Difference between revisions of "Doctor Who USA Tour"

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[[File:USA Tour.JPG|center|200px|Doctor Who USA Tour]]
 +
 +
The following timeline is a summary of the route taken by the Tour, with just some of the significant moments and milestones highlighted.
 +
 +
For a much more detailed account of the Tour stops, dates, the guests travelling with the truck and admission prices, visit our [[List of Celebration & Tour stops|DEDICATED PAGE HERE]].  For newspaper clippings, visit the [https://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Category:Celebration_%26_Tour Doctor Who Cuttings Archive].
 +
 +
 +
==1986==
 +
===8 May===
 
[[File:USABus.jpg|thumb|right|400px|The Doctor Who USA Tour Trailer leaves Elstree Studios, UK, to begin its voyage to the US...]]
 
[[File:USABus.jpg|thumb|right|400px|The Doctor Who USA Tour Trailer leaves Elstree Studios, UK, to begin its voyage to the US...]]
−
[[File:USA Tour.JPG|right|200px|Doctor Who USA Tour]]
+
The '''Doctor Who USA Tour''' sets off on its two-year, multi-city journey...  The inauguration is held on the National Mall beneath the Washington Monument in [[Washington DC]]. Controller of BBC One, [[wikipedia:Michael Grade|Michael Grade]], and Peter Davison attend the event.
  
 +
It is hoped that most of the markets where '''Doctor Who''' is screened in America will be visited; some reports cite as many as '''181''' cities, while others state '''185''' - although it's clear that the actual number of stops made in the two-year period fell well short of that ambitious target.
  
−
<span style="font-size:200%;">'''1986'''</span>
+
There are no actors from the series traveling with the Tour at this stage, but BBC Enterprises / Lionheart representative Brian Sloman (one of the chief planners and organizers of the exhibit) accompanies the trailer for the first few months.
  
−
*'''8 May 1986''': BBC One Controller, Michael Grade, and Peter Davison appear at the inauguration, as the '''Doctor Who USA Tour''' trailer "bus" sets off from [[Washington DC]] to begin its two-year, multi-city tour (two cities per week). It is hoped that most of the 185 markets where '''Doctor Who''' is screened across America will be visited. Some of the city visits coincide with [[List of Conventions in the United States|organised conventions]] and other fan events.  
+
Some of the city visits coincide with [[List of Conventions in the United States|organised conventions]] and other fan events. Guests at these conventions would sometimes visit the Tour, while guests traveling with the trailer would make appearances at conventions.  
−
**'''[http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Doctor_Who_Tours_U.S._During_Hiatus Interviews with Grade and BBC representative, Brian Sloman appear in Starlog 113]'''
 
  
 +
{{Google Docs Viewer|url=http://gallifreybase.com/w/images/6/67/USA_Tour_flier_rotated.pdf|height=325|width=550|float=left}}{{clear}}
  
−
* '''May to August 1986''': On its first leg within New England, the tour visits [[Pennsylvania]], [[New York]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Maine]], [[New Hampshire]], then back to [[New York]].  
+
===May to September===
−
**On '''25 May 1986''' the occupants of the bus participated in the [[wikipedia:Hands Across America|Hands Across America]] event.  
+
On its first leg, the Tour (without any guests from the series) visits [[Maryland]], [[New Jersey]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[New York]], [[Connecticut]], [[Maine]], [[New Hampshire]], [[Massachusetts]], then back to [[New York]] and through to [[Ohio]].  
−
* '''13-28 September 1986''': The Tour heads south, visiting [[New York]], [[Massachusetts]] and [[Ohio]]. (The two Bakers travelled together for some of the time during September, attending various Whovent 86 [[List of Conventions in the United States|conventions]] along the way.)
+
*On '''25 May 1986''', the Tour stops in New Brunswick, where the Whovent 86 convention is taking place. The Doctor Who guests take time out from the event to visit the travelling exhibition. While there, they also take part in the [[wikipedia:Hands Across America|Hands Across America]] event.  
−
*'''4-5 October 1986''': Colin Baker and Patrick Troughton travel on to [[Minnesota]] and [[Wisconsin]].
+
*'''28-29 June 1986''': The Tour reaches Central Park in [[New York]].
−
** [http://www.michaell.org/who/conclips/whotour86.phtml USA TOUR in MINNESOTA, October 1986 1]
+
**An interview with BBC Enterprises representative Brian Sloman (conducted in the Park) appeared in [http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Doctor_Who_Tours_U.S._During_Hiatus Starlog 113].
−
** [http://www.michaell.org/who/conclips/whotour286.phtml USA TOUR in MINNESOTA, October 1986 2]
+
*From September, the Tour now regularly features one or more actors from the series, but several stops are without a guest traveller. (It's not until 1987 that every stop includes a guest.)
−
<table>
+
<!--- * '''13-28 September 1986''': The Tour heads south, visiting [[New York]], [[Massachusetts]] and [[Ohio]] (The two Bakers travelled together for some of the time during September, attending various Whovent 86 [[List of Conventions in the United States|conventions]] along the way.) Did the Bakers actually travel with or visit the Trailer; they were doing the cons but there's no evidence their schedule coincided with any Tour stops -->
−
<tr>
 
