United States

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The USA was the 34th country to screen Doctor Who, with various commercial, non-commercial, independent, network affiliated and PBS stations carrying the series from August 1972.



First Station to screen each Doctor

  • Jon Pertwee – WPHL, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1972)
  • Tom Baker – WSBK, Boston, Massachusetts (1978)
  • Peter Davison – Entertainment Channel, New York (1982)
  • William Hartnell – NJN, New Jersey (1985)
  • Patrick Troughton – NJN, New Jersey (1985)
  • Jon Pertwee (full package) – NJN, New Jersey (1985)
  • Colin Baker – NJN, New Jersey (1985) / WNED, Buffalo, New York (1987)
  • Sylvester McCoy – unknown (1987)


Key dates and events in US screening history

1960s

  • 3 January 1965: OFFER DALEKS TO United States – PER THAT MEMO, AND ALSO PER THE NEWSPAPER CLIPPING FROM CHICAGO TRIBUNE 3 JAN 1965
  • 1965, XXXXX: One of the earliest known exposures of Doctor Who to American audiences is in issue #XX (XXXXXX 1965) of Famous Monsters of Filmland in the form of a photograph of a Menoptra from The Web Planet; the wording of the caption, however, gives the impression that the 'insect-like' creature is in fact Dr Who himself!
  • 1965, April: Famous Monsters of Filmland issue #38 (February 1965) carriesa feature on the series in the form of a report from the set of The Web Planet.
  • 1965: Variety Magazine (issue dated XXXX) publishes a review of Dr Who and the Daleks.
  • 1966': Variety Magazine (issue dated XXXX) publishes a review of Daleks Invade Earth 2150AD (sic).
  • JULY 1966 – Doctor Who &TD released in the United States - per IMDB
  • 1966-1967: During the second half of 1966 and all of 1967, Terry Nation attempts to sell the concept of a Dalek spin-off series to American networks. The series never goes ahead, but an unfortunate condition during this period of negotiation is that the BBC is not able to sell Dalek stories to overseas broadcasters...
  • 1966, November: Dell publishes a comic adaptation of the first Dalek movie. It retails for XXX.
  • 1967-1968: The two Aaru Dalek feature films play in selected cinemas across the United States. They are distributed by the Continental Group.

MOVIES APPARENTLY IN THE SUMMER OF 1967 (DWM 264)

  • 1967, March: Famous Monsters of Filmland #44 (March 1967) carries a feature article on Dr Who and the Daleks.
  • April 1967: (???: Avon books publishes a US edition of David Whitaker's Target novelisation, Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks. It retails for XXXX.

1972

  • The BBC establishes a distribution deal with Time/Life Films, the film and television distribution division of Ted Turner's media empire Wikipedia: Time Life. This deal gives Time/Life exclusive rights to sell BBC product within the United States and Latin America. The deal includes such fair as Wikipedia: War & Peace (a co-production between Time/Life and BBC), The Ascent of Man, and Doctor Who. At the time the deal was signed off, the ninth season of the series (starring Jon Pertwee), was coming to a close. The package offered included 13 serials, 72 episodes, in full colour. These episodes were converted from the PAL video tapes to NTSC (525-line 2-inch colour video tapes). (Presumably Pertwee's debut serial, Spearhead from Space was not included in the package was because it was on colour film.) Inferno is supplied with an earlier edit of part five, featuring a scene deleted from the UK broadcast. (This highlights that the BBC still held the original colour tapes of these three seasons as late as 1972.)
  • BROADCASTING MAGAZINE ADS
  • 20 June 1972: TV Guide published a two-page feature, YOO HOO MONSTERS! introducing viewers to "Dr Who", the Sea Devils and the Master. It reveals that the series was coming in "the fall".
  • 1972 XXXXX: BROADCASTING MAGAZINE carried advertisements for Doctor Who (and other BBC series) in the DDMMYYY and DDMMYYYY issues.

JON PERTWEE

13 stories, 72 episodes:


BBB Doctor Who and the Silurians 7
CCC The Ambassadors of Death 7
DDD Inferno 7
EEE Terror of the Autons 4
FFF The Mind of Evil 6
GGG The Claws of Axos 4
HHH Colony in Space 6
JJJ The Daemons 5
KKK Day of the Daleks 4
MMM The Curse of Peladon 4
LLL The Sea Devils 6
NNN The Mutants 6
OOO The Time Monster 6


- The tape of Inferno part five is an extended version.

- Day of the Daleks is called "The Daleks" in all publicity (and subsequently in many of the TV billings).


