United States--1978

"Pilgrims of Horror" - outside the US Embassy, 12 February 1978; reported in Daily Express, 15 February 1978

• January 1978: Following the success of Star Wars, the BBC decides to give Doctor Who another shot at North America. A new deal is completed with Time Life Television. At the time, the most recent story to air in the UK was The Invasion of Time.

• 12 February 1978: Tom Baker and a collection of monsters (including a Dalek, a Sontaran, a Zygon, a Wirrn, and a Voc robot) line up outside the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square, London, for a publicity photo shoot.

• June 1978: The Hand of Fear airs as an omnibus "movie' as a preview story to "test" the series' potential in the US. It is known to have aired on WOR in New York, and a few months later in WPTV, in West Palm Beach, Florida.

• 12-14 June 1978: Industry publications, such as Variety, and BROADCASTING MAGAZINE, run full page ads for "98 Amazing Half-Hours...", featuring Target book artwork by Chris Achilleos. (Use of this artwork was not authorised by Achilleos, who received no payment for it.)

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TOM BAKER

23 stories, 98 episodes:

Time Life Television ad; Broadcasting Magazine, 12 June 1978

Time Life Television distribution ident caption card

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

- The stories are edited slightly, and have narration voiced by actor Howard da Silva.

- Many stations screen the first eight 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.

• August 1978: Space Wars Magazine (Vol 2/4, cover dated August) carries the feature "Dr Who comes to America", but this focuses mainly on the Pertwee stories that were still airing in some States (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.
• By August 1978, screenings of the Jon Pertwee stories draw to an end... Less than 20 stations across the United States (plus Guam) have aired the Jon Pertwee episodes between 1972 and 1978. The final US station to purchase and air the package of 13 Jon Pertwee stories is KDIN in Iowa.

Variety magazine, 16 August 1978

• 16 August 1978: Variety Magazine features on its cover a half-page ad for Doctor Who which lists the 17 cities to which the series has been SOLD:
  • New York
  • Los Angeles
  • Pittsburgh
  • Houston
  • Minneapolis/St Paul
  • Atlanta
  • Baltimore
  • Milwaukee
  • Providence (see also Massachusetts)
  • Oklahoma City
  • Wilkes Barre/Scranton
  • Greensboro
  • Des Moines/Ames
  • Fresno
  • West Palm Beach
  • Las Vegas
  • Norfolk/Hampton

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First Dr Who billing, 28 August 1978

• 28 AUGUST 1978: The Tom Baker stories DEBUT on American television - on station WTEV, in Massachusetts.

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• As the fall television season gets under way, as many as 75 stations across America screen the "All New" series...

• September 1978: Starlog magazine (issue 18, cover dated October) reports that Doctor Who is now in syndication, and mentions it is due to start on WOR-TV, New York, from 8 October.

• 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 the initial of group stations drop the series due to poor ratings (which is certainly true of WVEC in Virginia). But others continue to 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!"

• 25 October 1978: Variety magazine carries a small review of the "low-budget sci-fi spoof", noting that was screening on WOR-TV in New York.