from IPlayer is because perhaps the BBC wants some of these special documentaries, minisodes, speicals & behind the scenes material as DVD/Blu-Ray exclusive content going forward. So if we want to look back on the commentaries or watch The Daleks In Colour, we have to buy the DVD & Blu-Rays to get that material. My worry going forward is that this is obviously not the first time this has happened. Before The Whoniverse was on IPlayer, we learned we wouldn’t be seeing An Unearthly Child (the very first story in the show’s history) be a part of it because of rights issues with the writer’s son (who’s political views are just the worse). We all thought that something would be done about it & we’d get to see An Unearthly Child back with the rest of The Whoniverse. But, one year later & still nothing’s been done. An Unearthly Child is still unavailable for modern viewers to watch & it appears the BBC have done nothing to get the rights back. And now I’m worried that the same will happen here & that these stories will remain unavailable for the foreseeable future, with no major effort by the BBC to get them back. I mean if the very first episodes of the show, the first appearance of The Doctor & the TARDIS, are still unavailable, what chance do the other episodes have…?

[@geolawie]

I doubt the BBC have done nothing - however, they are not the rights holder for the episodes. The writer's son is a bit awful and likely will never allow it out of spite. Or he does have a price, but it's too high to be reasonable for the BBC to pay (given that they have a lot of other goals beyond Doctor Who)

[@josephcooter5763]

The problem with the Rani is that Pip and Jane Baker didn't leave a will when they died. So nobody knows who owns the estate. Which is why the Rani is not in New Who.

[@fadikhoory5350]

Pip died in 2020 and Jane died in 2014 so they had a lot of time to bring her back.

[@josephcooter5763]

@@fadikhoory5350 I was under the impression that they died around 2012 but the Wikipedia article, take it for what it's worth, says otherwise.

[@sonoluminus1]

Yet.....Big Finish have used her

[@TheBorzoi]

I'm not sure about that. The Rani appears on a Magic the Gathering card so if there were rights issues, that card wouldn't exist.

[@topmandog1]

@@sonoluminus1 bf isnt dw cannon

[@ArturoRodriguez-dz5se]

Two words physical media , physical media, physical media

[@ChrisTomson]

Here’s one: piracy

[@michele219]

I can’t buy the Disney Who episodes on physical media in the US. So I’m stuck.

[@ArturoRodriguez-dz5se]

@michele219 The 60th anniversary episodes are supposed to be released here in the states on December 10th 2024

[@RottingMofo]

That's 6 words x

[@ArturoRodriguez-dz5se]

@RottingMofo just repeating myself

[@peterd788]

The new stuff is covered by the BBC Terms of Trade With Independent Producers. Because Newest Who is commissioned in the UK from Bad Wolf the shows are covered by the BBCTTIP rules. These give the BBC a 12 month window on iPlayer which can be renewed on either a 6 month basis for a fee or a two year basis for a fee for the lifetime of a returning show (its continued existence on linear TV). Since there is considerable doubt about the continued existence of Doctor Who (2023 -) a two year rolling extension is not likely to be an option and the negotiation of each iPlayer extension reduces the UK licence rights (when the BBC can broadcast the show without reacquisition) by 6 months. This makes it potentially expensive to create an extension window.

[@kamelsr]

Many times that things are removed is that server storage is expensive and limited. Maybe things like The color Dalek wasn't popular enough to warrant the expense or space.

[@Rossmaclellan101]

I honestly don't see that being the reason

[@Gallifreyangeek1]

I can't believe it's gone so quickly !

[@DaBiffster14]

I was lucky enough to subscribe to the "Doctor Who DVD Files" subscription between 2009-2014, where I got 113 of the classic stories. Sadly it did not include Terror of the Zygons

[@Rossmaclellan101]

Oh I got The Five Doctor's DVD from that. It was the only magazine of that I got. That was my first time seeing the Classic Era. It was easily the best way for me to see the first five of The Doctors 🤣

[@ShanghaiRooster]

@@Rossmaclellan101 Well, four of them at least given that William Hartnell had passed away, and Tom was barely in it - just clips from lost story Shada.