−
  <td>[[File:Wisconsin State Journal 19860914.JPG|thumb|200px|Wisconsin State Journal, Sept. 14, 1986]]</td>
 
−
  <td>{{Google Docs Viewer|url=http://gallifreybase.com/w/images/6/67/USA_Tour_flier_rotated.pdf|height=325|width=500}}</td>
 
−
</tr>
 
−
</table>
 
−
*'''October to December 1986''': The Tour moves south through [[North Carolina]] and [[South Carolina]] with Jon Pertwee, who falls ill; he is accompanied by Paul Darrow and Michael Keating from '''Blakes 7''' for part of the journey.
 
  
  
−
----
+
===October to December===
 +
[[File:Wisconsin State Journal 19860914.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Troughton and Baker are in town for a convention when the Tour stops in Madison Wisconsin on 5 October 1986; Wisconsin State Journal, Sept. 14, 1986]]
 +
The Tour moves from [[Ohio]] to [[Minnesota]] then [[Wisconsin]].
 +
*'''5 October 1986''': Colin Baker and Patrick Troughton are in Madison [[Wisconsin]] to attend the unrelated Doctor Who Festival convention at the Madison Civic Center. The Tour stops at the convention venue.
 +
*The Tour moves east to [[West Virginia]]. Jon Pertwee then joins the Tour; he is accompanied by Paul Darrow and Michael Keating from '''Blake's 7''' for part of the journey.
 +
*Pertwee leaves the Tour to attend the "Day with Jon Pertwee" events in [[New Jersey]] and [[Maryland]] from 18-19 October but falls ill. The Tour continues on to [[North Carolina]] and [[South Carolina]] without him.
 +
*The Tour takes a break from '''mid-December''' for six weeks.
 +
  
 +
==1987==
 +
During the hiatus period, the name and branding for the Tour is changed to '''Doctor Who Celebration & Tour 87-88''' (although the trailer retains its "Doctor Who USA Tour" signage).
 +
 +
For the second year of its travels, it is hoped the trailer will visit over '''70''' cities in '''36''' States. It is also planned for the Tour to visit Toronto at the end of May, but ultimately that trip over the border to [[Canada]] does not eventuate.
 +
 +
While only some of the trips made during 1986 feature guests, all the stops in 1987 include at least one star from the series. 
 +
[[File:USATourMap.jpg|left|thumb|600px|Map showing the States and main cities to be visited during the second year of the tour]]
  
−
<span style="font-size:200%;">'''1987'''</span>
 
−
*By early 1987, the Tour has been renamed the '''Doctor Who Celebration & Tour 87-88''', with at least '''36''' States on its itinerary.
 
−
[[File:USATourMap.jpg|right|thumb|700px|Map showing States and cities visited by the 87-88 leg of the tour]]
 
 
{{clear}}
 
{{clear}}
−
[[File:USATour8788.JPG|right|thumb|200px|Doctor Who Celebration & Tour 87-88]]
 
−
[[File:GA 19870301.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Live from Atlanta, 7 March 1987]]
 
  
−
*'''January to February 1987''': The trailer reaches [[Louisiana]] and [[Florida]], with Peter Davison and later Jon Pertwee.
 
−
**'''21-21 February 1987''': The Tour comes to DisneyWorld in Orlando, [[Florida]], with Jon Pertwee.
 
−
**'''22-28 February 1987''': The trailer heads northwards again: Pertwee makes stops in [[Louisiana]], and Birmingham, [[Alabama]], before heading to [[Georgia]] later the same day.
 
