Now you know… somewhere on this continent is a warehouse full of these box sets, just sitting there. I say we hire some bounty hunters to track ‘em down… I want my Doctor WHO!
Hello all!
I just happened to go to the BBC's Doctor Who page and see that it has sold to the Sci-Fi channel and will begin broadcast in March. Also according to the site, the American (and I assume Canadian) release of the series one set will be delayed until July.
Personally, I wish they'd go ahead and release the set! But, the tie-in promotion with the Sci-Fi channel made them decide to delay.
Holy, friggin' crap, it's true! I got goose bumps in seeing the Tardis materialize on the White House lawn on the little flash intro the BBC put on their site. This is such great news. I am so happy! I can legally watch Doctor Who now! Hurray!
For more info:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/scifi.shtml
I’m a bit reluctant as I don’t really trust the network, but in anycase, it will be nice to see it go before a wider audience. Now as to the DVD release…call me selfish… but I’d be a bit more cheerful to hear the DVD set was shipping out.
Now you know… somewhere on this continent is a warehouse full of these box sets, just sitting there. I say we hire some bounty hunters to track ‘em down… I want my Doctor WHO!
Does anyone think that the announcement of the US DVD release date a few weeks back had any effect on a network to buy the series (ie these BBC people are so serious about how good this show is that we're gonna look like morons if the DVDs do well and we didn't show it on a network first) or not? The BBC clearly seem to think it's a huge event judging by the work they've done on that website intro.
Thoughts anyone?
Abersoch
P.S. Hey Louis - imagine how sick James and Ken would have been if the Beeb had announced this a few days earlier and you got to scoop them on your solo show 
Makes me glad I bought the region 2 version and had it shipped over 
[QUOTE BY= WarrenPeace] Makes me glad I bought the region 2 version and had it shipped over [/QUOTE]
I've gotten both region 2 versions...
I'm surprised that it is airing in Stargate Atlantis' time slot after the current crop of new episodes. I wonder what the rest of the Friday lineup will be then???
Taras
I can't wait! Stargate Atlantis will probably be in reruns by that time. Still, what a great night of SciFi again!
About time SciFi channel lived up to their name : )
This is fantastic news! After many a year, the Sci-Fi channel is finally getting its act together. (If only they could do away with "Sci-Fi Original" movies and concentrate on kick-ass miniseries instead.)
I just wish I didn't have to wait until July 4th for my DVD. Oh well- Canada's release date is still the same (according to Slashdot)
Hurrah!
Cyn
[QUOTE BY= Cynful456] ...
I just wish I didn't have to wait until July 4th for my DVD. Oh well- Canada's release date is still the same (according to Slashdot)
...[/QUOTE]
Really? Is that so. Hmm.... Amazon.ca here I come... Eww... Still no listing on the Canada Amazon store... sigh. But I will keep on checking.
Cheers,
Louis
It's going to be sort of weird... Just as the BBC will start airing the 2006 series of Doctor Who (presumably in March if it follows suit from last year), the Sci-Fi Channel will be debuting the 2005 series.
Too bad the Sci-Fi Channel isn't showing the 2005 series starting this month in January and then in March pick up the new series synchronizing with the BBC transmissions... But even if the series is successful on the Sci-Fi Channel, they tend to like to stretch things out... Just like what they did with Farscape and breaking up season 2 of Battlestar Galactica into two...
Cheers,
Louis
[QUOTE BY= Louis] It's going to be sort of weird... Just as the BBC will start airing the 2006 series of Doctor Who (presumably in March if it follows suit from last year), the Sci-Fi Channel will be debuting the 2005 series.[/QUOTE]
Yeah. Over here in the UK we get the similar-but-opposite problem. Double-complicated by US Imports often being shown on a Satellite/Cable/Digital channel first and then finally trickling down at a non-subscriber level many months later still.
