Doctor Who returns to PBS ... in Tacoma

[CaptainMatt]

I don't know why BBC America does not air classic Who. Maybe they do not have the rights or the main network in Britain only wants to showcase the modern material who can tell?

They did show it ever so briefly when the channel was young (I think before nuWho though I can't explicitly remember). It would come on weekend mornings and only showed the fourth Doctor while it ran.

I don't know if it's by mandate or what I think is more likely that it just didn't do that well ratings-wise.

Thabks for your honest reply, I figure the new series Doctors would be the bigger draw as it is the more recent adventures of the Time Lord and his companions.


Loving that avatar of Karen and Matt btw!

 

[Samurai8472]

Well this is interesting.

I tune into my local PBS station to watch some of series 5 since I can't find anything on tv to watch

What do I find?

"Life On Mars"

Yes apparently it's replaced Doctor Who. I'm still searching for where Doctor Who is now.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Still beats Lawrence Welk....

 

[Samurai8472]

Hmm

"Lawrence On Mars"

Am I mad, in a coma, or in the future

 

[23skidoo]

I don't know why BBC America does not air classic Who. Maybe they do not have the rights or the main network in Britain only wants to showcase the modern material who can tell?

One thing should be noted is BBCA is not the BBC. It's a completely separate entity what shares branding (which is why it does independent promotions, etc. and if the BBC were to ever cancel Doctor Who, BBCA could conceivably take over production if it wanted to and had the money). So it does not get an automatic buy-in on classic Who or any classic BBC series. There's also a BBC Kids network in some parts of North America that has aired classic Who, and the fact it's available at even a few PBS stations means BBC Worldwide may well have decided to restrict it to PBS.

The other aspect mentioned, that BBCA wants to focus on current Who, is perfectly valid as well. Also, bear in mind BBC Worldwide/2 Entertain, and other bodies have a vested interest in DVD sales and iTunes downloads of the original series and earlier episodes of the revival. So there's a whack of reasons why we aren't seeing classic Who on TV very often.

All that said, I still think we will be seeing greater visibility of classic Who as the 50th anniversary approaches. But I wouldn't expect to see "The Ark in Space Part 3" airing on CBS in prime time...

Alex

 

[Anji]

I thought I was the only one feeling this. Bring back Classic Who!

 

[Mr. Adventure]

So what sci-fi do you guys get on PBS? I haven't seen any in years in these parts (Detroit area).