K9 lives!
- Publication: The Sun
- Date: 1980-07-12
- Author: Judy Wade
- Page: 17
- Language: English
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Dr Who's dog will still have his day
DR WHO'S mechanical mutt K9 will not be killed off after all. Reports that BBC Television was about to KO K9 have proved false.
Thousands of young viewers wrote to The Sun to protest when it was reported that K9 would be cut out of key episodes in the next series.
It was feared the super pooch was headed for the scrap heap. But now the new Dr Who producer, John Nathan-Turner. says: This is not true. K9 will appear in 20 of the next 28 episodes.
"Originally, it was difficult to use K9 on bumpy terrain.
"But we now have a tracking system he runs on so that he can appear in many more scenes." Roseanne Serrelli, aged nine, of Ilford, Essex. took her protest right to the top.
She wrote to the Queen to ask her to save K9.
"I wrote to the Queen because she is a dog lover herself," Roseanne says. "And I got a very nice letter back."
Saved
More than 60 children in two classes at the Herbert Shiner School, in Petworth, Sussex, added their names to the Save-K9-Campaign.
Janet Harding, 12, who organised the school's petition. says: "It is wonderful news to know that K9 has been saved."
David Stew, 14, of Longford, Coventry. has been watching Dr Who since he was a toddler.
"I want to be a TV special effects man when I leave school, and I have visited the BBC to see how K9 works:" he says.
"He is the best thing that ever happened to the series."
Gary Milton, 12, of Ilford, Essex, summed up the feelings of thousands of other Dr Who fans in his letter: "If the producer decides to exterminate K9, I hope K9 exterminates him first"
Letters
The BBC has also received many letters of protest following reports that Lalla Ward. who plays Dr Who's assistant, was to be axed from the next series.
Producer Nathan-Turner says: "She will also be seen in 20 of the next episodes.
"And although she is leaving the series, she is not going to be killed off."
Caption: Roseanne with the Queen's letter
Caption: Classy protest from the pupils of Herbert Shiner School, Petworth, Sussex
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: Wade, Judy (1980-07-12). K9 lives!. The Sun p. 17.
- MLA 7th ed.: Wade, Judy. "K9 lives!." The Sun [add city] 1980-07-12, 17. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Wade, Judy. "K9 lives!." The Sun, edition, sec., 1980-07-12
- Turabian: Wade, Judy. "K9 lives!." The Sun, 1980-07-12, section, 17 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=K9 lives! | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/K9_lives! | work=The Sun | pages=17 | date=1980-07-12 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=29 March 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=K9 lives! | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/K9_lives! | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=29 March 2025}}</ref>
