As we reported July 10, BBC America this past weekend showed “Shada,” the reconstructed “lost” Douglas Adams episode of Doctor Who that was abandoned due to a studio strike in the British series’ 1979-80 season. The story was reconstructed using animation, remastered location film footage and new audio — plus a new soundtrack from classic Doctor Who incidental music composer Mark Ayres.
Our news was highly cited because we were one of the few sites talking about it. For some reason, BBC America didn’t promote the screening of “Shada”; in addition, programming schedules for the premium cable network showed it in some forms but not others. So, hopefully you were able to catch it! If not, it will be available on U.S. DVD Sept. 4 and there are other ways you may be able to find it here.
How you can watch Shada, the Doctor Who lost episode – completed with animation
Ayres, a significant figure in Doctor Who restoration and with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, recently interacted a bit with fans (including us) on Twitter about his work on the restoration. Specifically, there’s a chance of a soundtrack release for his work on the “Shada” resurrection, which included nods to the episodic scores of the era, including another famous Adams story, “City of Death.”
Quite a few allusions – very much in the style of the era. I hope if you watch the original season in order it will all seem a logical progression.
— Mark Ayres (@MarkAyresRWS) July 23, 2018
Did you get to see or record “Shada” on July 19? Let us know what you thought of it!
