THIS WEEK IN DOCTOR WHO - April 14, 2000

For those that missed the announcements last weekend on the rec.arts.drwho newsgroup and in the Alliance newsletter, Prime TV in New Zealand has acquired the rights to air Doctor Who, the first station to air any episodes bar the movie since 1993. Prime has ordered the first 180 available episodes (ie: no episodes from incomplete stories, so don't ask), going from the beginning through ½ of Jon Pertwee's run (The Mutants). Presumably Prime will air the entire series if the ratings are acceptable. The episodes will air weekdays at 6:25PM beginning Monday, 15 May, where WKRP in Cincinnati has been airing. Prime TV claims to reach 65% of the New Zealand population with its UHF stations and to be available nationwide via Cable and Satellite. Public Broadcaster TVNZ also put in a bid for the stories, but Prime's offer was considered better. Any the episodes that have been restored for various 90s video releases/TV broadcasts will air restored. Thanks to the New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club, Prime TV's online TV listings, and Steve Roberts, from whom this information was synthesized.

Among the stories airing on Prime are dozens of Hartnell/Troughton episodes that either never aired in New Zealand or only ran once. Stories with a * never aired in New Zealand before, stories with no * aired only once. Complete Hartnell/Troughton stories not on this list have aired in New Zealand multiple times, as have all the episodes from Pertwee through McCoy.

An Unearthly Child - 4 episodes
The Dead Planet - 7 episodes
The Edge of Destruction - 2 episodes
*The Keys of Marinus - 6 episodes
*The Aztecs - 4 episodes
*The Sensorites - 6 episodes
Planet of Giants - 3 episodes
The Rescue - 2 episodes
The Romans - 4 episodes
*The Web Planet - 6 episodes
The Space Museum - 4 episodes
*The Chase - 6 episodes
The Ark - 4 episodes
*The Gunfighters - 4 episodes
The War Machines - 4 episodes
The Tomb of the Cybermen - 4 episodes
*The Dominators - 5 episodes
*The War Games - 10 episodes

Additions and corrections are welcome at bfelli...@gallifreyone.com . And now, the listings:

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UK/IRELAND:

TG4/TnaG http://www.tg4.ie/tg4.htm
http://www.sceneone.co.uk/s1/tv/listings
Tue-Thu 6PM BST The Mutants eps 4 - 6 of 6
Professor Sondergaard learns the secrets behind the mutations. But the Marshall isn't interested in the truth. Only power. Meanwhile, an adjudicator comes to assess the situation. At least Earth was smart enough not to send the Master this time.

UK Gold http://www.sceneone.co.uk/s1/tv/listings
Sun 9:25-11:10AM BST Timelash movie
A time corridor plays havoc with the TARDIS, forcing the 6th Doctor and Peri to visit the planet Necros. Why is Necros sending political dissidents hurtling through history to 12th Century Scotland? Why has the Doctor's previous visit been excised from the planet's history? When will Organic Gardening come by to investigate the suspicious colours of the local flowers?

UK Gold 2/Classic http://www.sceneone.co.uk/s1/tv/listings
Sun 6-7:45PM BST Timelash movie
Time-shifting. Very useful, but it shouldn't be considered a separate channel.

EUROPE/AFRICA:

BBC Prime http://www.bbcprime.com/
Late Fri 1AM (Not Africa), Sat 5PM CET Meglos ep 2 of 4
Sun+Mon 11:30AM CET Meglos ep 3 of 4
The duplicitous Meglos sets out to frame the Doctor for (spoiler). Even one of the Doctor's oldest friends may not be able to save him from the wrath of ... Jacqueline Hill?

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND:

UKTV Australia http://www.varos.com/drwho/uktv/
Sun 7AM, Late Sun 1AM AEST The Time Meddler all 4 eps (The Watcher, The Meddling Monk, A Battle Of Wits, Checkmate)
One more chance to see this story. The 1st Doctor comes across his most aggravating challenge yet - Steven Taylor. Meanwhile, evidence emerges that a rival time traveler is making dangerous changes to England's timeline in the 11th Century.
Mon 11:30PM AEST The Ark: The Bomb ep 4 of 4
The 1st Doctor travels to Refusis. The Monoids prepare to take this new world for themselves alone.
Tue-Fri 11:30PM AEST The Gunfighters eps 1 - 4 of 4 (A Holiday For The Doctor, Don't Shoot The Pianist, Johnny Ringo, The OK Corral)
"The-e Gun-Fighter's comin' to Tombstone, AZ!
A stranger 'is-tor-i-cal you'll ne-ver see!
It's told as a bal-lad, sung to a blood-filled tune,
So sit ba-ack for the story of the Laaast - Chance Sal-loon!"

Prime TV New Zealand http://www.primetv.co.nz/
Weekdays at 6:25PM starting 15 May!

USA:
(some stations available in parts of Canada)

BBC America http://www.bbcamerica.com/
Genesis of the Daleks movie, pt 1 of 3
Sat 6AM, Sun 8AM+5PM EDT Eastern Zone (PDT Pacific Zone)
The 4th Doctor is sent against his will to be present at the dawn of Dalek civilization. The Doctor must find a way to weaken the Daleks, or wipe them out of history.

NHPTV New Hampshire 11, 49, 52 http://nhptv.org/
Sun 3PM EDT Genesis of the Daleks eps 3+4 of 6
The Kaleds begin to question the morality of the modifications Davros is making in the Daleks. Davros will do anything to enable his evil creations to survive, and woe betide anyone who gets in his way.

