THIS WEEK IN DOCTOR WHO - December 4th, 1998

Kould Doctor Who Karriage Be Koming to KTCA?
THIS WEEK IN DOCTOR WHO - December 4, 1998

A rather quiet week. The column starts off with a message from Dan McGrath of the Red Dragon Hobby Shop (http://www.rdhobby.com/savewho) in Minnesota:

Minneapolis area Doctor Who fans, take notice: KTCA has put together a deal for a Doctor Who package tenatively scheduled to begin running for 1999. Funding is an issue, and a short notice issue at that. Myself and other local business owners are meeting with KTCA this weekend to come up with enough corporate dollars to cover initial costs through underwriting. Beyond these corporate dollars, KTCA needs your individual support through new memberships, and additional gifts. I urge all local fans to get out their checkbooks, and help us pay for Doctor Who. When sending your checks, cc #'s, or pledges, please be sure to mention it's for Doctor Who. If we can get funding in place by next Friday, we'll see Doctor Who for 1999. thank you in advance for your support.

People awaiting news on the hoped-for National Feed of Doctor Who episodes in the USA, there has been no news. I repeat - NO NEWS! An announcement could occur within hours, or not for some weeks. All I can suggest is to be patient. When an annoucement does come, it's likely to be revealed first on rec.arts.drwho or one of the news pages.

If you have any corrections, additions, or suggestions, you can reach me. The more I know, the better the chance that I might actually write something accurate. On to the schedules:

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The UK:

UK Gold - satellite / cable channel
Late Friday from 12:30 to 2:05AM - An Unearthly Child - movie version
Sunday from 8:45 to 11:20AM - Planet of the Daleks - movie version
The weekend begins with the very first Doctor Who story, the one that threw me for a loop in 1986 by not being in colour. After experiencing that classic, set your VCR to get the Sunday broadcast. When you get back from services, you can see the Time Lords pilot the TARDIS to Spirodon, the headquarters of the Dalek invasion fleet. The 3rd Doctor lapses into a coma. The story builds from there. Episode 3 only exists in black + white, so don't be alarmed when the colour disappears, then reappears later.

Mainland Europe:

BBC Prime - satellite / cable channel - http://www.bbcprime.com/
Late Friday at 1:05AM, Saturday at 9:55AM - The Invisible Enemy - episode 3 of 4
Saturday at 6PM CET - The Invisible Enemy - episode 4 of 4
The Nucleus of the Swarm plots out its invasion plans inside the 4th Doctor's brain. The Doctor's efforts to solve the problem only makes it bigger. You'll see what I mean when you watch.

Australia:

FOXTEL's UK-TV - satellite channel - http://www.foxtel.com.au/
Saturday at 1PM, Sunday at 2 and 8AM - Genesis of the Daleks - all 6 episodes
Monday and Tuesday at 11:30PM - Destiny of the Daleks - episodes 3 to 4 of 4
Wednesday and Thursday at 11:30PM - Resurrection of the Daleks - episodes 1 and 2 of 2 (45 minute episodes)
Friday at 11:30PM - Revelation of the Daleks - episode 1 of 2 (45 minute episode)
The weekend broadcasts of 'The Who-Files' present the famous origin story of the Daleks. The 4th Doctor is ordered by the Time Lords to alter history: either change the nature of the Daleks, learn about some weakness they have, so prevent their existence. This story also featured the first appearance of Davros, the crippled scientist who developed the Daleks. On the weekday broadcasts, enjoy more Dalek antics with Destiny of the Daleks, Resurrection of the Daleks, and Revelation of the Daleks. Remember that Ressurection and Revelation were filmed in roughly 45 minute episodes, so they will run to about 12:15AM each night. Set the appropriate amount of time on the VCR.

Canada:

SPACE: The Imagination Station - specialty cable channel -
http://www.spacecast.com/ and http://www.hwcn.org/~an933/spacedw.htm
Sunday at 8AM EST, Monday at 3:30AM - The Web Planet: Crater of Needles - episode 4 of 6
Monday through Wednesday at 7:30AM - The Dalek Invasion of Earth - episodes 4 to 6 of 6 (The End Of Tomorrow, The Waking Ally, Flashpoint)
Thursday and Friday at 7:30AM - The Rescue - both episodes (The Powerful Enemy, Desperate Measures)
Classic William Hartnell black and white adventures. Sunday sees the Menoptera making an assault to retake Vortis. Failure means death. During the first part of the week, the Doctor, David Campbell, and company lead the fight to retake Earth from the Daleks. Failure means death. At the end of the week the Doctor and company arrive on the planet Dido, home of a peace-loving race. So why does the evidence suggest that they virtually wiped out a ship of humans? The Doctor must solve the riddle. Failure means death.

The USA:
(Many PBS stations are airing pledge drives. Start and end times are approximate.)

