Australia TX 1965-1967

AUSTRALIAN TRANSMISSION HISTORY (Part One) (1965-1967)

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These pages offer an Overview of the screenings of Doctor Who in Australia, as detailed on the Airdates Tables (click on Navigation bar to access). The screenings have been divided into "Blocks", each representing "new" first-run episodes, usually but not always corresponding with each new 'season' of Doctor Who. In most cases each block of new episodes was preceded or followed – and sometimes interrupted – by a run of "Repeats". For the sake of simplicity, only the story codes are used.

This Overview and the Airdates tables are based upon published TV listings from the main city or cities within each of the eight regions. Some of the scheduled screenings would have been pre-empted due to last minute replacement, such as by coverage of local sporting events. Obviously, these are not going to be listed. Therefore, please treat this snap-shot overview more as "this is how it was to be" rather than "this was how it was, absolutely".

There is a two hour time difference between west coast and east coast. ADELAIDE would therefore see episodes half an hour 'after' SYDNEY; PERTH two hours 'after' SYDNEY, etc. During summer months, not all states (such as Queensland) would adopt "Daylight Savings" by adjusting clocks by an hour, and not all would necessarily start or end Daylight Savings at the same time. Daylight Savings observance would have a significant impact on whether signals would/could be shared across regions. None of those sorts of time variances have been recorded here.

During the 1960s and 1970s, on those occasions when the same episode of Doctor Who aired in the west coast (PERTH) as well as the east coast (BRISBANE), there is uncertainty as to the mechanism by which this was achieved. There were several 'dual' screening methods available and employed by the Australian TV networks. These include:

• Duplicate Prints: Copies of the original film positive would be struck, and circulated around the regions as necessary
• Link by Cable: Some of the major eastern cities were connected by a co-axial cable, which allowed for simultaneous broadcast of the same programme. (A cable link between MELBOURNE and SYDNEY was established by the end of 1960 or 1962 (sources differ).)
• Record for later Playback: For those regions linked by cable, but with a time zone variance, programmes could be recorded off the coaxial feed, and played back at a later time or day
• Microwave Link: The ABC's west / east microwave link was officially 'opened' on 9 July 1970, which at least reduced but did not necessarily eliminate entirely the need to transport films and tapes from one state to another. (Indeed, this practice was still very much in use well into the 1980s!)

It is understood that the duplicate print method was very rarely adopted for Doctor Who. So, given the complexities of these 'dual' shared transmissions, we have not attempted to rationalise these methods, but we do note where 'multiple copies' may have been in use.

There were also additional scheduling variances within each region / state / territory. For instance, due to its size, Queensland had quite a number of variances within the state (see sortable table below), and people in the south of Queensland could also view broadcasts coming from New South Wales. These variances have not been catalogued.

And although we note when the final screening of a particular serial occurred, it should be kept in mind that there may have been additional intra-regional screenings of that same story long after that 'final' date.

In some cases, particularly when it came to cataloguing long runs of repeats, airdates have been extrapolated by finding the first and last airdate of a run of episodes, then filling in the dates in between. There is no absolute certainty than all episodes have been correctly allocated all the right dates, especially if serials aired out of their correct place in sequence.

There is more detail provided in these summaries for the William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton stories simply because many of those episodes are now missing. From 1972 onwards, there were far fewer regional variances, and therefore the same degree of coverage is not necessary.

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Block 1: HARTNELL ---- January 1965 to July 1966

First Run	A----B----C----D----E----F----G----H----J----K----L----M----N----P
Repeats	D----F

The first run of Doctor Who commenced in January 1965. Episodes aired weekly on different days of the week in each region, at 7.30pm - a timeslot dictated by the "A" censorship classification applied to A, B, C, E, G, J, K and L. The timeslot in each region was brought forward to 6.30pm towards the end of the run, when The Web Planet was screening, by which time all the "A" rated episodes had been played.

• PERTH: Doctor Who made its Australian debut in Western Australia, on Tuesday, 12 January 1965. From Monday, 22 March 1965, the PERTH screenings shifted to Mondays. Between Wednesday, 12 January and Thursday, 20 January 1966, while L and M was on, D was repeated. The first run ended on Monday, 18 April 1966.

