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Hard-up BBC exiles series to 18-month time warp
DR WHO is being dropped by the hard-up BBC for the first time in 22 years.
It has decided that Dr Who's adventures are too expensive to produce.
BBC1 controller Michael Grade has ordered the series, which stars Colin Baker, to be suspended for at least 18 months.
Dr Who fans have launched a campaign to try to persuade Mr Grade to change his mind.
The series has been seen on TV at least every nine months over the pass 22 years and regularly attracts nearly eight million viewers.
A BBC spokesman said: "We intend to make a lot of new drama this year and cannot afford to do that and produce Dr Who.
Campaign
"The Doctor is being rested, but will be back next year."
The last episode will go out on March 30.
Within hours of Mr Grade's decision, some of the programme's 110 million fans worldwide in 54 countries where it is shown, had begun their campaign.
An army of fans began mustering letters of complaint about the series being rested.
One fan said: "If public opinion can change the BBC's mind over Dallas, then we hope we can do the same."
London record producer Mr Ian Levine, a lifetime fan and member of the British Dr Who fan club, said: "Dr Who is more than just a TV programme. For 22 years it has been a way of life, We are calling on all fans to write to Michael Grade to urge him to change his mind."
A spokesman for the British branch of the Dr Who Appreciation Society, which has over 3500 members, said:
This news has been a great shock to us. We will be meeting to discuss exactly what we can do to help save one of the country's favourite programmes."
A spokesman for the Dr Who fan club added: "We want all of our members to write to Mr Grade.
"At present 30,000 letters have already been sent. We have got to save this programme and we are calling on members of the public to help us."
Caption: RESTING : The Doctor, played by Colin Baker, with assistant, actress Nicola Bryant.
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