[@Rossmaclellan101]

@@ShanghaiRooster I already know that!! Technically at the very start it has part of the 1st Doctor's speech to Susan. That's why I still say that the first five of The Doctors (Richard Hurndall's 1st Doctor is a bonus Doctor) is represented in it

[@derekhart3308]

Still get on BBC dvd and on box set ie season 14 blu ray get the full season or season 13 forget which season it's on without going on Google to check ✔️

[@ShanghaiRooster]

@@derekhart3308 Zygons opened season 13, which isn't yet on blu-ray. If there is a licensing issue, hopefully it will be resolved soon. The idea of that great season not being available because of it is just too awful to contemplate! Seeds of Doom is also from that same season and was the last story broadcast.

[@barbarapeterson4000]

This is absolutely why I always buy CDs and DVDs. Not only do they cut out content, but they can add in any content they want - advertisements, etc...or edit out someone smoking...

[@caseymead9641]

They need to release the whoniverse in the US.

[@dogolv]

Totally agree. I wish the Whoniverse streaming service was available to stream on a service in North America. I would love to see the “Tales of the Tardis”, “Unleashed”, “Children in Need”, as well as the Classic Who episodes here in the states. But sadly we have no access to any of them here. 😢 (To my knowledge none of these are available on physical media)

[@jamessmithson-br7rm]

Well said Ellie. Why I got An Unearthly Child on DVD a few years ago 😅

[@thematmannn]

glad you put this one together, i noticed every torchwood episode has a 3 month count down the other day

[@Mooheda]

I wonder if its not only Dr Who, but the cost of Storage /Server space? The BBC wouldn't have it's own data centre but some other company hosting would cost the BBC a lot of money?

[@Cheepchipsable]

I expect TV shows get "stale" and few people watch them as much, so they swap them out for other series for a time, then when they reintroduce them, there is a surge in views. I imagine it would be quite expensive to have access to every show they were able to all of the time.

[@ShunsuiHitsugaya]

This is why I have a lot of my favorite shows and movies on Blu-Ray/DVD.

[@peterlee4753]

The flux is destroying half the whoniverse

[@Midnightmiaaaaaa]

Tbh i think writers retaining at least partial ownership of their creations is a good thing. (Although more complex now with writers rooms etc)

[@AGD2112]

I am an older viewer ... and grew up before the streaming generation so I typically buy the shows I love and intend to rewatch ... e.g. 24, West Wing, Terminator, Blade Runner, Star Wars, Quantum Leap, Babylon 5, Star Trek etc. The reasons? 1) to rewatch IN HIGH-DEF whenerver I want 2) to financially support the makers but 3) and most important ... I typically buy physical for the EXTRAS! Disney+ have started showing some behind the scenes stuff .. and KZbin is a boon! But I like it in my hands. (Although THAT is expensive and takes up a LOT of room)

[@doctor_sixty]

here in Germany, at the moment we only have the last season on disney+ to watch on a legal streamer.

[@gerrimilner9448]

get one of those hide your location things (VPN), pretend to be British use i-player? just a suggestion, may work

[@birgitsandberg168]

Same thing here in Sweden😞

[@michaelneilson1736]

And the us

[@brewster_4]

@@michaelneilson1736 We also have HBO Max for 2005-2022 and Tubi and Britbox for Classic

[@DrWhoFanJ]

@@gerrimilner9448Or don’t break the law for no reason‽

[@tedboggs4569]

I just finished collecting all of classic Doctor Who on physical media, at least the ones available so far. I've been burned a number of times by losing access to shows I've purchased digitally, so I decided I need to really own the things I know I want to watch again and again.

[@Billionth_Kevin]

Buying physical media also helps the "vote with your money" aspect of helping to continue the creation of more Who

[@Diogo85]

Sure but it's not the BBC's fault they have rights issues.

[@darrengamer8189]

My theory is they are taking down "additional content" that can be used as bonus material to add value to DVD's and Blurays. Maybe the DVD sales in the UK bombed once all the episodes were available on i-player?

