This Week In Doctor Who - August 11, 2004
(posted 11th Aug 2004, 11:35am - TWIDW post #0243)

THIS WEEK IN DOCTOR WHO - August 11, 2004
by Benjamin F. Elliott
Vol 7, No 32
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thisweekindoctorwho
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Shortly after last week's column went to press, big Doctor Who news
hit TV, radio, newspapers, and online sites throughout the UK. A
significant character(s) from the original TV series would return in
the new episodes after all, in spite of a previous story one month
earlier that went across TV, radio, newspapers, and online sites
throughout the UK. Normally, the return of one or more characters
from the original series would count as a spoiler, and this column
will try very hard to be spoiler free for the new episodes. In my
opinion, the character(s) whose return was announced last week is an
exception. The contract dispute that caused the character(s) to be
kicked out last month was a major news story, and at least one major
newspaper had a campaign to bring the character(s) back (a campaign
that had no bearing in the resolution). The resolution of the
dispute caused similar attention. The story had become big enough to
send out an alert to the list over its resolution, in my opinion.
Since the news coverage had ended any chance of this character(s)
still being a spoiler, it was the right call.

Now that the story is over, the character(s) will not be mentioned
in this column again in relation to the new series, unless a story
title includes the name of said character(s). No other guest
characters are going to be mentioned here unless a similar unusual
situation exists which already eliminates their status as a surprise.

BBC Prime http://www.bbcprime.com has announced in their Frequently Asked Questions area that they have no plans to air Dr Who at this time. BBC Prime is a satellite & cable channel carried in much of Europe, Africa, and Asia. From 1995 to 2002, it aired nearly all of the Doctor Who stories from Spearhead From Space through Survival. Presumably they had received e-mails asking if they would be airing the new Doctor Who episodes. Sounds like there is no need to ask them to air Who at this time.

Based on BBC Prime's programming schedule, it looks like the main focus is on programs that either won't sell well to local countries in its area or that are old enough that countries in its coverage area have already had a chance to air the programs first.

BBC Kids http://www.bbckids.ca in Canada is making changing in its weekday schedule effective Monday 6 September. Doctor Who does not yet appear on the weekday schedule, but the show is usually added several days after the rest of the schedule. We'll know what is happening by next week. The 3:30AM Eastern Time half-hour goes to the series Madison. BTW, among the shows added to the BBC Kids lineup is Blackadder, airing at Midnight and 5AM. I dread to think how much they will have to cut to get the episodes down to 22 ½ minutes each and make them appropriate for a "kids" format.

BBC 7 http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7 will encore the Colin Baker radio
Doctor Who drama Slipback Saturdays at 6:40PM and 12:40AM BST.
Episodes will be edited into 20 minute chunks and aired over 3
Saturday like previous BBC 7 airings. Available on digital radio and
TV in the UK, live via RealPlayer and Windows Media Player
worldwide, and for a week afterwards on the BBC 7 listen again page
in RealPlayer.

Iowa Public TV http://www.iptv.org is scheduled to turn on several of its digital transmitters tonight at 6:30PM Central Time to show the State Fair Parade in HDTV. Thereafter, a simulcast of analog IPTV is expected (HDTV when possible, SDTV otherwise), including Doctor Who. Due to virtual channel mapping, KDIN-DT 50 Des Moines will show up as 11 on most digital tuners, KRIN-DT 35 Waterloo will appear as 32, and KSIN-DT 28 Sioux City will look like 27. It's all an attempt to try to make the digital system easier to use. No, I'm not kidding. We do not have a date for other Iowa Public TV digital transmitters going on air.

Maryland Public TV http://www.mpt.org made a late schedule change, removing Planet of the Daleks on August 7 and replacing it with The Green Death. All stories down the line are moving up one week. This now means that Death to the Daleks is scheduled for August 28. For now, at least.

Corrections and updates are always welcome at thisweekindoctorwho-
owner@yahoogroups.com , bfelliott@... , TWIDW on AOL IM ,
and thebfe on Yahoo Messenger. Here are the listings:

THE SECOND 40 YEARS:

DOCTOR WHO
Doctor: Christopher Eccleston
Rose Tyler: Billie Piper
Mickey: Noel Clarke (semi-regular?)
Jackie: Camille Coduri (6 episodes)
Written by: Russell T. Davies (8 episodes), Steven Moffatt (2
episodes), Paul Cornell (1 episode), Rob Shearman (1 episode), Mark
Gattiss (1 episode)
Original Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Premieres: 2005 (date TBA)
Total episodes for first series: 13
First broadcaster - BBC One
45 minute episodes

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RADIO/INTERNET:

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BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/shada
Shada - starring Paul McGann and Lalla Ward. Remake of the classic
unfinished Douglas Adams story. 6 episodes long.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/shalka
"The Scream Of The Shalka" - starring Richard E. Grant as The
Doctor. 6 episode story. The Shalka prepare to conquer the Earth
from below. Unfortunately for them, the Doctor is back.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/realtime
"Real Time" - starring Colin Baker and the Cybermen. 6 episode
illustrated audio tale. The Doctor and Evelyn Smythe research a
temple that has been yanking scientists out of time. The secrets of
the temple threaten the future and past of two species.

