THIS WEEK IN DOCTOR WHO - October 6, 2000

by Benjamin F. Elliott

Updates on National Who Night. Includes the current station list!

Welcome to the weekly digest of all known Doctor Who broadcasts on TV and radio worldwide. Let's get started. US news first this week, due to Who Night stuff, but we'll get to everything, maybe even the broadcast times for the episodes.

USA - For those who did not get to see the news in the Alliance Newsletter last week, BBC America has no plans right now to order more Doctor Who stories. So, the 16 Tom Baker stories they have will just air over and over again, at the somewhat inconvenient times they now have, with the altered credits and material cut out. As most of the shows on that channel are pretty good and get treated well by the channel, it's steadily gaining cable coverage, so more and more people will get to see the BBC America treatment of Doctor Who.

Reminder. KTEH Doctor Who Night airs live October 18 in San Jose, CA from 8PM to 11:15PM Pacific Time. Carole Ann Ford and Sylvester McCoy are still the guests, as the sci-fi cruise they are on will be in town that night. Selected episodes from Carole and Syl's era will air, and apparently they will be working hard to give the special a "San Jose" feel. At this time, they do not plan to air the special on other stations, believing that fans in other areas would not be interested in it.

Reminder, National Doctor Who Night records October 21 at WQED studios in Pittsburgh, PA. WQED/WQEX 13,16 Pittsburgh, PA will air the special live from 10PM to 1AM on that Saturday night. 5 other stations have definitely signed on to carry it as well. Sadly, that is not enough for the special to be live, so it will go out on tape for later broadcast. The 6 stations are:

WQED/WQEX 13,16 Pittsburgh, PA
NHPTV 11,49,52 New Hampshire
MPT 22,28,31,36,62,67 Maryland
WCET 48 Cincinnati, OH
IPTV 11,12,21,24,27,32,32,36 Iowa
KBDI/K32EO 12,32 Denver/Colorado Springs, CO

The 14 PBS affiliates currently airing Doctor Who have the right to purchase the special at this time. My apologies to WYBE fans in the Philadelphia}} area, as the column reported last week that they wanted to air the special. Actually, they haven't even been in contact about the possibility. There was a mixup because WYBE is putting together a traditional Doctor Who pledge evening on October 21st from 8PM to Midnight (Castrovalva eps 3+4, all of Four To Doomsday).

More on National Who Night. After last week's column and the Doctor Who Alliance went to press last week, we finally got confirmation on details about the special. Nicholas Courtney has dropped out due to work conflicts, leaving Sylvester McCoy as the guest. One complete Sylvester McCoy story will air during the night, and the producers want US fandom to pick the story and format (episodic or movie) that airs. Upon request, I sent out an online survey last Friday night listing the stories available for selection and listing the e-mail address to send your votes to. I will resend the survey this weekend, trying to reach areas I missed before. If you don't see it, try to remember the name of your favorite 7th Doctor story and your preferred format, and e-mail the choice to TJLubins@wqed.org . I do not know what the closing date for the survey is, but it is probably soon, as they have to purchase the story before October 21.

A further bit on KTEH's and the National Who Nights. I am currently trying to see if it is possible to set up live online chats linked to the broadcasts on October 18 and October 21. I have nothing definite at publication time, but personally I believe it would be nice if fandom outside of San Jose and Pittsburgh can take part live in the Who events, even if just in a chat. If I (or anyone) can make arrangements to set up something interesting, I will give the details of how to take part in next week's This Week In Doctor Who column.

WYBE in Philadelphia aired Logopolis episodes 1+2 last week. Normally, it's not news that the scheduled episodes aired. However, they had fouled up their broadcast of the second half of The Keeper of Traken the previous weekend, and the other times they messed up they went back and re-aired the material in the correct order the following weekend. This time they didn't. Another pattern gone.

WQED changes the start time of its 2 Doctor Who episodes from 11PM to 11:30PM this weekend to add a jazz show to their lineup.

UK - Did you remember that BCB Radio http://www.bcb.yorks.com/ was airing The Who Review yesterday (5 October)? First Thursday of the month, approximately 7:10PM BST, on Cable Radio in parts of the UK and worldwide via real audio? A monthly show discussing the new UK Who releases, with clips and interviews? And I finally listed it on the right day and time in This Week last week. Well, if you missed it, they discussed, among other things, the Cybermen Box set video release in the UK (what rating did Attack of the Cybermen get? 15 or U?) and the recent Panoptican convention. It included an extended clip from The Tenth Planet episode 4 (nice work on the sound) and 10 minutes of a monologue by Tom Baker at Panoptican (pretty darn lousy work on that sound). If you missed it, the next episode is on November 2nd, and they are beginning a serialized interview with a famous Doctor Who celebrity. If you heard the broadcast, you know who the celebrity is, and if you didn't, you can wonder for four weeks.

