This Week In Doctor Who - December 29, 2000 - Vol. 3, No. 51
(posted 29th Dec 2000, via rec.arts.drwho)

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by Benjamin F. Elliott
Vol. 3, No. 51
December 29, 2000
Doctor Who is a BBC Trademark. Copyright 2000.
Welcome to the final This Week In Doctor Who column of the 2nd Millennium AD. To improve the column's demographics, the This Week logo has been altered into a diamond format to try to match the BBC DVD covers. If the BBC thinks they can improve book sales by making their books match the DVDs, This Week can experiment in the same vein. We'll see how it goes.

Whatever happens with the specific formatting, This Week will continue to cover all the known Doctor Who broadcasts around the world in this coming year. When new stations add the show (as we know some will), This Week will be there. We'll also be there when some stations drop it (as we know that will happen too. Will the BBC make that radio series of Who they've been considering? Will a movie finally get off the ground? Will the probable actors & writers strike in the US improve things for all British shows, including Doctor Who? Whatever happens, This Week will try to stay on top of the wild ride.

UK - Channel 4 in the UK surprised audiences last Friday (22 December) by airing Dr. Who And The Daleks at 1:20PM, replacing The Babysitters Club. I guess they thought the films reached the same demographic. S4C, Channel 4's Welsh version, ran Dr. Who And The Daleks this morning (29 December) at 11AM GMT, also replacing The Babysitters Club. I guess Channel 4 is determined to make certain this column never knows in time when they're going to air a Peter Cushing Doctor Who movie.

USA - The column is still waiting to find out why NHPTV is moving Doctor Who to Thursday late nights from Sunday afternoons. So far, all that has been revealed was that the decision is very recent. Hopefully there will be some answers by next week.

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

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RADIO:

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BCB Radio Bradford, UK http://www.bcb.yorks.com/
RealPlayer Stream http://www.bcb.yorks.com/
Thu 7ishPM GMT (2ishPM EST, 11ishAM PST, Fri 6ishAM AEDT) The Who Review
monthly review of Doctor Who video/audio/book releases in the UK, with other features and commentary by host Tim Moon. The show runs between 30 and 40 minutes.

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TV:

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UK:

UK Gold http://www.sceneone.co.uk/s1/tv/listings
Sun 7:50-9:40AM GMT The Time Warrior movie
Sarah Jane Smith makes her first appearance in this installment as a journalist investigating the disappearance of valuable scientists with poor dress sense. Her one lead - a scientist who has an improbable workshop disguised as a police box.

UK Gold 2 http://www.sceneone.co.uk/s1/tv/listings
Sun 6-7:50PM GMT The Time Warrior movie
Finally, UK Gold 2 remembers about its same day rerun. If you have UK Gold 2, you have one more chance to see this story before 1) going to New Years' parties or 2) getting a good night's sleep.

EUROPE/AFRICA/ASIA:

BBC Prime http://www.bbcprime.com/
Late Fri 1:15AM*, Sat 3:30PM CET The Visitation ep 3 of 4
Late Thu 12:30AM CET The Visitation ep 4 of 4
*Not seen in all regions. The Sunday airing is being pre-empted - again. Nyssa builds a device to neutralize the Terrileptil menace. But the robot invades the TARDIS before it is finished.

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND:

UKTV Australia http://www.varos.com/drwho/uktv/
No weekend airings. As of publication time, it was unclear what UKTV was doing with the show from 1 January on. If Doctor Who airs on 1 January, the probable schedule is:
Mon-Wed 11:30PM AEDT Genesis of the Daleks eps 4 - 6 of 6
Thu-Fri 11:30PM AEDT Revenge of the Cybermen eps 1 - 2 of 4
If Doctor Who does not air on 1 January, the probable schedule is:
Tue-Thu 11:30PM AEDT Genesis of the Daleks eps 4 - 6 of 6
Fri 11:30PM AEDT Revenge of the Cybermen ep 1 of 4

[update 29 Dec John P Darcy] The schedule as printed in the Janaury
Foxtel Magazine is as follows:
Mon 1 Jan: none
Tue 2 Jan: Genesis of the Daleks 4
Wed 3 Jan: Genesis of the Daleks 5
Thu 4 Jan: Genesis of the Daleks 6
Fri 5 Jan: Revenge of the Cybermen 1

All of the above at 23:30 AEDT

Sun 7 Jan 0700: The Ark in Space 1-4
0900: The Sontaran Experiment 1-2
Mon 8 Jan 0100: The Ark in Space 1-4
0300: The Sontaran Experiment 1-2

Note that the last item in the list above is misprinted in the magazine as 1:30am.

