BROADCASTING / DOCTOR WHO ON TV
Saturday, 19 August 2000 - Reported by Marcus
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)
AUDIO
Monday, 14 August 2000 - Reported by Marcus
2001 Audio Releases: BBC Audio will be releasing two new CD sets in January 2001: "The Myth Makers," the audio track of the lost William Hartnell Season 3 story narrated by Peter Purves; and a CD of "Slipback," the Eric Saward-penned BBC Radio play from the 1980's starring Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Valentine Dyall and Jane Carr.
BBC Audio Releases in 2000: Among the most recent releases this year are: "The Paradise of Death" and "The Ghosts of N-Space," the Barry Letts-authored audio plays starring Jon Pertwee, Nick Courtney and Elisabeth Sladen, in release for the first time on CD; and the audio soundtracks of "The Web of Fear," narrated by Fraser Hines (Jamie) and "Galaxy Four," narrated by Peter Purves. "The Highlanders" and "The Macra Terror" are also set for release later in 2000.