The Twin Dilemma

You can't really miss that The BBC Doctor Who Site is getting all ready for the 2006 season of Doctor Who. And that's where the main focus is really going to be as the publicity really gets going over in the UK.

It is possible that might overshadow what is going on over in America as the 2005 series continues to air on Sci Fi. One of the (few) negatives about the series coming back into production is that it appears to me that instead of one international Doctor Who fandom there are a lot more barriers between Doctor Who fans in different countries. The Canadians feel frustrated when they get ignored and have nearly as many people watching the series on CBC last year as are watching it on Sci Fi. now. American fans were frustrated that it took a year to get the first series to air here, and we've got no word about the 2006 series at all, though I'm optimistic we'll see it later this year. It's difficult on a site like Television Without Pity to not trip over references to either later episodes or get caught up in some of the Series 2 hype, and Outpost Gallifrey has always been caught up with what is happening with Doctor Who in the UK.

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It is interesting that two other Sci Fi series that are arguably part of The Doctor Who Effect are getting quicker distribution deals than the new Doctor Who did in the US. Life On Mars is going to be picked up in its British form for BBC America, and then is also going to be remade for ABC in an American incarnation. Likewise, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is also going to BBC America.

Both series have new Doctor Who connections, of course. Life On Mars writer Matthew Graham is writing Fear Her for the second series of Doctor Who and Elwen Rowlands was one of the script editors of both series, and Julie Gardner was involved in her role as Head of Drama for BBC Wales.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is going to be Stephen Moffat's new series, who of course previously brought you Coupling and the Hugo-nominated Doctor Who story The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances.

All of this is quite exciting for fans of British SF Television -- the return of Doctor Who has triggered a revival -- other series going on include a new Robin Hood, Torchwood, and then there are those rumors of an additional Doctor Who spin-off...