THIS WEEK IN DOCTOR WHO - Fri, 15 Jan 1999

Welcome to another edition of This Week in Doctor Who and boy this week has certainly been far from uneventful to say the least. If you haven't heard this week's most major news happening, then you must have been living in a cave somewhere and you can't get Internet access. :-)

Anyway, we start with the most major discovery in Doctor Who history since the finding of Tomb of the Cybermen back in 1992. That's right; another missing Doctor Who episode has been found. This time episode one of TheCrusades, 'The Lion', was retrieved from a film collector in New Zealand and returned to Steve Roberts at the BBC. I'll skip over the details as I'm sure you'll be able to find them at other places online.

Next, here's some good news for Philly/South Jersey fans. T. J. Lubinski posted sometime last week that this area may get Doctor Who shown in the area. Plans are as yet unfinished and he advises that viewers do not contact stations about this. Expect a more formal announcement at the if not this weekend, sometime later this week.

Finally, bad news, however, also comes with the good news and I'll include the low-down for Florida viewers. Here are the schedules and synopses:

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THE UK AND EUROPE:

UK Gold - satellite / cable
Friday from 11:55 to 1:30 AM - The Aztecs - movie version
Sunday from 8:30 to 11:20AM - Planet of the Spiders - movie version
In The Aztecs tonight, Barbara attempts to change history as she tries to prevent the sacrifices being made. The Doctor falls in love while Ian does battle with an Aztec warrior. Then, in the last story for Jon Pertwee, the Metebelis blue crystal makes its way back to the Doctor when the peacefulness of a monastery in the English countryside is disturbed by the appearance of giant spiders. Will the Doctor be able to make it out alive?

BBC Prime http://www.bbcprime.com/
Late Friday at 1:05AM, Saturday at 10:00 AM - The Sunmakers - episode 1 of 4
Saturday at 6PM CET - The Sunmakers - episode 2 of 4
The Doctor helps a group of humans on Pluto controlled by the Company.

AUSTRALIA:

FOXTEL's UK-TV http://www.foxtel.com.au/
Saturday at 1PM, Sunday at 2 and 8AM - The Deadly Assassin - all 4 episodes
Monday through Wednesday at 11:30PM - The Keeper of Traken - episodes 2 to 4 of 4
Thursday and Friday at 11:30 PM - Logopolis - episodes 1 and 2 of 4
The Master Chronicles on FOXTEL just keep going. The Master returns to Gallifrey this weekend in 'The Deadly Assassin' and his appearance has changed. He's used up his regenerations and his plans are even more sinister than before. In 'Keeper of Traken', the Doctors tries to prevent the Master from attaining the Keepership and gaining ultimate power. Then, Tom Baker's last story, 'Logopolis' has the Doctor worried about the TARDIS falling apart, but something more evil is at work when he realizes that this may mean the end of the Universe as we know it.

CANADA:

SPACE - The Imagination Station http://www.spacecast.com/ and
http://www.hwcn.org/~an933/spacedw.htm
Sunday at 8AM EST, Monday at 3:30AM - 'The Space Museum: The Final Phase' - episode 4 of 4
Monday through Thursday at 7:30AM - The Ark - episodes 1 to 4 of 4 (The Steel Sky, The Plague, The Return, The Bomb)
Friday at 7:30AM - 'The Gunfighters: A Holiday for the Doctor' - episode 1 of 4
This week, Vicki leads a revolution, Barbara stops running around through corridors, Ian runs through corridors, Dodo has a cold, Steven sings, and the Doctor has a toothache.

THE USA:

Maine Public Broadcasting 10, 10, 12, 13, 26, 39
http://www.mpbc.org/
Saturday at 9PM - Planet of Evil - episodes 3 and 4 of 4
The Doctor must free Sorenson and the rest of the Morestrans from the grasp of the antimatter monster.

New Hampshire Public Television 11, 12, 15, 49, 52 http://nhptv.org/
Sunday at 3PM - The Ambassadors of Death - episode 7 of 7
Sunday at 3:30PM - Inferno - episode 1 of 7
The Doctor tries to send the Martian ambassadors back before observing a drilling project in the search for Stahlman's Gas.

WQED / WQEX 13, 16 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania http://www.wqed.org/
Saturday at 11:30PM - Terror of the Zygons - episode 2 of 4
The Doctor discover the Zygons plans to take over the Earth. Can the Doctor stop them before being killed by a Skarasen?

Maryland Public Television 22, 28, 31, 36, 62, 67
http://www.mpt.org/
Friday and Saturday at Midnight - The War Machines - movie version
The Doctor investigates WOTAN at the top of London's Post Office Tower in 1966 and stop the computer as it gains independent thought. He must prevent it taking over all the computers in the world via the use of war machines. About 90 minutes.