WQED/WQEX 13, 16 Pittsburgh, PA http://www.wqed.org/
Sat 11:30PM EDT The Robots of Death ep 3 of 4
As the death toll begins to mount, the humans slowly realize that the Doctor and Leela are innocent. But it may be too late, as the leader of the Robots decides the time has come for a massacre.

WYBE 35 Philadelphia, PA http://www.wybe.org/
Sat 11PM EDT The Armageddon Factor eps 5+6 of 6
The 4th Doctor is faced with an impossible scenario. To complete the Key To Time and save the universe from Chaos, an innocent person must die. And if the Key isn't finished soon, the time loop will snap, and the innocent person will die anyway.

MPT Maryland 22, 28, 31, 36, 62, 67 http://www.mpt.org/
Late Sat Mid EDT The Horns of Nimon all 4 eps
A disintegrating empire has struck a deal with a horned devil called Nimon. Sacrifice children from a defeated world along with balls of radiation. In exchange for their barbarity, the Nimon promises to make the empire great again. But when the final shipment of "cargo" is lost in a mysterious black hole, the great journey of life may take a turn for the deadly.

WUSF 16 Tampa, FL http://www.wusftv.usf.edu/gateway.htm
Sat 11:35PM EDT MarkOfTheRani 4 part version, ep 3
The Master blackmails the Rani into getting her continued help in his vendetta against the Doctor. Meanwhile, a particularly nasty minefield has been created in the forest.

WCET 48 Cincinnati, OH http://www.wcet.org/
Doctor Who returns next week.

WYIN 56 Gary, IN (Chicago, IL) http://www.wyin.org/
Sat 10PM CDT The Face of Evil ep 3 of 4
The Sevateem attack the time barrier to try to get to the Evil One. The 4th Doctor and Leela must get through first, or the death toll will soar.

KTCA 2 St. Paul, MN http://www.ktca.org/
Sat 11:35PM CDT The Hand Of Fear ep 3 of 4
Seven Of Nine emerges from her alcove, er, ELDRAD emerges from the radiation. For once, it looks like the alien menace may not have intended to be harmful after all.

IPTV Iowa 11, 12, 21, 24, 27, 32, 32, 36 http://www.sffn.com/
http://www.iptv.org/
Fri 11:35PM CDT Terror of the Zygons all 4 eps
The 4th Doctor, Sarah, and Harry arrive in Scotland, where the Brigadier and UNIT are investigating the sinking of oil rigs. Their investigations would go somewhat better if a mysterious force wasn't kidnaping people and replacing them with evil substitutes.

PPTV North Dakota 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 13, 19 http://www.pptv.org/
Fri 10:30PM CDT (9:30PM MDT) The Talons of Weng-Chiang ep 5 of 6
The Doctor is forced to enlist Henry Gordon Jago and Professor Litefoot in his efforts to defeat Magnus Greel. It's a recipe for disaster, which has been very well stirred.

KBDI/K32EO 12, 32 Denver/Colorado Springs, CO
http://www.kbdi.org/
Late Fri 12:30AM MDT The Robots of Death eps 3+4 of 4 (actually The Talons of Weng-Chiang 1+2)
Taran Capel unleashes the robots to kill off everyone on the ship. Good robot D84 contemplates reality while helping the Doctor fight off this latest problem.
Sat 10PM MDT The Talons of Weng-Chiang eps 1+2 of 6 (actually episodes 3+4)
The Doctor and Leela visit 19th Century London to experience classic British theatre. But when gang members try to kill them, they wind up investigating Li Hsen Chang, the famous magician.

KNME 5 Albuquerque, NM http://www.knmetv.org/
Sat 10:30PM MDT The Talons of Weng-Chiang movie
Why do some women who visit Li Hsen's magic show never make it home again? What is the secret behind Mr. Sin? How can Henry Gorden Jago manage to have a blushing red face for an entire story?!?

KRWG 22 Las Cruces, NM (El Paso, TX) http://www.nmsu.edu/~krwgtv/
Sat 10:30PM MDT Horror of Fang Rock movie
On a foggy night, death strikes a lighthouse. Is it murder, or an ancient sea curse proving itself all too true?

KUED 7 Salt Lake City, UT http://www.kued.org/
Sat 11PM, Late Sat 12:30AM MDT Genesis of the Daleks ep 5 of 6
The Time Lords should have known better than sending a Time Lord to investigate the Daleks. Not only do the Daleks still exist, but Davros is on the brink of discovering all the mistakes the Daleks can make in the future, and how to keep those mistakes from happening.

KSPS 7 Spokane, WA http://www.ksps.org/
Sat 10:30PM PDT (11:30PM MDT) Survival movie
In the final story before the BBC put the series on hold in 1990, Ace returns home to Perivale. All her old friends are disappearing without a trace. Cats can really be evil at times.

No episode next week. April 29 to be announced. No official word on renewal/cancellation yet, but several Doctor Who specials are planned to air through May whatever happens.

KBTC/KCKA 28, 15 Tacoma/Centralia, WA http://www.kbtc.org/
Sat 7PM, Late Sat 12:30AM PDT The Monster of Peladon eps 3+4 of 6
Panicking due to the worsening situation, Alpha Centauri calls for help from the Federation. This is a mistake.

KTEH 54 San Jose, CA http://www.kteh.org/
Sun 11PM PDT Time-Flight all 4 eps
A somber TARDIS crew finally gets to Heathrow Airport, where a Concorde has disappeared. Obvious answer - send another Concorde on the same route, with the TARDIS in the cargo hold. With the possibility of finally resuming her career, will this be Tegan's final trip in the TARDIS?

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Until next week, take care.
Benjamin F. Elliott