K9-- Dr Who's mechanical mutt-- is back on the trail to stardom.
The BBC's decision to put the tin terrier into the doghouse brought such howls of protest from viewers that K9 has now collared the lead in a 50-minute adventure which will be screened over Christmas. And it may result in a new series.
Since January when K9 was last seen being given by Dr Who to Lalla Ward as a parting present on the planet of E-Space, the faithful hound has been gathering dust at the BBC's props warehouse in West London.
Now he has been given a facelift for his new role with actress Elisabeth Sladen, herself, a one-time Dr Who girl.
K9's powers, which enable him to stun, kill, consult data banks and detect the presence of enemies, are undermined.
And they will undoubtedly come in handy when he and Elizabeth come up against dark powers in a Cotswold village.
Dr. Who producer John Nathan-Turner, explained yesterday: "The number of letters demanding K9's return got to such a pitch that we had to think of ways of getting him back.
Bone
"Most of the letters came from adults although K9 was originally aimed at the kids."
Initially it was planned to incorporate K9 in just one episode of the upcoming new Dr Who series.
But K9 defence league members weren't satisfied with such a meagre bone being tossed to them.
"The demand was great that the whole new programme was planned," Mr. Nathan-Turner said.
Caption: On the shelf K9 in exile
Caption: Lucky dog K9 all spruced up to star with Elizabeth Sladen
Spelling correction: Elisabeth Sladen
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
