gordon@uw-june (Jamie Green) (03/06/85)
Here is the "straight scoop" on the apparent demise of our favorite program,
and a list of people to write to save it. This info was told to me by a
friend of mine, Brian Loomis, who phoned Gail Bennett yesterday (Mon, Mar 4),
who got the info direct from the "higher ups" (i.e. JN-T and friends), so if
you're wondering as to the veracity of this posting, have no fear. This is NOT
rumor, it is established fact.
On Wednesday, Feb 27, Michael Grade, the Comptroller for BBC-1 announced that
the BBC was cancelling Doctor Who due to lack of funds. The outcry was almost
immediate. By Thursday, Feb 28, all the London newspapers were screaming.
Rock stars such as Boy George, Duran Duran, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Elton
John, etc. were announcing concerts/tours/records to raise funds for the show.
(!) (whether or not you think much of their music, they at least seem to have
some taste!) The head of the Doctor Who Fan Club of America sent a telex to
the BBC, saying that he'd raise $5million to support the show. On Friday, Mar
1, the BBC backed down, and decided to "merely" put the show on an 18-month
hiatus.
The papers seem to be happy now, but at this point the show is very likely
dead anyway, as the production crew, actors, etc. are all likely to be doing
other things by the time the BBC decides to revive it. So what we have to do
now is make the BBC change its mind completely, and not put a stop to the
show. The way to do this is make our feelings known on the matter, by writing
letters to those involved. Here are addresses to various people in the BBC,
several lawmakers, and the major London papers:
Michael Grade Alistair Milne Bill Cotton
Comptroller for BBC-1 Director General of BBC Managing Director of BBC
These people can all be reached at:
British Broadcasting Corporation
White City
London W12, United Kingdom
When writing the BBC, state that you are unhappy with their decision to
cancel the show, and that you want the show to continue.
Here are the addresses of several lawmakers in Britain:
(don't know first name) McKinoch Nigel Lawson
Houses of Parliament British Chancellor
Parliament Square 11 Downing Street
London W12, United Kingdom London W12, United Kingdom
Margaret Thatcher
Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London W12, United Kingdom
When writing these lawmakers, ask why the BBC is cancelling the show, and state
that you wish it to continue. (sunybcs!hobbit's suggestion that Doctor Who is
one of Britain's best exports, and the fact that it is a British institution
seem like suitable things to say in this case, as well as when writing the BBC)
And finally, here are the major London newspapers:
Daily Star All these papers are at the same address:
Evening Standard
Daily Mail Fleet Street
London Times London W12, United Kingdom
The Sun
The Daily Star was the loudest of the papers involved in the outcry.
When writing the papers, state that you want Doctor Who to be continued, and
urge them to continue the fight to save it. Mention that they are our voice
in this, especially here in America.
Finally, here is the phone number for the BBC Front Office:
1-011-441-743-8000
Request the Duty Office, then register your complaint. The charges for the
phone call are $1.25 for 3 minutes on the East Coast, and $1.35 for the first
minute on the West Coast. This should be plenty of time to get through and
state your concern. Remember when calling that there is a large time differ-
ence between Britain and the States (+5 hours on East Coast, +9 on West Coast)
when calling. Mention that you're calling from America; they seem to be
rather impressed by that (but don't be haughty, of course).
A last note: When you send your message, BE POLITE. Do not use insults or
expletives, as any message received of that nature is immediately disposed
of, and does not help our cause! If your message is polite and to the point,
it carries much more weight with the recipient than an abrasive or insulting
letter would.
I will keep the net informed as to the latest developments in this. Brian
will be calling Gail Bennett again this Thursday (Mar 7) for more news. In
the meantime, try to write as many people on the above list as possible! If
you have any questions, feel free to send me mail.
Help save Doctor Who!
The Great Green Arkleseizure {decvax,ihnp4,allegra}!uw-beaver!uw-june!gordon
Jamie Green gordon@uw-june.arpamsc@saber.UUCP (Mark Callow) (03/07/85)
> Here is the "straight scoop" on the apparent demise of our favorite program, It's not the straigt scoop. It has many innaccuracies. I was in London last week when the news broke so I can give you a first hand report. > > On Wednesday, Feb 27, Michael Grade, the Comptroller for BBC-1 announced that > the BBC was cancelling Doctor Who due to lack of funds. The outcry was almost On Wednesday 27th February the BBC1 TV morning news show carried a report that the controller of BBC 1 Michael Grade had decided to place Dr. Who on an 18 month layoff because the BBC needed the money for other drama productions. There was NEVER any mention of cancellation. > immediate. By Thursday, Feb 28, all the London newspapers were screaming. The Evening Standard carried the story that night and the following day all of the national dailies carried the story most on the front page. The consensus of opinion was that this was a ploy to gain support for an increase of the TV licence fee to 65 pounds. This increase was currently being debated in parliament. They also reported that Micheal Grade was (oh so conveniently) on holiday and couldn't be reached for comment. > Rock stars such as Boy George, Duran Duran, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Elton > John, etc. were announcing concerts/tours/records to raise funds for the show. This is the first I've heard of this. I didn't see any mention in the papers or hear anything on radio or TV about this. > some taste!) The head of the Doctor Who Fan Club of America sent a telex to > the BBC, saying that he'd raise $5million to support the show. It was widely reported by Friday morning that the "Dr. Who fans in America" had already raised $5 million for the show. > On Friday, Mar 1, the BBC backed down, and decided to "merely" put the show > on an 18-month hiatus. > > The papers seem to be happy now, but at this point the show is very likely > dead anyway, On Friday 1st March, the BBC announced that it was reconsidering the decision in view of the enormous outcry from all over the world. Since the ORIGINAL decision was for the 18 month layoff the papers were certainly not "happy now". When I left on Sunday 3rd March there had been no word about the results of the reconsideration. > (don't know first name) McKinoch Nigel Lawson Presumably Neil McKinnoch who is leader of the labour party, the main opposition party. > Evening Standard > Daily Mail Fleet Street > London Times London W12, United Kingdom Fleet Street is London EC1. > ence between Britain and the States (+5 hours on East Coast, +9 on West Coast) Britain is +8 hours from the West Coast. -- From the TARDIS of Mark Callow msc@saber.UUCP, saber!msc@decwrl.ARPA ...{decvax,ucbvax}!decwrl!saber!msc, ...{amd,ihnp4,ittvax}!saber!msc