Who's Up for a Fight
- Publication: Daily Star
- Date: 2005-11-10
- Author: Nigel Pauley
- Page: 3
- Language: English
ITV battles Doc with £6m new sci-fi show
DR WHO is facing a deadly new enemy — ITV bosses are planning to take him on with their own £6million family sci-fi series.
They've been shaken by the success of the BBC drama and decided to jump on the bandwagon.
Instead of packing Saturday evening with the usual reality TV shows, they've come up with their own six-part series with the working title Primaeval.
It follows the adventures of a group of scientists as they travel through time using black holes.
Dr Who is to return for a Christmas special and a new series next year, with David Tennant, 34, taking over from Christopher Eccleston, 41, as the Doctor — alongside Billie Piper, 23, as Rose.
Winner
It's been a ratings winner for the Beeb, consistently grabbing more than seven million viewers and peaking at 10m.
The BBC is hoping to cash in on that success by ordering two more escapist family dramas.
One is based on Robin Hood — a character previously played in a film by Cary Elwes, 43. The other will be the tale of magician Merlin —recently portrayed on the big screen by Rik Mayall, 47.
But ITV bosses are battling back with Primaeval which, like Dr Who, will feature spectacular special effects.
A source connected with the project, due next year, said: "The drama will be visually strong, with the characters fighting dinosaurs and other creatures.
"The central character is called Professor Cutter, whose wife — a scientist like him —vanishes while investigating black holes. He's determined to get her back and with four colleagues searches through time and space."
It is being written by Adrian Hodges, whose TV work includes adaptations of David Copperfield and Lorna Doone. The stars have yet to be chosen.
Caption: MAGIC: We'll see new versions of Rik's Merlin and Cary's Robin
Caption: FACING A CHALLENGE: Tennant as the Doctor and Billie as Rose
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- APA 6th ed.: Pauley, Nigel (2005-11-10). Who's Up for a Fight. Daily Star p. 3.
- MLA 7th ed.: Pauley, Nigel. "Who's Up for a Fight." Daily Star [add city] 2005-11-10, 3. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Pauley, Nigel. "Who's Up for a Fight." Daily Star, edition, sec., 2005-11-10
- Turabian: Pauley, Nigel. "Who's Up for a Fight." Daily Star, 2005-11-10, section, 3 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Who's Up for a Fight | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Who%27s_Up_for_a_Fight | work=Daily Star | pages=3 | date=2005-11-10 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=31 March 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Who's Up for a Fight | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Who%27s_Up_for_a_Fight | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=31 March 2025}}</ref>
