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australia

australian doctor who f.a.q.

Questions are frequently asked by Australians who visit varos, or in the IRC channel #DrWhoChat, about Doctor Who in Australia. Questions like: Is Doctor Who still shown on TV here? or Where can I buy books/videos/dvds/cds?

This page was written to help answer those questions.

Please Note: This page and the information in it, is mainly only applicable to Australia. Please don't email asking for information about other countries, since I don't have much information on them, and most probably, the information I have will be inaccurate.

Additional questions and/or information are always welcome. If you have either, please email them.

Thanks to: The Doctor Who Club of Australia for portions of information used on this page.

Dates in italics underneath questions refer to when a question was updated.

contents

  1. Is Doctor Who being currently shown on Australian TV?
  2. Are there any Doctor Who stories on video/DVD? Where can I purchase them?
  3. Are there any Doctor Who books available? Where can I purchase them?
  4. Are the Big Finish produced Doctor Who (and other series) audio CDs available here? Where can I purchase them?
  5. Are there any Doctor Who fan clubs? How can I get in contact with them?
  6. Are there any conventions / events happening in Australia?

is doctor who being currently shown on australian tv?

13-Oct-2003

At the present date (September 21, 2003), Yes, Doctor Who is currently screening on Australian TV.

ABC Televsion (Channel 2) screens Doctor Who four nights a week (Monday-Thursday) at 6pm. ABC Television's run of Doctor Who screenings commenced on September 15, 2003 with the first ever story An Unearthly Child. Following this, ABC Television plans to screen every available Doctor Who story.

Pay-TV channel UKTV aired Doctor Who from 1996-2002. UKTV "rested" the program from their regular schedule in 2002, and it's unknown whether they still have the pay-TV broadcast rights, (or whether all rights have reverted to the ABC again).

UKTV is currently running a "best of" run of Doctor Who stories to celebrate the 40th anniversary. The run commenced on Saturday, October 11 at 8am with An Unearthly Child and the first five episodes of The War Games (shown in their usual "weekend omnibus" format) and will run for seven weeks until November 22nd.

UKTV also promises a "special surprise" on Sunday, November 23 at 8:30pm.

The Australian Doctor Who Broadcast History contains information on both current and past screenings of Doctor Who on Australian television.

are there any doctor who stories on video/dvd? where can i purchase them?

13-Oct-2003

Yes, Roadshow Video have approximately 20-30 titles in their catalogue, this includes both VHS tapes and DVDs. The DVD range is on-going, with one DVD released every two to three months. The VHS range will be completed in February 2004, and older VHS titles are being deleted from the catalogue as stocks run out.

The videos and DVDs are available at ABC Shops and Centres, specialist sci-fi stores, through the various fan clubs, and selected other retail stores (Grace Bros, David Jones, Myer, Kmart, Target and HMV stores have been known to stock Doctor Who videos).

The most current release is: the Peter Davison story, Earthshock on DVD.

The next release due is: the Jon Pertwee story, The Three Doctors on DVD.

There were other stories available for sale on video, but they were distributed by another company (Polygram) and have since been deleted from their catalogue due to Roadshow taking over the distribution. You might get lucky and find some available for hire in video shops (they've been spotted in branches of Blockbuster Video and Civic Video, as well as several independent video shops.)

For those Doctor Who videos not in the catalogue, there is a chance you can buy them from the UK in PAL format, try blackstar - they offer excellent service (IMHO). If your VCR can handle NTSC tapes, you could also try ordering US videos from US online stores such as amazon.com.

ABC Shops and Centres Locations has details on your nearest ABC Shop or ABC Centre.

Roadshow Entertainment has an online catalogue of Doctor Who VHS and DVD titles.

are there any doctor who books available? where can i purchase them?

13-Oct-2003

Yes. The BBC's Doctor Who books are available in Australia, generally available about four to six weeks behind the UK release dates, though delays have been known to happen. The books have also been known to be released in batches - often four or more books at a time.

The price of the BBC novels is $14.95 including GST. Other "special books" are generally more expensive (the hardcover books are typically between $35 and $45).

The most recent book(s) arrived in Australia on October 1, 2003 according to Galaxy Bookshop, Sydney. Those books are: Timeless

Your best bets for getting books would be to try Dymocks, Collins Booksellers, Angus and Robertson Bookworld, and Borders Books -- for these stores, the main city stores, and bigger stores in major shopping centres give you the best chances of getting books.

You've also got the specialist sci-fi stores -- Galaxy in Sydney, Minotaur in Melbourne, and Known Space Books in Adelaide.

Also, if you're lucky, you may be able to pick up some older Doctor Who books released by Virgin publishing. Generally, specialist sci-fi stores offer the best chances for getting the older books.

You also have the options of ordering online: Amazon US, Amazon UK and OzBooks.com seem to be the best places to order books. All three sites charge postage, though OZBooks offer discounted prices if you're willing to wait longer for books.

are the big finish produced doctor who (and other series) audio cds available here? where can i purchase them?

21-Sep-2003

Yes. The Big Finish Doctor Who audio CDs are available here, though not in major stores (apparently a commercial distributor is being negotiated).

Until that time comes, the Doctor Who Club of Australia is handling distribution of the CDs. The best thing to do is go to their website, print out the order form, and mail it to them with payment (unfortunately, the club can not offer online credit-card ordering facilities at the present time.)

The CDs have also been spotted in the specialist sci-fi book stores, such as Galaxy in Sydney, though usually at inflated prices due to the higher cost of importing direct from the UK.

are there any doctor who fan clubs? how can i get in contact with them?

21-Sep-2003

Yes. There's one national club, The Doctor Who Club of Australia, and there are other clubs covering states and/or major cities. Each club has a range of activities to take part in, and meetings, day events and conventions are held regularly.

There is also an effort forming to establish city or local area specific local groups where groups of fans from a smaller area gather for various occasions such as video nights, pub gatherings, picnics, cinema outings, etc.

For more information on each of the clubs, choose the appropriate link below:

National Club:
  The Doctor Who Club of Australia

State / City Clubs:
  The Doctor Who Club of Victoria
  SFSA (The South Australian Doctor Who Fan Club)
  The West Lodge - Doctor Who Club of Western Australia

are there any conventions / events happening in australia?

21-Sep-2003

At the present time, there are events planned.

The Doctor Who Club of Australia have a single-day event planned entitled: Ruby Jubilee, to be held on Sunday, November 23, 2003 at the Ashfield Catholic and Community Club, Sydney. The event will be a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Doctor Who.

If there are any Doctor Who events planned in your area of Australia, I'd like to hear about them. Send me an email with the details.