THIS WEEK IN DOCTOR WHO - December 22, 2000

"We wi - we wish - (quick ear wiggling) - We wish you a Mer-ry Christ-mas, We wish you a Mer-ry Christ-mas, We WISH you a Mer-ry Christ-mas, and a haP-py New Year!" - K9, K9 & Company

THIS WEEK IN DOCTOR WHO - December 22, 2000

Welcome to the Doctor Who schedule column. It's Christmas weekend all over the Earth right now, a time for peace and good will. Which makes me wish I did not have to report this piece of news.

USA - NHPTV in New Hampshire is downgrading Doctor Who from 3PM Sundays to 12:30AM Late Thursdays(!) effective January 4, according to their January listings. This move is a surprise, as there had been no previous indications that Doctor Who was having trouble on that station. This Week is currently trying to find out what happened and what the move means for the long term future of Doctor Who on NHPTV. Tune in next week.

The other items, while not heart-warming charmers either, are at least less depressing.

USA - KUED in Salt Lake City, UT has now managed to air The Masque of Mandragora episode 1 for at least 3 of the last 4 weeks. It's an impressive first episode, but it might be worth checking the tapes before playing them, just to be safe.

USA - BBC America, on the other hand, will skip episodes 1+2 of The Masque of Mandragora this week, and just air episodes 3+4 (twice). It doesn't make sense to me either.

USA - KERA in Dallas, TX was apparently sent the wrong tape last weekend for its pledge broadcast of Doctor Who And The Silurians. While most of the story was in color, they were stuck with episode 4 in Black & White. KERA was airing Silurians and Spearhead From Space as previews, and will begin airing Jon Pertwee episodes each week in March. (actually June 2001)

I'm hoping to have better announcements to make after Christmas. We'll see. Additions and corrections are welcome at bfelli...@earthlink.net , bfelli...@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 7:15-10:10AM GMT The Green Death movie
Very early showing of Jo Grant's final story with the Doctor. As U*N*I*T investigates allegations of pollution and mind control plots at Global Chemicals, Jo seems to be following in love with a reckless scientist. Will this be the perfect Christmas romance for people to get in the spirit, or a Greek tragedy?

UK Gold 2 http://www.sceneone.co.uk/s1/tv/listings
Pre-empted yet again. Probably due to the length, as opposed to removing competition from Christmas Eve services.

EUROPE/AFRICA/ASIA:

BBC Prime http://www.bbcprime.com/
Late Fri 1AM*, Sat 3:30PM CET The Visitation ep 2 of 4
Late Thu 12:40AM CET The Visitation ep 3 of 4
*Not seen in all regions. No Sunday episode due to Christmas Eve specials. A 17th Century Highwayman is the only person the TARDIS crew can turn to when the Terrileptils turn the villagers against them.

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND:

UKTV Australia http://www.varos.com/drwho/uktv/
No weekend broadcasts due to Christmas.
Wed-Fri 11:30PM AEDT Genesis of the Daleks eps 1 - 3 of 6
The 4th Doctor is recruited to alter the history of the Daleks, or wipe them out of time altogether. In other news, a Kaled scientist named Davros has just put the finishing touches on his Mark III Travel Machine.

Prime TV New Zealand http://www.tetrap.com/drwho/nzdwfc/
http://www.primetv.co.nz/
Sun 6:30PM The Three Doctors ep 4 of 4
Last rerun in 1986. The three Doctors must unite to stop Omega. This is the final acting performance of William Hartnell, the first Doctor, who would pass away in 1975.
Mon-Thu 6:30PM Carnival Of Monsters eps 1 - 4 of 4
Last rerun in 1986. On Inter Minor, a pair of entertainers come across a regime that frowns on frivolity and aliens. In 1926, a cruise ship sets sail in the Indian Ocean, never to reach its destination. On Drashinga Prime, two daddy Drashigs are teaching their baby Drashigs how to hunt. Amid it all, the TARDIS is trying to get to Metebelis III. A tasty story for post-Christmas festivities.
Fri 6:30PM Frontier In Space ep 1 of 6
Only previous NZ broadcast in 1986. After being attacked in space, a freighter reports that Draconians have violated the peace treaty, and that the Doctor and Jo are double agents. But what's the rest of the story?

USA:

BBC America http://www.bbcamerica.com/
Tue-Thu 8AM EST (5AM PST); reruns following weekday 5AM EST (2AM PST) - 2 episodes per day
Tue/Wed The Masque of Mandragora eps 3+4 of 4
Episodes 1+2 are pre-empted by Christmas programming, and BBC America will not air those 2 episodes in this rotation. Mandragora prepares to swallow the Moon, and Hieronymous makes a shocking revelation to Count Giuliano.
Wed-Thu/Thu-Fri The Hand Of Fear eps 1 - 4 of 4
A fossilized hand leads the Doctor into the mystery behind the destruction of a silicon-based society millions of years ago.