For the rest of January the schedule is back to the normal weekly pattern. Hence Sunday 28 Jan is an omnibus of Terror of the Zygons, and Wednesday Jan 31 is The Android Invasion 3. If there is any substantial change to the scheduling before they reach The Leisure Hive, I shall be very cross on tape-library-completion grounds :)

Prime TV New Zealand http://www.tetrap.com/drwho/nzdwfc/
http://www.primetv.co.nz/
Sun-Thu 6:30PM Frontier In Space eps 2 - 6 of 6
Only previous airing in 1986. The Master wants to start a war between Earth and Draconia, and uses the fears of those two planets to drive the people into an unquenchable rage of paranoia.
Fri 6:30PM Planet of the Daleks ep 1 of 6
Only previous airing in 1986. The Doctor falls into a coma, and is thus unable to warn Jo of the dangers of the planet they have just landed on.

USA:

BBC America http://www.bbcamerica.com/
Mon-Thu 8AM EST (5AM PST); reruns following weekday 5AM EST (2AM PST) - 2 episodes daily
Mon-Tue/Tue-Wed The Deadly Assassin eps 1 - 4 of 4
A skeletal figure with a grudge against the Doctor and Gallifrey lures them both into a deadly game, distracting attention from efforts to cheat death and a hostile takeover of the universe.
Wed-Thu/Thu-Fri The Face of Evil eps 1 - 4 of 4
The Doctor discovers that the menace threatening the existence of the tribe of the Tesh has his voice and his face. His future - or his past?
» this was The Seeds of Doom 1-4

NHPTV New Hampshire 11,49,52 http://nhptv.org/
Sun 3PM EST The Invisible Enemy eps 3+4 of 4
Cloned versions of the Doctor and Leela are injected into the Doctor's brain to locate and neutralize the leader of the Virus. But they are not alone. It might be the last daytime broadcast on NHPTV for a while, so let's give it a good send-off. You'll be buried under 18 inches of snow anyway, so why not.
Late Thu 12:30AM EST Image of the Fendahl eps 1+2 of 4
(Believe it or not, that is the new time.) The Doctor discovers a Time Scanner at work on Earth, a dangerous piece of technology that can have the side effect of blowing up whatever planet it resides on. Meanwhile, the users are uncovering the secret to something still more dangerous.

WQED/WQEX 13,16 Pittsburgh, PA http://www.wqed.org/
Sat 11:30PM EST The Pirate Planet eps 1+2 of 4
The search for the 2nd segment of the Key To Time leads the TARDIS to exactly the right place at exactly the right time - but the wrong planet. A good chance to lure in non-fans to watch the show, as this story is written by Douglas Adams, and roads may be closed by snow.

WYBE 35 Philadelphia, PA http://www.wybe.org/
Sat 11PM EST Arc of Infinity eps 1+2 of 4
The resolution of the cliffhanger that left Tegan stranded back home where she originally wanted to be in the first place. Meanwhile, the TARDIS is scanned by the Arc Of Infinity, a powerful anomaly being used by a being that wants to return to its home - Gallifrey. Take time out from watching the foot of snow bury you to enjoy this.

MPT Maryland 22,28,31,36,62,67 http://www.mpt.org/
Sat 11:30PM EST The Trial Of A Time Lord movie, pt 2 of 4 (Mindwarp)
The Valeyard's second segment of evidence seems determined to drive the Doctor over the edge. Based on the footage, the Doctor appears to have sold out Peri and an entire civilization to save his own life. This segment ends with, in my opinion, the most disturbing cliffhanger of the entire series.

