THIS WEEK IN DOCTOR WHO - November 3, 2000

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

It's a quiet week for televised Doctor Who. I can't imagine why. Sure, we have massive flooding and potential gas shortages in the UK, Yugoslavia rejoining the UN, strife in the Middle East, and a vital Presidential Election to rebuild the USA. I guess those stories are just hogging all the attention, keeping people from focusing on important things. Ah well.

Radio - BCB Radio in Bradford, England's monthly broadcast of The Who Review aired yesterday. It began at 7:17PM GMT for people hearing over the radio and ran for about 38 ½ minutes (The October broadcast began at 7:05PM British Time and ran for 30 minutes). The start and end times were about a minute later for those of us listening via RealPlayer. The internet audio stream was much clearer than recent broadcasts this time, though that could just be a difference between realplayer 7 and realplayer 8. They played clips from The Tenth Planet and Attack of the Cybermen, wished they could receive review copies of the Big Finish audios so they could cover those releases more often, commented on the DVD releases in the UK, and played the first segment of John Nathan-Turner's Q & A session at the Panoptican convention several months back. It's a fun little radio program to listen to, and it currently plays on the first Thursday of every month as part of Tim Moon's Evening Program. The next broadcast will be on Thursday, December 7th during the 7PM hour GMT (2PM EST, 11AM PST, 3AM Friday AEDT). Viewers in the UK with Cable Radio should see if they get BCB with their service. The rest of us can go to the website at http://www.bcb.yorks.com/ and click the "Listen" button in the top frame of the screen. The audio feed is 16.0 Kb/s. They are promising to try to find whatever Christmas material is available about the series (hmm - this column did that 2 years ago), as well as part 2 of John Nathan-Turner's session at Panoptican.

USA - Plans to try to make this week's edition into a heavy US Presidential Election-themed installment fell apart, as it turns out that 1) current President Bill Clinton comes from Arkansas, where there is no Doctor Who; 2) presidential candidate Al Gore comes from Tennessee, where there is noDoctor Who; 3) presidential candidate George W. Bush comes from Texas, where a tiny portion of the state got it imported from New Mexico, but that station dropped the show earlier this year; 4) vice-presidential candidate Richard Cheney comes from Wyoming, where there is no Doctor Who; and 5) vice- presidential Joe Lieberman comes from Connecticut, where there is no Doctor Who. A sad state of affairs. Whichever team gets to DC as President and Vice President will be able to watch Doctor Who every Saturday Night on MPT. And current President Bill Clinton has shown no desire to leave town. Interesting.

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

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UK:

UK Gold
http://www.sceneone.co.uk/s1/tv/listings
Sun 8:05-10:55AM GMT The Sea Devils movie
A visit to the Master, housed in an island prison, tips the Doctor off to the sinkings of oil rigs suspiciously close to the same island.

UK Gold 2
http://www.sceneone.co.uk/s1/tv/listings
Sun 6-8:50PM GMT The Sea Devils movie
Time-shifted from UK Gold. The Guy Fawkes bonfires can wait an hour or two until this broadcast is over.

EUROPE/AFRICA/ASIA:

BBC Prime
http://www.bbcprime.com/
Late Fri 1AM*, Sat 3:30PM CET Four To Doomsday ep 3 of 4
Sun 11:30AM, Late Thu 12:30AM CET Four To Doomsday ep 4 of 4
*Not seen in all regions. Bigon reveals the dark secret of the Urbankans, and why he could never resume a proper life on Earth.

