THE DOCTOR CHECKS INTO VICTORIAN LONDON AND AN ALIEN PLANET



- U.S. premiere of two Doctor Who specials starring David Tennant -



This summer, BBC AMERICA airs two U.S. premiere specials of television’s longest running science fiction series, Doctor Who. And yes, the first special, The Next Doctor, celebrates Christmas - in June! Set in Victorian London, the U.S. premiere holiday special first aired in the UK, December 2008. It is followed on July 26, by the first Doctor Who special in HD, Planet of the Dead.



Richard De Croce, SVP Programming, explained: “We know that Doctor Who has a loyal following of U.S. fans and want to show them the first HD special as soon as BBC America HD launches (July 20). To ensure our viewers don’t miss a moment of Tennant’s spectacular performance, and maintain continuity, we’re bringing them the premiere of last December’s Holiday special first – even though that means snow in June!”



DOCTOR WHO: THE NEXT DOCTOR

It’s Christmas Eve in 1851 and Cybermen stalk the snow of Victorian London. When the Doctor (David Tennant, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) arrives to investigate a spate of mysterious deaths, he’s surprised to meet another Doctor (David Morrissey, State of Play, Viva Blackpool), with his own sonic screw driver. How could this be possible? Could this Doctor be a future regeneration? But if so where are his memories? The two must combine forces to defeat the ruthless Miss Hartigan (Dervla Kirwan, Law & Order UK, Ballykissangel), who is the Cybermen’s human ally. But are two Doctors enough to stop the rise of the CyberKing?

Doctor Who: The Next Doctor premieres Saturday, June 27, 9:00 p.m. ET/PT



DOCTOR WHO: PLANET OF THE DEAD

In the first of four specials shot in HD, Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead, finds the Doctor trapped on a desert alien planet with a red double-decker bus but no Tardis. He soon discovers the mysterious planet holds terrifying secrets hidden in the sand and is forced to team up with a mysterious, aristocratic thief Lady Christina (Michelle Ryan, Bionic Woman, Merlin) to get back to Earth. But time is running out, as the deadly Swarm gets closer.

Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead premieres Sunday, July 26, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT



The iconic sci-fi series originally aired on the BBC from ‘63 – ‘89 and ran on over 400 PBS stations in the ‘80s. This slick re-imagination of Doctor Who, created by Russell T Davies (Torchwood, Queer as Folk), puts a fresh spin on the adventures of the iconic Time Lord and his feisty companions - who travel across the universe to protect Earth from dangerous aliens and terrifying monsters.



Doctor Who has received two BAFTAs, including Best Drama Series in ‘06, three Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation: Short Form in ‘06, ’07 and’08 as well as the Saturn Award for Best International Series in ‘08. Doctor Who has two hit spin-off series - Torchwood, which gets its name from an anagram of Doctor Who, and one for children, The Sarah Jane Adventures.