THIS WEEK IN DOCTOR WHO - September 22, 2000

by Benjamin F. Elliott
Email: bfelliott@gallifreyone.com

Welcome to the weekly column devoted to covering all the TV and radio Doctor Who broadcasts around the world, with just a pinch of humor. If this is the first time you've read the column, take your time, and see what you think. For the longtime readers, thank you for the continued support.

IRELAND - A moment of silence. TG4 appears to have discontinued its Doctor Who broadcasts, leaving Ireland and the British isles without any over the air Doctor Who affiliates.

USA - Believe it or not, the time is marching on towards the National and San Jose Doctor Who Nights. The KTEH Doctor Who special in San Jose, CA with Carole Ann Ford and Sylvester McCoy will air live on October 18th in San Jose only. The National Night will be recorded at WQED's studios in Pittsburgh, PA on October 21st with Nicholas Courtney and Sylvester McCoy. The National Doctor Who Night is currently only available to the 14 PBS stations that are airing the series. One station, WYBE 35 in Philadelphia, PA, has begun trying to get Doctor Who fans lined up to man the phones for a pledge night on October 21st, which presumably will be this special. Most PBS stations should have their October listings on their websites by Monday or Tuesday, so those of you with local Who affiliates will be able to check then and learn when/if your station is airing the National Night in October. Probably not all the stations will air the special in October, so do not panic if your station does not have it in their October listings. The list of October broadcasts will be in next weekend's column.

Additions and corrections are welcome at bfelliott@gallifreyone.com, bfelliott@earthlink.net , or bfelliott3 on AOL IM. And now, the listings:

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UK/IRELAND:

UK Gold
http://www.sceneone.co.uk/s1/tv/listings
Sun 8-11AM BST The Mind of Evil movie
The Doctor investigates a machine that promises to remove all the negative impulses from violent criminals. Is the machine the wonderful gift to humanity that it claims to be, or a ticking time bomb that will endanger everyone, including its creator?

TG4/TnaG
http://www.tg4.ie/tg4.htm
http://www.sceneone.co.uk/s1/tv/listings
No longer on the schedule. Presumably canceled. Goodbye, TG4.

EUROPE/AFRICA/ASIA:

BBC Prime
http://www.bbcprime.com/
Late Fri 12:50AM*, Sat 3:30PM CET Castrovalva ep 1 of 4
Sun 11:30AM, Late Thu 12:35AM CET Castrovalva ep 2 of 4
*Not seen in all regions. The 5th Doctor hovers between life and death, while Nyssa and Tegan search for ways to stabilize his regeneration. Meanwhile, Adric has disappeared.

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND:

UKTV Australia
http://www.varos.com/drwho/uktv/
Sun 7AM, Late Sun 1AM AEDT The Mutants all 6 eps
Third and final story where the Time Lords pluck the Doctor and Jo away from what they're doing to clean up an intergalactic mess somewhere. This time, the Doctor must deliver a package to a revolutionary on Solos which could restore the circle of life on that planet. But the Marshall ruling the planet has his own plans for Solos, in which the current inhabitants play no part.
Mon-Thu 11:30PM AEDT The Time Monster eps 3 - 6 of 6
The Master's machine creates temporal distortions to slow down the Doctor and U.N.I.T. Classic line: "One moment you're talking about the entire universe blowing up and the next you're going on about tea"
Fri 11:30PM AEDT The Three Doctors ep 1 of 4
On Earth, the 3rd Doctor is attacked by an anti-matter being which swallows Bessie the car. On Gallifrey, the power that sent the being is draining away all energy from that planet. To save the galaxy, the number one law of Time may have to be broken.

Prime TV New Zealand
http://www.tetrap.com/drwho/nzdwfc/
http://www.primetv.co.nz/
Sun-Tue 6:30PM Spearhead From Space eps 2 - 4 of 4
Last rerun in 1991. The Brigadier offers the 3rd Doctor a job as scientific advisor, but has no intention of letting the Doctor have the key to the TARDIS back. In other news, General Scorby's plastic replica is completed.
Wed-Fri 6:30PM Doctor Who And The Silurians eps 1 - 3 of 7
Last rerun in 1991. Never before seen in colour in New Zealand. The Doctor and Liz join the Brigadier on the site of an experimental underground nuclear power plant. Seems that something is alive in the caves that the plant was built into. The something or somethings are millions of years old.

USA:

BBC America
http://www.bbcamerica.com/
Monday through Thursday 8AM EDT (5AM PDT) - 2 episodes per day, episodes rerun following mornings 5AM EDT (2AM PDT)
Mon-Tue/Tue-Wed Robot eps 1 - 4 of 4
Newly regenerated, with a terrible fear that his life has become a 16 story ever-repeating loop on a little known Cable channel, the Doctor (Tom Baker) tries to learn who would steal super secret military plans, equipment, and codes. Ok, almost anyone would steal such things if they could, just to prove that they could, but who would be able to break into security compounds without the use of oxygen?
Wed-Thu/Thu-Fri The Ark In Space eps 1 - 4 of 4
Humanity sleeps away millenia after they were supposed to wake up. Sabotage is at work, and the prime suspect is a dead giant wasp.