[@adrianbruce2963]

Indeed - that must surely be a possible issue. Why buy a DVD if you can watch it for free on iPlayer? (True fans know why but not everyone does)

[@JazPrimo]

I buy a lot of classic era Who episodes. I have nearly all of the available Tom Baker episodes. I own ALL David Tennant and Matt Smith episodes and their specials on physical media, too.

[@ElizabethMidfordHatesCops]

Classic is much more expensive and as such I only a Fifth Doctor serial and that's it. But other than that, I have 8-13 on DVD. Just waiting for this new season to release on DVD.

[@jamesalflattsbarkingmadpro3480]

That's why streaming isn't progress, dvd is the way forward , keep them although they take up physical space it's worth it

[@TheLordFlashheart]

Both Terror of the Zygons and Seeds of Doom have music composed by Geoffrey Burgon - That could also be the issue behind both coming off iPlayer as there could be a music rights issue with the episodes

[@TheBorzoi]

That sounds most likely. It's something sudden because only last week were those episodes available and showed available for 10 months.

[@HProtagVtuber]

In Australia the 9th and 10th Doctor is on another network (I forgot which), 11th and 12th is on Prime Video, I forgot if 13th is on it, but the David Tennant specials and 14th Doctor are on Disney+ Insane right?

[@Nikioko]

Seeds of Doom and Terror of the Zygons are both part of Season 13, so the make-over for the Collection box set might be a reason.

[@simonadams8770]

Totally agree with you Ellie. I started about 10 years ago collecting all the dvds and finally now Own all the classics. EBay has done very well out of me for the harder to get ones but I don’t care. When I look at those dvds it’s a genuine joy to see the history of the show up there on three shelves looking glorious:) streaming is convenient but physical copies are better for peace of mind:)

[@_andrewvia]

The library in my town has most of the episodes and some of the specials. Thanks Ellie for another few moments of your crisp accent. Very enjoyable.

[@yanniskarpasea]

Problems like this are why I'm always going to collect DVDs.

[@Diogo85]

Licensing rights have expiry dates. It's not a new phenomenon, it's always been that way.

[@yanniskarpasea]

@Diogo85 I know. Unfortunately, not enough people realise this until it's too late and then they're left with no way of watching certain episodes.

[@Diogo85]

@@yanniskarpasea A lot of them don't understand it either and just assume streaming services are removing shows for more sinister reasons when that's not always the case.

[@GhostPurple69]

the recent stuff is produced by Bad Wolf, yet not covered by the disney agreement-it's never been made available outside the uk. although i can't guess exactly *why* that would affect the uk-exclusive content, it feels probably relevant somehow. like there was some kind of temporary band-aid back-room agreement to allow the extra stuff to happen outside of bad wolf's agreement with disney, that has yet to be renegotiated for long-term permission.

[@Gothic55]

None of this impacts on physical media. Another reason to collect this in this format.

[@LadyKattrina84]

I was worried for a moment there, I started watching Doctor Who at dinner time with my youngest son (Started with 11th hour to see if he enjoyed that, then went back to nine and watching in order.) And while I have them all on DVD I was worried we might not be able to continue on player. (which has been easier for us)

[@gferrol118]

It's weird that the original zygon episode has been taken down, but not the modern episodes with them. If it's an issue with the rights to the monster, then the 50th anniversary and that 12th doctor episode should also be taken down

[@wolftitan]

My collection of over 350 seasons of TV season is why I don't trust Streaming services even before they ever existed. Although 15 seasons of that are Supernatural, 10 seasons of Stargate Sg-1, and of course at least 10 seasons of Doctor Who.

[@VampiricHoshi]

Every single thing on iPlayer costs the BBC to keep it on iPlayer. I think it's ultimately that simple. From the most simple standpoint of storage space, they are basically paying for space on a server, and I imagine they have a specific limit of exactly how much space the whole of iPlayer can take up, and they're likely always at that limit and therefore always juggling what's available on it. Then there's bandwidth. This one is often forgotten, but every time someone streams something off iPlayer, the BBC is being charged for the bandwidth that it's servers use. Much like storage space, the BBC will be paying for a fixed number, and every MB of data that goes over that limit (daily, weekly, monthly, etc) they'll get charged. So they won't want lots of high-demand things on there, it has to be balanced. Licensing is also another issue as you mentioned. None of these are unique to iPlayer. Netflix has used the same model from day one, with its total library of available content originally always capped at 500. That only really changed when it started making its own content, but I wouldn't be surprised to discover that non-Netflix-branded films are still capped to 500.

