United States--1983

• 3/4 April 1983: At the Easter weekend Longleat festival on 3 and 4 April 1983, Jon Pertwee announced that his stories were going to be made available again: "I'm delighted to hear yesterday from JNT and the American gentleman who's over here [from Lionheart who] distribute Doctor Who in America... And I gather that my stories are going to be shown in 1985? Is it 1985? (Looks to JNT, who nods). In 1985, after Peter's 26 and another 26, and then they're taking all mine".

• June 1983: By June, Lionheart releases another package of Jon Pertwee stories. This package consists of 14 serials, 73 episodes, and features just those serials that exist in their entirely in colour (but only on tape; Spearhead from Space is not included). The 14 serials are seven that had previously been available in the 1972 package, plus seven 'new' adventures, not previously seen in the States, but which had already been converted to NTSC for broadcast on CKVU and TVO in Canada in 1976/77:

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JON PERTWEE (continued)

Seven new stories, 34 episodes (also in "movie length" omnibus editions):

The Ultimate Celebration ad from DWM

RRR	The Three Doctors	4
PPP	Carnival of Monsters	4
TTT	The Green Death	6
UUU	The Time Warrior	4
XXX	Death to the Daleks	4
YYY	The Monster of Peladon	6
ZZZ	Planet of the Spiders	6

- This package included a re-issue of: Inferno, The Claws of Axos, Colony in Space, Day of the Daleks, The Sea Devils, The Mutants and The Time Monster, all of which had been recovered only a few years earlier. At the time the deal was signed off, full colour tapes of Inferno had just been found in Canada, although copies had yet to make their way back to the BBC in London. (The Curse of Peladon was not included, presumably on account of the very poor state of the tapes recovered in 1981.)

- Jon Pertwee goes on tour around the States to promote this package.

• 1983: Lyle Stuart Inc, in Secaucus, New Jersey, becomes the exclusive distributor of Target books in the United States. Target reprints all the available back-titles. They retail from $2.50.

• 1983: Scorpio International Ltd releases the video documentary DOCTOR WHO IN AMERICA.

• The 9-15 July 1983 issue of TV GUIDE has a small half-page feature, "Happy Birthday to Who?", and mentions the upcoming 20th anniversary in November. (See also The Five Doctors.)

• 23 November 1983: The Five Doctors makes its world premiere – two days ahead of its UK transmission - via a network link-up of at least 80 PBS stations across the country:

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PETER DAVISON (continued)

One story, 90 minutes:

Radio Times 20th Anniversary Special; Starlog's USA edition

6K

The Five Doctors

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• As a result of this special screening, Doctor Who is later sold to many more US stations, such as KCET in Los Angeles.

• 26-27 November 1983: Spirit of Light's Doctor Who The Ultimate Celebration convention is held in Chicago
  • See List of Conventions in the United States‎
• Starlog Press publishes a "US" edition of the Radio Times 20th Anniversary Special. It retails for $4.95
• 1983: A 10-minute promotional video was produced, chiefly as an aid to selling the series to PBS broadcasters, but which was sometimes aired as a "behind the scenes" feature: PBS Documentary.

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