−
***[http://www.richardwho.com/exhibitions/USATour/19870228/index.asp USA TOUR in ALABAMA, 28 February 1987]
 
−
**'''28 February 1987''': That evening, at Mercer University in Atlanta, [[Georgia]], Pertwee is joined by new Doctor Sylvester McCoy, and producer John Nathan-Turner. McCoy is interviewed by Eric Luskin:
 
−
***'''[http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Sylvester_McCoy,_The_New_Doctor_Who Interview with Sylvester McCoy in Starlog 120]'''
 
−
{{YouTube|float=left|id=BnmnpKHNQoI}}
 
−
{{clear}}
 
−
*'''March 1987''': The Tour heads north east.
 
−
**'''7 March 1987''': Footage from Pertwee's visit aired with the '''[[Live from Atlanta]]''' TV "Special".
 
−
**'''26-27 March 1987''': Anthony Ainley and Janet Fielding call in at Baltimore, [[Maryland]].
 
−
**'''27-28 March 1987''': Sylvester McCoy returns to the US, and joins the bus as it heads to [[Virginia]].
 
−
*'''March to May 1987''': McCoy continues to [[Pennsylvania]] and [[Massachusetts]]. John Nathan-Turner is picked up in [[New York]]. Janet Fielding joins in [[Ohio]], while Sarah Sutton accompanies the tour through [[Pennsylvania]] and back through [[Ohio]] to [[Indiana]].
 
−
**'''16-17 May 1987''': The Tour stops at the WGBH studios in Boston, [[Massachusetts]], with Sylvester McCoy (who has just completed recording [[Time and the Rani]]). On the night of '''17 May''', a special '''"Dinner With the Doctor"''' is held.
 
−
*** [http://mittenthief.tumblr.com/post/8451828067/my-program-from-the-doctor-who-celebration-tour USA TOUR 15 MAY 1987 PROGRAMME]
 
−
{{YouTube|id=nybQ8xX7TYw}}
 
−
{{YouTube|id=jABs0MtbWGI}}
 
−
{{clear}}
 
−
*'''July to August 1987'''
 
−
**'''2 July 1987''': The Tour visits west [[Michigan]]; Janet Fielding makes an appearance at locally-sponsored events.
 
−
**'''4-5 July 1987''': Heading north west, the Tour stops again at [[Chicago]]. (There are no guests during this leg of the tour.)
 
−
**'''9 July 1987''': Sylvester McCoy returns, visiting [[Illinois]], [[Wisconsin]] and [[Minnesota]].
 
−
**'''25 July to 1 August 1987''': Westbound, the Tour arrives in [[North Dakota]], [[South Dakota]] and [[Iowa]], now with Janet Fielding.
 
−
{{YouTube|float=left|id=aYRN5EFc_ZA}}<br/>'''CLIP: USA TOUR in IOWA 1 August 1987'''
 
−
{{clear}}
 
−
*'''August to September 1987''': The trailer heads west, stopping in [[Missouri]], [[Kansas]] and [[Colorado]] with John Nathan-Turner onboard. 
 
−
**'''5-9 September 1987''': His work on season 24 completed, Sylvester McCoy rejoins the tour, and the trailer travels to [[Washington]] state, then south to Los Angeles, [[California]]. 
 
−
*'''September to October 1987''': Jon Pertwee visits Portland, [[Oregon]], then Sacramento (and possibly also San Jose?) in [[California]].
 
−
*'''October to November 1987''': Heading east again, the bus passes through [[Arizona]], [[New Mexico]], [[Arkansas]], [[Texas]] and [[Mississippi]] with Pertwee for the latter leg.
 
−
*'''5-12 December 1987''': The Tour moves through [[Mississippi]], [[Florida]] and [[Louisiana]]; with Jon Pertwee at the last few stops.
 