I know it breaks the current business models, but it's long overdue that the entire entertainment industry released things simultaneously as the rule rather than the exception. 'Cos if they don't, people will (and do) simply download stuff because people want to see a Year-X show in Year-X not Year-X+1.
And although the Industry would say "Wait", what they don't realise it that ti's hard when you spend a lot of time on the Internet. Double-especially if you're a Brit. It's hard to avoid Spoilers when you frequent most websites. Especially for we non-Americans who frequent a lot of American-based sites.
Rant-aside, though, it's great news that the new Doctor Who finally makes it Stateside.
Tiggs
Ha ha! I saw the news on bbc.co.uk and raced here!
Great stuff - hopefully it will reach people now who didn't even know there wa sa new Doctor Who series - hopefully we'll see a new generation of US fans now too. I bet the forum memberships and the Podcast subscription count goes up when it is screened!
WOW!!!!
It's like my birthday and Christmas all rolled into one week!!! FIrst a new hockey team for my town and now this!!!!!
WOW!!!!
[QUOTE BY= Abersoch] Does anyone think that the announcement of the US DVD release date a few weeks back had any effect on a network to buy the series (ie these BBC people are so serious about how good this show is that we're gonna look like morons if the DVDs do well and we didn't show it on a network first) or not? The BBC clearly seem to think it's a huge event judging by the work they've done on that website intro. [/QUOTE]
If anything, announcement of the DVD set would have hindered a developing deal by the Science Fiction Channel.
Knowing a little bit about IP licensing (I work in computer games) I can make a guess that the Science Fiction Channel pulled back a bit when the DVD release for February was announced. I'd guess that it almost spoiled the deal.
Pulling the DVD release back would likely have caused the SF Channel to be satisfied, but not fully happy. It may have destroyed the deal completely.
As it is, I think the SF channel would hope for the DVD not to be released until they're done running the first series, sometime in the coming summer/fall.
I echo many of the comments here, especially Louis's which opines that the SF channel should be showing Series One now, so that in March they can air the Series Two episodes in sync with the new UK airings.
Yes, this will be an overall positive thing - whole new audiences will be reached that didn't even know there was a new Doctor Who series, not to mention those who have no frikkin' idea what we're talking about. They will be the most delighted, I think.
But it doesn't help us, does it? I'll still be haunting the torrent sites an hour after the show has aired, and 12-18 hours later, I'll get to see the new shows.
But I sure will be watching the reruns on SFC, and I hope my ratings count in convincing them to be even more active in showing NEW episodes when they air, not a year later.
Sean.
Sean.
Wow, they actually found a couple of Sci Fi execs with some brain cells that work 
I am very happy it is finally going to be shown here and on the proper channel for it. Time to broadcast it loud and make sure everyone knows it will be here
I would love to see them show the new season as quickly as possible too, but I doubt they will. I will just be happy if we can get to see the Christmas Invasion, since I still haven't seen it 
Louis,
here's the link to the Amazon Canada listing. http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000E41MS6/ref=ord_cart_shr/701-4110310-9180326?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB
[QUOTE BY= Louis] [QUOTE BY= Cynful456] ...
I just wish I didn't have to wait until July 4th for my DVD. Oh well- Canada's release date is still the same (according to Slashdot)
...[/QUOTE]
Really? Is that so. Hmm.... Amazon.ca here I come... Eww... Still no listing on the Canada Amazon store... sigh. But I will keep on checking.
Cheers,
Louis
[/QUOTE]
Cool... Thanks Jagaroth for the link... Searches for "Christopher Eccleston" or "Billie Piper" turned up zilch in regards to Doctor Who...
Thanks again for posting the link.
Cheers,
Louis
OK, the good news 
- I pre-ordered the 2005 series box set through Amazon.ca which still has the release date for February 14th. It is selling for $87.49 Canadian which translates to $75.34 US dollars (at today's exchange rate as I type this).