  • 21 August 1972: Doctor Who makes its USA TV debut on WPHL in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.


1976-1978

  • 1976, May': Famous Monsters of Filmland (issue 126, cover dated July) features "The Funtastic World of Dr Who", an overview of the series that was currently "in syndication". (The article liberally pulls its facts and interviews from the 1972 Pan Books / Piccolo edition of The Making of Doctor Who!)


1978

  • 1978: Screenings of the Jon Pertwee stories come to an end... Less than 20 stations across the United States (plus Guam) have aired the series between 1972 and 1978.
  • Producer Philip Hinchcliffe has discussions with BBC management about selling the series to the States. Management decree that the earlier sales were not that successful...
  • 1978, January: With Star Wars putting science fiction back into public arena, the BBC decides to give Doctor Who another shot at North America. A deal is completed with Time Life television, who have had enormous success selling BBC product to PBS stations throughout America.
  • 12 February 1978: Tom Baker and a collection of monsters (including a Dalek, a Sontaran, a Wirrn, and a Voc robot) line up outside the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square, London, for a publicity photo shoot.
  • The most recent story to air was The Invasion of Time; starting with Baker's debut serial, Robot, the BBC had a ready-made syndication package of 23 stories, 98 episodes available for American stations. Again, the TV distribution arm of the Time/Life empire – now Time Life Television – has the exclusive rights to sell the series within the US.
  • The stories are edited slightly, and have narration voiced by actor Howard da Silva.

TOM BAKER

Time Life Television brochure

The package consists of 23 stories, 98 episodes:

4A Robot 4
4B The Sontaran Experiment 2
4C The Ark in Space 4
4D Revenge of the Cybermen 4
4E Genesis of the Daleks 6
4F Terror of the Zygons 4
4G Pyramids of Mars 4
4H Planet of Evil 4
4J The Android Invasion 4
4K The Brain of Morbius 4
4L The Seeds of Doom 6
4M The Masque of Mandragora 4
4N The Hand of Fear 4
4P The Deadly Assassin 4
4Q The Face of Evil 4
4R The Robots of Death 4
4S The Talons of Weng-Chiang 6
4V Horror of Fang Rock 4
4T The Invisible Enemy 4
4X Image of the Fendahl 4
4W The Sun Makers 4
4Y Underworld 4
4Z The Invasion of Time 6

Many stations screen the stories out of order, usually based on BBC production codes, as listed above.

The tape of part one of The Brain of Morbius is missing sound effects and music cues.

  • 1978, August: Space Wars Magazine (Vol 2/4, cover dated August) carries a features "Dr Who comes to America", but this focuses mainly on the Pertwee stories that were still airing (with an episode guide, listing the 13 serials in alphabetical order) and does not mention the impending syndication of the Tom Baker series at all.
  • xx June 1978: BROADCASTING magazine runs a full page ad for the series: XXXXXXXX.
  • BROADCASTING MAGAZINE ADS
  • 28 August 1978: The Tom Baker stories make their debut on American television on station XXXX, in Boston, Massachusetts. At least 75 stations commence broadcast in the new fall season.
  • 1978, September: Starlog magazine (issue 18, cover dated October) reports that Doctor Who is now in syndication.
  • By the end of the year 92 US stations have picked up the new series. However, according to an unknown undated American publication (but reported on page 182 of The Key To Time; Peter Haining; W H Allen; 1984), many of these stations drop the series due to poor ratings, but others pick it up, and within a year the programme is regularly broadcast on 92 stations. Time Life respond, saying that "Doctor Who's success in America is undeniable!"
  • VARIETY REVIEW – WOR-TV

1979

  • 1979, April: Pinnacle Books publishes the first of the American editions of the Target novelisations. They retail for XXX. (Famous Monsters of Filmland carries adverts for the book range from XXXX.)
  • 1979: Many genre magazines promote and support the series:
    • Famous Monsters of Filmland (issue 155, cover dated XXXX)
    • Starlog (issue 23, cover dated xxxxx)
    • Fangoria (issue 2, cover dated September)
    • SuperStar Heroes (issue 10, cover dated October)
    • Fantastic Films (issue 11, cover dated October
  • By the middle of 1979, Doctor Who had been sold to 92 stations.
  • 1979, December: The first American Doctor Who convention is held in LA, with Tom Baker and Graham Williams.