NEW ZEALAND - It seems that Prime TV is surprised that their broadcast of Doctor Who And The Silurians was in Black & White. They had been led to believe they were going to air the story in colour. Prime is investigating, and as I write it is unclear if they will have colour versions of Terror of the Autons and The Dæmons when the time comes to air those stories.

Additions and corrections are welcome.

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UK:

UK Gold
http://www.sceneone.co.uk/s1/tv/listings
Sun 7:55-10:50AM BST Colony In Space movie
A theft of Gallifreyan secrets prompts the Time Lords to send the Doctor 500 years in the future in the middle of a dispute over the land usage rights of a planet.

UK Gold 2
http://www.sceneone.co.uk/s1/tv/listings
Sun 6-8:55PM BST Colony In Space movie
Nicer time to see the show that Sky Digital subscribers can get.

EUROPE/AFRICA/ASIA:

BBC Prime
http://www.bbcprime.com/
Late Fri 1:05AM*, Sat 3:30PM CET Castrovalva ep 3 of 4
Sun 11:30AM, Late Thu 12:30AM CET Castrovalva ep 4 of 4
*Not seen in all regions.
Castrovalva. Idyllic land, where the Doctor can heal his mind from its wounds. But when the Doctor discovers that its geography is disturbing reminiscent of M. C. Esher's paintings, questions arise as to how safe this place really is.

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND:

UKTV Australia
http://www.varos.com/drwho/uktv/
Sun 7AM, Late Sun 1AM AEDT The Three Doctors all 4 eps
The Time Lords' home world is being drained of energy at an alarming rate by a force that is also sending assault gelatin troops to Earth. The Doctor is the only one who can be called upon to help, and they erased the parts of his memory about doing time travel and all that. Besides, the gelatin creatures are after him. The only way out - bring in an earlier version of the Doctor with memory intact to help out, contravening the first law of Time. Funny how the rules go out the window when the going gets a little difficult.
Mon-Tue 11:30PM AEDT Carnival Of Monsters eps 3 - 4 of 4
The 3rd Doctor needs to get out of the Scope to alert the people outside to the chaos going on within. Meanwhile, a political hack sees the troubles in the Scope as a means to take power.
Wed-Fri 11:30PM AEDT Frontier In Space eps 1 - 3 of 6
The Doctor's "traffic accident in space" lands him in the middle of an unconventional prelude to a war. Earth ships and Draconian ships are being attacked by aliens, and each sees the other as the attackers, even though the real villains are (spoiler). Naturally, no one believes anything the Doctor says about the matter.

Prime TV New Zealand
http://www.tetrap.com/drwho/nzdwfc/
http://www.primetv.co.nz/
Sun-Thu 6:30PM The Ambassadors of Death eps 3 - 7 of 7
Last rerun in New Zealand in 1991. The Ambassadors are kidnapped as part of an elaborate plan that runs to the heart of the British government. Someone high up has plans for them, and will kill anyone who tries to discover the truth. Benton, the corporal introduced in The Invasion (never screened in New Zealand - 2 episodes are missing), joins the cast in this story as a Sargent.
Fri 6:30PM Inferno ep 1 of 7
Last rerun in New Zealand in 1991/1992. The 3rd Doctor has been experimenting with the leftover power output from a drilling site to try to get the TARDIS console to work again. Strange things are happening, though the Doctor does not care. Not until they cause a power fluctuation that makes the TARDIS tests go badly wrong.

USA:
(stations currently signed on for the National Who Night will be noted with a *)

BBC America
http://www.bbcamerica.com/
Mon-Thu 8AM EDT (5AM PDT), reruns next morning 5AM EDT (2AM PDT)
Mon/Tue The Android Invasion eps 3+4 of 4
9th of the 16 stories BBC America currently has the rights to air. The Doctor and Sarah try to warn Earth about the invasion by the Kraals, leading to a battle between the real people and the android duplicates. RSM Benton and Harry Sullivan make their final appearances in the series.
Tue-Wed/Wed-Thu The Robots of Death eps 1 - 4 of 4
16th of the 16 stories BBC America currently has the rights to air. The Doctor and Leela arrive on a sandminer where people are beginning to die and paranoia runs rampant. Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.
Thu/Fri Terror of the Zygons eps 1+2 of 4
6th of the 16 stories BBC America currently has the rights to air. The Doctor, Sarah, and Harry return to Earth in response to the Brigadier's request for help. Oil rigs are sinking in Loch Ness.

* NHPTV New Hampshire 11,49,52
http://nhptv.org/
Sun 3PM EDT The Face of Evil eps 1+2 of 4
The Doctor finds himself mistaken for a devil on a jungle world. Meanwhile, a savage named Leela leaves the safety of her tribe behind for having an open mind. But not necessarily open enough to deal with a jelly-baby eating time traveler.

