Who Across America 2000: Plans are underway for a national "Whovians across America" Doctor Who pledge event to be recorded and fed live from Pittsburgh's WQED in October. The marathon may be made available to all the public television stations that carry Dr.Who in the U.S. in late October. (Due to licensing restrictions, only current stations airing Dr.Who in the U.S. are eligible to air the special being packaged exclusively by WQED and BBC syndication sales.) The format calls for two special guests from the classic series to pick two of their own episodes, and fans across the net to vote for their all time favorite episodes with the same actors via an exclusive web-poll.

BBC Canada?: As of early April 2000, the BBC and Alliance Atlantis productions submitted a bid to the CRTC to launch BBC Canada, a digital Cable network. If the bid is approved, BBC Canada would try to launch sometime in 2001. Doctor Who would theoretically be one possibility for broadcast on this station, as it is on BBC America. (Thanks to Benjamin Elliott)

New Word on the TV Movie Rights in America: Some curious news about the rights to rebroadcast the Doctor Who 1996 TV movie with Paul McGann in America. Sources indicate that the US rights to the 1996 film are held by Studios USA (formerly Universal.) FOX's rights to the program expire May, 2000 -- not the previously rumored New Year's eve 1999 expiration. The cost to purchase the rights to the program are, unfortunately, prohibitive for PBS stations (somewhere in the ball park of half a million dollars.) Studios USA, however, is owned by Barry Diller, who also owns the USA Network and the Sci Fi Channel, so it is possible that the movie could turn up on one of those two outlets. (Information courtesy Benjamin Elliott)

About a month and a half ago, the sysadmin for the MUN Physics department (on whose system my web pages are housed) asked that I move my site off university computers because the traffic I was enjoying was more than MUNet could handle. At that time, I began looking into alternative means of bringing you the Doctor Who News Page (and, indeed, the rest of the Brief History site) -- hence the "big changes" I've alluded to in the past month or so.

However, as I was doing so, I slowly began to realise that my free time is now more scarce than ever, a situation not likely to change in the coming months as I write my honours thesis in the winter, and move on to grad school next September. Plus, I'll have to admit that after three and a half years, the News Page was no longer quite as much fun to maintain as it once was, and I found myself increasingly wanting to tackle new and different projects.

So, this week, I decided that it was time that my tenure as editor and maintainer of the News Page come to an end. I think it's better that I stop now and go out on a high note, than keep doing it and put in less than 100% of the effort the site demands; to do otherwise would ultimately be a disservice to you, the readers, who are the sole reason the News Page exists in the first place. This was not a decision reached lightly. I've loved doing the News Page -- it put me in touch with some great people, and I was thrilled to perform a valuable service to Doctor Who fans worldwide. But, as they say, all good things must end, and for me that time has come.

But -- but! -- this isn't the end of the News Page. Mark Phippen, whom many of you might know as the man behind Logopolis.com, has volunteered to take over the site. I'm confident Mark will be more than able to fill my shoes, and I wish him the best of luck. With the change of editor comes a change of URL, and the News Page can now be found at www.logopolis.com/whonews which Mark will be updating within a day or so. And, of course, there's also Shaun Lyon's excellent news site at Outpost Gallifrey. It would be absolutely impossible for me to thank everyone who's contributed to the News Page since its inception in May 1996. Literally hundreds of you have provided scoops, and at least a couple of dozen of you have done so on a regular basis. It would be pointless for me to try and list you all -- I'd be bound to forget people anyhow! -- but to anyone who's ever sent me a scoop, pointed out an error, or just written to say hi, thank you. Without you, the News Page could never be as successful as it has been.

And, lastly, in case you think you've heard the last of me -- no such luck! Although I'll no longer be handling the News Page, the rest of the Brief History site isn't going anywhere. I'll still be writing the Profile Pages and running the Novels Rankings, so be sure to drop by often! And thanks again.

It had long been reported that, following in the wake of the two Pertwee audio adventures, a third would go before the mike starring Tom Baker, in a story written by Eric Saward exploring the origins of the Cybermen. Then, reports surfaced that BBC Radio 2 had refused the project. This was later clarified: virtually all new proposals for BBC Radio programming have, in fact, been put on hold until October due to the recent restructing of the BBC. Indeed, a more recent Radio Times article indicated that the radio plays were still a going concern. Tom Baker, on the other hand, has stated that he would only be interested in doing an audio adventure if he were allowed to play the Doctor in a totally new manner, as he does not want to simply retread old ground.

