It’s no great secret that many great Doctor Who stories – most of them from the 1960s – are missing from the BBC archives.

But while experts and collectors continue their search for lost episodes, there’s one story that seems destined always to elude them – because it was never finished.

Shada – Douglas Adams’ Fourth Doctor story that would have seen Tom Baker and Lalla Ward tackle alien invasion in the heart of Cambridge – was famously cancelled in 1979 after industrial action, unfinished and unscreened.

Still, the BBC aren’t going to let an abandoned script get in their way – and a series of Tweets from Doctor Who actor Daniel Hill (also seen in Only Fools And Horses) seems to confirm that Shada may be on its way to us again.

Possibly, yes. Power Of The Daleks – the first story for Second Doctor Patrick Troughton – celebrated its fiftieth anniversary last year, and BBC Worldwide marked the occasion with a specially commissioned animated version, released last November.

Ever since, rumours and speculation have been rife over what missing story could be next – until recently, when original cast member Daniel Hill Tweeted his involvement in the story at the end of June.

@bbcdoctorwho fantastic time recording for SHADA 2017

— Daniel Hill (@Danielhillactor) June 27, 2017

When questioned further, Hill confirmed that this was indeed a new version, and that it would supposedly be ‘ready in November’ – and according to a report in Starburst magazine, his Spotlight actor’s profile confirms his involvement.

What was Shada and why have I never seen it?

Shada – the last Doctor Who story written by outgoing script editor Douglas Adams – was due to be aired in 1980.

Location filming in and around Cambridge was completed as planned, making up about half the story. Unfortunately a series of strikes at the BBC meant the studio sessions were never recorded, leaving vast chunks of the narrative missing.

When Doctor Who returned for its 18th season later in 1980, Shada was nowhere to be seen – although some footage was used in 1983’s The Five Doctors, and clips occasionally pop up on the internet.

So what’s it about?

The story concerns the Doctor and Romana’s visit to an old friend, Professor Chronotis, who’s hidden his TARDIS in the heart of Cambridge, in one of the colleges.

While there, they discover that a dangerous criminal, Skagra, is plotting to construct a universal knowledge bank – a hive mind that will enable him to take over the universe.

Skagra needs the Professor to complete his dastardly scheme – although he’s reckoned without the Doctor and Romana, as well as the two students who find themselves in the thick of the action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqlaOQkO6rE&feature=youtu.be

But we can’t see it?

Well, not exactly. There have been various attempts to resurrect Shada over the years, some more successful than others.

In 1992 Shada was released on video (and later DVD) in an incomplete form, with Tom Baker providing bridging narration in the unfilmed scenes. It makes for a disjointed viewing experience – on the plus side there’s some lovely location work and some nice scenes of the Doctor and Romana punting down the River Cam.

Some years later, Big Finish – who produce the Doctor Who audio dramas – released an entirely different version in which the story was retconned to feature Eighth Doctor Paul McGann. Later still, Doctor Who superfan Ian Levine funded his own animated version, with the intention of filling in the missing bits.

Also worth seeking out is the updated novelisation by veteran Doctor Who writer Gareth Roberts – who took Douglas Adams’ story and fleshed it out considerably.

What about this new version, then?

What we don’t yet know is exactly what form the re-release will take – whether it will be an animated version, like Power Of The Daleks, or something else entirely.

Some ‘lost’ stories are reconstructed with the aid of production photos and the original audio recordings that the BBC still hold.

In the case of Shada, this is of course impossible, as the sessions were never filmed. But it’s as yet unknown whether this will be a full, animated remake or a partial reconstruction of missing footage.

One thing is clear – it looks like Shada will be coming back to us at some point soon, and hopefully in time for Christmas.

Watch this space for more news.