This Week In Doctor Who - October 2nd, 1998

New Who news: T J Lubinski (Whosaver) reports that a National Feed of Doctor Who will probably begin in November for PBS stations, assuming the deal doesn't fall apart. If you have a PBS station that just hasn't wanted to put out the effort to pick up the series again, you might want to appeal to them one more time. Assuming that this deal goes through, I'd imagine stations that have been recently politely pestered are more likely to pick it up.

FOXTEL's UK-TV in Australia is beginning its "Who Files" programming this week in its old Doctor Who time slots. The programs airing are listed in the schedule section of the column.

BBC America moves it's broadcast times this week. It will now air Doctor Who Saturday at 5PM Eastern (2PM Pacific) and Sunday at 2PM Eastern (11AM Pacific). This is a change from the 11:30PM broadcast time that was previously told to the various news pages.

WUSF 16 in Tampa, Florida just can't win. First I get mixed up on which city they live in. Now they've had to change their schedules around due to Hurricane Georges. The pledge drive I mentioned last week will now be held next week, tropical weather permitting.

Still current news: Maine Public Broadcasting begins airing Doctor Who this Saturday night at 9PM. Maine Public Broadcasting includes all 6 PBS signals in the state, so if you can see a Maine PBS signal, you can watch these episodes.

One more week until UK Gold gives The Tomb of the Cybermen its first UK broadcast since 1967. Note: that means it's airing October 10th, not this Saturday! You have one week to find a friend with UK Gold and arrange to visit that morning. If you have UK Gold, you have one week to hide the knowledge if you don't want all your friends over. Let's set some Cable viewing records. This weekend's UK Gold broadcasts (October 3rd and 4th) are described in the schedule section.

Correction: There was apparently some confusion in recent weeks when I listed WQED and BBC America's broadcasts together. While both WQED and BBC America were airing the same episodes, WQED was airing them uncut and commercial free, while BBC America was including commercials and sometimes cutting scenes. WQED was also including the 1978 DaSilva introductions to the episodes, which BBC America did not have. Since their schedules are diverging, this is unlikely to happen again.

And now, the TV schedules:

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The UK:

UK Gold is the Satellite / Cable home for Doctor Who in the British Isles. Saturday morning's omnibus showing is the final complete 1st Doctor story, The War Machines. The Doctor gets Dodo back to 1966 London, just in time to witness the global linkup of all computers. He suspects that this could lead to catastrophe. Since then of course, most computers have linked up to the Internet, and the Doctor's fears have been proven true. :-) This story airs from 10:05AM to 12:05PM.

Then on Sunday morning, The Dæmons will air. The 3rd Doctor and Jo explore the mystery of Devil's End, which seems to have just released a devil. Soon they find themselves against black magic and the Master. It airs from 9:20 to 11:40AM. This is colour restored version.

Mainland Europe:

BBC Prime is pleasantly reliable, airing an episode twice on Saturday mornings with the next episode airing that afternoon. The morning broadcasts (1:05 and 10AM CET) are of The Talons of Weng-Chiang, episode 4. The afternoon broadcast (5:30PM CET) is of The Talons of Weng-Chiang, episode 5. The 4th Doctor and Leela fight the villainous Magnus Greel of the 51st Century, who is stuck in the 19th Century and ready to kill anyone to get back home.

Australia:

FOXTEL's UK-TV kicks off "The Who Files" with popular specials linked to the series. 30 Years In The TARDIS airs in two parts over Monday and Tuesday. K9 and Company, the pilot for the K9 series that wasn't, airs in two parts over Wednesday and Thursday. Friday's broadcast is Resistance Is Useless, a 1992 special that features dozens of clips from missing episodes. All the broadcasts will air at 11:30PM, which was the Doctor Who time slot during UK-TV's previous run.

» The next edition reported that 30 Years In The TARDIS was replaced by The Edge of Destruction.