The bad news 
- I could not use the Amazon gift certificate I recently received because it is not valid in any other Amazon store except amazon.com (the US store)... sigh... Oh well. I had planned on using this gift certificate on this box set before the release date was pushed back to July.
I am assuming that the box sets being sold in Canada on February 14th are identical to the US box set which has been delayed to July 4th.
Cheers,
Louis
I hope those episodes we be available through iTunes.
I'm a huge Battlestar Galatica fan, but decided it's not worth paying $50 a month for one show. Instead, I watch each episode on iTunes for $1.99...which is a lot cheaper.
I hope they make the new Dr. Who series available as well!
Brian,
Alton, NH
Brian,
There is another thread in our forums about someone who asked the BBC about iTunes availability of the new series and the answer they received.
Taras
[QUOTE BY= Louis]
OK, the good news - I pre-ordered the 2005 series box set through Amazon.ca which still has the release date for February 14th. It is selling for $87.49 Canadian which translates to $75.34 US dollars (at today's exchange rate as I type this).
The bad news - I could not use the Amazon gift certificate I recently received because it is not valid in any other Amazon store except amazon.com (the US store)... sigh... Oh well. I had planned on using this gift certificate on this box set before the release date was pushed back to July.
I am assuming that the box sets being sold in Canada on February 14th are identical to the US box set which has been delayed to July 4th.
Cheers,
Louis[/QUOTE]
Hey, thanks for the Canadian/US currency breakdown. The original plan was to head up to Canada as a very convenient vacation, but the whole new passport or birth certificate requirement is putting a kink into our plans. I may just end up pre-ordering and harassing the mailman until it arrives.
Cyn
[QUOTE BY= Cynful456]
I just wish I didn't have to wait until July 4th for my DVD. Oh well- Canada's release date is still the same (according to Slashdot)
Hurrah!
Cyn[/QUOTE]
I really, really7 hope so..otherwise ill have to buy it when im back in the uk, I dont want to wait until july
Well, this Friday (err... tomorrow), will mark the ONE MONTH away point before Doctor Who begins on the Sci-Fi Channel... and still I have yet to see ANY promotion for it! I hope that changes on Friday.
Their section the web site is still not up... I haven't seen even a banner ad or box on their site promoting it, let alone any television promos as of yet.
It better change starting this Friday...
Come on guys, get your act together already.
One month from today will be March 17th.... the premiere of Doctor Who on the Sci-Fi Channel. But you would never know it by watching the Sci-Fi Channel... At least not if the ONE hour of viewing time I give the channel on Friday nights during Battlestar Galactica is any indication.
I did see TWO ads for their upcoming Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King program which airs on March 27th... TEN DAYS AFTER the debut of the TARDIS on their channel... You bet that there is a slick section of their web site dedicated to this Dark Kingdom nonsense as well (no offense to anyone that is into it)... but their Doctor Who page still results in a 404 Page Not Found error...
Granted, the Dark Kingdom program is their original programming, while DW is not. But still, they make money selling advertising on their channel. WHAT DOES IT MATTER if it is a series they purchased to show or their own original programming... Proper promotion and building excitement for both means advertising revenue...
Now the debut of DW is just weeks away... yet a typical viewer of the channel still doesn't know about it, but they have known about this Dark Kingdom thing for months prior to its premiere.
Perhaps I am just being jaded due to how the channel handled Doctor Who years ago...
Cheers,
Louis
I also mostly watch the Sci-Fi channel for Battlestar Galactica and must admit that I use my DVR to skip past commercials. However, when I am flipping through the channels at night or on the weekends I've not seen any Doctor Who commercials and I find that really odd. I know that Sci-Fi likes to hype up their original program (remember all those Dune commercials a few years back!), but I am sincerely hoping that by March 1st they start advertising the show.
I don't know why they're waiting to put a commercial up for Doctor Who, but a little market research should tell them that there's a large Doctor Who fan base in America. Telling your sci-fi users what Doctor Who is and when it's on will only help get the word out.