1980

  • March 1980: Elisabeth Sladen and Ian Marter attend a convention in Las Angeles.
  • 1980: NBC expresses an interest in purchasing the series, but nothing eventuates.
  • 1980: By the middle of the year, 97 stations have purchased the series.
  • August 1980: NBC contacts the BBC with a view to purchasing the series, but no deal eventuates.
  • 1980, November: US Marvel commences publication of a four-issue comic – Marvel Premiere Featuring DOCTOR WHO, with material previously published in Doctor Who Magazine, now in full colour.

1981

  • 18 March 1981: Time Life's contract expires. The contract is not renewed because the Film and Television division is in the process of being dissolved.
  • 1981, April: Time Life purchases and markets the remaining 18 Tom Baker stories (74 episodes). These do not have added narration.

TOM BAKER (continued)

5A The Ribos Operation 4
5B The Pirate Planet 4
5C The Stones of Blood 4
5D The Androids of Tara 4
5E The Power of Kroll 4
5F The Armageddon Factor 6
5J Destiny of the Daleks 4
5H City of Death 4
5G The Creature from the Pit 4
5K Nightmare of Eden 4
5L The Horns of Nimon 4
5N The Leisure Hive 4
5Q Meglos 4
5R Full Circle 4
5P State of Decay 4
5S Warriors' Gate 4
5T The Keeper of Traken 4
5V Logopolis 4
  • The first station to buy this package is KOED in Oklahoma.
  • 1981, July: Pinnacle ceases publishing its Doctor Who novelisation range.
  • 1981, August: By August 1981, Lionheart International Television Inc takes over from Time Life as distributor. Lionheart is co-owned by HBO (Home Box Office) and the BBC. New tapes of the earlier Tom Baker stories are made available, no longer with the da Silva narrations. Omnibus move-length editions are also made available. (Some stations had made their own in-house 'movie' versions; Lionheart was the first distributor to offer the choice.)
  • 14-16 August 1981: Before he has appeared on screen as the Doctor, Peter Davison makes his first US convention appearance, in Tulsa Oklahoma.
  • 1981, December: Even though the first season of Peter Davison stories has yet to screen in the UK, those seven serials are pre-sold to the New York cable channel, The Entertainment Channel. Other stations in the US have to wait until 1984 to be able to buy the Davison adventures.

1982

  • 1982: As Peter Davison makes his debut in the UK, Lionheart announces that it has been pre-sold the next three years, 1982 to 1984.

PETER DAVISON

6 stories, 26 episodes:

5Z Castrovalva 4
5W Four to Doomsday 4
5Y Kinda 4
5X The Visitation 4
6A Black Orchid 2
6B Earthshock 4
6C Time-Flight 4
  • 1982: By the end of the year, Lionheart announces that Doctor Who is watched by 9 million viewers in the US.

1983

  • 3/4 April 1983: At the weekend long 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".
  • 1983: Lyle Stuart becomes the exclusive distributer of Target books in the United States. Target reprints all available back-titles. They retail for XXXX. Mass reprinting of Target books for US market; distrubuted by LYLE STUART - ee if can identifiy first book with their name on it
  • 1983, June: Once Upon a Time Lord screens (see Colorado).
  • XXX July 1983: TV GUIDE HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO WHO

JON PERTWEE (continued)

  • 1983: By June, a package of 14 Pertwee stories (73 episodes) - consisting of just those serials that existed entirely in colour (but only on tape, so Spearhead from Space is not included) - is released by Lionheart. This package includes seven serials that had been available in the early 1970s, and seven 'new' adventures, not previously seen in the States:

Seven new stories, 34 episodes:

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 DDD, GGG, HHH, KKK, LLL, NNN, OOO. At the time the deal was signed off, full colour tapes of Inferno had only recently been returned from Canada.

  • Jon Pertwee undertakes a tour of the States to promote this package.
  • 23 November 1983: The Five Doctors makes its world debut, via a network link-up of at least 80 PBS stations across the country.

PETER DAVISON (continued)

One story, one episode:

6K The Five Doctors 1
  • 26-27 November 1983: Spirit of Light – The Ultimate Convention is held in Chicago. (SEE BACK OF DWM 82)

1984

  • 9 January 1984: TIME magazine carries a feature on Doctor Who - "Who's Who in Outer Space" (Read the article [HERE]). The article declares that the series is seen by 9.5 million viewers in 112 markets across the States.
  • 1984, February: TV GUIDE _ Feb 1984 - WHO HAS TWO HEARTS
  • 1984: By the middle of the year, Lionheart successfully makes a deal to purchase the existing complete William Hartnell stories (17 serials) and [[Patrick Troughton stories] (five serials) to add to the package of 24 Pertwee serials to be made available in 1985.
  • 1984, June: TV GUID - June 84 - REVIEW OF DW (Robery MacKenzie)
  • 1984, July: Colin Baker makes his US convention debut in Ohio.
  • 1984: Plans to film in New Orleans fall through, so the filming of The Two Doctors is relocated to Spain.
  • 1984, October': Marvel US commences reprints of Doctor Who Magazine comic strips. (This comic series runs for 23 issues between October 1984 and August 1986.)
  • 1984, November: Season 20 and 21 begin screening in the States. (Although The Twin Dilemma has been supplied, stations have been instructed not to air the serial until other Colin Baker stories are made available in 1985/86.)