  
 +
===January to February===
 +
[[File:USATour8788.JPG|right|thumb|200px|Doctor Who Celebration & Tour 87-88 press-kit from NATPE]]
 +
For the 1987 leg of the Tour, the trailer starts in [[Louisiana]], travels down to [[Florida]], then up to [[Alabama]].
 +
*'''21-25 January''': The trailer makes its first appearance of 1987 in [[Louisiana]], at the annual NATPE Television program showcase event held at the [[New Orleans]] Convention Center, with Peter Davison on board. (NATPE runs from 21-25 January, but the Tour is on site for only some of that time.)
 +
**A lavish press-kit folder advertising the series and Tour is distributed at Lionheart's stand; surplus copies of the kit are later available to be purchased during the Tour.
 +
*Davison and the trailer move on to [[Florida]].
 +
*'''21-21 February 1987''': The Tour - now with Jon Pertwee - comes to Walt Disney World in [[Orlando]].
 +
*'''22-28 February 1987''': The trailer heads northwards again: Pertwee makes stops in [[Louisiana]], and Birmingham, [[Alabama]] (en route the trailer's roof is damaged when it passes under a low bridge).
 +
**[http://www.richardwho.com/exhibitions/USATour/19870228/index.asp USA TOUR in ALABAMA, 28 February 1987]
 +
 +
 +
===March===
 +
 +
The Tour with Pertwee heads northeast making its way through [[Georgia]], [[Tennessee]] and the Virginias. For some of this leg, he is accompanied by Brian Sloman from BBC Enterprises / Lionheart (and one of the chief planners and organisers of the Tour).
 +
*'''7 March 1987''': The Tour stops at Mercer University in Macon near Atlanta, [[Georgia]]. [[Live from Atlanta]] is broadcast that evening. Pertwee and Sloman are joined by new Doctor Sylvester McCoy and producer John Nathan-Turner, who are in town for the Whovian Festival Tour convention. Eric Luskin hosts an interview session with the four guests.
 +
 +
<table><tr>
 +
<td>{{YouTube table|BnmnpKHNQoI|McCoy, Pertwee, Nathan-Turner, Sloman interviewed by Eric Luskin part 1}}</td>
 +
<td>{{YouTube table|8SWCERQ1p4I|McCoy, Pertwee, Nathan-Turner, Sloman interviewed by Eric Luskin part 2}}</td>
 +
<td>[[File:GA 19870301.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Live from Atlanta, 7 March 1987]]</td>
 +
</tr></table>
 +
 +
 +
===April to June===
 +
Janet Fielding joins the Tour for this leg, accompanied by Sarah Sutton or Anthony Ainley for part of the journey to [[Maryland]], and [[Connecticut]].
  
−
----
+
McCoy returns in May (having just completed recording [[Time and the Rani]]), traveling to [[Maine]], [[Pennsylvania]] and [[Massachusetts]]. John Nathan-Turner is picked up in [[New York]]. Janet Fielding rejoins in [[Ohio]], while Sarah Sutton takes over in [[Pennsylvania]], traveling through [[Ohio]], [[Michigan]], and [[Indiana]].
 +
*'''13-14 May 1987''': McCoy is interviewed by [[WVIA]] during the stop in Scranton, [[Pennsylvania]] (see video clip below)
 +
*'''15-17 May 1987''': The Tour stops at the [[WGBH]] studios in Boston with Sylvester McCoy. On the night of '''15 May''', a special '''"Dinner With the Doctor"''' is held. McCoy and Brian Sloman of BBC Enterprises attend.
 +
<!-- gone and not archived: [http://mittenthief.tumblr.com/post/8451828067/my-program-from-the-doctor-who-celebration-tour May 15, 1987 program]-->
 +
{{YouTube table
 +
|nybQ8xX7TYw|McCoy on [[WVIA]] (Scranton Pennsylvania; 13/14 May 1987)
 +
|jABs0MtbWGI|TV spot on [[WGVU]] for Michigan visit (2/3 July 1987)}}
 +
[[File:Bus tour ticket.jpg|250px|frameless|right]][[File:Bus tour flier.jpg|250px|frameless|right]]
  
  
−
<span style="font-size:200%;">'''1988'''</span>
+
===July to August===
 +
The trailer heads west, stopping in [[Michigan]] again, and on to [[Illinois]], [[Wisconsin]], [[Minnesota]] with McCoy (who has just completed work on [[Delta and the Bannermen]]), then [[North Dakota]], [[South Dakota]], [[Iowa]], [[Missouri]] with Janet Fielding taking over star duties, then [[Kansas]] and [[Colorado]] with JNT on board, and with no guests when it stops in Salt Lake City [[Utah]].
 +
*'''2 July 1987''': The Tour visits west [[Michigan]]; Janet Fielding makes appearances at locally-sponsored events. (The Tour is advertised on [[WGVU]] - see video clip above.)
 +
*'''4-5 July 1987''': Heading north west, the trailer stops at [[Chicago]]. (There are no guests during this leg of the Tour.)
 +
*'''1-2 August 1987''': The Tour comes to Des Moines [[Iowa]] with Janet Fielding, and features on a local TV news report - see video clip below).
  