Now a new wrinkle has entered the story, as David Rodan (co-writer of Dimensions In Time) stated at a Doctor Who weekend in late July that he had authored a Seventh Doctor/Ace/Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart radio play which had been scuppered by BBC Radio 2, after the actors involved had signed their contracts. The six-episode play was entitled Nuclear Kiss, and was a "Tom Clancy-style thriller" which would have seen the death of Lethbridge-Stewart at Nicholas Courtney's request.

Meanwhile, New Zealanders have the opportunity to hear 1985's Sixth Doctor/Peri radio play Slipback, which began airing on Saturday, September 20th.

In the UK, The Happiness Patrol was released in August. A boxed set of the E-Space Trilogy (Full Circle, State Of Decay, and Warriors' Gate) is on tap for October. 1998 will see Timelash (January), Battlefield (March, extended with previously unseen material), The Mind Of Evil (May, in black and white, but including five minutes recolorised from the extant color American clip, added at the end of the tape), The Horror Of Fang Rock (July) and Planet Of Fire (September). In November 1998, The Ice Warriors will be released as a two-tape pack. The missing episodes two and three will be replaced by short bridges making use of soundbites, narration, photos, telesnaps and graphics. The tape will be dovetailed by a 45-minute-long documentary on the junking of Sixties and Seventies episodes and the search now underway across the globe. This will also feature virtually every existing clip from incomplete episodes which could possibly be incorporated. It was previously thought that Colony In Space would also be released in 1998, but according to Restoration Team member Steve Roberts, it is not presently scheduled for release.

As part of a BBC-oriented Christmas campaign, CBS/FOX will be releasing the E-Space trilogy boxed set in North America in October. Further video releases will not take place until 1998 (possibly February), at least partly due to the fact that CBS/FOX has nearly caught up with BBC Video and wishes to have a little more choice in what they can offer next. On the Australian front, The King's Demon's/The Five Doctors Special Edition boxed set was released in July with a free deck of Doctor Who playing cards (not a trading card as was previously reported). Oddly, in New Zealand, the two were released on individual tapes (rather than as a boxed or double set), although, contrary to previous reports, the two were not the same price. The Leisure Hive is now available in Australia and will be out in New Zealand in November (though it is already available in some locations). The restored The War Machines is due in January in Australia.

After more than a year's worth of request by fans, the composers of the incidental music for the FOX telefilm -- John Debney, John Sponsler and Louis Febre -- have released a very limited number of copies of a soundtrack for the TV movie. The score is apparently available only in select music and comic book stores, and will probably not be offered for long.

Yes! Philip Segal recently reported that the TV movie won a Saturn award for Best Genre Dramatic Presentation from the Los Angeles-based Academy of Science Fiction. Segal received the award on July 22nd.

Yes. The American TV Guide asked readers what they thought was the best science-fiction programme of all time. Doctor Who finished second with about 7500 votes, 150 behind the winner, Babylon 5. Unfortunately, this was an extremely unscientific poll, with fans able to vote multiple times, and hence is probably not a good indication of the actual popularity of the programmes involved.

Meanwhile, the BBC's Radio Times ran a poll asking readers if they'd like to see Doctor Who back on television. While final tallies aren't known, the polltakers did confirm that the "Yes" side won decisively.

In mid-August, several Doctor Who web sites were contacted by Karen McCoy, executive producer of Default Films, a company which since 1987 has been attempting to interest the BBC in an animated Who series. McCoy -- who suggested an animated or live-action series were possibilities, depending on the desires of the BBC -- claimed to have sixty-six prepared scripts and to have spoken to Paul McGann's representatives, who told her McGann was not interested in reprising his role as the Eighth Doctor (see "If Doctor Who returns, will Segal, McGann, Roberts and Ashbrook all be back?", above). McCoy said she would seek new talent to voice the Eighth Doctor in Paul's stead.

While the News Page can confirm that Default Films has indeed approached BBC Worldwide, a fan investigation has unveiled new information which casts doubt on some of McCoy's assertions. Jack Mayfield, operations manager of Area 9, the company of which McCoy claimed Default Films was a part, refuted his company had anything to do with Default, having merely employed McCoy on a freelance basis in the past. Jason Bell, whom McCoy had cited as a co-executive producer on the Doctor Who project, and who is an Area 9 employee, has disavowed any participation. (John Lotshaw, the third executive producer named by McCoy, is no longer participating in the project according to McCoy.) Whether any of the other information provided by McCoy is similarly erroneous is unknown at this time. Furthermore, Nelvana -- the Canadian animation house with whom McCoy claimed to have collaborated on an animated Who proposal in the late Eighties -- has also denied ever having anything to do with her, although McCoy claims that this is simply because the fan did not reach an employee who was with Nelvana back then.