WUSF 16 Tampa, FL http://www.wusftv.usf.edu/
Sat 11:30PM EST Paradise Towers ep 2 of 4
No snow for you. Mel is invited to dinner by two of the Rezzies. Two very insistent Rezzies ...

WCET 48 Cincinnati, OH http://www.wcet.org/
Sat 11:30PM EST The Talons of Weng-Chiang ep 6 of 6
Magnus Greel plans to destroy the Doctor. But he hasn't factored in Henry Gordon Jago and Professor Litefoot. Or his own Peking Homonculous.
Sat 11:55PM EST Horror of Fang Rock ep 1 of 4
A fog descends over the lighthouse at Fang Rock, setting off a rash of paranoia among the lighthouse keepers. But are you crazy when they really are out to get you?

WYIN 56 Gary, IN (Chicago, IL) http://www.wyin.org/
Sat 10PM CST "The Invasion Of Time(?)" ep 1(?) of 6(?)
Based on the online listings, this is the final episode, and the same business review special is airing in the time slot for each of the next 4 weeks. They have the same special scheduled for the first 5 weeknights as well, so somehow I think WYIN sent out the wrong information. Do not panic.
» reported as actually The Deadly Assassin: Part Three

WILL 12 Urbana, IL http://www.will.uiuc.edu/
Sat 11:20PM CST The Ark In Space ep 2 of 4
Noah and Vira, the commanders of the Ark, awake. And they aren't too happy to find the Doctor there. But a green trail of slime may be more dangerous than any scarf-wearing Time Lord.

TPT 2 St. Paul, MN http://www.tpt.org/
Sat 11:30PM, Sun 5:30AM CST Underworld ep 3 of 4
The Doctor and Leela get involved in a slave revolt. But where are the race banks of the P7E?

IPTV 11,12,21,24,27,32,32,36 http://www.sffn.com/ http://www.iptv.org/
Fri 11:05PM CST City of Death eps 1+2 of 4
The Doctor and Romana vacation in Paris in the 20th Century, for once with no plans and no enemies to fight. Or so they think.

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 3 of 4
The Doctor and K9 take on the Pirate Captain on his own turf - the Bridge.

KBDI/K32EO 12,32 Denver/Colorado Springs, CO http://www.kbdi.org/
Late Fri 12:30AM MST Destiny of the Daleks eps 1+2 of 4
Sat 10PM MST Destiny of the Daleks eps 3+4 of 4
5 years before Kirk & crew engaged in a search for Spock, Doctor Who put its own twist on the tale. The Daleks are searching for their creator - Davros, who was left for dead in the ashes of Skaro many years ago.

KUED 7 Salt Lake City, UT http://www.kued.org/
Sat 11PM, Late Sat 12:30AM MST The Masque of Mandragora ep 3 of 4
The comedic second banana villain. The spice that relieves the tension caused by the main villain. The colorful character who you always feel sad had to join in the defeat. But what if such a villain could rise above his station, overpower the main villain, and endanger the entire world. This is his story.

KBTC/KCKA/K65BU 28,15,65 Tacoma/Centralia/Gray's River, WA
http://www.kbtc.org/
Sat 7PM, Late Sat 12:30AM PST The Talons of Weng-Chiang eps 1+2 of 6
The Doctor takes Leela to Victorian England for a taste of classical theatre. Women being hypnotized, death, mistaken identity, expensive costumes. Of course, he was expecting to see it on the stage, not experience it personally.

KTEH 54 San Jose, CA http://www.kteh.org/
Sun 11PM PST Survival all 3 eps
In the final story of the original series, the 7th Doctor brings Ace back to Perivale, to investigate the disappearance of her friends and deal with the emotions that caused her to leave in the first place. All the while, a black cat watches intently. Note - this black cat later was cast as "Salem" on Sabrina, The Teenage Witch. 2nd note - when KTEH goes back to the 1st Doctor next week, they will be airing stories in movie format, at least for the time being. 3rd note - KTEH is airing the last story of the original series as their last program of the Millennium. Let's give them a thumbs-up for cleverness.
Late Sun 12:15AM PST "KTEH Interviews Tom Baker
Another one of the interviews KTEH has done with Doctor Who celebrities over the decades.

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Thanks for reading. Until the next Millennium, take care.