Sci-Fi Channel Europe - Revision history

Jon Preddle at 22:19, 27 July 2022

2022-07-27T22:19:28Z

Jon Preddle at 21:02, 16 July 2022

2022-07-16T21:02:40Z

Jon Preddle at 20:41, 2 June 2021

2021-06-02T20:41:48Z

Jon Preddle at 20:08, 2 June 2021

2021-06-02T20:08:20Z

Jon Preddle at 19:50, 30 January 2021

2021-01-30T19:50:38Z

Jon Preddle at 19:55, 10 October 2020

2020-10-10T19:55:14Z

Jon Preddle at 03:54, 28 April 2020

2020-04-28T03:54:08Z

Jon Preddle at 01:13, 8 April 2020

2020-04-08T01:13:41Z

Jon Preddle at 21:20, 7 April 2020

2020-04-07T21:20:37Z

Jon Preddle at 22:38, 23 October 2019

2019-10-23T22:38:49Z

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 The [[wikipedia:Syfy (UK and Ireland)|'''SCI-FI CHANNEL's''' UK and Europe service]] (aka '''Sci-Fi Channel Europe''', and now just '''SYFY'''), is the sister station to the [[Sci-Fi Channel|US cable / satellite platform]]. It was launched on 1 November 1995, and was available in the UK and [[Ireland]], and Western Europe - chiefly the Benelux countries [[Belgium]], [[Netherlands]] and [[Luxembourg]], and Scandinavia ([[Sweden]], [[Norway]], [[Finland]] and [[Denmark]]).
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 The 10 second promos - "I'm Jon Pertwee, and you are watching the Sci-Fi Channel" - appeared from time to time, but it's not clear when or how the interviews were used, since '''Doctor Who''' wasn't screened by the channel when it launched (and the three had no involvement with any of the stories that were subsequently shown 13 years later!).
 From '''6 October 1995''', the service was also available in parts of southern Africa on the [[South Africa]]-based DStv platform.
 By September 1997, the satellite hours had increased to play 8pm to 4am, all seven days, but only a year later, from September 1998, the satellite feed had been reduced to only four hours per night.
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 ==Transmission==
 [[File:30YearsSFC98.JPG|right|thumb|250px|"The Doctors - 30 Years…", SF Channel Europe; The Guardian, 28 November 1998]]
 Some of the first '''Doctor Who'''-related content screened by the Sci-Fi Channel was from [[BBV Productions]]. The documentary '''"The Doctors - 30 Years of Time Travel and Beyond"''' was screened for the first time on Monday, '''20 May 1996''', at 9pm. It was repeated on '''29 May 1996''', the same week that the [[TV Movie]] was first shown on the BBC. (The documentary - sometimes cut down into 20 minute segments and aired as late night filler - would be shown more than '''20 times''' by the channel between '''1996 and March 1999'''.)
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 It was then made available on Sci-Fi's feed to [[South Africa]], screening for the first time on Friday, '''27 December 2002''' at 6.30am. (It played two more times that month, then nine times during 2003; the first appearance there was on Friday, '''3 January''', and the last on '''8 August 2003'''.)
-On '''20 April 2003''', the film was preceded by "[[Dalekmania]]", the one-hour direct-to-video documentary made in 1995, directed by Kevin Davies.
+On Sunday, '''20 April 2003''', the film was preceded by "[[wikipedia:Dalekmania|Dalekmania]]", the one-hour direct-to-video documentary made in 1995, directed by Kevin Davies.
 The first [[Peter Cushing]] Dalek film, '''Dr Who and the Daleks''', was also shown, five times on various dates between '''28 October 2006''' and '''24 December 2006'''.

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 The 10 second promos - "I'm Jon Pertwee, and you are watching the Sci-Fi Channel" - appeared from time to time, but it's not clear when or how the interviews were used, since '''Doctor Who''' wasn't screened by the channel when it launched (and the three had no involvement with any of the stories that were subsequently shown 13 years later!).
-By the end of 1996, the service was also available in [[South Africa]].
+From '''6 October 1995''', the service was also available in parts of southern Africa on the [[South Africa]]-based DStv platform.
 By September 1997, the satellite hours had increased to play 8pm to 4am, all seven days, but only a year later, from September 1998, the satellite feed had been reduced to only four hours per night.
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 In October 1998, with the channel under new management, it was rebranded as '''Sci-Fi''' with a new 'half rings of Saturn' logo.
-From January 1999, the channel ceased its feed to Scandinavia and Benelux.
+From January 1999, the channel ceased its feed to Scandinavia and Benelux. The South African branch was discontinued on 1 July 2004.
 {{clear}}

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:41, 2 June 2021
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−	The [[wikipedia:Syfy (UK and Ireland)\|'''SCI-FI CHANNEL's''' UK and Europe service]] (aka '''Sci-Fi Channel Europe''', and now just '''SYFY'''), is the sister station to the [[Sci-Fi Channel\|US cable / satellite platform]]. It was launched on 1 November 1995, and was available in the UK and [[Ireland]], and ~~to much of~~ Western Europe - chiefly the Benelux countries [[Belgium]], [[Netherlands]] and [[Luxembourg]], and Scandinavia ([[Sweden]], [[Norway]], [[Finland]] and [[Denmark]]).	+	The [[wikipedia:Syfy (UK and Ireland)\|'''SCI-FI CHANNEL's''' UK and Europe service]] (aka '''Sci-Fi Channel Europe''', and now just '''SYFY'''), is the sister station to the [[Sci-Fi Channel\|US cable / satellite platform]]. It was launched on 1 November 1995, and was available in the UK and [[Ireland]], and Western Europe - chiefly the Benelux countries [[Belgium]], [[Netherlands]] and [[Luxembourg]], and Scandinavia ([[Sweden]], [[Norway]], [[Finland]] and [[Denmark]]).

