Coming Up

Wednesday, 24 March 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster
With the new series just around the corner, prepare for a deluge of UK television and radio coverage! As with Christmas, the Doctor Who News Page is presenting a summary of coverage, which you can find from our Coming Up menu tab at the top.

If you come across anything we haven't listed, please do let us know!




FILTER: - Editorial - Broadcasting

Start Time Confirmed

Wednesday, 24 March 2010 - Reported by Marcus
The new series of Doctor Who will premier on BBC One and BBC HD at 6.20pm on Saturday 3rd April.

The Eleventh Hour is proceeded by the game show Total Wipeout, which got 4.7 million viewers when last shown in January. It will be followed by the new talent series Over the Rainbow, in which Andrew Lloyd Webber tries to find a star for his new production of The Wizard of Oz.

ITV1 have put up their now traditional opposition to a new series of Doctor Who, a Harry Potter film, this week, The Prisoner of Azkaban. This film premièred on ITV1 in January 2007 when it got 8 million viewers. It was repeated in July 2009 when it got 3.9 million watching.

On BBC Two Doctor Who faces Private Life of a Masterpiece looking at the stories behind iconic pieces of art, whilst Channel Four has put up Come Dine with Me a Cookery-based reality show in which amateur chefs compete for the title of ultimate dinner party host. On Five you can see the western Two Mules for Sister Sara with Clint Eastwood and Shirley MacLaine.

The Doctor Who start time is one of the earliest since the series returned in 2005. Episodes in the first three series started around 7pm. Only the first few episodes of Series Four started at 6.20 after which it was moved back to around 6.45pm following criticism from Russell T Davies over the programme's time slot.

Doctor Who Confidential will be shown on BBC Three at 7.25pm.




FILTER: - Series 5/31 - Broadcasting

Red Button Preview of The Eleventh Hour

Thursday, 18 March 2010 - Reported by Marcus
Matt SmithUK viewers will get an exclusive preview of The Eleventh Hour from next Wednesday when the first minute of the episode is made available on the BBC Red Button service.

The clip will launch on 24th March and will be available at various times until the series launches at Easter Weekend. On day one the clip is expected to be available from 6am-2pm, from 3pm to 5.50pm and then from 9.10pm onwards.

The BBC red button service can be viewed on digital platforms in the UK. Details on the BBC Website.




FILTER: - Series 5/31 - Broadcasting

Start date and time revealed?

Sunday, 14 March 2010 - Reported by Marcus
The BBC Programme Information site is saying the new series will begin on Saturday 3rd April at 6.25pm.
The Doctor has regenerated into a brand new man, but danger strikes before he can even recover. With the TARDIS wrecked, and the sonic screwdriver destroyed, the new Doctor has just 20 minutes to save the whole world - and only Amy Pond to help him.
The date and time have not been confirmed by the BBC Press Office and are subject to change. The series is referred to as Series Five on the website and the duration of the episode is noted as 60 minutes.

UPDATE: The reference to Series Five has now been removed from the site and replaced with New Series.




FILTER: - Series 5/31 - Broadcasting

Australia to see new series in April

Thursday, 4 March 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster
It has been reported that ABC in Australia will be showing the new series of Doctor Who from April, though no day has been scheduled at present; Matthew Galvin, from ABC Audience and Consumer Affairs, said:
"I am pleased to let you know the ABC will have the rights to screen series five of Doctor Who, starring Matt Smith, from April this year. Scheduling is yet to be finalised, however visit our guide regularly for updates.
The news indicates that Australia, Canada and the United States will all show the new series within a few weeks of the UK premiere transmission.




FILTER: - Series 5/31 - Broadcasting - Australia

SPACE announces Canadian start date

Thursday, 4 March 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Canadian broadcaster Space have announced that they will be broadcasting the new series of Doctor Who from the 17th April, the same evening as BBC America for the United States. The show will go out at 9:00pm ET.