Another fan who had been in contact with Jason Bell in a professional capacity was able to clarify matters further, suggesting that McCoy had used Area 9's name -- because her associates were employed by them -- in order to give her project more credibility with fans. Bell's role essentially constituted letting McCoy use the Area 9 facilities as a favor. Bell also said that, while McCoy may well have prepared sixty-six scripts, only three were included in the proposal to BBC Worldwide; certainly, absolutely no pre-production design or the like has been completed.

Finally, Gary Gillatt, editor of Doctor Who Magazine, has confirmed that BBC Worldwide is not interested in making an animated version of Doctor Who. If and when the programme returns, it will be as a live action show or nothing at all.

Will FOX be picking up Doctor Who for more movies or a series?

Sadly, the answer now appears to be a definitive no. In an e-mail to a fan in late November, a spokesperson for FOX scheduling confirmed that FOX had declined to exercise its option on Doctor Who.

According to Ceefax, the BBC has also decided not to proceed with a new series, given the end of its American co-production partnership. A spokesperson suggested that a second movie was not out of the question, however. All this is particularly unfortunate as, in a phone-in poll conducted in late May and early June, 96% of 6000 voters indicated they would like to see Doctor Who return as an ongoing series.

At the Conservative Party Conference on October 9th. Will Wyatt, Head of BBC Television, confirmed that he felt Doctor Who was simply too expensive to make without American support. Wyatt also argued that the movie had been "too dark" and bemoaned what he perceived as a lack of quality in 1980s Who. He was, however, complimentary toward the enthusiasm of executive producer Phil Segal.

So what happens now?

It's hard to say. FOX's "first choice" option expired at the end of 1996, and Universal's will do the same in December if there is no positive activity (certain reports, and indeed Phil Segal himself, had suggested the option would terminate in April, but this does not appear to have been the case). Some reports suggest that BBC Worldwide is looking to countries where the film was a success for a new co-producer. Other sources, including BBC engineer Steve Roberts, claim BBC Worldwide may be interested in making a new series themselves. Roberts was quoted as saying on the CompuServe SF/Fantasy Media Forum in late March that BBC Worldwide "can't wait for the Universal option to expire so they can do something with it next year" (ie possibly make a new series). However, Philip Segal and others have pointed out in the past that BBC Worldwide likely lack the resources to make Doctor Who themselves, and would still require a co-production deal. Furthermore, it appears that BBC television is becoming increasingly less enthusiastic about Doctor Who, though the return of former BBC-1 Controller (and known Who supporter Alan Yentob as head of BBC Television (and official deputy of Will Wyatt, chief executive of BBC Broadcast) could potentially mean a change in this attitude. On March 17th, Segal was quoted on ITV Teletext urging the BBC to keep Doctor Who alive.

What were the US and UK ratings like? How about video and merchandise sales?

In the US, the movie netted a disappointing 5.5 rating and a 9 share, placing it joint 75th out of 98 network programmes for the week; this is far below the 15 share FOX was apparently hoping for. The half-hour breakdown in terms of rating/share was 5.3/9, 5.5/9, 5.4/8 and 5.7/9. Reportedly, the movie netted a 14 share amongst teenagers, a 12 share amongst men aged 18 to 49, and an 8 share amongst women aged 18 to 49. The 9 share is a little below the average for the FOX Tuesday Night movie, which stands at around an 11 share. The movie did do quite well in some regions, though, netting as high as a 15 share in the Washington, DC area. It was also the most-taped programme of the week.

The show faced tough competition, including programmes like Roseanne which ended up with a crushing 25 share.

Final UK Ratings are now in, and are significantly better than the early estimates predicted. Doctor Who finished with 9.08 million viewers, placing it 15th overall (9th when only counting once those programmes with multiple episodes that week) in the BARB charts for the week ending June 2nd (which was topped by an episode of Coronation Street at 16.02 million viewers), and at 10th place (5th place counting EastEnders and Neighbours only once) in the BBC's Top Ten. Doctor Who also finished 2nd amongst dramas, beaten only by ITV's The Knock with 9.92 million viewers. According to DreamWatch, its Audience Appreciation figure was very high at 75, a mark previously reached only by The Five Doctors. It is also important to note that Doctor Who's ratings may have been affected by its being aired on a Bank Holiday Monday -- that night's episode of Eastenders, for instance, was down 18% on the previous week.