WUFT 5 Gainesville, Florida http://www.wuft.org/
Saturday at 5PM - The Two Doctors - movie version
The sixth Doctor attempts to rescue his second incarnation from being the subject of an alien time travel experiment. About 120 minutes.

» This could be either The Mark of the Rani or The Two Doctors, as the same listing is used both for this week and next week.

WUSF 16 Tampa, Florida http://wusftv.usf.edu/
Saturday at 11:30AM - Time-Flight - episode 4 of 4
The Doctor tries to outwit the Master from taking over the power of the Xeraphin.

WCET 48 Cincinnati, Ohio http://www.wcet.org/
Saturday at 11:30PM - Ambassadors of Death - episodes 2 and 3 of 7
The Doctor discovers the returned Mars Probe 7 is empty and begins to suspect treachery. This story was originally produced in color, but only the black and white prints remain suitable for broadcast.

Louisiana Public Broadcasting 13, 18, 24, 24, 25, 27
http://www.lpb.org/
Saturday at 10:00PM - The Green Death - episodes 1 and 2 of 6
The Doctor investigates the death of a Welsh coal miner in Llanfairfach. Meanwhile, Jo joins a Nut hutch.

Iowa Public Television 11, 12, 27, 32 http://www.iptv.org/ and
http://www.mach3ww.com/sffn/
Friday at 11:05PM - The Claws of Axos - episodes 1 and 2 of 4
A crash landing on Earth by the Axons draws UNIT in to investigate. The Axons appear to be friendly and offer a supply of Axonite to Earth in return for help to repair their ship. The Doctor appears distrustful of the Axons and investigates further.

Prairie Public Television of North Dakota 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 13
http://www.prairiepublic.org/
Friday at 10:30PM - Ark in Space - episode 4 of 4
» Actually episode three
The Wirrn plan their offensive against the ark's inhabitants and the Doctor is only one that can stop them.

KBDI 12 Denver, Colorado
Friday at 11PM - The Green Death - episodes 2 and 3 of 6
Saturday at 10PM - The Green Death - episodes 4 and 5 of 6
The Doctor discovers that Global Chemicals is hiding something beneath the Earth while giant maggots begin to emerge from beneath the ground.

KSPS 7 Spokane, Washington http://www.ksps.org/
Saturday at 10:30PM - The Stones of Blood - movie version
The Doctor and Romana trace the third segment of the Key to Time to an ancient Druids' circle on Earth. About 91 minutes.

KBTC / KCKA 28, 15 Tacoma, Washington
Saturday at 7PM, Monday at 7:30PM and 1:00AM - Battlefield - episodes 1 and 2 of 4
The Doctor encounters UNIT in the village of Carbury where he must
stop a force of interdimensional knights from disrupting matters.

KTEH 54 San Jose, California http://www.kteh.org/
Sunday at 11PM - The Happiness Patrol - all 3 episodes<
On Terra Alpha, everybody must remain happy or the full force of the law will come down upon them. Can the Doctor must stop the ruler's, Helen A, regime before being overcome by the Kandy Man?

BBC America - cable / Dish Network channel 135 / Primestar channel 55
http://www.bbcamerica.com/
Saturday at 5PM EST, Sunday at 2PM - Revenge of the Cybermen - movie version, part 2 of 2
The Cybermen plan to destroy the planet of gold - but will the Vogans destroy them first? Trapped by the Cybermen aboard Nerva Beacon, the Doctor and Sarah find themselves destined to be part of the biggest explosion in history. Edited to make room for commercials. 1 hour.

Anyway, as I said earlier in the column I was going to include some bad news that has happened to appear along with the good this week. Well here is some not so great news for Florida fans. The following is quoted from Joey Reynolds who has also posted this up to Siobahn's Doctor Who Page:

After the dismal showing of support from the November 29th "Doctor Who" event, WXEL-TV 42 will not continue the series as part of its viewing schedule. HOWEVER, while I cannot promise your that this is a definite, Ariel Narten - program director for Miami independent UHF station WAMI channel 69 - has taken an interest in buying the series for broadcast. The best way to reach here is via her office voicemail at 305-604-6184. While she has not, repeat NOT, made a decision about WAMI picking the show up for broadcast, it would help if here voicemail box was flooded with kind, respectful, civilized messages asking her to consider putting "Doctor Who" on WAMI. Granted, there will be commercial interruptions in the event this MIGHT happen, but would you prefer that than pledge drives (or no Doctor Who)?. That's it, now you know what to do.

This isn't quite totally bad news, but nonetheless, the fact that certain PBS stations can't cope with the rising costs of showing Doctor Who can be quite distressing. Hopefully, others will take notice and support Doctor Who as much as possible. Until next week, take care.