THIS WEEK IN DOCTOR WHO - Fri, 22 Jan 1999

Guest-written by Jefferson Eng

Welcome to THIS WEEK IN DOCTOR WHO as edited by your truly. It's been a real blast these past few weeks and we certainly had a lot of news items to cover including the recent discovery of a formerly missing episode.

And the news doesn't seem to stop. This bit of news comes close to me as it is supplied by T J Lubinsky :

Beginning Saturday March 6th from 11pm to 12am, Philladelphia fans will once more be able to see the classic adventures of the Fourth Doctor. WYBE will be running two half-hour episode versions back to back for a "Doctor Who Hour" every Saturday night. March 6th will see the return of Robot over the Philly/Jersey airwaves, and as long as fans support the station, it will stay on the air. Even though they are the smaller station in the market, they are still forced to pay the same prices for the territory by the BBC contracts. So, it's just as expensive for them as it used to be for WHYY, and even more important now for fans to stand behind the station for bringing the series back --- and supporting them to make sure it stays over the airwaves. I realize that many of you may have problems tuning in the channel if it's not on your cable system, I would suggest calling them directly and asking them how you can help them with local cable carriage or what options they reccomend for buying a store bought roof top antenna. HAPPY NEW YEAR Philly Fans, please make sure the TARDIS stays materialized by supporting WYBE. WYBE's website is http://www.wybe.org

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THE UK AND EUROPE:

UK Gold - satellite / cable
Friday from 12:00 to 2:30 AM - The Sensorites - movie version
Sunday from 9:30 to 11:20AM - Robot - movie version
In The Sensorites, the TARDIS crew encounter a semi-paralyzed human crew on a spaceship orbiting the Sense-Sphere. But it seems that the Doctor and his companions may be stranded forever when he discovers that the TARDIS lock has been stolen. Will the Doctor be able to retrieve in time or go mad trying? And in the first Tom Baker story, the Doctor, after having recently regenerated joins UNIT in investigating the disappearance of top secret plans and equipment. His investigation leads to a scientist named Professor Kettiwell who is working for the Think Tank. Can the Doctor stop Kettiwell's creation in time?

BBC Prime http://www.bbcprime.com/
Late Friday at 1:05AM, Saturday at 10:00 AM - The Sunmakers - episode 2 of 4
Saturday at 6PM CET - The Sunmakers - episode 3 of 4
Leela must escape from the rebels before she and K9 can rescue the Doctor from the infamous correction centre.

AUSTRALIA:

FOXTEL's UK-TV http://www.foxtel.com.au/
Saturday at 1PM, Sunday at 2 and 8AM - The Keeper of Traken - all 4 episodes
Monday and Tuesday at 11:30PM - Logopolis - episodes 3 and 4 of 4
Wednesday and Thursday at 11:30PM - The King's Demons - episodes 1 and 2 of 2
Friday at 11:30PM - Planet of Fire - episode 1 of 4
FOXTEL's Master Chronicles start out this weekend with 'The Keeper of Traken'. The Doctor is warned of a great evil when he discovers the mysterious Melkur. What is the power behind this great statue and why does it seem so familiar? Then, in 'Logopolis', the fate of the Universe hangs in the balance as the Doctor must join forces with the Master to prevent its destruction. Will the Doctor be able to stay alive? It's 13th Century England and the Doctor is surprised to see King John and a Frenchman in the court. What secret plans are brewing and why is King John behaving so strangely? The TARDIS receives a Trion distress call from Earth and the Doctor goes to Lanzarote to investigate. But Turlough is hiding something from secret past and the Doctor begins to suspect. See Peri in her most skimpy outfit yet.

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 Chase: The Executioners' - episode 1 of 6
Monday through Wednesday at 7:30AM - 'The Gunfuighters' - episodes 2 to 4 of 4 (Don't Shoot the Pianist, Johnny Ringo, The O.K. Corral)
Thursday and Friday at 7:30AM - The War Machines - episodes 1 and 2 of 4
The Chase begins with the Daleks and the Doctor on the planet Aridius. Watch for the appearance of the Beatles in this special episode. Then, in The Gunfighters, the TARDIS crew get themselves caught in a good old fashioned western shoot out at the O.K. Corral. The week then wraps up with the Doctor investigating some strange happenings at the Post Office tower in London.

