TIME traveller Dr Who is moving to a twice-weekly cliff-hanging format in a hid to revive the show's flagging ratings.
The series, which has occupied the early Saturday evening slot for 18 years. will be seen on BBC 1on Tuesdays and Thursdays when it returns in the New Year.
It will follow Nationwide on BBC 1 at around 7pm. In the past, Dr Who has been a big audience-puller for viewers of all ages, although it was conceived as a children's show.
It often appeared in the Top Twenty chart and was an early evening attraction for the BBC's big Saturday night audiences, But the most recent series did not do so well.
Drama chief Shaun Sutton says: "The feeling is that we have stuck In a particular pattern for a very long time and that the show might do better if we change to this new format.
"We will try it as an experiment and, if it does not work, we will probably revert to the old Saturday night idea."
There will be 28 episodes as usual in the next series. But because of the twice-weekly format it will run for only three months instead of six.
Caption: PETER DAVISON From vet to doctor
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