−
*'''Early 1988''': The Tour moves north, taking Sylvester McCoy to Urbana, [[Illinois]], and north to [[Maine]].
+
{{YouTube table|aYRN5EFc_ZA|The Tour with Janet Fielding in Iowa, Aug. 1, 1987}}
−
*Eventually, the bus heads towards the east coast again, where, after two years on the road, and having visited some 180+ locations, the Tour comes to an end.
 
−
*The trailer itself is eventually returned to the UK - and left to rot in a junkyard...
 
  
  
−
::'''For a more detailed summary of the various tour stops, dates, the guests travelling on the bus and admission prices, visit our dedicated page [[List of Celebration & Tour stops|HERE]].'''
+
===September to December===
 +
For the next four months, the Tour travels down the west coast (calling in at [[Washington]], [[Oregon]], and [[California]] (stopping in Redding, Sacramento and Los Angeles, with McCoy and/or Pertwee), then eastwards through [[Arizona]], [[New Mexico]], [[Oklahoma]] (with Fielding), then with Pertwee it went to [[Arkansas]], [[Texas]], [[Mississippi]], and back to where it had set out in [[Louisiana]]. Its final trip was down to Miami [[Florida]].
 +
*'''5-9 September 1987''': His work on season 24 now completed, Sylvester McCoy rejoins the Tour, and the trailer travels to [[Washington]] state, then south to [[Los Angeles]].
 +
*From mid-'''September''' to mid-'''December''' Jon Pertwee accompanies the Tour for the longest stretch taken by a single guest (albeit with a short break during October). 
 +
*'''19-20 December 1987''': The Tour makes its final-ever stop in [[Miami]], [[Florida]] at the [[WPBT]] studios. Producer John Nathan-Turner is joined by Nicola Bryant, Eric Luskin, and Brian Sloman from BBC Enterprises / Lionheart for a special event and screening.
 +
  
 +
==End of the Road...==
 +
*Although it had been hoped to continue the Tour into 1988 (when the series celebrated its 25th anniversary), the December 1987 leg is to be its final stretch.
 +
*After some 20 months on the road with over 90 locations visited (less than half the originally planned 180+) the trailer and exhibits are shipped back to the UK.
 +
*The trailer is later sold to the owner of a fair-ground in New Mills in the High Peak district of central England - and used as a workshop shed!
 +
*The rusting shell of the vehicle stood on the property for nearly 30 years, but when the land was sold for a new housing development in 2018, the wreck was removed and sold for scrap. 
  
  
−
==General Coverage of the Tour (External links)==
+
==General coverage of the tour (External links)==
−
*[https://www.facebook.com/groups/doctorwhousatour/ FACEBOOK Group dedicated to the Bus Tour]
+
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/doctorwhousatour/ FACEBOOK Group dedicated to the trailer Tour]
 
* [http://www.banningathletics.com/doctorwho/id18.html USA TOUR 1986 PHOTOS 1]
 
* [http://www.banningathletics.com/doctorwho/id18.html USA TOUR 1986 PHOTOS 1]
 
* [http://www.richardwho.com/exhibitions/USATour/1986/index.asp USA TOUR 1986 PHOTOS 2]
 
* [http://www.richardwho.com/exhibitions/USATour/1986/index.asp USA TOUR 1986 PHOTOS 2]
−
* [http://whona.realtvboard.com/t5499-dr-who-usa-tour-in-the-80s USA TOUR 1986 PHOTOS 3]
+
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131117013558/http://whona.realtvboard.com/t5499-dr-who-usa-tour-in-the-80s USA TOUR 1986 PHOTOS 3]
−
* [http://www.drwhoexhibitions.co.uk/usatour.htm USA TOUR OVERVIEW - and the sad fate of the Trailer...].
+
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160325124619/http://www.drwhoexhibitions.co.uk/usatour.htm USA TOUR OVERVIEW - and the sad fate of the Trailer...]
−
*'''[[List of Celebration & Tour stops]]'''
+
 
−
{{Blank lines|2}}
+
 
 
{{US nav}}
 
{{US nav}}
 +
__NOTOC__

Latest revision as of 02:36, 24 May 2024

Doctor Who USA Tour

The following timeline is a summary of the route taken by the Tour, with just some of the significant moments and milestones highlighted.