PETER DAVISON (continued)

12 stories, equivalent of 44 episode:

6E Arc of Infinity 4
6D Snakedance 4
6F Mawdryn Undead 4
6G Terminus 4
6H Enlightenment 4
6J The King's Demons 2
6L Warriors of the Deep 4
6M The Awakening 2
6N Frontios 4
6P Resurrection of the Daleks (2/4)
6Q Planet of Fire 4
6R The Caves of Androzani 4
  • 1984, December: The spin-off K9 and Company airs at Christmas, although it is not as widely sold as its parent series.

1985

  • May 1985: 146 stations in the US have purchased the series, exposing 70% of the population the United States to the series.

WILLIAM HARTNELL

  • When US stations demanded "more Doctor Who", the BBC raided its archives and repackaged the black and white episodes. From mid-1985, they sold the 17 serials that were complete, in a packaged reported to be worth £4.5 million! The stories were edited into compilations, with new title cards, the story to story cliffhangers often removed, and brand new closing credits created, sometimes displaying a 1984 or 1985 copyright date:

Seventeen stories, 76 episodes:

A An Unearthly Child 4
B The Daleks 7
C Inside the Spaceship 2
E The Keys of Marinus 6
F The Aztecs 4
G The Sensorites 6
J Planet of Giants 3
K The Dalek Invasion of Earth 6
L The Rescue 2
M The Romans 4
N The Web Planet 6
Q The Space Museum 4
R The Chase 6
S The Time Meddler 4
X The Ark 4
Z The Gunfighters 4
BB The War Machines 4
  • It is reported that the Hartnell to Troughton regeneration sequence was edited onto the end of The War Machines.
  • 7 September 1985: The package of 17 complete William Hartnell stories begins screening on NJN in New Jersey. (It is reported that Lionheart paid four and a half million pounds for the rights.)

PATRICK TROUGHTON


Five stories, 30 episodes:

TT The Dominators 5
UU The Mind Robber 5
WW The Krotons 4
XX The Seeds of Death 6
ZZ The War Games 10


JON PERTWEE (continued)

  • The sale of this package was announced by Pertwee at the Longleat festival of 3 and 4 April 1983 (see above).
  • This package also included four stories that not had been sold to the States before. Since episode three of Planet of the Daleks was in black and white, the BBC also provided a re-edited version that re-cut episodes two and four, making the story into a five-part serial. Invasion of the Dinosaurs was also re-edited because episode one was in black and white, so the opening titles were all re-captioned (e.g. PART TWO was renumbered PART ONE, PART TWO became PART THREE, etc), and the story was issued as a five parter.

Four stories, 20/21 episodes:

AAA Spearhead from Space 4
QQQ Frontier in Space 6
SSS Planet of the Daleks 5/6
WWW Invasion of the Dinosaurs 5

COLIN BAKER

Seven stories, equivalent of 30 half hour episodes:

6S The Twin Dilemma 4
6T Attack of the Cybermen 2/4
6V Vengeance on Varos 2/4
6X The Mark of the Rani 2/4
6W The Two Doctors 3/6
6Y Timelash 2/4
6Z Revelation of the Daleks 2/4


1986

  • 1986: The NJN produced documentary "Doctor Who's Who's Who" screens.
  • 1986, May: By May 1986, the BBC buys Lionheart Television Inc. The BBC owned only 2%, the other 98% split 50/50 between Western World TV and Public Media Inc. Lionheart was clearing a profit of US$1million per year.
  • 8 May 1986: Setting off from Washington DC, with Peter Davison and BBC 1 Controller, Michael Grade in attendance, the BBC Doctor Who Bus begins its two-year, multi-city tour (two cities per week). It is hoped that all 181 markets where Doctor Who is screened across America will be visited.


