Doctor Who scheduling - question for UK viewers

[23skidoo]

This question is aimed at our many British friends.

I just read that The Beast Below episode is going to air much earlier than the norm for Doctor Who:

http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com/2010/03/beast-below-schedule.html

Every week, it seems, we hear how DW airs at 6:30 one week, 7:05 the next, 6:15 the next, 7:30 the next (I'm just pulling times out of thin air, but you get the picture).

Here in North America, a show is assigned a time slot, say 8 PM, and it usually stays there from week to week. Networks will shift a show around, but usually not on a week by week basis, especially once a winning timeslot is found.

So I have to ask -- is this bouncing around of Doctor Who on the schedule as annoying to you as it seems to be from our (non UK) perspective? Or are you just used to it? After all, I know this is not a new thing for DW by any means. It must be a huge pain for setting recorders in advance, or making plans, if you don't know when the thing is going to be on from one week to the next. (Granted, with legal and non-legal options available for online viewing it's not quite the big deal it was back in Tom Baker's day, but still...)

Can't the BBC just plant Doctor Who on at, say, 7 PM on Saturday and leave it be for 13 weeks? Especially considering it's supposed to be their #1 or 2 show. Or is having a fluid schedule one of the prices to be paid for not airing commercials (which serve to standardize timeslots)?

Alex

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Doesn't bother me, so long as they let you know the time it'll be on. Most shows are in a regular time slot it's just shows on Saturday that change like that. I think it's mostly down to the sports they show on a Saturday so they can't nail down the schedule because they show different sports on different weeks.

 

[Silent_Bob]

I watch it on BBC iPlayer so it doesnt really effect me one way or the other, but i imagine it plays havoc for those wishing to record it or tivo or whatever kids these days are calling it.

 

[wamdue]

I miss the days when it was on at 7pm every week, its not like I cant find the episode.

Anything before 6 is too early.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I watch it on BBC iPlayer so it doesnt really effect me one way or the other, but i imagine it plays havoc for those wishing to record it or tivo or whatever kids these days are calling it.

Why would it play havoc with PVRs/DVRs/Tivo type recorders? They automatically set the next recording according to the schedules.

 

[Silent_Bob]

I watch it on BBC iPlayer so it doesnt really effect me one way or the other, but i imagine it plays havoc for those wishing to record it or tivo or whatever kids these days are calling it.

Why would it play havoc with PVRs/DVRs/Tivo type recorders? They automatically set the next recording according to the schedules.

I still live in the age of VHS recorders where you had to turn them on yourself, and if an episode was on 5 minutes later than scheduled you ended up missing the last five minutes.

I'm a youthful fuddy-duddy when it comes to televisual technology.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I watch it on BBC iPlayer so it doesnt really effect me one way or the other, but i imagine it plays havoc for those wishing to record it or tivo or whatever kids these days are calling it.

Why would it play havoc with PVRs/DVRs/Tivo type recorders? They automatically set the next recording according to the schedules.

I still live in the age of VHS recorders where you had to turn them on yourself, and if an episode was on 5 minutes later than scheduled you ended up missing the last five minutes.

I'm a youthful fuddy-duddy when it comes to televisual technology.

Ah, the good old days when you'd run out of tape and and miss 5 minutes even if you had set it to record properly.

 

[Starkers]

To this day I still set my video to start recording 5 mins early and about ten mins after the program finishes!

The changing of the timeslot is kinda annoying, but I live with it, better than having Who on at 8 every week plus ad breaks!

 

[Neroon]

Hi Guys

I am currently conducting an academic research study on Star Trek Fandom and would really like everyone to participate in a short online questionnaire about start trek for the study.

(link removed)

THANK YOU

Sean Duffy

Posting the same thing in multiple forums - no to mention multiple threads - is considered spamming on this BBS. That is spelled out in the board rules and FAQ. I can see you've already been made aware of this by other members, so I won't belobor that here.

 

[captcalhoun]

it pisses me off no end that whilst shows are nailed to certain times day-in-day-out-week-in-week-out on both BBC and ITV monday to friday, on saturdays and sundays there's practically zero regular scheduling past about 12 noon. Both Primeval and Demons bounced around between 6PM and 7PM on saturdays on ITV, as well as Merlin, Robin Hood, Who and Heroes doing it on BBC 1 and 2. it's also a pain to find evening news on BBC on the weekend.

so, as an aside, it's nothing to do with 'no ads' on BBC cuz ITV do it too.

 

[Captaindemotion]

As far as I can see, in the UK the only channels which don't muck around with the times of their programmes are the satellite ones. BBC 1 & 2, ITV and Channel Four do it, Channel 5 not so much (though I haven't watched much there since it lost the rights to Prison Break.