For a much more detailed account of the Tour stops, dates, the guests travelling with the truck and admission prices, visit our DEDICATED PAGE HERE. For newspaper clippings, visit the Doctor Who Cuttings Archive.


1986

8 May

The Doctor Who USA Tour Trailer leaves Elstree Studios, UK, to begin its voyage to the US...

The Doctor Who USA Tour sets off on its two-year, multi-city journey... The inauguration is held on the National Mall beneath the Washington Monument in Washington DC. Controller of BBC One, Michael Grade, and Peter Davison attend the event.

It is hoped that most of the markets where Doctor Who is screened in America will be visited; some reports cite as many as 181 cities, while others state 185 - although it's clear that the actual number of stops made in the two-year period fell well short of that ambitious target.

There are no actors from the series traveling with the Tour at this stage, but BBC Enterprises / Lionheart representative Brian Sloman (one of the chief planners and organizers of the exhibit) accompanies the trailer for the first few months.

Some of the city visits coincide with organised conventions and other fan events. Guests at these conventions would sometimes visit the Tour, while guests traveling with the trailer would make appearances at conventions.


May to September

On its first leg, the Tour (without any guests from the series) visits Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, then back to New York and through to Ohio.

  • On 25 May 1986, the Tour stops in New Brunswick, where the Whovent 86 convention is taking place. The Doctor Who guests take time out from the event to visit the travelling exhibition. While there, they also take part in the Hands Across America event.
  • 28-29 June 1986: The Tour reaches Central Park in New York.
    • An interview with BBC Enterprises representative Brian Sloman (conducted in the Park) appeared in Starlog 113.
  • From September, the Tour now regularly features one or more actors from the series, but several stops are without a guest traveller. (It's not until 1987 that every stop includes a guest.)


October to December

Troughton and Baker are in town for a convention when the Tour stops in Madison Wisconsin on 5 October 1986; Wisconsin State Journal, Sept. 14, 1986

The Tour moves from Ohio to Minnesota then Wisconsin.

  • 5 October 1986: Colin Baker and Patrick Troughton are in Madison Wisconsin to attend the unrelated Doctor Who Festival convention at the Madison Civic Center. The Tour stops at the convention venue.
  • The Tour moves east to West Virginia. Jon Pertwee then joins the Tour; he is accompanied by Paul Darrow and Michael Keating from Blake's 7 for part of the journey.
  • Pertwee leaves the Tour to attend the "Day with Jon Pertwee" events in New Jersey and Maryland from 18-19 October but falls ill. The Tour continues on to North Carolina and South Carolina without him.
  • The Tour takes a break from mid-December for six weeks.


1987

During the hiatus period, the name and branding for the Tour is changed to Doctor Who Celebration & Tour 87-88 (although the trailer retains its "Doctor Who USA Tour" signage).

For the second year of its travels, it is hoped the trailer will visit over 70 cities in 36 States. It is also planned for the Tour to visit Toronto at the end of May, but ultimately that trip over the border to Canada does not eventuate.

While only some of the trips made during 1986 feature guests, all the stops in 1987 include at least one star from the series.

Map showing the States and main cities to be visited during the second year of the tour


January to February

Doctor Who Celebration & Tour 87-88 press-kit from NATPE

For the 1987 leg of the Tour, the trailer starts in Louisiana, travels down to Florida, then up to Alabama.

  • 21-25 January: The trailer makes its first appearance of 1987 in Louisiana, at the annual NATPE Television program showcase event held at the New Orleans Convention Center, with Peter Davison on board. (NATPE runs from 21-25 January, but the Tour is on site for only some of that time.)
    • A lavish press-kit folder advertising the series and Tour is distributed at Lionheart's stand; surplus copies of the kit are later available to be purchased during the Tour.
  • Davison and the trailer move on to Florida.
  • 21-21 February 1987: The Tour - now with Jon Pertwee - comes to Walt Disney World in Orlando.
  • 22-28 February 1987: The trailer heads northwards again: Pertwee makes stops in Louisiana, and Birmingham, Alabama (en route the trailer's roof is damaged when it passes under a low bridge).