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND:

UKTV Australia
http://www.varos.com/drwho/uktv/
Sun 7AM, Late Sun 1AM AEDT The Green Death all 6 eps
A rather blunt, unsubtle environmental fable with a chatty computer thrown in. But it is also the final adventure of Josephine Grant. Jo begins to fall in love with a scientist protesting Global Chemicals. But in the throes of battle, casualties occur. The U.N.I.T family as they know it is about to break apart.
Mon-Thu 11:30PM AEDT The Time Warrior eps 1 - 4 of 4
A young journalist investigating the disappearance of scientists from a military compound begins to suspect a man known only as "Doctor". What is he hiding in his cupboard designed like a police box?
Fri 11:30PM AEDT Invasion (Of The Dinosaurs) ep 1 of 6
Black & White. This episode was lost for some years by accident and still sometimes does not air with the other 5 colour episodes of this story due to its original colour version being missing. The 3rd Doctor and Sarah return to London and find it deserted. Mostly.

Prime TV New Zealand
http://www.tetrap.com/drwho/nzdwfc/
http://www.primetv.co.nz/
Sun-Mon 6:30PM The Claws of Axos eps 3 - 4 of 4
Last rerun in 1993. As the Axons plan to feed on the planet Earth, the Master offers his services - to U*N*I*T. Just as well - the Doctor seems uneager to take any part himself.
Tue-Fri 6:30PM Colony In Space eps 1 - 4 of 6
Last rerun in 1993. The Doctor wants to test the TARDIS' systems, to see if he has managed to get around the blocks the Time Lords used to keep him on Earth. Meanwhile, on a colony world in the future, a mining corporation wants to evict the planet of the settlers already there to search for potential wealth.

USA:

BBC America
http://www.bbcamerica.com/
**Election day is Tuesday. If you're a registered voter who 1) cares about the outcome and 2) studied the issues, you're excused from watching BBC America's broadcasts on Tuesday if it helps you get to the polls. It's only one day. Those of us who do not have BBC America are also excused, but we were excused anyway.**
Mon-Thu 8AM EST (5AM PST), reruns following weekday 5AM EST (2AM PST)
Mon/Tue The Deadly Assassin eps 3+4 of 4
In the Matrix, the 4th Doctor searches for the truth behind the conspiracy to kill the President and frame him. Is it all about him, or was it just a fringe benefit for the evil mastermind behind it all?
Tue-Thu/Wed-Fri The Seeds of Doom eps 1 - 6 of 6
The Ice Warriors invade the moonbase and ... er, wrong Seeds story. Two alien seed pods are discovered in the Antarctic permafrost. Scientists want to examine them for information about the past. A collector wants them to include in his menagerie. But the Doctor believes they pose a danger to the Earth, and must be eliminated at all costs.

NHPTV New Hampshire 11,49,52
http://nhptv.org/
Sun 3PM EST The Talons of Weng-Chiang eps 1+2 of 6
Leela discovers Earth. The Doctor brings Leela to visit his favorite planet in the Victorian era. Leela is not the obvious choice of someone you'd want prancing around in the Nineteenth Century, but she seems to have a good enough time raising the local body count.

WQED/WQEX 13,16 Pittsburgh, PA
http://www.wqed.org/
Sat 11:30PM EST The Invasion of Time eps 2+3 of 6
The Doctor betrays everyone who cared about him, even his bag of jelly babies. Meanwhile, an invasion force prepares to attack Gallifrey.
» this was actually episodes 1+2

WYBE 35 Philadelphia, PA
http://www.wybe.org/
Sat 11PM EST Kinda eps 3+4 of 4
Primal forces are driving everyone to insanity, helping the Mara to return and wreak its havoc. This was the third story of the 1982 season, and it is interesting to consider that the structure of the story involves a life cycle coming full circle to where it was before. The same motif was used in the third story of the 1980-81 season (Full Circle) and the third story of the 1983 season (Mawdryn Undead). It was probably unintentional that it happened three seasons in a row, but it is amusing.

MPT Maryland 22,28,31,36,62,67
http://www.mpt.org/
Sat 11:30PM EST Attack of the Cybermen movie
A plot to steal a time ship from the Cybermen uses the 6th Doctor and Peri as distractions. Meanwhile, the Doctor fixes the Chameleon Circuit, enabling the TARDIS to blend in with its surroundings again as only a rickety Type 40 with no dress sense can do.

