While the UK, Canada and New Zealand count down until their broadcasts of the new Doctor Who series, there's still no final confirmation from an Australian broadcaster but that is expected to be announced soon. Meanwhile, the BBC Prime satellite network, carried in Europe, Asia and Africa, has announced on its FAQ page that it will not be carrying the show, nor any reruns of classic episodes. And while there's no confirmation of this whatsoever, Outpost Gallifrey has been told by a source to be on the lookout for some sort of possible announcement about an American broadcaster in early April -- could there be hope on the horizon for the US? Stay tuned! (Thanks to John Wilkins for the BBC Prime info)

The official Doctor Who website now confirms that the first episode of the new Doctor Who series will air Saturday, March 26 at 7:00pm; they've got a countdown clock on the front page counting down until the time it's on.

According to Steve Roberts of the Doctor Who Restoration Team: "We've just been given the OK to tell you that the first trail for the new series will be tonight at 7.29pm, just before Eastenders. There will be four peak time trails tonight on BBC1 including this one and two on BBC2." The following is a list of the actual times expected for each trailer (with thanks to Steve Roberts and "peterawl")

Tonight's edition of BBC Radio 4's "Front Row" announced that the date of transmission is Saturday, March 26 at 7:00pm in the UK, this after an interview with Russell T Davies about the new series. At the moment, there is still no official word from BBC1, but their radio announcers certainly are being kept up to date, and it was explained fairly matter of factly at the end of the interview that the show would be airing at that time and on that date. This should be as good an indicator that March 26 is the date to expect the new series, despite 'official' word from the broadcaster.

Outpost Gallifrey has received reliable information that suggests that a Doctor Who trailer will indeed air on Tuesday night, March 8 at 8:00pm on BBC1, repeating later in the evening. This information could, however, change at any time. A heads-up for our UK readers!

According to the official Doctor Who site today, to mark the launch of the new series, BBC Two will celebrate Doctor Who with a special television night. "In a one-off Mastermind Doctor Who Special, four Doctor Who aficionados will be put through their paces by Mastermind host, John Humphrys, to find out who will be crowned the UK's top Doctor Who fan. The prize will be presented by the new Doctor, Christopher Eccleston. Some Things You Need To Know About Doctor Who will be packed full of Doctor Who trivia, plus there is another chance to see The Story of Doctor Who - a nostalgic archive documentary about the longest running TV drama series."

The new Doctor Who series will air beginning Tuesday, April 5 in Canada, according to a solid airdate confirmation from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and from several sources including Benjamin Elliott's "This Week in Doctor Who." According to the report, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has scheduled Doctor Who for Tuesday nights at 8PM starting April 5, 2005. So far only the April 5th broadcast (without episode title) is showing. They have put up a temporary webpage up for their Doctor Who broadcast, though there's nothing there.

If you live in Canada or are in a border section of the US with access to the CBC, the Doctor has a home on April 5. And this should put to rest any worries that the show will broadcast earlier in the UK...

According to a report today on IGN, "Sources close to the US cable network Sci Fi Channel have told IGNFF's Doctor Who Report that the network is not in negotiations for the new series." The report speculates on other avenues, but suggests that according to their own sources, the channel is not interested in showing the series. There is now no word on a US broadcaster.

While there is still no official confirmation from the BBC (and we stress that there's still plenty of time for this to change!), we've received enough information from various sources to safely conclude that the new series will indeed premiere on BBC1 on Saturday, March 26, 2005, likely at either 6:45 or 7:00pm (with the BBC3 "Doctor Who Confidential" series airing immediately afterwards at either 7:30 or 7:45pm.) Various sources have reported a range of rumored plans for a possible March 8 press launch, including radio and television trailers and broadcasts starting around that time; various radio interviews and photo shoots; new merchandise; a relaunch of the official Doctor Who website; and plenty of other publicity plans tying into the relaunch of the series. It also mentions that the show has been sold overseas in Canada, New Zealand and, surprisingly, Australia (for which a venue has not yet been announced), but omits the US as of this writing. As soon as we have a clearer picture of all of the various publicity plans, we'll pass the word along.

(Editor's note: Once again, I want to stress that this is not an official confirmation, but after checking with many sources, I'm now confident that this is indeed the broadcast date, barring any last minute change of plans, and that it will be announced through official channels soon. I've also been told that this date has only been finalized within the past month. More soon!)

Rumors have circulated today based on posts on the Restoration Team forum concerning a possible deal with NBC/Universal, who own the Sci-Fi Channel and USA Network, for broadcast of the new series, potentially with the Sci-Fi Channel as first broadcaster and USA as syndicators, which would include the entire back catalog of Doctor Who serials. While there is no official word confirming this, it's the first indication in some time of a possible deal for US broadcast of the new show. Stay tuned!