Very odd that nothing's been shown on the channel so far.
Reminds me of what Fox did to Firefly... I hope some exec doesn't have it out for the good Doctor!
[QUOTE BY= WarrenPeace] Reminds me of what Fox did to Firefly... I hope some exec doesn't have it out for the good Doctor! [/QUOTE]
Or what Fox did with Doctor Who in 1996... ?
I guess this is just one more reason to encourage the American audiences to get everyone they know watching. Then if the series is a big hit in the States, some exec will get their backside kicked for not being on the ball in the first place.
Abersoch
They should already being getting their backside kicked for taking a full year to get the new series in the States... Jeesh... but better late than never.
Cheers,
Louis
According to Outpost Gallifrey, last night the Sci-Fi channel showed the first promo spot for doctor who. They have screen grabs at their site. Finally, eh? I wish they'd gotten their act together a little sooner, but at least they are hyping it now. Maybe they will now promote it with the fervor that they do with "gems" like Volcano in New York, or whatever their lastest fodder is.
Actually, some spots were reported having aired on Wednesday. Someone posted a link to video of the ad in the news article on SciFi here at the GE site.
Taras
I am sooooo amped for this to happen.
Hooray for SCIFI actually understanding that Dr Who is worth a serious timeslot!
The main page of the SciFi.com has the teaser on-line on Saturday 2/25.
Taras
Hey! I'm gonna be in the U.S. during March, so I'll get to see how Sci-Fi handles the season premiere. Will be interesting to see the American network take on this show.
Abersoch
You can then watch the series with cliffhangers... we call them commercial breaks...
Taras
Yeah - I remember the US ad breaks [shudder]:
"We'll be back with Doctor Who right after these messages!" - adverts, the opening titles, "We'll be right back with Doctor Who", adverts, 10 minutes of drama, adverts, another 10 minutes, adverts, "stay tuned for more Doctor Who", adverts, etc.... etc.... closing moments, adverts, closing titles, adverts.
Or it might make the episodes even weirder:
"Well Doctor, it looks like you won't escape this time."
"You fiend! I have only one thing to say to you!"
"Oh yes? And what's that?"
[Click]
"Do you have problems with haemorrhoids? Are your piles getting on your nerves...?"
etc
Mind you, if they're doing a "2 hour premiere" on Sci-Fi that means at least 30 minutes of that will be commercials. Eep!
Abersoch
Well I just watched the trailoer on Sci-Fi's site and I have to say that it is filled with spoilers for anyone that is not familure with what happened that season.
[QUOTE BY= Abersoch] Hey! I'm gonna be in the U.S. during March, so I'll get to see how Sci-Fi handles the season premiere. Will be interesting to see the American network take on this show.
Abersoch[/QUOTE]
As Taras said... with commercial breaks... And in addition to the Sci-Fi logo bug in the corner of the screen all the time. Probably with text messages in the lower third of the screen (though I have to admit they have gotten better with that... at least watching Battlestar Galactica it is not too bad.. I recall it being very bad when they were rerunning Babylon 5 on the channel).
Also don't even think of being able to read the end credits... it will be squashed down to a narrow band probably with some other promo running in a window along side of it. And then the same promo will follow it again in the commercial break afterwards...
I am wondering if the Sci-Fi Channel will use the same BBC coming attractions for the next week's episode or will they do their own?
Cheers,
Louis
[QUOTE BY= Jabberwocky] Well I just watched the trailoer on Sci-Fi's site and I have to say that it is filled with spoilers for anyone that is not familure with what happened that season. [/QUOTE]
Yeah, I too noticed it had more spoilers in it than I expected it to have... But I guess a promo with some spoilers is better than no promo at all. (sigh)...
Cheers,
Louis
I got to see the promo the other day. Pretty poor effort that. Not only is it generic and uninspiering, its gives away quite a few spoilers as well. It would have been better to adapt the BBC promo.
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