WUSF 16 Tampa, FL
http://www.wusftv.usf.edu/gateway.htm
Sat 11:30PM EST The Trial Of A Time Lord ep 14 of 14 (The Ultimate Foe ep 2 of 2)
29 minute long episode. The 6th Doctor's era ends in this episode involving the search for the Valeyard, the Master playing at least three sides against each other, and a verdict in the case against the Doctor. Next episode airs November 18.

WCET 48 Cincinnati, OH
http://www.wcet.org/
Sat 11:30PM EST The Face of Evil ep 4 of 4
The Doctor battles a renegade portion of his own mind that merged with a super computer. Now the computer believes it is the Doctor, and wants to kill any "imposters".
Sat 11:55PM EST The Robots of Death ep 1 of 4
One of the show's wittier, creepier outings, as the crew of a sandminer are slowly murdered, creating paranoia among the survivors.

WYIN 56 Gary, IN (Chicago, IL)
http://www.wyin.org/
Sat 10PM CST The Sun Makers ep 3 of 4
Leela is captured and sentenced to death by steaming. The Doctor begins a revolution against the Company.

WILL 12 Urbana, IL
http://www.will.uiuc.edu/
Saturdays 11:20PM CST. Begins November 18.

TPT 2 St. Paul, MN
http://www.tpt.org/
Sat 11:30PM, Sun 5:30AM CST Image of the Fendahl ep 2 of 4
The Doctor and Leela try to warn Professor Fendelman about the dangers of using a Time Scoop, but he is not interested in listening. Thea Ransome begins to feel strange.

IPTV Iowa 11,12,21,24,27,32,32,36
http://www.sffn.com/
http://www.iptv.org/
Fri 11:35PM CST The Power of Kroll eps 1+2 of 4
Late start due to special programming. See KBDI for details.

PPTV North Dakota 2,3,4,6,9,13,19
http://www.pptv.org/
Fri 10:30PM CST (9:30PM MST) The Invasion of Time ep 6 of 6
An episode set mostly inside the TARDIS, as the Doctor tries to keep the invaders from getting their hands on the Great Key. He has his own sinister plans for the key.

KBDI/K32EO 12,32 Denver/Colorado Springs, CO
http://www.kbdi.org/
Late Fri 2AM MST The Power of Kroll eps 1+2 of 4
Late start due to special programming.
Sat 10PM MST The Power of Kroll eps 3+4 of 4
The quest for the 5th segment of the Key To Time goes through a swamp planet, dodges angry green natives, weaves around a giant, hungry squid, makes a left turn at Albuquerque, retreats from the advances of Rohm-Dutt, and leaps over the threats from humans running a refinery.

KUED 7 Salt Lake City, UT
http://www.kued.org/
Sat 11PM, Late Sat 12:30AM MST The Seeds of Doom ep 4 of 6
See BBC America for details. Be warned, though. KUED is not airing this episode on Election Day, so you don't have an excuse for skipping it.

KBTC/KCKA/K65BU 28,15,65 Tacoma/Centralia/Gray's River, WA
http://www.kbtc.org/
Sat 7PM, Late Sat 12:30AM PST The Hand Of Fear eps 3+4 of 4 (actually episodes 1+2)
The Doctor offers Eldrad a way to get back home instead of causing havoc on Earth. While she accepts, the Doctor still does not trust her. Without explanation, the TARDIS suddenly becomes able to go where the Doctor wants it to go on the first try with this story. With few exceptions, the TARDIS will always arrive close to the desired destination from then on, unless outside forces intervene.

KTEH 54 San Jose, CA
http://www.kteh.org/
Late Sun Mid PST Dragonfire all 3 eps
The 7th Doctor and Mel run into Sabalom Glitz again, and he needs their help. His spaceship has been confiscated, and unless he can raise adequate money, he will lose it forever. Therefore, he has developed an insanely dangerous plan to locate a treasure guarded by a dragon.

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Thanks for reading. Until next week, take care.