DOCTOR WHO BUS WEB SITES:


  • 1986, July: By the middle of the year, 112 stations (both commercial and PBS) had purchased the series, with an estimated daily audience of 10 million.
  • August 1986: After 23 issues, the US Marvel comic is cancelled due to falling sales.
  • 1986: Ballentine Books publish US editions of the six Make Your Own Adventure books, that had been published by Severn House in the UK. New covers are painted by Gail Bennett. They retail for XXXX.
  • 1986: The North American Doctor Who Appreciation Society (NADWAS) winds up.

1987

  • 28 February 1987: Sylvester McCoy joins John Nathan-Turner and Jon Pertwee on the BBC Doctor Who Bus at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, his debut personal appearance following his casting as the seventh Doctor, three days ahead of his "official" announcement in the UK!
  • 28 March 1987: Patrick Troughton dies, while attending a convention in Columbus, Georgia.
  • 1987: Lionheart hikes the prices for Doctor Who, forcing a number of PBS stations to drop the series.

COLIN BAKER (continued)

One (4) stories, 14 episodes:

7A The Trial of a Time Lord 14


  • 16 May 1987: Sylvester McCoy makes his first convention appearance in Boston, Massachusetts, with coverage shown on WGBH.
  • 1987: CBS/FOX, under its Playhouse imprint, begins releasing Doctor Who on home video.
  • 1987: By June, it is reported that Doctor Who is seen potentially by 74% of the country. By September it is announced that over 200 markets have screened the series.
  • 1987: By September, the long-running FASA Doctor Who role-playing game is cancelled.

SYLVESTER McCOY

The McCoy stories were made available to coincide with the seasonal pledge drives.

8 stories, 28 episodes:

7D Time and the Rani 4
7E Paradise Towers 4
7F Delta and the Bannermen 3
7G Dragonfire 3
7H Remembrance of the Daleks 4
7L The Happiness Patrol 3
7K Silver Nemesis 3
7J The Greatest Show in the Galaxy 4


  • 1987: The BBC buys all shares in Lionheart, and begins to rebrand the organisation into BBC Worldwide America.

1988

  • 1988: By the start of 1988, more PBS stations have dropped the series. Lionheart tries the tactic of forcing stations to buy full runs of older stories – one story per week, which means a commitment to at least 52 stories! - if they want to buy the new seasons - so the station don't buy either!
  • 1988: Lionheart launches The Friends of Doctor Who, deemed to be the only official Doctor Who fan club.
  • 1988: The BBC announces that sales to America have helped generate £27,500,000, an increase of 14% on 1986-87.

1990

  • 1990: The final season, 26, is sold, but to only three stations, with instructions not to air until 1991. After the stations complain, they are given release to air the stories in 1990.

SYLVESTER McCOY (continued)

  • 1990: Season 26 is marketed from March 1990. Only three stations pick up the season (including Houston, Texas and New Jersey Network), but Lionheart withdraws the option, demanding that the tapes be returned! The stations refused, and the screenings went ahead.
7N Battlefield 4
7Q Ghost Light 3
7M The Curse of Fenric 4
7P Survival 3


1991-1998

  • 1991: With PBS sales falling, and their contract with PBS expiring in 1992, Lionheart looks to cable and networks to pick up the series.
  • 1994: Stations began not renewing their contracts during the early to mid 1990s. New Hampshire's WENH in Durham was the last station in New England to still be airing the series, eventually dropping it in June of 1994.
  • 1998: By early 1998, only five PBS stations were still screening the series: Des Moines, Iowa; Denver, Colorado; San Jose, California; Baltimore, Maryland, and Cincinnati, Ohio.
  • By the new millennium, sales of Doctor Who had all but dried up.


(The above basic timeline of events is taken from reports in DWM, DWB, Celestial Toyroom, Data Extract, Fantasy Image, Starlog, Doctor Who Marvel (US), Famous Monsters of Filmland, Fantastic Films, Fangoria, Enterprise Incidents.)


Index of States

Most – if not all – States aired Doctor Who at some point between 1972 and the late 1990s. Click on each State for the list of known stations that screened the series:

Alabama Idaho Michigan New York Tennessee
Alaska Illinois Minnesota North Carolina Texas
Arizona Indiana Mississippi North Dakota Utah
Arkansas Iowa Missouri Ohio Vermont
California Kansas Montana Oklahoma Virginia
Colorado Kentucky Nebraska Oregon Washington
Connecticut Louisiana Nevada Pennsylvania Washington DC
Delaware Maine New Hampshire Rhode Island West Virginia
Florida Maryland New Jersey South Carolina Wisconsin
Georgia Massachusetts New Mexico South Dakota Wyoming
Hawaii . . . .



Media


Links

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