Tele-snaps

Telesnaps are a series of photographs taken from the original television transmissions. In many cases, they provided the only surviving visual record of early B&W episodes. They are commonly referred to as the missing episodes.

History
In 1947 John Cura a self taught man with a passion for electronics sent a letter to the BBC offering his services of tele-snaps, still photographs taken of at various intervals during the program's broadcast. His method was simple, a 35mm camera (of his own design) pointed at a television screen, he could take up to 80 of such images during the broadcasting of the programme.

Availability
Several of the groups of telesnaps have been published as blocks of episodes in Doctor Who Magazine, or been released in a compilation form with audio soundtrack on video, DVD or CD by the BBC.