A LOST episode of Dr Who has been lovingly recreated from scratch by students and graduates from across Lancashire.

Mission to the Unknown, first broadcast in 1965, was unusual as it didn't feature The Doctor of the day, William Hartnell.

But like several 60s TV classics the instalment, starring Edward de Souza as Space Security Agent Marc Cory, was never properly archived.

Students from the University of Central Lancashire have now restaged the storyline, the start of a 12-part story called The Daleks' Master Plan.

And their counterparts at Accrington and Rossendale College lent a hand and were placed in charge of make-up and prosthetics.

Their combined efforts, which will be premiered on the Dr Who channel on Youtube next Wednesday, have been endorsed by the original stars.

Peter Purves, who played Dr Who's companion in 1965, said: "I can remember at the time that we, that is me and Bill Hartnell, were a bit miffed not to be included in any way at all. But actually it was a nice week off in the end.

"I am intrigued to see what has been done and hope it could be a precursor to more reconstructions in the future."

He visited the set with De Souza and Nicholas Briggs, the current-day voice of The Daleks, who has lent his talents to the new production.

Dr Andrew Ireland. the university's pro-vice chancellor for creative industries, said: "I'm a huge Doctor Who fan and this episode in particular has always held an air of mystique for me because it experimented with the notion of the Daleks carrying their own storyline without The Doctor present.

"We kept it as close to the original as we possibly could, so everything from the props and costumes to the acting style, pace and camera techniques are designed to be very 1960s. It was filmed to simulate the low-resolution, black and white look of the era."

Four sets had to fashioned, a futuristic conference room, a jungle, a rocket ship, and the Dalek Control Room, and filming involved 14 actors.