[@CJFS00s]

( 5:43 ) But day of the Doctor has zygons so would that mean that would go too? 🤔

[@DrWhoFanJ]

@@Rossmaclellan101There are no Zygon stories in Series 8.

[@DrWhoFanJ]

Nope. The ongoing licence for them would have been agreed at the time.

[@Rossmaclellan101]

Plus the Zygon two parter in Series 9 as well 🤔

[@alfhughes6571]

Terror Of The Zygons not available *reaches for DVD*

[@ZapStrideGaming]

With how i do it, my initial viewing i stream (rent it if it's a movie). Then if i like something enough i wanna have it to watch whenever I want to or I can't find it online or to rent or borrow from a friend or library for my initial watch of it, I get it physically to watch it and have it for myself.

[@SeatsTakenProductions]

Let's be honest here, if you are in love with Doctor Who as much as I am, you already own all these episodes and this doesn't matter. If you're not in love with Doctor Who as much as I am, this doesn't matter.

[@joshuajoshua2732]

And this exactly the example why I'll always stick with physical media over streaming anyday.

[@dpworks1]

ABC Iview in Australia often has expiration countdowns for shows too. Most are available again very quickly after. It doesn’t pay to be complacent though, some never get re-added and it’s impossible to know whether or not they will become available after that period once more.

[@Forced2DoThis1]

You take them down sometimes so you can get more traction for Special Release DVDs, BluRays, Box Sets, etc as well.

[@jcarterla]

We didn't even have a VCR until I was 16. I grew up with 5 channels. If you missed a show, it was possible you would never see it. You actually had a watching schedule. The worst was when 2 shows you wanted to watch were on at the same time and you had to make a choice. Saturday afternoon was Doctor Who on PBS. I remember when Tom Baker left and they played the first three doctor's stories before Peter Davidson premiered. At that time I was only a casual viewer and didn't even know there was ever another doctor other than Tom Baker.

[@scibus4360]

I had a similar experience. Also, we never knew what was coming. We couldn't go on the internet and look up an episode guide and read all about it. At least until I got that episode guide from Target books.

[@TCHorwood-xq7mw]

5 channels, luxury! We had 3 and were grateful for them. /s

[@michaeltortorice9876]

Thank you for the update. I can't speak on the Whoniverse as a whole, being non-UK, but I am alarmed that stories are being deleted. Has anyone checked Mondas? Maybe that's where they went (the Cybermen don't actually delete, they acquire). Most egregious of course is Seeds of Doom, my favorite serial. Fortunately, I have the VHS which thankfully still works (as well as Child and Zygons). Anyone need to borrow them? I offer reasonable rates.

[@triplejazzmusicisall1883]

This is only just the beginning. I knew as soon as streaming became the predominant approach to watching visual media it would lead to legalities involving copyright and the removal of shows and movies. In a world that loves to sue and litigation this is not going to get better. The only solution, and it's a very inexpensive one is get your physical media as soon as you can. Do the op shops, library sales etc, go online bidding sites. Why now - because as this problem exacerbates eventually physical media will become very expensive, especially if the corporations must pay greater amounts to writers and creators of infamous characters etc. Which to be fair they are entitled too. It's another one of those old farts being right stories (me being the old fart). My family for years has laughed at my building of physical media DVD's and CDs and now they are starting to think more akin with me. The key thing in this modern world to remember is that everything in the end will boil down to money and profits, not the arts. We will end of with just two (maybe three) streaming services in future decades and just like the duality of supermarkets in countries they will then be able to charge whatever amount they think consumers will pay. As for the future of box sets - hm, not looking too great. Kerblam!!!

