ChicagoNow has reported that US subscriber network BBC America is planning a small-scale “marathon” of Doctor Who next weekend: Saturday, May 29th and Sunday, May 30th.
In BBC America’s recent past, the network has reaped considerable benefits from airing Doctor Who marathons prior to massive premiere events. The two-day celebration of David Tennant’s career in early January leading up to The End of Time: Part Two gave the programme the necessary amount of attention for Doctor Ten’s regeneration to provide BBC America with its at-the-time highest-rated night ever, sporting over a million viewers. A slightly smaller-scale marathon occurred the day of The Eleventh Hour‘s American premiere, which rendered an even better 1.2 million, the channel’s current all-time record.
But in next week’s case, the “marathon” (note that I’m still using quotes) carries with it a few negative side-effects for American fans. According to BBC America’s TV Schedule for May 29th through May 31st, the two-day run, instead of displaying many back-to-back episodes from a series that certainly has a trove of stories to choose from, will consist of only the first six episodes from Matt Smith’s Season 31… aired 3 times over the course Saturday and Sunday, interrupted with a brief stint of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and Top Gear. Also, this particular run, instead of concluding with a brand-new episode in the manner of the network’s recent successful Who marathons, opts to carry over into an extended set of the inferior and considerably less-British Star Trek: The Next Generation. Unfortunately, because the marathon does not conclude with a new episode, the Kasterborous-acclaimed Amy’s Choice will not premiere on May 29th, but on June 5th, placing American Whovians yet another week out of sync with the British audience.
Nonetheless, if you’re a stateside viewer and discover yourself in good enough humor to throw yourself a six-hour Doctor Who party (and let’s be honest – who wouldn’t want to?), you’ve got three chances to do so:Â May 29th at 8PM, and May 30th at 2AM and 2PM, eastern time.
This is absolutely ridiculous!! You know if the BBC is so concerned with pirated content being put up on YouTube why can’t they synchronize the Doctor Who episodes worldwide. I’m still baffled why any country has an air date later than the premiere in England. I’m so pissed off!! And Star Trek…common on!! What happened? Did the BBC America team get these episodes in the dollar bin at Kmart (American Cheap Store)? BBC America once again proves they don’t understand the American Doctor Who audience, which isn’t the same audience for old worn out Start Trek episodes. I mean REALLY!!