• SYDNEY and CANBERRA: Three days later, on Friday, 15 January 1965, SYDNEY and CANBERRA welcomed the new series. (It seems highly likely that Sydney's signal was being rebroadcast to the capital). Mind-way through K, the first-ever holiday repeats occurred in SYDNEY – both D and F were rerun at 1.30pm weekday afternoons, from Monday, 20 December 1965 to Monday, 3 January 1966. The opening run concluded on Friday, 22 April 1966.

• BRISBANE: The series started on Friday, 22 January 1965. The run ended on Friday, 29 April 1966. There may have been a repeat of D during December 1965/January 1966 as in other regions; if so, we do not have dates for it. There is a very remote possibility that all seven episodes aired in a three hour block on 11 December 1965 as a replacement for cricket that had been cancelled due to rain…

• MELBOURNE: Victoria had to wait until Saturday, 20 February 1965 to see the new series. The run came to a premature end on 14 May 1965, with only the first three serials airing. After a two month break, the series returned from Monday, 5 July 1965. Mid-way through H, there was a repeat of D, weekdays at 1.30pm, from Thursday, 30 December 1965 to Friday, 7 January 1966. The run again ended prematurely, on Monday, 23 May 1966, because two serials, the "A" rated K and L, did not screen at all in Victoria.

• ADELAIDE: On Monday, 15 March 1965, the series commenced in the fifth region. ADELAIDE also skipped the "A" rated L, and the run ended on Monday, 6 June 1966.

• HOBART: On Friday, 11 June 1965, Doctor Who made it to the island of Tasmania. Serials K and L were also skipped; the first run ended Friday, 29 July 1966.

"OFF-SCREEN PHOTOS"

Off-screen images from Marco Polo (?) (left) and The Aztecs (right)

Several off-screen photographs from parts six and seven of D, one from F part four, and another which might also be from D, were taken by a viewer during the broadcasts of those two serials. It is not known from which region these hail, but at a guess it was from the 1965/66 SYDNEY repeats. (ADELAIDE also repeated the same two serials, but in November 1966.)

What is fascinating about the image from The Aztecs is that in the broadcast episode this particular shot of Hartnell is a very quick cut-away to him within a long scene that consists of a series of two-shots of the Doctor and Cameca. Given the suddenness of the cut to the one shot, it is highly unlikely that the photographer had anticipated this, and instead was likely aiming to capture a two-shot, but at the moment the shutter button was pressed, the on-screen image changed for a matter of seconds, which resulted in the photographer capturing this 'rare' shot of the Doctor.

INTRA-REGIONAL VARIANCES

Article previewing the first episode in Perth, 12 January 1965

Billing, and Article previewing the first episode in Brisbane, 22 January 1965

First repeat: Marco Polo, part one repeated; 1.30pm, Sydney, 20 December 1965

As noted above, there were many inter- and intra-regional screening variances across the country. It would be impossible to catalogue every single one of these, but to illustrate the number of variances there could be just for one serial, here are the known transmitters and airdates for An Unearthly Child, parts one to four:

Date	ep	Station	Region
12 Jan 1965	1	Perth ABW-2	Western Australia
15 Jan 1965	1	Canberra ABC-3	ACT
15 Jan 1965	1	Lismore ABR N-6	New South Wales
15 Jan 1965	1	Newcastle ABH N-5	New South Wales
15 Jan 1965	1	Orange ABC N-1	New South Wales
15 Jan 1965	1	Sydney ABN-2	New South Wales
15 Jan 1965	1	Wollongong ABW N-5A	New South Wales
19 Jan 1965	2	Perth ABW-2	Western Australia
22 Jan 1965	1	Brisbane ABQ-2	Queensland
22 Jan 1965	2	Canberra ABC-3	ACT
22 Jan 1965	2	Lismore ABR N-6	New South Wales
22 Jan 1965	2	Newcastle ABH N-5	New South Wales
22 Jan 1965	2	Orange ABC N-1	New South Wales
22 Jan 1965	2	Sydney ABN-2	New South Wales
22 Jan 1965	1	Toowoomba ABD Q-3	Queensland
22 Jan 1965	2	Wollongong ABW N-5A	New South Wales
26 Jan 1965	3	Perth ABW-2	Western Australia
29 Jan 1965	2	Brisbane ABQ-2	Queensland
29 Jan 1965	3	Canberra ABC-3	ACT
29 Jan 1965	3	Lismore ABR N-6	New South Wales
29 Jan 1965	3	Newcastle ABH N-5	New South Wales
29 Jan 1965	3	Orange ABC N-1	New South Wales
29 Jan 1965	3	Sydney ABN-2	New South Wales
29 Jan 1965	2	Toowoomba ABD Q-3	Queensland
29 Jan 1965	3	Wollongong ABW N-5A	New South Wales
2 Feb 1965	4	Perth ABW-2	Western Australia
5 Feb 1965	3	Brisbane ABQ-2	Queensland
5 Feb 1965	4	Canberra ABC-3	ACT
5 Feb 1965	4	Lismore ABR N-6	New South Wales
5 Feb 1965	4	Newcastle ABH N-5	New South Wales
5 Feb 1965	4	Orange ABC N-1	New South Wales
5 Feb 1965	4	Sydney ABN-2	New South Wales
5 Feb 1965	3	Toowoomba ABD Q-3	Queensland
5 Feb 1965	4	Wollongong ABW N-5A	New South Wales
12 Feb 1965	4	Brisbane ABQ-2	Queensland
12 Feb 1965	4	Toowoomba ABD Q-3	Queensland
20 Feb 1965	1	Ballarat ABR V-3	Victoria
20 Feb 1965	1	Bendigo ABE V-1	Victoria
20 Feb 1965	1	Melbourne ABV-2	Victoria
20 Feb 1965	1	Shepparton ABG V-3	Victoria
20 Feb 1965	1	Traralgon ABL V-4	Victoria
27 Feb 1965	2	Ballarat ABR V-3	Victoria
27 Feb 1965	2	Bendigo ABE V-1	Victoria
27 Feb 1965	2	Melbourne ABV-2	Victoria
27 Feb 1965	2	Shepparton ABG V-3	Victoria
27 Feb 1965	2	Traralgon ABL V-4	Victoria
4 Mar 1965	1	Townsville ABT Q-3	Queensland
6 Mar 1965	3	Ballarat ABR V-3	Victoria
6 Mar 1965	3	Bendigo ABE V-1	Victoria
6 Mar 1965	3	Melbourne ABV-2	Victoria
6 Mar 1965	3	Shepparton ABG V-3	Victoria
6 Mar 1965	3	Traralgon ABL V-4	Victoria
11 Mar 1965	2	Townsville ABT Q-3	Queensland
13 Mar 1965	4	Ballarat ABR V-3	Victoria
13 Mar 1965	4	Bendigo ABE V-1	Victoria
13 Mar 1965	4	Melbourne ABV-2	Victoria
13 Mar 1965	4	Shepparton ABG V-3	Victoria
13 Mar 1965	4	Traralgon ABL V-4	Victoria
15 Mar 1965	1	Adelaide ABS-2	South Australia
18 Mar 1965	1	Rockhampton ABR Q-3	Queensland
18 Mar 1965	3	Townsville ABT Q-3	Queensland
22 Mar 1965	2	Adelaide ABS-2	South Australia
25 Mar 1965	2	Rockhampton ABR Q-3	Queensland
25 Mar 1965	4	Townsville ABT Q-3	Queensland
29 Mar 1965	3	Adelaide ABS-2	South Australia
1 Apr 1965	3	Rockhampton ABR Q-3	Queensland
5 Apr 1965	4	Adelaide ABS-2	South Australia
8 Apr 1965	4	Rockhampton ABR Q-3	Queensland
11 Jun 1965	1	Hobart ABT-2	Tasmania
11 Jun 1965	1	Launceston ABN T-3	Tasmania
18 Jun 1965	2	Hobart ABT-2	Tasmania
18 Jun 1965	2	Launceston ABN T-3	Tasmania
25 Jun 1965	3	Hobart ABT-2	Tasmania
25 Jun 1965	3	Launceston ABN T-3	Tasmania
2 Jul 1965	4	Hobart ABT-2	Tasmania
2 Jul 1965	4	Launceston ABN T-3	Tasmania

As you can see, some stations in Queensland were still airing the first serial, while other centres in the same state were already seeing The Daleks.