The video, meanwhile, entered the CIN sales charts at 3rd place. The following week, it slipped to 6th and then disappeared off the Top Thirty in its third week of sales. While this is below expectations, it is nevertheless second amongst Doctor Who videos to Tomb Of The Cybermen.

The money lost to BBC Worldwide on video sales has apparently been recouped by stellar sales of movie-related merchandise, specifically that offered in Radio Times.

If Doctor Who returns, will Segal, McGann, Roberts and Ashbrook all be back?

With FOX having now passed on Doctor Who, it is unclear whether Paul McGann -- who had been contracted for five years if FOX had gone ahead with the programme -- is still bound to Doctor Who in any way. McGann, however, has suggested to Sylvester McCoy that he would like to play the role again (contrary to popular fan rumor), and even suggested the possibility of attending a convention if McCoy was there "to hold his hand".

Segal now has commitments to Lakeshore Productions, making it seem unlikely that he would return to Doctor Who. However, if the reports that Segal was influential in Universal's extension of their Doctor Who contract are true, it could be that Segal has reconsidered this position. Furthermore, he has hinted that, should nothing pan out for the programme in the near future, he may be interested in spearheading another revival as a cinematic venture.

As for the others, Ashbrook's involvement would presumably be contingent on the actress' schedules and on the willingness of any future production team to involve her. Roberts was essentially a one-shot guest star and would probably not return to Doctor Who again.

UPDATED! When will Doctor Who air in my country?

Doctor Who was aired on the French station France2 on Tuesday, March 18th at 11pm under the title Le Seigneur du Temps ("The Time Lord"). According to ITV's Teletext, Spain, Portugal, Greece and South Africa are also interested in purchasing the movie.

FOX still has the rights to repeat the movie one more time (and a video release in North America cannot occur before this happens). Although rumors had suggested this would take place this summer, FOX Scheduling now preports that Doctor Who will most likely not appear amongst their summer movies.

Where can I find more information about the movie?

A brief synopsis, as well as a cast/crew list and production history are available on my Eighth Doctor Page.

Is it true the BBC is being sued over the TV movie?

Yes. A consortium called Daltenreys, headed up by George Dugdale, John Humphreys and Peter Litten but also including two members of the band Dire Straits amongst others, had obtained the right in 1987 to make a cinematic version of Doctor Who. After several failed attempts, Daltenreys entered into a deal with Lumiere Pictures in 1993. Things appeared to begin to turn around then, with a new script written by Star Trek scribe Denny Martin Flynn, Leonard Nimoy on tap to direct, and Alan Rickman reportedly on the verge of signing to play the Doctor. Then, in 1994, the BBC seized back the rights, claiming Daltenreys had run out of time; the principals, however, claim that the BBC obstructed their attempts to move the production along, and made the deal with Phil Segal (which ultimately led to the production of Enemy Within) before their rights had actually expired. The Daltenreys principals -- who claim the BBC's actions financially bankrupted them -- are seeking about 14 million pounds in compensation and lost profits.

Is there anyone else interested in making Doctor Who?

A report in Doctor Who Magazine #252 suggests that an Atlanta-based company (which had previously tried to instigate a Doctor Who animated series in the Eighties) has entered into discussions with a British company with regard to a new series of Doctor Who. The Atlanta company is developing a format for two full 22-episode seasons of the new programme and hope to conclude talks this summer. However, BBC Worldwide is not yet involved and, given how many other such rumors have been bandied about in the past eight years, fans would be well advised not to get their hopes up at this stage.

Will there be a new K-9 TV show?

Doctor Who Magazine reports that a four-part programme featuring K-9 -- intended as a precursor to a full-fledged new series -- is now in development. Produced by Bob Baker (who created K-9 along with Dave Martin) and Paul Tams, K-9 will be redesigned and updated from his original appearance by Steve Mansbridge, who worked on several late Eighties Who episodes. The programme (which has not been picked up by a network yet, but has garnered interest from the BBC) will be targetted at a family audience -- featuring a variety of child sidekicks for K-9 -- and will demonstrate no obvious links to Doctor Who. The new K-9 episodes will begin filming later this year, allegedly with a seven-figure budget.