Bangkok  - A British researcher has arrived in Bangkok to track down nine missing episodes of BBC's legendary Dr Who TV series, the world's longest-running science fiction show that started in 1963, media reports said Tuesday.

"Records show that nine episodes from the 'Dr Who and The Journey to Cathay' series were shipped to Bangkok, and now we're looking for anybody who has any information about it," researcher Damian Finucane told the Bangkok Post.

BBC records show the nine missing DR Who episodes were sent to Thailand in 1967 to be broadcast on Thailand's now defunct Channel 4.

They are among 108 missing episodes from the original Dr Who series that resulted when the BBC destroyed the original 106 millimetre film in the late 1960s to clear space for its archives.

"We're looking all over the place to recover what we can," said Finucane. "We don't mind if you have them on VHS or on film, and we don't care if they have been dubbed in to Thai," he added in an appeal to the public. Thailand is somewhat notorious for its pirated copies of western films and music tapes.

"We just want to find them. We are even offering a cash reward," said Finucane. (dpa)