With the new Doctor Who season coming up on BBC1 next month, reporter Calum Corral headed along to Collectormania at Braehead on Sunday, and caught up with some classic companions from the 1960s era of the programme, and asked for some of their recollections from the early years of the sci-fi phenomenon...

As a massive Doctor Who fan of the modern series, and the classic, it was with great delight to meet and chat with both Peter Purves, who played Steven in William Hartnell's adventures in the 1960s, and Wendy Padbury, who starred alongside the second Doctor Who Patrick Troughton.

Question: The BBC is still searching for 97 missing Doctor Who episodes from the black and white 1960s era which were wiped after transmission. What particular episodes would you like to see recovered?

Peter: Well, first of all, I'd like to see them all recovered. 'The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve' -. I am desperate for them to find that. It was, I think, my favourite story, I had a brilliant part to play in it, and it was great fun to play. After that, 'The Myth Makers' - set in Ancient Greece - had a stellar cast, and the story was great, it was faithful to the myth, and I think it was very well executed - it was a very good piece. I really liked the director - he was a very gentle and nice man. Recovering 'The Dalek Masterplan' would also be fun too.

Question: Dr Who was essentially seen as a children's tv show when it was first launched, placed in the schedules on Saturday night between Grandstand and Juke Box Jury, but was it not very dark having two companions die in 'The Daleks' Master Plan', were you aware of the bleak nature of it?

Peter: When, for example, actress Adrienne Hill's character Katrina died in episode 4, it was a shock. We only found out two weeks before hand, we didn't know before then. We just got the scripts and saw that she disappeared. She had only just joined in the previous story 'The Myth Makers'. Everyone thought that she was going to be the new companion, taking over from Vicki, yes that was bizarre.

And Jean Marsh's character Sara dying at the end of the serial, well she had to as she couldn't stay with the show. The producers wanted her to stay, but she had another job.

For a children's serial, it was pushing barriers all over the place, and it was great that it did. The Daleks were the one enemy of the doctor that really terrified the kids, until the Cybermen came along, the Daleks were the only ones that really scared the kids.

We got a 13 part serial out of The Daleks' Master Plan, including the only Doctor-less episode 'Mission to the Unknown'. Some very serious things happening in it.

Companions dying left, right and centre. I thought they had brought in Nick Courtney's Bret Vyon character to replace me - that is how insecure we were at the time.

Question: William Hartnell actually played two characters in 'The Massacre' - There are no publicity photos of 'The Masscare' to tell what William Hartnell actually looked like in the character of the Abbot of Amboise.

Peter: I seem to recall he was wearing a black robe. If you look at the cover of the John Lucarotti novel serialistation it was black, but I can't totally remember.

Question; Your last tale was 'The Savages' which was a dark tale, and very Orwellian - a story about an apparently civilised society which holds a secret that it drains the life-force of defenceless Savages.

Peter: I only knew I was leaving the week before I got the first script for that story. Again, it was a bad time actually, all that time the show was going through such changes, and Bill only had three serials to go before he was gone, and that must have come as a great shock to him. I thought William Hartnell's performance was excellent in 'The Savages' and I recall that he made fewer mistakes in that one.

Question: And finally, have you heard any more about any missing episodes being recovered?

Peter: The only story that I have heard is that 'The Massacre' was found but it can't be restored because it was in such bad condition, but I don't know how true that is. I rely on the fans telling me, I am usually the last to know!

Thank you Peter Purves.

Actress Wendy Padbury played Zoe Herriot in Patrick Troughton's third season.

Question: You must be glad that most of your period as companion is better represented than others in the BBC archives.

Wendy: Yes, I am so lucky. I know Debbie Watling, who played my predecessor Victoria, was delighted when two of her stories - Enemy of the World and Web of Fear (except episode 3) were recently recovered.

The one story I would love to see is 'The Space Pirates' as I can't remember anything about it, and until they find the story, and I can watch it, I can then say, 'Oh yes, I remember... '.

Question: What did you think of 'The Invasion' which involved the cybermen plotting to invade the earth via the sewers of London.

Wendy: It was very atmospheric - 'The Invasion' was beautifully filmed by director Douglas Camfield, and it was an excellent story, but they all were in a way.

Question: What are your memories of Patrick Troughton Wendy: He was an amazing man as an actor and as a human being, I was learning lots and being welcomed. He was very aware of not being typecast towards the end; he was very established as an actor before 'Doctor Who', and he came back for the anniversary shows and truly enjoyed it.

It was the first time there had ever been a regeneration. He was the second doctor - and very conscious that the show could end at any given moment - it was 'do or die' - and that brought great pressure with the part as well.

Question: What do you remember of your first story - 'Wheel in Space' with the cybermen.

Wendy: I have mixed feelings about the Wheel in Space - it was a good story but I was very nervous about it being my first story. You get more used to playing the character, and settled in as time goes on; I just wish that story had been later. But both Pat and Frazer were great.

Question: What are your memories of your swan-song 'The War Games' Wendy: It was ten episodes, and I thought afterwards, that was really long, and probably awful, but on watching it again many years later, it came out really well. It was really good, and sad of course. Pat was definitely going to go, and Frazer Hines who played Jamie, was thinking about going, so it seemed to make sense, as I wasn't staying on my own, and I didn't think you could re-create that atmosphere we had between us, no matter how good the next actor was, it would be different. I was young, and ready to move on.

Thank you Wendy Padbury.