Maine Public Broadcasting http://www.mpbc.org/ , WQED / WQEX 13 / 16 http://www.wqed.org/ , WFWA 39, Prairie Public Broadcasting http://www.prairiepublic.org/ , KBDI 12, KRCB 22 - No broadcast this week. If someone knows what's going on at WFWA and / or KRCB, please contact me.

New Hampshire Public Television 11, 15, 49, 52 - http://nhptv.org/
Friday at 11:30PM - Doctor Who And The Silurians - episodes 1 and 2 of 7
When a nuclear power plant under construction suffers from mysterious blackouts and peoples' mental breakdowns, the 3rd Doctor, Liz, and the Brigadier investigate. It all seems to lead back to the caves beneath the plant. A college hockey game and a Red Green Special will delay the start time.

Maryland Public Television 22, 28, 31, 36, 62, 67 - http://www.mpt.org/
Friday and Saturday at Midnight - The Web Planet - movie version
The TARDIS is dragged onto a planet with minimal atmosphere, giant ants, and poor visibility. Where the laws of physics are somewhat different, especially where gold is concerned. Paradise has been lost. Can the 1st Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki bring it back? And will Ian get a new pen?

WUFT Gainesville, Florida 5 - http://www.wuft.org/
Saturday at 5PM - Ressurection Of The Daleks - movie version
A Time Corridor forced the TARDIS to land in London. Meanwhile, in the future, a prison ship is attacked by Daleks. How has shaving cream created a panic among the Daleks, leading to their new aggressive tactics? And since it's an Eric Saward script, will ANY of the guest cast survive? Pledge drives in the program moves the expected ending time to 7PM.

WUSF Tampa, Florida 16 - http://wusftv.usf.edu/
Saturday at 11:30PM - Earthshock - episode 2 of 4
Situation: serious. Initial plan to destroy the Earth detected and diffused. Launch secondary plan. Person who uncovered the plan has been identified as the Doctor, our greatest enemy. He will converge on the other plot. Prepare a trap. This will be the last time he humiliates us.

WCET Cincinnati, Ohio 48 - http://www.wcet.org/
Saturday at 10:30PM - Spearhead In Space - episodes 1 and 2 of 4
WCET switches to episode format with this broadcast. The newly regenerated 3rd Doctor finds himself marooned on Earth just as an alien invasion begins. I guess this means he has to help out. Bummer for him. With pledge drives, the episodes are listed to end at 12:20AM! If that's right, then more time will be spent on pledge drives than episodes.

Louisiana Public Broadcasting 13, 18, 24, 24, 25, 27 - http://www.lpb.org/
Saturday at 10PM - Frontier In Space - episodes 1 and 2 of 6
Two aggressive and expansive empires, held back from destroying each other by a Frontier they had mutually decided on.

Iowa Public Television 11, 12, 27, 32 - http://www.iptv.org/ and
http://www.mach3ww.com/sffn/
Friday at 11:05PM - Terror of the Autons - episodes 1 and 2 of 4
A new companion. An old friend turned enemy. Another old enemy. Hypnotism. Confused? Tune in for the answers. Through modern technology and a 70s VCR recording, the color is now back on the episodes. Conclusion airs December 18th.

KSPS Spokane, Washington 7 - http://www.ksps.org/
Saturday at 10:30PM - Image of the Fendahl - movie version
The 4th Doctor and Leela fight an evil skull. A skull with powers so great that the last time it made itself known, the Time Lords had to get involved. It's actions now place Earth on a course for imminent destruction.

KBTC / KCKA Tacoma, Washington 28, 15
Saturday at 7PM and 12:30AM - Remembrance of the Daleks - episodes 3 and 4 of 4
(no Monday broadcasts)
The 7th Doctor sets a trap for the Daleks. Ace is betrayed by someone she trusts.

KTEH San Jose, California 54 - http://www.kteh.org/
Sunday at 11:44PM - Trial Of A Time Lord - The Ultimate Foe - both episodes
Late Sunday at 12:40AM - Return To Devil's End - The Making Of The Daemons - documentary
First, the conclusion of the Doctor's trial seems a foregone conclusion. He is certain to be convicted and be sentenced to death. But old enemies and future friends can be very useful at times like this. Afterwards, watch a 50 minute special where the actors from The Dæmons return to where it was filmed and give their opinions.

BBC America - cable / Dish Network Top 100 Package channel 135 -
http://www.bbcamerica.com/
Saturday at 5PM EST, Sunday at 2PM - The Ark In Space - movie version, part 2 of 2
Noah, now a Wirrn, leads the Wirrn in a battle to take control of the Ark and feed on the sleeping remains of humanity.

Until next week, take care.

Benjamin F. Elliott

Doctor Who is a registered trademark of the BBC.
This Week In Doctor Who is produced by Benjamin F. Elliott. Copyright 1998.