NHPTV New Hampshire 11,49,52 http://nhptv.org/
Sun 3PM EST The Invisible Enemy eps 1+2 of 4
A space virus invades the Doctor's mind, hoping to use him as the leader of their invasion plan. But Leela is in the way.

WQED/WQEX 13,16 Pittsburgh, PA http://www.wqed.org/
Sat 11:30PM EST The Ribos Operation eps 3+4 of 4
The Graff Vynda-K goes insane, obsessed with obtaining a large piece of Jethrik, which is really the first segment of the Key To Time and vital to the future of the Universe.

WYBE 35 Philadelphia, PA http://www.wybe.org/
Sat 11PM EST Time-Flight eps 3+4 of 4
As the Doctor and the Master duel to try to decide what to do with the Xeraphin, Tegan contemplates whether to take her chance to resume a normal life in the 1980s.

MPT Maryland 22,28,31,36,62,67 http://www.mpt.org/
Late Sat Mid EST The Trial Of A Time Lord movie version, pt 1 of 4 (The Mysterious Planet)
Late start due to Red Green Christmas. The 6th Doctor, suffering from partial amnesia, finds himself being put on trial by the Time Lords for interference. The evidence against him begins with his activities on the planet Ravalox.

WUSF 16 Tampa, FL http://www.wusftv.usf.edu/
Sat 11:30PM EST Paradise Towers ep 1 of 4
Mel wants to visit a swimming pool, and the first one the 7th Doctor can find is in a deadly apartment complex.

WCET 48 Cincinnati, OH http://www.wcet.org/
Sat 11:30PM EST The Talons of Weng-Chiang ep 4+5 of 6
The Phantom Menace behind L'Hsen Chang is a murderer from the 51st Century. For history's sake, he must never be allowed to go home, as his time machine would destroy the world.

WYIN 56 Gary, IN (Chicago, IL) http://www.wyin.org/
Sat 10PM CST Underworld(?) ep 4(?) of 4

WILL 12 Urbana, IL http://www.will.uiuc.edu/
Sat 11:20PM CST The Ark In Space ep 1 of 4
The smallest cast of any Doctor Who episode ever (only the 4th Doctor, Sarah, and Harry appear). The TARDIS arrives in a powerless space beacon with dark secrets about humanity's future.

TPT 2 St. Paul, MN http://www.tpt.org/
Sat 11:30PM, Sun 5:30AM CST Underworld ep 2 of 4
The Minyan ship smashes into the planet, which thankfully is rather liquid in substance. As they reach the core, it is time to search for the race banks, and hope no one's in their way.

IPTV Iowa 11,12,21,24,27,32,32,36 http://www.sffn.com/ http://www.iptv.org/
Fri 11:05PM CST Destiny of the Daleks eps 3+4 of 4
The Doctor's Movellan allies begin acting suspiciously, and Romana's life may be in danger.

PPTV North Dakota 2,3,4,6,9,13,19 http://www.pptv.org/
Fri 10:30PM CST (9:30PM MST) The Pirate Planet ep 2 of 4
The Doctor investigates the Mentiads. Are they good guys, or evil parasitic monsters that genetically alter men to lure them to their deaths?

KBDI/K32EO 12,32 Denver/Colorado Springs, CO http://www.kbdi.org/
Late Fri 12:30-3:30AM MST National Doctor Who Night
TJ Lubinsky, Elaine Paterniak, and Sylvester McCoy encouraging on fandom to support Doctor Who, with the movie version of Remembrance of the Daleks as the featured story.
Sat 10:30PM MST Destiny of the Daleks eps 1+2 of 4
Late start due to Christmas programming. The Doctor and a new Romana realize that the Randomizer unit on the TARDIS has plopped them down onto a barren world brimming with radiation. Worse - the Daleks have just arrived as well. What could possibly interest the Daleks in such a ruin?

KUED 7 Salt Lake City, UT http://www.kued.org/
Sat 11PM, Late Sat 12:30AM MST The Masque of Mandragora ep 2 of 4
This time, KUED should finally air episode 2 of Masque. They can't keep repeating episode 1 forever. Can they?

KBTC/KCKA/K65BU 28,15,65 Tacoma/Centralia/Gray's River, WA
http://www.kbtc.org/
Sat 7PM, Late Sat 12:30AM PST The Robots of Death eps 3+4 of 4
When Poule goes insane, the Doctor and Leela must take his place on the route to save the Sandminer from death at the hands of robots.

KTEH 54 San Jose, CA http://www.kteh.org/
Sun 11PM PST The Curse of Fenric all 4 eps
Probably the original version, not the extended. An ancient evil from Viking times haunts an English village during World War II. Ace wants the Doctor to figure out what the evil is up to in time to protect everyone. But the Doc may already know.

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"And incidentally, a Merry Christmas to ALL of you at home." - William Hartnell, The Daleks' Masterplan episode 7 (The Feast Of Steven)