American Who http://www.americanwho.net
Online news/talk show. Upcoming editions:
Week of August 15 - Keith Barnfather; also - MJ Simpson,
author "Hitch Hiker: The Biography of Douglas Adams", discusses
Douglas' involvement in Doctor Who.
Week of September 1 - The Great Dalek Debate! Guests TBA.
Current episode:
http://www.interstellartransmissions.com/amwho/80204.mp3
50 minute broadcast. Streamlined newscast, followed by two
interviews. Charles Martin chats with Lars Pearson of Mad Norwegian
Press (author of the I, Who book series). Joey interviews Tom
Spilsbury, asst ed. of Doctor Who Magazine as filming begins on the
first regular series of episodes since 1989.

Sci-Fi Overdrive http://www.scifioverdrive.com
on Business Talk Network http://www.businesstalkradio.net
Late Sun/Early Mon 2-5AM EDT (11PM-2AM PDT, 7-10AM BST, 4-7PM AEST)
Live Stream http://www.warpradio.com/popTuner.asp?id=14085
Hour 1 - news & comment. Hour 2 - Peter Adkison of Gencon on the new
element in Live Action Role Playing; more news & comment. Hour 3 -
Dave Durica meets the movers and shakers of Anime Festival Orlando.

THE FIRST 40 YEARS:

UK:

UKTV Gold http://www.ukgold.tv http://www.onthebox.com/partner/otb
(All times 1 hour later on UKTV Gold + 1)
Saturday 7-9AM BST Earthshock movie
Series 19, Episodes 19 through 22. Doctor: Peter Davison. An old enemy hopes to destroy Earth in the 26th Century before it can host a conference to rid the galaxy of this evil. The 5th Doctor and company face two efforts to destroy the world.
Sunday 7-9AM BST Time-Flight movie
Series 19, Episodes 23 through 26. Doctor: Peter Davison. Shell shocked, the TARDIS crew returns to Heathrow Airport in the 20th Century. Concorde airplanes and their passengers are disappearing mid-flight. The 5th Doctor proposes to use his TARDIS to track them down.

AUSTRALIA:

ABC http://www.abc.net.au/tv
Thursday 6:00PM Carnival Of Monsters ep 2 of 4
Monday 6:03PM Carnival Of Monsters ep 3 of 4
Tuesday 6:04PM Carnival Of Monsters ep 4 of 4
Series 10, Episodes 6 through 8. Doctor: Jon Pertwee.
The 3rd Doctor and Jo try to escape the Scope before they become Drashig Souffle. But what about everyone else in the Scope? If anything happened to the machine, it could be curtains.
Wednesday 6:02PM The Green Death ep 1 of 6
Series 10, Episode 21. Doctor: Jon Pertwee.
Following the events of Frontier In Space and {s[Planet Of The Daleks}}, 2 stories ABC could not get, the 3rd Doctor and Jo are back on Earth. Jo rallies to the cause of the people at Nuthutch, scientists and hippies convinced that a mining company is unleashing evil in Wales.

CANADA/USA:

BBC Kids http://www.bbckids.ca
7 Days A Week 1 + 3:30AM EDT (10PM + 12:30AM PDT) - 2 episodes weekdays, full stories weekends)
Wednesday The Deadly Assassin pts 1+2 of 4
Thursday The Deadly Assassin pts 3+4 of 4
Series 14, Episodes 9 through 12. Doctor: Tom Baker.
Recalled to Gallifrey, the 4th Doctor tries to stop an assassination that could rip Time Lord civilization apart. Thus begins one of the wildest adventures of his lives. The only Doctor Who story with no official companion.
Friday The Face of Evil pts 1+2 of 4
Series 14, Episodes 13 through 14. Doctor: Tom Baker.
The 4th Doctor lands on a planet he has clearly visited before, but does not remember. The planet definitely remembers him - seems he's the equivalent of Satan.
Saturday The Seeds of Doom all 6 pts (1AM EDT only)
Series 13, Episodes 21 through 26. Doctor: Tom Baker.
The 4th Doctor and Sarah travel the globe trying to track down alien seed pods discovered in Antarctica. If allowed to grow to full size, the pods will take over all plant life and declare war on flesh kind.
Sunday The Masque of Mandragora all 4 pts
Series 14, Episodes 1 through 4. Doctor: Tom Baker.
In 1492, an evil Count hopes to keep his nephew from gaining power in a section of Italy that is on the verge of the Renaissance. Count Frederico is about to get some unexpected help. Very dangerous help.
Monday The Face of Evil pts 3+4 of 4
Series 14, Episodes 15 through 16. Doctor: Tom Baker.
Tuesday The Robots of Death pts 1+2 of 4
Series 14, Episodes 17 through 18. Doctor: Tom Baker.
On an isolated Sandminer, the technicians who keep the robots happy mining are slowly being murdered by an unknown force.