[@ColouredColor]

as someone who just brought series 1,2,3,4 of 2005 era i'm very happy i did so before the price hike scalpers are now gonna do to doctor who series of all eras and episodes now and into the future thanks bbc

[@DrWhoFanJ]

There’s no need to say "of the 2005 era".

[@ColouredColor]

@@DrWhoFanJ and there’s no need to comment yet you still did

[@fastertrackcreative]

Even physical media isn't forever. DVDs and the like can degrade over time and use or get scratched.

[@Devlinator61116]

We need direct to brain downloads from The Library (so big it doesn't need a name, just a great big 'The').

[@Itisjustasaganow]

Pirating is a solution

[@ianmiller6040]

As long as the stuff on D+ and Amazon Prime is (currently) unaffected, I'm happy. I guess I could download the content I have and put it on my hard drive, to make sure it's preserved somewhere.

[@AnubisX1]

Yet those episodes are still on ITVX/Britbox with no expiry dates and they are better picture and audio quality to whats on Iplayer. So you can still watch them there or like me on the DVD/bluray. Physical media is best

[@davetreadwell]

12:00 at least the media still exists. The worst example of digital media/rights issues is the show Final Space - S1 and S2 were released on DVD. S3 wasn't - streaming only. And then then Warner Brothers used it as a tax write off - which required the original/master media to be destroyed in order to do so. S3 is therefor completely lost forever, and only those with physical copies of S1 and S2 can watch those

[@marvelljones72]

I'm not in the UK and of course I've never used a VPN to trick iPlayer 👼, but It sounds like a recurring rights issue. Someone waited too long to renew the agreements, or they're just waiting to see if there's a large enough outcry before they pay to get them back. Not sure why the "extras" (Doctor Who Unleashed, etc) are being pulled. If they're on the Blu-Ray maybe they're trying to boost physical media sales which seem to drop year after year. If not, maybe we'll get a re-release with them on there.

[@MrJ.Smith1234]

I'm so glad I was in a DVD shop years ago and instead of buying a new Video Game my kids really wanted, I bought An Unearthly Child. It may have caused family arguments in the short term but now, I know it was all worth it.....Well mostly worth it. 😂

[@Mambojeff]

I'm making my way slowly through the classic series amd on season 13 the 4th Dr . I have been really enjoying them. Hope they stay on longer.

[@JMHardinMyTwoLives]

I'm wondering if the newer content is being pulled because they're moving them to deluxe edition physical media and are hoping to make people pay more to have access to it all. Or maybe Disney is staying to take it down so they can make a big deal out of bringing it back from the vaults later on. The Goddess knows Disney's pulled that bantha poodoo before.

[@ofskittlez]

I need to say this. The whole "Davros shouldn't be in a wheelchair" thing is idiotic.

[@Smakka13420]

Or the fact that RTD changed the look of the sonic because it was too much like a gun… Like umm, what bro? I wouldn’t have minded the new look it was pre his accident (exploring how the war changed him into what we know him as) or even if they kept his same look (3rd eye; metal headgear, etc.) but healed his legs thanks to The 12th Doctor his regeneration energy, or just explained the new look by stating that the regeneration energy fully healed him; but to say that “Well he’s an evil character & we don’t want to associate disability with evil characters as that’s disabilist”, just to change his look is like, c’mon, especially when no one has complained “Oh BBC is making fun of disabled people through their use of Davros being disabled.” What’s next, a grand redesign of The Daleks? It seems that now because of TTC changing lore, they’re like fuck it; let’s just change EVERYTHING.

[@elizabethgrosvenor153]

There's probably storage space issues, but also, we seem to be forgetting the temporary nature of entertainment to some degree. It used to always be seem as temporary, which led to the destroyed tapes, etc, and -- rightly so -- that was called out and changed and stories were preserved. But that doesn't mean that everything ever also needs to last forever either. Special content was created to celebrate the 60th anniversary -- what's wrong with just enjoying it at that moment in time?? Some things -- the very best things, the stories -- will go forward, and new things be will be made, and some of that will die, but some of it will go forward, and more new things will be made, and so on. Better than all the detritus accumulating and then obscuring the good stuff increasingly. Some things are only meant for a short time. It doesn't make them bad quality, but it just leaves room for more to come later.