Canada:

SPACE: The Imagination Station is Canada's source for early Doctor Who. On Sunday they will air The Powerful Enemy, episode 1 of The Rescue at 8AM Eastern time. (The 3:30AM broadcast is being pre-empted this week for specials.) The 1st Doctor, Ian, and Barbara are still dealing with Susan's departure. Meanwhile, on the planet Dido, a crippled man and a teenager are the sole survivors of a ship. And soon one group will meet the other. The weekday broadcasts will air at 7:30AM Eastern. Monday they will air episode 7 of Doctor Who And The Silurians. The Doctor tries to stop a plague that threatens all of humanity. Tuesday through Friday the first 4 episodes of The Ambassadors of Death will air. A space mission has gone awry, and 3 astronauts come back to Earth profoundly changed. But are they the astronauts? The Silurians will air in the Black and White version. Most of Ambassadors is only broadcastable in Black and White, so it will air that way too.

Some PBS stations airing Doctor Who can also be seen in parts of Canada. New Brunswick people may wish to check Maine Public Broadcasting's listings. Ontarians should look at KBDI Denver, Colorado. Some British Columbian and Albertan viewers may be able to receive KSPS Spokane, Washington.

The USA:

Maine Public Television (channels 10, 10, 12, 13, 26, 39) starts off its new run of Doctor Who with episodes 1 and 2 of Robot, Tom Baker's inaugural story. It's a great story to introduce viewers (just mention he has the ability to change his body and personality and leave the explanations at that). The newly regenerated Doctor is called upon to examine a series of bizarre thefts. The stolen materials and information could allow someone to build a devastating weapon. Tune in Saturday night at 9PM. This network of stations can also be seen in New Brunswick, Canada and New Hampshire.

New Hampshire Public Television (channels 11, 15, 18. 49, 52) airs episodes 5 and 6 of The Seeds of Death, a 2nd Doctor / Jamie / Zoe story. As the story winds down, the Ice Warriors have their hands full dealing with the Doctor's and others' efforts to stop their invasion. But unless a way to kill the deadly fungus (soap) can be found, everyone on Earth will suffocate. It airs Friday night at 10PM. Some people in bordering New England states can also see this station.

WQED 13 / WQEX 16 from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania will air episode 2 of The Sontaran Experiment Saturday night at 10:30PM. As the story concludes, the 4th Doctor, Sarah, and Harry face off against the Sontaran. Can the Doctor keep the rest of the fleet from showing up?

Maryland Public Television (channels 22, 28, 31, 36, 62, 67) will air The Rescue, episode 7 (the conclusion) of The Daleks Saturday at Midnight. It's the final battle between the Daleks and the Thals, and one of the species will die out. This story features the 1st Doctor, Susan, Ian, and Barbara, the original TARDIS crew. Remember: next week MPT begins airing a complete story each week Friday nights at Midnight, with a Saturday repeat, also at Midnight.

WUFT 5 in Gainesville, Florida presents the movie version of Arc of Infinity this Saturday afternoon at 5PM. Tegan's gone, but there's no time to grieve. A creature of anti-matter is trying to bond with the Doctor. The Time Lords want to kill one of those two to stop the bonding. Unfortunately, the Doctor's easier to find. Colin Baker plays Maxil, a somewhat malevolent guard. About 90 minutes long.

WUSF 16 in Tampa, Florida airs episode 2 of Kinda Saturday night at 11:30PM, the episode that was originally scheduled to air last week. (Episode 1 aired last week - it is unclear exactly which week the schedule changed.) Episode 3 will air next week in their Hurricane delayed pledge drive.

WCET 48 in Cincinnati, Ohio offers the movie version of Battlefield Saturday late night at 11PM. The 7th Doctor and Ace arrive in the near future, where warriors from an alternate dimension have shown up to fight over King Arthur. And they all think the Doctor is Merlin. Nicholas Courtney reprises his role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Jean Marsh plays Morgaine. Interestingly, Nicholas Courtney's first Doctor Who appearance was in The Daleks' Master Plan, where his character was killed by the character Jean Marsh was playing in the story. Bessie plays herself. 90 minutes.

WFWA 39 in Fort Wayne, Indiana begins Tom Baker's final season with the movie version of The Leisure Hive Saturday at Midnight. This story is marked by a noticeable jump in the special effects, a revised theme tune, clever visuals, and very short episodes. And there's an interesting story in there too! Enjoy. 80 minutes.

