The First Doctor story, The Savages, has been animated, to be released on DVD, Blu-ray, and as a special steelbook, out early next year.

The four-part story was first broadcast between May and June 1966, but all episodes have since been wiped from the BBC archives. The BBC Studios Home Entertainment teams have used original audio recordings and soundtracks of all four episodes and an array of animators to bring back to fans this long-lost tale.

This three-disc release will include all four 25-minute animated episodes in colour and black and white, as well as exclusive bonus features. Here’s the synopsis:

In this early story, the Doctor (William Hartnell) and his travelling companions, Steven (Peter Purves), and Dodo (Jackie Lane), arrive on an unnamed planet where they encounter two distinct people – the Elders and the Savages. They soon discover the Elders are the evil ones, draining the primitive Savages for their life source to remain young and powerful forever.

This story marks the final appearance of Purves as Steven.

Only last year we were enthusing about The Savages, calling it a much-missed classic, so we’re eager to get our hands on this release!

Oh, and you can watch the trailer here:

Paul Hembury, Executive Producer commented:

“We have a wonderful team of creators who work together to bring these lost Doctor Who stories back to life through animation. It’s always an exciting time when a story nears completion, and we prepare to share it with the fans, for whom it has been made.”

This is a return to form for the animations, as The Celestial Toymaker tried out a new style as an experiment and received a lot of negativity. It’s far removed from the likes of The Invasion, The Moonbase, and The Evil of the Daleks. But this one looks a lot better, so we’re pleased to see it.

The Savages is due out on 24th March 2025 and you can pre-order it now.