* WQED/WQEX 13,16 Pittsburgh, PA
http://www.wqed.org/
Note new start time for the episodes.
Sat 11:30PM EDT The Sun Makers ep 4 of 4
The 4th Doctor inspires a rebellion against the Gatherer. Is this the end of the Company's efforts on Pluto?
Late Sat Mid EDT Image of the Fendahl ep 1 of 4
A mysterious death near Professor Fendelman's property alarms one of the scientists who is working on the Time Scanner project.
» this was actually Underworld: Part One

WYBE 35 Philadelphia, PA
http://www.wybe.org/
Sat 11PM EDT Logopolis eps 3+4 of 4
The Master's latest scheme goes a bit out of hand. His plan to control the universe may wind up destroying it by mistake. Final Tom Baker episodes. Assuming WYBE doesn't mess up its tapes again.

* MPT Maryland 22,28,31,36,62,67
http://www.mpt.org/
Late Sat Mid EDT Resurrection of the Daleks movie
Some things are meant to be lost forever. Some things are to dangerous to find. When the Daleks go in search of their creator, they release a threat as least as big to themselves as to the galaxy. The last time they did this the Doctor kindly put the genie back into the bottle. This time it may not be possible.
» the episode started seven minutes earlier than scheduled

WUSF 16 Tampa, FL
http://www.wusftv.usf.edu/gateway.htm
Sat 11:30PM EDT The Trial Of A Time Lord ep 10 of 14 (Terror Of The Vervoids ep 2 of 4)
It was bad enough when the Valeyard's trial footage contradicted the Doctor's memory. Now his own footage is contradicting what it looked like when he reviewed it before presenting it. But if he stops the tape on the Vervoid incident, no matter how butchered it is, his case is over, and doomed to defeat.

* WCET 48 Cincinnati, OH
http://www.wcet.org/
Sat 11:30PM EDT The Hand Of Fear ep 4 of 4
Eldrad returns to Kastria to rebuild his world.
Sat 11:55PM EDT The Deadly Assassin ep 1 of 4
Countdown to disaster, as the Doctor races to prevent the death of the President of the Time Lords.

WYIN 56 Gary, IN (Chicago, IL)
http://www.wyin.org/
Sat 10PM CDT Image of the Fendahl ep 4 of 4 (it was episode 3)
The scientists realize the folly of their actions a little late to do anything about it. The Fendahl prepares to manifest itself and consume the Earth.

TPT 2 St. Paul, MN
http://www.tpt.org/
Sat 11:30PM, Sun 5:30AM CDT The Invisible Enemy ep 2 of 4
The episode everyone's been waiting for. K9 makes his first appearance! Meanwhile the Doctor's condition deteriorates, as the virus makes itself at home in the Doc's brain. A radical solution is proposed - clone 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 Stones of Blood eps 1+2 of 4
See KBDI for details.

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 3 of 6
Last time, the Doctor and K9 callously sold Gallifrey out to alien invaders, leaving all of time defenseless. Tonight, Gallifrey fights back, and Borusa tries to learn the truth.

* KBDI/K32EO 12,32 Denver/Colorado Springs, CO
http://www.kbdi.org/
Late Fri 12:30AM MDT The Stones of Blood eps 1+2 of 4
Sat 10PM MDT The Stones of Blood eps 3+4 of 4
The 3rd segment of the Key To Time is hidden on Earth circa 1978. In the search, the Doctor and Romana come across a blood cult, a stone circle, and a wacky professor.

KUED 7 Salt Lake City, UT
http://www.kued.org/
Sat 11PM, Late Sat 12:30AM MDT The Brain of Morbius ep 4 of 4
The Doctor and Morbius engage in a battle of the minds which could kill one of them. No, that's not the story's climax.

KBTC/KCKA/K65BU 28,15,65 Tacoma/Centralia/Gray's River, WA
http://www.kbtc.org/
Sat 7PM, Late Sat 12:30AM PDT The Seeds of Doom eps 5+6 of 6 (actually episodes 3+4)
Harrison Chase's megalomania leaves the Doctor, Sarah, and Scorby at the mercy of the Krynoid monster.

KTEH 54 San Jose, CA
http://www.kteh.org/
Sun 11PM PDT The Trial Of A Time Lord eps 13+14 of 14 (The Ultimate Foe - both eps)
The Doctor's trial threatens to end in a conviction. But lucky for him the Master is there to save the day. Colin Baker's era as the Doctor went out with these wild episodes. Episode 13 was the last script of Robert Holmes, who died before fully explaining how the story was due to end, setting off behind the scenes turmoil almost as dramatic as the episodes.

Late Sun Mid PDT "KTEH Interviews Colin Baker 1986"
Late Sun 12:30AM PDT "KTEH Interview John Nathan-Turner 1984"
2 of the many interviews KTEH has done with Doctor Who celebrities over the years.

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Thanks for reading. Until next week, take care.