RTE, the Irish state broadcaster, is pretty bad in that respect too, though RTE1 is worse than RTE2.

But like most of you, I'm reliant on Sky Plus, which is a necessity when you've 2 kids under 3. I rarely get to watch programmes as they go out!

Not to mention that when you've been looking forward to Dr Who for so bloody long, you do tend to make sure to check the tv schedules as to when it's on. And re-check. And re-re-check. Etc.

 

[Neroon]

Hi Guys

I am currently conducting an academic research study on Star Trek Fandom and would really like everyone to participate in a short online questionnaire about start trek for the study.

(link removed)

THANK YOU

Sean Duffy

Infraction for spamming. Comments to PM (private message).

 

[Timofnine]

The schedule changes do annoy me, a lot! I prefer 7-8pm slots.

 

[Andrew_Kearley]

Well, 6.20 is much more of a traditional time for Doctor Who, in my opinion - it's the sort of time it was always on in the 1970s, so it feels right to me.

 

[gastrof]

Well, 6.20 is much more of a traditional time for Doctor Who, in my opinion - it's the sort of time it was always on in the 1970s, so it feels right to me.

I have to chuckle about 6:20 being the "normal" start time for a TV show.

Here in the States things are so locked in to starting either on the hour or the half hour...

You should see some forums when that's not held to. "LOST is going to run five minutes long this week! V won't begin until five past!"

I don't know what I'd do if I ever had to move to the UK, tho' it sounds like you guys just take the timeslot changing on a weekly basis in stride.

Tell me, are there any repeats of Doctor Who episodes a day or two later that DO hold to a set timeslot?

 

[wamdue]

Tell me, are there any repeats of Doctor Who episodes a day or two later that DO hold to a set timeslot?

um I think there is normally a Sunday 7pm repeat, on BBC 3, but I could not say that this is true. There normally is a Sunday BBC 3 repeat, just not sure its always at 7pm.

Moving to the more general point, weekday primetime is normally good for shows starting either on the hour or on the half hour, Saturday & Sunday are where things change.

Sports, Films & US shows on the BBC all mess with this however.

Also its not like shows start at silly times like 03 or 37 or 12, it is limited to 00, 05, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 & 55

There are things called TV Guides & EPGs that help viewers keep track of when shows start & finish, it really isnt difficult.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Well, 6.20 is much more of a traditional time for Doctor Who, in my opinion - it's the sort of time it was always on in the 1970s, so it feels right to me.

I have to chuckle about 6:20 being the "normal" start time for a TV show.

Here in the States things are so locked in to starting either on the hour or the half hour...

You should see some forums when that's not held to. "LOST is going to run five minutes long this week! V won't begin until five past!"

I don't know what I'd do if I ever had to move to the UK, tho' it sounds like you guys just take the timeslot changing on a weekly basis in stride.

Tell me, are there any repeats of Doctor Who episodes a day or two later that DO hold to a set timeslot?

Yes there are repeats on BBC Three, there's also catch up services like iPlayer for catching things you missed and DVRs like Sky+ and Freeview+ which do series linking/season passes. Most of the time schedules are the same but like wamdue said they lose that on a weekend thanks to films, sport and US shows being 40 minutes long tend to mean there's some messing with the schedules unless they're on channels with commercials.

 

[Starkers]

^Plus factoring in something like Strictly Come Dancing, where the length of the show actually varies from week to week anyway which doesn't help matters.

At the end of the day I've never missed Dr Who no matter what time it started, but I'm guessing some people might. Given how often the show is repeated and things like iplayer though, it isn't the issue it once was.

 

[wamdue]

^Plus factoring in something like Strictly Come Dancing, where the length of the show actually varies from week to week anyway which doesn't help matters.

Casualty is 50 minutes, rather than 1 hour, whilst the Lottery varies depending on what the current format is.

BBC One saturday nights can be a right pain sometimes, and when Doctor Who is on, just stuffed with programs, Casualty often being 9pm, when its not really meant to be a post watershed show,

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

I don't know what I'd do if I ever had to move to the UK, tho' it sounds like you guys just take the timeslot changing on a weekly basis in stride.

Tell me, are there any repeats of Doctor Who episodes a day or two later that DO hold to a set timeslot?

The episodes on the BBC digital channels seem to come in at a regular time, 7pm. Although I rely on BBC1 for the first viewing and then iPlayer for repeats if necessary, so I'm not 100% on that.

It used to be that the Beeb treated you to SF on BBC2, Wednesdays (or was it Thursdays), 6pm, every week. The Invaders (with an introduction from Antoine de Caunes no less!), then Buck Rodgers, Star Trek TNG and at one stage, IIRC, The Invisible Man.