THE USA:

Maine Public Broadcasting 10, 10, 12, 13, 26, 39 http://www.mpbc.org/
Saturday at 9PM - Pyramids of Mars - episodes 1 and 2 of 4
The Doctor faces the biggest peril the world has ever known when Professor Marcus Scarman--aided by robot Mummies--builds a rocket that could destroy the Eye of Horus on Mars and so release The Egyptian God of Darkness.

New Hampshire Public Television 11, 12, 15, 49, 52 http://nhptv.org/
Sunday at 3PM - Inferno - episodes 2 and 3 of 7
The Doctor is vaulted into a parallel universe where ... well, that would be telling!

WQED / WQEX 13, 16 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania http://www.wqed.org/
Saturday at 11:30PM - Terror of the Zygons - episode 3 of 4

Maryland Public Television 22, 28, 31, 36, 62, 67 http://www.mpt.org/
Friday and Saturday at Midnight - Tomb of the Cybermen - movie version
About 90 minutes.

WUFT 5 Gainesville, Florida http://www.wuft.org/
Saturday at 5PM - The Two Doctors - movie version (more likely The Mark of the Rani)
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 last week.

WUSF 16 Tampa, Florida http://wusftv.usf.edu/
Saturday (Early Sunday) at 12AM - Arc of Infinity - episode 4 of 4 (actually episode 1)
Special time due pledge drives. Omega's back, and he not too happy with the Time Lords.

WCET 48 Cincinnati, Ohio http://www.wcet.org/
Saturday at 11:30PM - Ambassadors of Death - episodes 4 and 5 of 7
The Doctor decodes the Martian message as an alien ship approaches Earth. 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 3 and 4 of 6
The Doctor's investigation of what's beneath the mines in Llanfairfach leads him to Global Chemicals. Meanwhile, Jo befriends herself with Professor Jones.

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 3 and 4 of 4
The Axons reveal their true nature and the Doctor must join forces with the Master to stop them.

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
The Wirrn plan their offensive against the ark's inhabitants and the Doctor is only one that can stop them.

KBDI 12 Denver, Colorado http://www.kbdi.org
Friday at 11PM - The Green Death - episodes 3 and 4 of 6
The Doctor discovers that Global Chemicals is hiding something beneath the Earth while giant maggots begi to emerge from beneath the ground. Due to pledge drives, there will be no Saturday showing of Doctor Who this week.

KSPS 7 Spokane, Washington http://www.ksps.org/
Saturday at 10:30PM - The Androids of Tara - movie version
A count mistakes Romana for her android double and holds her captive on Tara, where she and the Doctor seek the fourth segment of the Key to Time. About 91 minutes.

KBTC / KCKA 28, 15 Tacoma, Washington
Saturday at 6PM through Midnight - Doctor Who marathon including all six episode of Planet of the Daleks
Monday at 7:30PM and 1:00AM - Battlefield - episodes 3 and 4 of 4
Courtesy of Eric Gjovaag: January 23 will be the bi-annual "Doctor Who" pledge night, where we will need people to pledge their support for the station and "Doctor Who." The goal will be $15,000, and we hope to make it BEFORE midnight this time. And the show? All six episodes of Planet of the Daleks." And in Battlefield, the Doctor with the aid of Ancelyn and Bambera prevents Morgaine from taking over the Earth from another dimension.

KTEH 54 San Jose, California http://www.kteh.org/
Sunday at 11PM - Silver Nemesis - all 3 episodes
The Doctor must prevent three opposing forces from getting a hold of a living metal statue that he launched into orbit back in 1638. Will the Doctor be able to keep Gallifrey's ultimate defense weapon from falling into enemy hands?

BBC America - cable / Dish Network channel 135 / Primestar channel 55
http://www.bbcamerica.com/
Saturday at 5PM EST, Sunday at 2PM - Terror of the Zygons - movie version, part 1 of 2
A disaster in the North Sea brings the Doctor to Scotland. Edited to make room for commercials. 1 hour.

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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 Miamai 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, civilised 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.