NHPTV New Hampshire http://www.nhptv.org
analog 11, 49, 52
digital 11-2 (57-2), 49-2 (48-2), 52-2 (49-2)
Boston DirecTV 11,955
Boston Dish 11,8781
Pre-empted by pledge drive. Doctor Who returns August 21.

WYBE Philadelphia, PA http://www.wybe.org
analog 35
digital 35-1 (34-1)
Philadelphia DirecTV 35,909
Philadelphia Dish 35,8162
Saturday 11PM EDT The Trial Of A Time Lord pts 11+12 of 14 (Terror Of The Vervoids pts 3+4)
Series 23, Episodes 11 through 12. Doctor: Colin Baker.
The 6th Doctor is suspicious when his evidence to the Court appears different from when he previewed it. In the footage, the 6th Doctor and Mel learn the true nature of the Vervoids, while having to face 3 groups intent on murder at the same time on the same ship.

MPT Maryland http://www.mpt.org
analog 22, 67, 31, 28, 62, 36
digital 22-2 (42-2), 67-2 (29-2), 31-2 (44-2), 28-2 (56-2), 28, 54
DC/Hagerstown, Baltimore DirecTV 22,980
Baltimore Dish 22,8736
Late Saturday Mid EDT The Time Warrior movie
Series 11, Episodes 1 through 4. Doctor: Jon Pertwee.
Due to the late change removing Planet of the Daleks, The Green Death aired last week. This time, the 3rd Doctor tracks scientists who are being nabbed from the 20th Century and brought to the 11th Century to do repair work on an alien spacecraft. The last thing he needs is a stowaway on the TARDIS.

WCET Cincinnati, OH http://cetconnect.org
analog 48
digital 48-2 (34-2)
Cincinnati DirecTV 48,909
Cincinnati Dish 48,8356
Saturday 11PM EDT Spearhead From Space eps 3+4 of 4
Series 7, Episodes 3 through 4. Doctor: Jon Pertwee. The 3rd Doctor and Liz Shaw face an army of mannequins who are impersonating people, preparing to take over England.

WILL Urbana, IL http://www.will.uiuc.edu
analog 12
digital 9 - not on air
Champaign Dish 12,7407
Saturday 11:40PM CDT Earthshock pt 2 of 4
Series 19, Episode 20. Doctor: Peter Davison.
The enemy who is trying to destroy the Earth is revealed. The 5th Doctor, Adric, Nyssa, Tegan, and the military must disable a bomb and find any other traps that were set in motion.

IPTV Iowa http://www.sffn.com/ http://www.iptv.org
analog 11, 32, 27, 12, 21, 24, 32, 36, 36
digital 11-1 (50-1), 32-1 (35-1), 27-1 (28-1), 45, 25, 18, 33, 35, 34
Des Moines DirecTV 11,474
Des Moines Dish 11,9116
Cedar Rapids Dish 12,9161
Omaha DirecTV 32
Omaha Dish 32,9146
Sioux City Dish 27,7195
Quad Cities Dish 36,7607 (not yet available)
Saturday 11:34PM CDT The Leisure Hive pts 3+4 of 4
Series 18, Episodes 3 through 4. Doctor: Tom Baker.
First chance to see Doctor Who on a digital station in Iowa, if you live in the Des Moines, Waterloo, or Sioux City areas. The 4th Doctor's attempts to clear his name are impeded after an accident with Leisure Hive technology leaves him severely aged. Pre-empted next week by coverage of the Iowa State Fair. Doctor Who returns August 28.

KUED/KUEW-DT/KUES-DT Salt Lake City/St. George/Richfield, UT
http://www.kued.org
analog 7
digital 7-1 (42-1), 18-1 (18-1), 19-1 (19-1)
Salt Lake City DirecTV 7,982
Salt Lake City Dish 7,8536
Saturday 11:30PM MDT Enlightenment pt 4 of 4
Turlough faces his destiny as the space race of the Immortals comes to a close. The Black Guardian and the White Guardian finally admit that they've been watching all the time.

KBTC/KCKA Tacoma/Centralia, WA http://www.kbtc.org
analog 28,15
digital 28-1 (27-1), 15-1 (19-1)
Seattle DirecTV 28,910
Seattle Dish 28,8620
Saturday 7PM + 12:30AM PDT Terror of the Autons eps 1+2 of 4
Series 8, Episodes 1 through 2. Doctor: Jon Pertwee. The Master, an old friend of the Doctor, has come to Earth on a mission of evil world domination. The 3rd Doctor and UNIT face a triple threat - the Master, the return of the Autons, and the Doctor's new assistant - Jo Grant.

Thanks for reading. Until next week, take care.

Doctor Who is a BBC Trademark. Copyright 2004.