Oh, My Word! “Doctor Who: The Wheel in Space” Arrives on Vinyl
While fans around the world are impatiently waiting for the return of Doctor Who on Christmas 2026, Demon Music Group is keeping the time-traveling hero busy on records. The label recently announced the upcoming Record Store Day release of The Rescue, a 1965 story starring William Hartnell as The First Doctor, and has just released another classic serial to vinyl: The Wheel in Space.
The Wheel in Space originally aired over six episodes from April 27, 1968–June 1, 1968. It is the final serial of Doctor Who’s fifth season and stars Patrick Troughton as The (Second) Doctor. The story finds The Doctor and his current companion Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines) stranded on a spaceship. They contact a nearby space station but soon discover that the station is targeted by the nefarious Cybermen. The serial is probably most notable for introducing a new companion: Zoe Heriot, played by Wendy Padbury. She would continue with the series through another eight storylines. These episodes also marked the second time Troughton’s Doctor faced off against the Cybermen in the season. It was the first Cybermen story not to be written by either of the villains’ creators, Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis. Davis’ original story notes were turned into a script by David Whitaker, a veteran Doctor Who screenwriter.
The Wheel in Space has never been seen in its entirety since its first airing. Only two parts (3 and 6) currently exist in the BBC archives. All of the serial’s episodes other than Part 6 were destroyed in the 1970s but a collector had a copy of Part 3 and donated it to the BBC. Small snippets of footage exist from the missing episodes and reconstructions utilizing audio and still pictures were released in 2017. (These reconstructed episodes can be viewed on Britbox today.) An animated version of the first episode premiered in 2018 and is available on DVD as a bonus feature on The Macra Terror. Though audio exists, 53 episodes remain missing out of Troughton’s 119-episode tenure.
The audio presentation of The Wheel in Space with linking narration by Wendy Padbury was first issued on CD in 2004 as part of the BBC Radio Collection. Now, it comes to 3 LPs and six sides of 140-gram translucent “Bernalium Blue” vinyl (one per episode) in a beautiful new package from Demon, adorned with the visage of a Cyberman and newly mastered by Phil Kinrade. (Bernalium is the mineral used to power the X-ray laser in the serial.) The three LPs are housed in a single pocket sleeve; each record comes in an illustrated jacket with a photo on one side and full episode credits on the other.
In the absence of the full visuals, the audio presentation of The Wheel in Space is an enjoyable way to discover this classic Who story. Ready to board the Tardis and take a listen? The 3LP set is available now at the links below. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Doctor Who: The Wheel in Space (BBC 056353507-5, 2004 – reissued Demon DEMWHOLP019, 2026) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
LP 1: Episode 1 (27 April 1968) / Episode 2 (4 May 1968)
LP 2: Episode 3 (11 May 1968) / Episode 4 (18 May 1968)
LP 3: Episode 5 (25 May 1968) / Episode 6 (1 June 1968)
Love seeing Doctor Who titles on here – my two worlds colliding! Putting classic (in many cases, missing) TV episodes out on vinyl might strike some as crackpot – and in the case of the six-part sets, expensive – but they are joy-packed, wonderful items. The artwork sets them apart from other versions, and the vinyl ‘atmosphere’ only adds to the haunting mood of the Sixties shows, in particular. Unlike a lot of collectors’ sets, these *do* get a lot of off-shelf turntable time … ‘Wheel’ is full of mystery, odd twists, dusty corners and mad plans – this looks a great set if you are fortunate enough to have the pennies.