	Like its US counterpart, the channel specialised in science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural, paranormal, drama, and reality programming, but mainly US product. The only BBC series it acquired at the time was [[wikipedia:The Tripods (TV series)\|The Tripods]], but other BBC series, such as '''Doctor Who''', were acquired much later. (Initially, Sci-Fi Channel didn't want to compete with [[UK Gold]], which at that time was the home to '''Doctor Who'''.)		Like its US counterpart, the channel specialised in science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural, paranormal, drama, and reality programming, but mainly US product. The only BBC series it acquired at the time was [[wikipedia:The Tripods (TV series)\|The Tripods]], but other BBC series, such as '''Doctor Who''', were acquired much later. (Initially, Sci-Fi Channel didn't want to compete with [[UK Gold]], which at that time was the home to '''Doctor Who'''.)

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:08, 2 June 2021
Line 1:		Line 1:

−	The [[wikipedia:Syfy (UK and Ireland)\|'''SCI-FI CHANNEL's''' UK and Europe service]] (aka '''Sci-Fi Channel Europe''', and now just '''SYFY'''), is the sister station to the [[Sci-Fi Channel\|US cable / satellite platform]]. It was launched on 1 November 1995, and was available in the UK and [[Ireland]], and to much of Europe (the Benelux countries [[Belgium]], [[Netherlands]] and [[Luxembourg]]) and Scandinavia.	+	The [[wikipedia:Syfy (UK and Ireland)\|'''SCI-FI CHANNEL's''' UK and Europe service]] (aka '''Sci-Fi Channel Europe''', and now just '''SYFY'''), is the sister station to the [[Sci-Fi Channel\|US cable / satellite platform]]. It was launched on 1 November 1995, and was available in the UK and [[Ireland]], and to much of Western Europe - chiefly the Benelux countries [[Belgium]], [[Netherlands]] and [[Luxembourg]], and Scandinavia ([[Sweden]], [[Norway]], [[Finland]] and [[Denmark]]).

	Like its US counterpart, the channel specialised in science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural, paranormal, drama, and reality programming, but mainly US product. The only BBC series it acquired at the time was [[wikipedia:The Tripods (TV series)\|The Tripods]], but other BBC series, such as '''Doctor Who''', were acquired much later. (Initially, Sci-Fi Channel didn't want to compete with [[UK Gold]], which at that time was the home to '''Doctor Who'''.)		Like its US counterpart, the channel specialised in science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural, paranormal, drama, and reality programming, but mainly US product. The only BBC series it acquired at the time was [[wikipedia:The Tripods (TV series)\|The Tripods]], but other BBC series, such as '''Doctor Who''', were acquired much later. (Initially, Sci-Fi Channel didn't want to compete with [[UK Gold]], which at that time was the home to '''Doctor Who'''.)

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 It was then made available on Sci-Fi's feed to [[South Africa]], screening for the first time on Friday, '''27 December 2002''' at 6.30am. (It played two more times that month, then nine times during 2003; the first appearance there was on Friday, '''3 January''', and the last on '''8 August 2003'''.)
-On '''20 April 2003''', the film was preceded by "[[wikipedia:Dalekmania|Dalekmania]]", the one-hour direct-to-video documentary made in 1995, directed by Kevin Davies.
+On '''20 April 2003''', the film was preceded by "[[Dalekmania]]", the one-hour direct-to-video documentary made in 1995, directed by Kevin Davies.
 The first [[Peter Cushing]] Dalek film, '''Dr Who and the Daleks''', was also shown, five times on various dates between '''28 October 2006''' and '''24 December 2006'''.

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 Later the same day, a series of short interviews and promos with Jon Pertwee, Sophie Aldred and Terrance Dicks were recorded by director Kevin Davies.
+{{YouTube table|llteguFGdc4|Jon Pertwee Ident}}
 The 10 second promos - "I'm Jon Pertwee, and you are watching the Sci-Fi Channel" - appeared from time to time, but it's not clear when or how the interviews were used, since '''Doctor Who''' wasn't screened by the channel when it launched (and the three had no involvement with any of the stories that were subsequently shown 13 years later!).
-By the end of 1996, the service was also available in Southern Africa.
+By the end of 1996, the service was also available in [[South Africa]].
 By September 1997, the satellite hours had increased to play 8pm to 4am, all seven days, but only a year later, from September 1998, the satellite feed had been reduced to only four hours per night.
@@ Line 72: / Line 72: @@
 The [[TV Movie]] itself aired for the first time on Saturday, '''2 November 2002''' at 8pm. It was repeated the following day at 2pm - and was then shown '''nine more''' times (!) on various dates and timeslots over the next ten months between '''26 December 2002''' and '''25 October 2003'''.
 On '''20 April 2003''', the film was preceded by "[[wikipedia:Dalekmania|Dalekmania]]", the one-hour direct-to-video documentary made in 1995, directed by Kevin Davies.

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 [[File:SCIFIlaunch.JPG|left|thumb|300px|Jon Pertwee and friends launch the new channel at Waterloo Station, 31 October 1995]]
-[[File:SciFiPertwee.JPG|right|thumb|300px|"I'm Jon Pertwee, and you are watching the Sci-Fi Channel", 1996 promo short]]
+[[File:SciFiPertwee.JPG|right|thumb|300px|"I'm Jon Pertwee, and you are watching the Sci-Fi Channel" promo short]]
 The official launch party was held at London's Waterloo Station on '''31 October 1995'''. Although '''Doctor Who''' was not part of the channel's line-up, Jon Pertwee was on hand, along with '''Star Trek''''s James Doohan and George Takei (and later Brian ("Gordon's aliiiiive?!") Blessed, who, he says, happened to be passing!).