BBC Prime

From BroaDWcast
Jump to navigationJump to search
BBC Prime launched, 26 January 1995
BBC World Service: "Dr Who (Colin Baker)" - Revelation of the Daleks BBC 2 repeat, 4 April 1993

This cable and satellite channel was launched in 1987 as BBC TV Europe, serving continental Europe.

The station transmitted via the IntelSat satellite, broadcasting on frequency 601 27.5º west, at 10,995 and 11,155 gigahertz. The station broadcast a mixture of delayed programming originally shown on BBC1 and BBC2.

From 11 March 1991, BBC TV Europe changed its identity to BBC World Service Television. From November 1991 it expanded its coverage to Asia. As an example of the programming that was available, in April 1993, the recent BBC2 repeat (from a few days earlier) of Revelation of the Daleks (see BBC 2 repeats), played - as per this 1993 billing from a Spanish newspaper showing "Dr Who (Colin Baker)" (see below).

In early 1995, BBC World Service was split into BBC World (for news) and BBC Prime (for entertainment).

From 26 January 1995, BBC Prime became the BBC's first entertainment channel available via satellite and cable across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, broadcasting 24 hours a day, and screening a selection of BBC as well as ITV programming.


COUNTRIES

The new BBC Prime was available in the following countries, some of which also had previously aired Doctor Who on their own domestic stations:

and no doubt many, many others...


DOCTOR WHO ON BBC PRIME

First episode on BBC Prime: Spearhead from Space, 7:30pm, 28 January 1995

Doctor Who commenced on BBC Prime on Saturday, 28 January 1995, at 7:30pm (only two days after the channel was launched). The first story was Spearhead from Space. (None of the William Hartnell or Patrick Troughton stories aired.)

The screening schedule meant that episodes aired four times per week - initially on the Saturday, at 7:30pm, with a repeat on Sunday at 3:15pm, then again on the Thursday evening at 6:30 or 7:30pm, with the last repeat on Friday morning (usually 1:00am). Sometimes, the early morning Friday episodes were not available in Africa. As screenings progressed, the days on which the repeats occurred changed, sometimes Mondays (at 10:30pm), Wednesday, Thursdays, Fridays or twice on the Saturday.

It's unclear exactly when it was that the Doctor Who run ended on BBC Prime. BBC Prime was subsequently rebranded as BBC Entertainment from 11 November 2009.