[@Graphicxtras1]

yes, the reason for buying and keeping physical media, love the BBC Bluray sets

[@homogenized]

I'm American and so our experience has been wildly different lol. Gatwa's season is on Disney+, but then everything from Eccleston to Whittaker is on Max. As for classic stuff, that's in various places - I know there's a Classic Who channel on Pluto TV - and as for like Torchwood or Sarah Jane, I have no idea where that might be. I think if you wanted to use one word to describe it, then "fractured" would be a good one. Also, TARDIS Wiki notes that the Blu-Ray release of Gatwa's season is coded for Region B and that that's strange because BBC Blu-Rays usually aren't region coded. America is in Region A! So it's unusually tough for American fans to purchase this most recent season. Boo! Hiss!!

[@shadowmaster8684]

0:56 I was really hoping the Disney+ deal was going to give us that extra content

[@Coroplocs-Chameleon]

They BETTER NOT delist my beloved episode COLD WAR. Help guys! The Titanic is gonna hit my house! Sorry sorry! Cold War is a -10 Billion out of 10 episode.

[@asakjellgren3156]

No. Physical media isn't the way. It takes too much space and you can never get everything. We have over 8000 DVDs in the house. They take up a full room... We still lack classic who - they are too many and haven't been available to buy in Sweden (at least not since I started to watch)

[@timothymallon]

6:50 we have a lot of missing episodes from the early days because BBC didn't care about preserving their intellectual property. Nobody put a value on it in those days.

[@StarlasAiko]

Just another reason to insist on physical media.

[@RyanHaney55]

Some of those Classic Who story arcs aren't on Tubi, either. I'd subscribe to Whoniverse if I could. Even with the missing content. This reminds meof when I was watching Modern Who on Netflix for the first time and it said the first few seasons were going to leave Netflix. I rushed through Martha's episodes in 3 days. Then they collected all the seasons into 1 Doctor Who folder. They didn't remove the episodes, just the poster for that year. They then put them in 1 folder with a TARDIS poster.

[@Martipar]

It would be interesting to let people have access to BBC content from outside the UK for the price of the TV licence, there might be issues with licencing of featured music but the BBC already has content with different music for overseas so it shouldn't be too much effort for them.

[@guimbelleaux]

I own all of Doctor Who that has been released in the USA on physical medium. I never rely on streaming. You should not either.

[@foreshame7370]

If they're taking suggestions I'd nominate everything post Capaldi.

[@Ms-Vlogs.]

I think fear her has been taken off the air due to the whole huw Edwards situation but (this is just speculation btw), that episode may be edited so that they either remove the edwards section or edit it with a new reporter (most likely an actor)

[@triplejazzmusicisall1883]

First point: You are correct -physical media is best if you wish to be certain and assured you can keep the programs/episodes you love. Second point: This is a worrying development as more writers, creators of iconic monsters etc... start to block streaming rights due to copyright. It is a pandora's box waiting to explode. Third point: Streaming service providers are for the most part not making any profits at present. The 5 or 6 major service providers will dwindle down to probably just two or three and prices to watch material will go up markedly. Just like supermarket dominance exists between only two or three major chains. You will therefore be eventually spending almost as much as we once did for DVDs etc but without actually owning a copy. Fourth point: With this very politically correct world we live in (I am trying to avoid the word 'woke') and cancel culture (that one I have huge issues with) will stories like the Talons on WC, etc be removed from service platforms? I would point out that the Nazi Germany burnt all books that were not passed by the German authorities and met their propaganda. I am not suggesting this is anywhere with proximity to that horror era in history but nevertheless I use this to argue the case that removing access to books, movies, television programs etc is ethically appalling and dangerous. Fifth point: What will become of future box sets. If certain stories are blocked by copyright laws complete season box sets, which so many of us adored, may no longer be possible. It becomes a bidding game; will the BBC etc, pay what the copyright owners want. Then then are all the legalities of who has copyright authority of another. i.e. Who can claim to have written Attack of the Cybermen; Paula Moore, Eric Saward even Ian Levine claims some ownership? Six and last point: It is so hard not to be smug if you were like me and others who foreshadowed this coming and ensured you had everything you loved on physical formats. Never trust anything that you do cannot hold in your hands. And don’t let tech heads tell you you’re a luddite or wrong to be buying physical media. They are wrong. These modern days are not the great thing many thought they would be. Take Australia where DW was nearly always on air rotation and you watched for free. Those days are gone. Big corps like Disney have proven that really all they care about is profit and messaging. TV shows that once were special for not being about grand scale and had a soul unique to themselves have been imo markedly damaged as a result. The good days are gone I'm afraid. Still we are lucky to have our DVD's etc which we can enjoy for the remainder of our lifetimes if we take proper care of them.