WTBU 69 in Indianapolis, Indiana continues the "E-Space Trilogy" Sunday evening at 6PM with the movie version of State of Decay. Adric's stowed away on the TARDIS. If that was all the Doctor had to worry about, life would be simple. But it seems that an old enemy of the Time Lords may still be alive, and the Doctor must ensure that it does not revive. Will "earth technology" save the day? About 90 minutes.

Louisiana Public Broadcasting (channels 13, 18, 24, 24, 25, 27) offers viewers episodes 3 and 4 of The Mutants Saturday night at 10PM. The Solonians are mutating at an extreme rate, and the Marshall would like to mutate them out of existence. Watch for falling rockets.

Iowa Public Broadcasting (channels 11, 12, 27, 32) will air episodes 4 and 5 of Doctor Who And The Silurians Friday late night at 11:05PM. The Silurians and the humans are bracing for conflict, and the Doctor tries to stop it. But when his efforts at peace go wrong, he may be branded as the traitor responsible for the death of humanity. The cliffhanger to episode 4 featured prominently in a Doctor Who novel where an alternate universe was created. ALERT: Someone is claiming that IPTV's episodes for this story are in color, while earlier reports said it was in Black and White.

KBDI 12 in Denver, Colorado is not airing Doctor Who this Friday, but will resume airing this Saturday. Saturday at 10:05PM Mountain time (12:05AM Eastern), episodes 1 and 2 of The Three Doctors will air. Gallifrey is facing a catastrophic power drain. The decision is made to violate the laws of time and let the Doctor consult with his previous selves. Patrick Troughton returns as the 2nd Doctor. William Hartnell has a cameo as the 1st Doctor. This station is also available to some people in Ontario, Canada.

KTEH 54 in San Jose, California presents Attack of the Cybermen Sunday late night at 11PM. The 6th Doctor and Peri land at 76 Totter's Lane in London just as a returning foe decides to contact the Cybermen. What do the Cybermen want? What does Lytton want? And why does the TARDIS sound slightly out of tune when disguised as an organ? This should be the original 2 45 minute episode version of the story. Then, at 12:40AM, they will air a 1984 interview with John Nathan-Turner, the producer of Doctor Who in the 1980s.

KRCB 22 in Rhonert Park, California will air episode 3 of Planet of Fire Saturday late night at 11PM. Turlough's real identity is revealed. So is the reason the Master needs Kamelion. And by the way, the planet's doomed. Just another day in the life of a time traveller.

KSPS 7 in Spokane, Washington will show the movie version of The Seeds of Doom Saturday night at 10:30PM Pacific time (11:30PM Mountain). The 4th Doctor and Sarah are called in to investigate a new species of plant life which turns up in Antarctica. The Doctor recognizes it as extremely dangerous and wants to keep it from germinating. So it's immediately stolen and taken to a man who wants to germinate it. About 2 hours, 20 minutes long. This station is viewable in several Northwestern US states and two Canadian provinces, British Columbia and Alberta.

KBTC 28 / KCKA 15 in Tacoma, Washington concludes "The Trial Of A Time Lord" this weekend with episodes 13 and 14 (aka The Ultimate Foe, episodes 1 and 2). As the Doctor faces probable conviction and death, surprise witnesses turn up. More surprising then the guests is who brought them. And more surprising then that is the news this person brings, that may save the Doctor's life, but will haunt him and Gallifrey forever. Michael Jayston plays the Valeyard. These episodes will air 4 times: Saturday night at 7PM and 12:30AM, and Monday night at 7:30PM and 12:30AM.

BBC America finally airs new Doctor Who stories. They have ordered three stories, bringing the total number the network can air to 5. First up: The Sontaran Experiment airs Saturday afternoon at 5PM Eastern in movie format. It repeats Sunday afternoon at 2PM Eastern. This version will have commercials, and given past BBC America broadcasts, it might be edited. Use caution.

Until next week, take care. Last week I hoped that enough stations would pick up the series to make this column harder to produce. The next day the National Feed was announced as likely to occur. This week I hope some missing episodes are recovered. Hey, if it worked once ...

Benjamin F. Elliott

This Week In Doctor Who is written by Benjamin F. Elliott. Doctor Who Alliance of North America edition edited by Shaun Lyon. Web space provided by Shaun Lyon and Siobahn Morgan. is a trademark of the BBC. Contact the author of the column before reusing all or part of it. This column is copyright 1998.