'Doctor Who: The Faceless Ones' Part 1 Preview: Who are the Faceless Ones, and what is their sinister plan?

The second Doctor returns to the small screen as the lost tapes are retrieved and animated for audiences of today
PUBLISHED OCT 7, 2020
(BBC America)
(BBC America)

It's been almost 50 years, but the largely missing serial of the second Doctor is finally coming to the small screen. This animated series uses old voice recording to tell the story of the second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) as he deals with mysterious figures who are kidnapping the innocent in a commercial flight scheme for the ages. These identity stealing aliens, known only as the Chameleons, have been infiltrating Earth for years - and the Doctor might be the only one able to stop them.

The series will be released in two parts - with the first three episodes releasing Thursday, and the remaining three on Friday night as part of BBC America's Comic Couch experience. Prepare to be transported to a much earlier era of Doctor Who stories, with Patrick Troughton's bow-tied second Doctor and his companions, Polly (Anneke Wills), Ben (Michael Craze) and Jamie (Frazer Hines). The special starts off on a sinister tone, as soon after the TARDIS arrives at a Gatwick airport in 1966, Polly witnesses a murder. It's not long before she's taken herself, and the Doctor must find a way to convince the authorities that a murder's even happened when there's no body to be found.

That's only the start of the Doctor's troubles, however, as his interference means that the Chameleons are onto him, and they're going to go to dangerous lengths to keep their secrets. The synopses for the first three episodes read: "Episode One: The TARDIS arrives at Gatwick airport in 1966 where Polly witnesses a murder. When the Doctor alerts the authorities, they find the body has vanished and Polly has been kidnapped."

"Episode Two: The missing Polly appears but claims not to know the Doctor or Jamie, then Ben disappears. All clues point to Chameleon Tours, but nobody believes the Doctor's story."

"Episode Three: With the support of Inspector Crossland, the Doctor pursues his investigations. But the Chameleons have already taken steps to prevent the Doctor from uncovering the truth."

You can watch a trailer for the special below:



 

The first three episodes of 'Doctor Who: The Faceless Ones' air back-to-back on BBC America on Wednesday, October 7, at 8 pm ET.

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