[@Nikioko]

These episodes still exist on physical media. And that's why you should never trust streaming platforms.

[@Tularis]

I find it completely ridiculous that the bbc doesn’t have the rights to show content that it owns...

[@mo2cubing]

Sad that the fourth doctor's zygon serial got removed from iPlayer. I'm not a Brit myself but I do hope all the episodes are able to stay on BritBox. I would hate to miss out on them!

[@anishg8103]

Question: what about the digital seasons of Doctor Who contents I bought on Amazon Prime. Will that disappear too?

[@conwarlock3537]

Man, that whole rights situation seems messy. I wish BBC would be able to make a push to permanently re-aquire those rights, but Im guessing that won't happen because of money and because the owners won't all agree.

[@lapiswake6583]

I've been disappointed with the volume of Doctor Who content for years now. We used to get 13 episodes per season plus a seasonal episode, one season per year, then we added Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood. Except SJA ended in 2011 (for the obvious reason), and Torchwood also ended in 2011 (presumably because they tried to push for the US audience in Miracle Day, like they did in Who S6, and got lower ratings). The frequency of Who releases and the number of episodes per season started dropping during 12's run. Then Class only got 1 season, ending in a cliffhanger we'll never see resolved (presumably due to the show being "aired" on the newly online-only BBC Three channel instead of on a proper TV channel, and it not hitting the audience they advertised it towards). We lost Doctor Who Confidential after Series 6 too. Compare this to Star Trek, where since 2016, we've had 5 seasons of Discovery, 3 seasons of Picard, 5 seasons of Lower Decks, 2 seasons of Strange New Worlds, 2 seasons of Prodigy, and the Ready Room too, with Section 31 and Starfleet Academy and SNW S3 coming soon too. I acquired the majority of Classic Who serials through the Doctor Who DVD Files collection, albeit just being the episodes only and no special features. I have filled the gaps with standard releases on DVD, although I have recently started collecting The Collection on blu ray (currently having 7 seasons (8, 12, 17, 18, 23, 24, and 26) out of the 12 currently available on standard release, as I'm not getting the Steelbook versions due to their cost (of which seasons 2, 15, and 20 have only been released on, plus 25 soon)) so I can watch the releases in remastered form plus get all the special features. I also have series 6 through 10 (minus The Husbands Of River Song) on DVD, but haven't got s11 onwards because of iPlayer.

[@DrWhoFanJ]

The Collection doesn’t have pointless steelbooks.

[@Nikioko]

I am getting the Collection box sets (limited editions) as soon as they are released. This way, I get all the episodes in the best quality, and I can eventually replace the old single story DVDs.

[@iamliberator1101]

YES !! Physical media. Bring back CDs and all the remixes of the song you purchase.

[@carealoo744]

Bruh, What are you talking about? You can still get An Unearthly Child on DVD very easily in all regions

[@Clone683]

The Unearthly Child got removed a while back because I think there were legal issues going on

[@ThorstenWieking]

the reason why I never stopped buying physical media

[@AndrewLakeUK]

Constantly replacing damaged physical copies is why I embrace streaming.

[@DrWhoFanJ]

@@AndrewLakeUK Said no-one with a brain ever. Just stop damaging the physical copies. They have all kinds of content that never makes it to streaming.

[@rabson7881]

Please, please, please bring the Whoniverse down under , here to Australia !! We are missing out on so, so very much 😢