More than 100 long-lost early episodes of Doctor Who, featuring actors William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton, have been unearthed in Ethiopia by dedicated fans, The Mirror reports.

According to BBC News, BBC Worldwide is expected to confirm the discovery later this week at a press screening in London.

Although the BBC destroyed many of the sci-fi drama's original tapes in the 1960s and '70s, a majority of the episodes were copied on to film for sale to foreign broadcasters. This haul -- comprising most if not all of the 106 missing Hartnell and Troughton episodes -- was reportedly found at the Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency.

According to the Mirror, the batch of episodes includes segments from "The Crusade," "The Enemy of the World" and "The Ice Warriors," among others.