NHPTV New Hampshire 11,49,52
http://nhptv.org/
Sun 3PM EDT The Deadly Assassin eps 1+2 of 4
The 4th Doctor is blamed when the President of the Time Lords is assassinated.

WQED/WQEX 13,16 Pittsburgh, PA
http://www.wqed.org/
Sat 11PM EDT The Sun Makers eps 2+3 of 4
The Doctor is captured by security and scheduled to have his brain fried.
Can Leela arrange a rescue committee?
» owing to a concert last week, the episodes shown were actually Image of the Fendahl: Part Four and The Sun Makers: Part One.

WYBE 35 Philadelphia, PA
http://www.wybe.org/
Sat 11PM EDT The Keeper of Traken eps 3+4 of 4
The Melkur works behind the scenes to discredit the Doctor and Tremas, ensuring that mentally unstable Kassia will become the next Keeper.
» it was reported the following week that the channel actually showed The Keeper of Traken: Part Four and Full Circle: Part Four.

MPT Maryland 22,28,31,36,62,67
http://www.mpt.org/
Late Sat Mid EDT The Awakening movie
Short story, where a visit to Tegan's grandfather uncovers odd goings-on in the village of Little Hodcombe.

WUSF 16 Tampa, FL
http://www.wusftv.usf.edu/gateway.htm
Sat 11:30PM EDT {s{Mindwarp=The Trial Of A Time Lord]} ep 8 of 14 (Mindwarp ep 4 of 4)
The 6th Doctor can only watch helplessly, as the court footage shows a nightmare scenario, with Peri trapped in situation which it will be very difficult to survive.

WCET 48 Cincinnati, OH
http://www.wcet.org/
Sat 11:30PM EDT The Masque of Mandragora ep 4 of 4
In a scenario that seems inspired by the Edgar Allen Poe story about the Red Death, the nobles throw a party in the secure castle, while death stalks outside. But some of the deadly force has gotten in.
Sat 11:55PM EDT The Hand Of Fear ep 1 of 4
Sarah is buried in an explosion in a rock quarry. When she is rescued, a fossilized hand is found, setting off a chain of deaths and betrayals.

WYIN 56 Gary, IN (Chicago, IL)
http://www.wyin.org/
Sat 10PM CDT Image of the Fendahl ep 2 of 4 (it was episode 1)
The skull is using Thea to kill, but the scientists refuse to believe that anything is amiss.

TPT 2 St. Paul, MN
http://www.tpt.org/
Sat 11:30PM, Sun 5:30AM CDT Horror of Fang Rock ep 4 of 4
The Rutan sheds his disguise and plans to use Earth as a staging ground for an apocalyptic war. Leela makes a difficult request of the Doctor.

IPTV Iowa 11,12,21,24,27,32,32,36
http://www.sffn.com/
http://www.iptv.org/
Fri 11:05PM CDT The Pirate Planet eps 1+2 of 4
Note new start time. The Hitch-hiker's Guide To The Galaxy describes the Pirate Planet thusly: "Zanak. Population: 6 Million. Annual Death Rate: 60 Billion. Galactic Location: uncertain. Leadership: pompous, but endearing. Copyright Restrictions: if you're not Douglas Adams, don't write the book on it, because we'll find you. We know where you live. We know what brand of sunflower seeds you are sucking on. So watch out."

PPTV North Dakota 2,3,4,6,9,13,19
http://www.pptv.org/
Fri 10:30PM CDT (9:30PM MDT) The Invasion of Time ep 1 of 6
The 4th Doctor turns distant from Leela, returning to Gallifrey and declaring that he is the rightful President of the Time Lords. Is the Doctor crazy like a fox, or simply crazy?

KBDI/K32EO 12,32 Denver/Colorado Springs, CO
http://www.kbdi.org/
Late Fri 12:30AM MDT The Pirate Planet eps 1+2 of 4
No Saturday episodes this week. See IPTV's description for details.

KUED 7 Salt Lake City, UT
http://www.kued.org/
Sat 11PM, Late Sat 12:30AM MDT The Brain of Morbius ep 2 of 4
Professor Solon tries to chop off the Doctor's head, which alarms the Doctor greatly.

KBTC/KCKA/K65BU 28,15,65 Tacoma/Centralia/Gray's River, WA
http://www.kbtc.org/
Sat 7PM, Late Sat 12:30AM PDT The Brain of Morbius eps 3+4 of 4
The Sisterhood of the Flame try to burn the Doctor alive, which alarms the Doctor greatly. Meanwhile, Morbius prepares for the operation to give him a body again. Not a pretty body, but it's something.

KTEH 54 San Jose, CA
http://www.kteh.org/
Sun 11PM PDT The Trial Of A Time Lord eps 5,6,7,+8 of 14 (Mindwarp all 4 eps)
Thoros-Beta, July 3, 2379. The 6th Doctor and Peri arrive on the home planet of the Mentors. Under normal circumstances, the Doctor would do something about the slaves in time for celebrations on July 4, but when his mind is fried, things go awry.

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Thanks for reading. Until next week, take care.