FILTER: - Canada - Series 5/31 - Broadcasting

BBC America Announces US Start Date

Thursday, 25 February 2010 - Reported by Josiah Rowe

BBC America has announced that their broadcasts of the new series of Doctor Who will start on April 17th. The date has been reported in the Hollywood trade paper Variety, and has been confirmed on BBC America's website and Facebook page.

The start date for UK broadcast has not yet been officially confirmed. There are reports that a trailer has aired with the date of April 3rd, but this may have been broadcast in error. The BBC's official position is that the series will debut "at Easter".





FILTER: - USA - Series 5/31 - Broadcasting

Doctor Who for Central / Eastern Europe

Monday, 22 February 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster
BBC Worldwide have signed a deal with Sony Pictures Television for some 114 hours of entertainment to be shown across Central and Eastern Europe, including countries like Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Slovenia and Montenegro. The package includes Doctor Who, Torchwood, and Primeval.

Says Eddie Nelson, GM of Sony Pictures Television's networks businesses in the region:
We are delighted to secure such a fantastic selection of BBC shows for AXN and AXN SCI-FI. The addition of these exciting new titles to our schedule further reinforces our channels’ reputation as the destination for world-class TV entertainment in Central and Eastern Europe."


The press release comes from the BBC Showcase event taking place in Brighton; the show enables BBC Worldwide to promote television programmes to potential buyers from around the world.




FILTER: - Broadcasting

Australian news and ratings

Monday, 22 February 2010 - Reported by Adam Kirk

Part Two of The End of Time has debuted in Australia to good ratings. The special averaged 840,000 in the five major capital cities, again against stiff competition from the commercial networks, including a 20/20 international cricket match. It was up 40,000 viewers from Part One and was the ABC's top-rating program of the day, rating higher than the popular Sunday 7pm news.

The Sydney Morning Herald TV Guide has rated Part Two of 'The End of Time' its 'show of the week' with Michael Idato writing that it is 'is nearly but not quite the equal of the series's best episodes...it is, instead, a strange ballet of noise and movement, a super-charged run around the block set to the outstanding musical motifs of Murray Gold, which swirls around the simpler truth of the episode's purpose-to give Tennant's Doctor a final, glorious moment of universe-saving indecision and to serve up a helping of sentiment (with a side-order of tears) as he says a fitting goodbye to his life, as we know it, and the lives of those he holds dear.' Idato and Doug Anderson also rate the finale highly in their daily online video TV guide. Melinda Houston of the The Age is less kind, writing of the departure of Russell T. Davies that 'it's been a fun ride but [he] has an undeniable taste for high melodrama and while he's brought some welcome rough edges to the new-style time lord, and a wicked sense of humour, he's also brought a fair whack of sentimental emoting that's not always so much fun.'

Meanwhile, ABC Online's 'The Drum Unleashed' has an amusing blog comparing the different hosts of the long-running Media Watch program with various incarnations of the Doctor.




FILTER: - Specials - Ratings - Broadcasting - Australia

Australian news and ratings

Monday, 15 February 2010 - Reported by Adam Kirk

Part One of The End of Time has debuted in Australia to respectable ratings. The special averaged 799,000 in the five major capital cities, facing stiff competition from the commercial networks, including a one-day international cricket match.

Meanwhile, David Tennant's final appearances as the Doctor has attracted some local media attention. Carolyn Stewart of the TV Week spoke to Tennant about his departure after four years, who expresses his excitement for his successor Matt Smith, saying that 'it'll be fantastic to see what he does with the role. He's a great actor and is full of ambition for the show. He's hungry for it and I'll think he'll be terrific.' Meanwhile Kerrie Murphy of The Weekend Australian writes of 'The End of Time' that while it is 'dense for those not schooled in Who mythology...once it gets going, it mixes the silly humour with adventure and an emotional undercurrent.' Erin McWhirter of the Herald-Sun also comments of the special that it is 'visually appealing and well scripted' but Conrad Walters of the Sydney Morning Herald is less kind writing that 'aside from a few lovely touches...the story is weaker than loyal viewers have a right to expect.'




FILTER: - Specials - Ratings - Broadcasting - Australia