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Block 2: HARTNELL ---- October 1966 to February 1967

The Space Museum, part one, 6.30pm, 3 October 1966 (Sydney)

First Run	Q----R----S----T----U----W----X----Y----Z
Repeats	D----F----H----J----M----N----P

This Block of stories is somewhat complex, due to the out-of-sequence screening of the stories. This was due to their being only two prints of each episode in circulation, and with five regions starting at the same time, there were not enough prints to cover all regions.

The second run, now screening four days a week (Monday to Thursday, at 6.30pm), commenced Monday, 3 October 1966, in five regions:

• SYDNEY: commenced with the next story in sequence, Q, screening in the correct order up to U, after which came repeats of H, J, M, N, and P, followed by new episodes W to Z in order. SYDNEY was the first region to complete this run, which concluded on 16 January 1967.

• CANBERRA: also commenced with the next story in sequence, Q, which indicates there may have been multiple prints in use, however as it was possible for the ABC to rebroadcast the Sydney signal to the capital, it might have been the same signal. However, since Canberra only aired three times a week (no episode on Thursdays), this brings us back to the likelihood of there being multiple prints in use between Sydney and Canberra, unless the state capital simply recorded the signals from Sydney for later play-back. After Q came R to U in order, followed by repeats of H, J, M, N and P, after which came W to Z in order. CANBERRA was the last region to complete this run, which ended on 20 February 1967.

• ADELAIDE: opened with an out of sequence S; this was followed by Q, then R, then a jump to T, U, followed by repeats of D, F, H, J, M, N and P, followed by W to Z in order. (It's possible that the scheduled repeat of P didn't take place as that serial was later repeated in Adelaide (which would be for a third time) in February 1968 (more on this later). The ADELAIDE run concluded on 2 February 1967.

• BRISANE: also opened with an out of sequence S (which suggests that two prints of this and subsequent stories were in circulation); after that came Q, R, then T, followed by repeats of H and J, after which came new episodes of U, then out of sequence repeats of F, P, M, N, back to new episodes W to Z in order. The run concluded on 23 January 1967.

• MELBOURNE: the run opened with an out of sequence R, followed by Q, S, then U, after which came a repeat of F, then new episodes of T, then repeats of H, J, M, N and P, after which came new episodes W to Z in order, ending the second run on 23 January 1967.

• PERTH: from Monday, 10 October 1966, the series opened with an out of sequence S (being, one presumes, one of the prints used the week before by one of the other five regions), followed by T, Q, and R, then came repeats of F and M, then new episodes of U, followed by repeats of H, J, N, P, followed by new episodes W to Z in order, ending the run on 31 January 1967.

• HOBART: Tasmania also started the run on Monday, 10 October 1966, with a very much out-of-sequence screening of T, which was followed by the reverse-ordered S, R, then Q, after which came new episodes U, then repeats of F, D (the last time this serial aired in Australia), H, M, N, and P, then new episodes W to Z. The run came to an end on 13 February 1967.

NOTE ABOUT REPEATS: Serials A, B, C, E, G, K and L had all been rated "A" and therefore could not be re-run in the early afternoon slots. Only part one of J had an "A" rating, but the full serial did get a re-screening. In July 1967, the ABC's prints of H, J, K and L (still exhibiting the censor cuts) were sent to New Zealand…

8mm OFF-SCREEN CLIPS

An Australian viewer (whose identity and home city are unknown) filmed short clips of Doctor Who by pointing a 8mm silent film camera at his television screen. The way by which the clips have been chosen would suggest that the viewer had seen the episodes on their original transmission, and filmed the bits he liked when they were repeated. The extracts included scenes from H, J and N, and were therefore probably filmed during the November / December 1966 repeat season.

• CONTINUED: 1967-1971

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