The hunt for Marco Polo

[bok2384]

I don't know if anyone has read or heard about this, but several newspapers are reporting that a researcher has managed to determine that 9 of missing episodes, including Marco Polo, were sent to Indonesia in the 1960s and has traveled their to try and find them.

Now I know we have to be skeptical about the return of any of the 108 missing episodes, but it would be fabulous if the bloke does find them. Although I think part of the illusion of Marco Polo would be shattered if I actually got to see the episodes. When listening to the audio, I can picture the whole story in my head and it becomes epic.

Oh well, fingers crossed.

 

[Cutter John]

Stranger things have happened. *crosses toes too*

 

[Mr Awe]

^^ Well, any hope, any new lead is good!

Mr Awe

 

[Winterwind]

Oh, that would be fantastic.

Why do I feel strange every time I use the word "fantastic"? Catchphrases...

 

[Brendan Moody]

It's always good to see press coverage of the missing episodes, of course, but it should be pointed out that this isn't a new lead by any means. It's been known for some time that these episodes were sold to Thailand, and the archives there were first checked in the early 1990s with no results. It's entirely possible that the prints in question didn't even stay in Thailand but were sent on to other nations that bought the episodes in question at a later date. If this coverage leads to a further scouring, that's great, since something might have been missed last time, but we shouldn't be thinking of this as any kind of research breakthrough.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Oh, that would be fantastic.

Why do I feel strange every time I use the word "fantastic"? Catchphrases...

I know. I kinda resent Eccleston for hijacking it when I'd been saying it for several years prior. (I was always trying to mimic David Warner in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II.)

 

[Peacemaker]

I don't know if anyone has read or heard about this, but several newspapers are reporting that a researcher has managed to determine that 9 of missing episodes, including Marco Polo, were sent to Indonesia in the 1960s and has traveled their to try and find them.

You know, if true, there's a certain irony to this being found in Indonesia, isn't it?

 

[Tomalak]

It's not a bloke called Roger K. Barrett is it?


On a serious note, we've known for years that episodes were sent to Asia, but nothing was left in the nineties, so it's very unlikely anything will have turned up since.

 

[shivkala]

Has anyone tried shouting, "Marco," and seeing if the episode replies, "Polo"?

Just, you know, out of curiosity...

 

[Peacemaker]

Yeah, but all we hear is the ghost of Douglas Adams saying "Fish out of water."

 

[Candlelight]

I don't know if anyone has read or heard about this, but several newspapers are reporting that a researcher has managed to determine that 9 of missing episodes, including Marco Polo, were sent to Indonesia in the 1960s and has traveled their to try and find them.

Now I know we have to be skeptical about the return of any of the 108 missing episodes, but it would be fabulous if the bloke does find them. Although I think part of the illusion of Marco Polo would be shattered if I actually got to see the episodes. When listening to the audio, I can picture the whole story in my head and it becomes epic.

Oh well, fingers crossed.

Marco Polo prints - the first two episodes at least - went from NZ to Iran, and that's the last we saw of them. I wasn't aware of another set of prints doing the rounds in the asia/pacific region.

 

[Brendan Moody]

More detail on the potential movement of the Thai prints, from Richard Molesworth:

In terms of the episodes still being in Thaliand [sic]... 'Marco Polo' was sold in October 1966, and the story was further sold to Mauritius, Venezuala, Sierra Leone and Ethiopia after this point in time, and I'd suspect that maybe one or both of these first two sales had the Thailand prints bicycled on to them. 'Reign of Terror' was sold in April 1967, and the further sales of this story were New Zealand, Sieraa Leone and Ethiopia after this point.

 

[marillion]

Has anyone tried shouting, "Marco," and seeing if the episode replies, "Polo"?

Just, you know, out of curiosity...

DAMN DAMN DAMN!! You bugger, you beat me to it!!

 

[Meredith]

When Dr. Who fans finally build their own Tardis expect a beatdown occuring inside BBC studios around the time they thought it was a good idea to erase the old tapes.

 

[Guy Gardener]

By erase, you of course mean burnt. At least that's the urban legend I was fed.

I'm holding out for an animated movie.

 

[Tomalak]

The tapes were erased, the telerecorded prints were incinerated.

 

[Candlelight]

The tapes were erased, the telerecorded prints were incinerated.

And forced to listen to Gilbert & Sullivan.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

I'm holding out for an animated movie.

The animated episodes 1 & 4 of "The Invasion" were awesome! I'd love to see the BBC do more of those. (I've heard they won't because it's too expensive, but I can dream.)

 

[Tomalak]

The tapes were erased, the telerecorded prints were incinerated.

And forced to listen to Gilbert & Sullivan.

Far worse than that, I'm afraid - they were forced to listen to Gilbert O'Sullivan.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

The tapes were erased, the telerecorded prints were incinerated.

And forced to listen to Gilbert & Sullivan.

I like the one about duty.