March

The Tour with Pertwee heads northeast making its way through Georgia, Tennessee and the Virginias. For some of this leg, he is accompanied by Brian Sloman from BBC Enterprises / Lionheart (and one of the chief planners and organisers of the Tour).

  • 7 March 1987: The Tour stops at Mercer University in Macon near Atlanta, Georgia. Live from Atlanta is broadcast that evening. Pertwee and Sloman are joined by new Doctor Sylvester McCoy and producer John Nathan-Turner, who are in town for the Whovian Festival Tour convention. Eric Luskin hosts an interview session with the four guests.



McCoy, Pertwee, Nathan-Turner, Sloman interviewed by Eric Luskin part 1



McCoy, Pertwee, Nathan-Turner, Sloman interviewed by Eric Luskin part 2
Live from Atlanta, 7 March 1987


April to June

Janet Fielding joins the Tour for this leg, accompanied by Sarah Sutton or Anthony Ainley for part of the journey to Maryland, and Connecticut.

McCoy returns in May (having just completed recording Time and the Rani), traveling to Maine, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. John Nathan-Turner is picked up in New York. Janet Fielding rejoins in Ohio, while Sarah Sutton takes over in Pennsylvania, traveling through Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana.

  • 13-14 May 1987: McCoy is interviewed by WVIA during the stop in Scranton, Pennsylvania (see video clip below)
  • 15-17 May 1987: The Tour stops at the WGBH studios in Boston with Sylvester McCoy. On the night of 15 May, a special "Dinner With the Doctor" is held. McCoy and Brian Sloman of BBC Enterprises attend.



McCoy on WVIA (Scranton Pennsylvania; 13/14 May 1987)



TV spot on WGVU for Michigan visit (2/3 July 1987)
Bus tour ticket.jpg
Bus tour flier.jpg


July to August

The trailer heads west, stopping in Michigan again, and on to Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota with McCoy (who has just completed work on Delta and the Bannermen), then North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri with Janet Fielding taking over star duties, then Kansas and Colorado with JNT on board, and with no guests when it stops in Salt Lake City Utah.

  • 2 July 1987: The Tour visits west Michigan; Janet Fielding makes appearances at locally-sponsored events. (The Tour is advertised on WGVU - see video clip above.)
  • 4-5 July 1987: Heading north west, the trailer stops at Chicago. (There are no guests during this leg of the Tour.)
  • 1-2 August 1987: The Tour comes to Des Moines Iowa with Janet Fielding, and features on a local TV news report - see video clip below).




The Tour with Janet Fielding in Iowa, Aug. 1, 1987


September to December

For the next four months, the Tour travels down the west coast (calling in at Washington, Oregon, and California (stopping in Redding, Sacramento and Los Angeles, with McCoy and/or Pertwee), then eastwards through Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma (with Fielding), then with Pertwee it went to Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi, and back to where it had set out in Louisiana. Its final trip was down to Miami Florida.

  • 5-9 September 1987: His work on season 24 now completed, Sylvester McCoy rejoins the Tour, and the trailer travels to Washington state, then south to Los Angeles.
  • From mid-September to mid-December Jon Pertwee accompanies the Tour for the longest stretch taken by a single guest (albeit with a short break during October).
  • 19-20 December 1987: The Tour makes its final-ever stop in Miami, Florida at the WPBT studios. Producer John Nathan-Turner is joined by Nicola Bryant, Eric Luskin, and Brian Sloman from BBC Enterprises / Lionheart for a special event and screening.


End of the Road...

  • Although it had been hoped to continue the Tour into 1988 (when the series celebrated its 25th anniversary), the December 1987 leg is to be its final stretch.
  • After some 20 months on the road with over 90 locations visited (less than half the originally planned 180+) the trailer and exhibits are shipped back to the UK.
  • The trailer is later sold to the owner of a fair-ground in New Mills in the High Peak district of central England - and used as a workshop shed!
  • The rusting shell of the vehicle stood on the property for nearly 30 years, but when the land was sold for a new housing development in 2018, the wreck was removed and sold for scrap.


General coverage of the tour (External links)


United States Chronology
1963-1969 | 1971-1972 | 1973-1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991-2020s
Related articles List of conventions | List of fan clubs | References to the USA in Doctor Who | Doctor Who USA Tour | USA Tour stops | Documentaries and specials | TV Guide | Saturday, March 12, 1988 | First airings by episode | Search by episode title or date | United States by the numbers | Chicago chronology | Time-Life Television
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